And PCs keep getting cheaper and faster. Omit a major component in the interest of price, as Net appliances do by eliminating the hard disk, and usability suffers. That's one reason the Palm, which has both, is so popular. Add an external keyboard, and the Palm becomes even more PC-like. Those who natter about PC substitutes ignore the power of the PC's installed base of users, programmers, peripherals, and drivers.
Talk is cheap.
For years I've been hearing about the imminent arrival of wonderful Internet appliances, e-mail devices, Web phones, and the like. The products that actually arrive are far less wonderful. Almost inevitably, they flop in the marketplace when they turn out to be overpriced and overhyped. The PC desperately needs to be more reliable, easier to use, and more secure. But new devices are not necessarily more reliable or simpler.