In brief: IDC forecasts death of the PC

A new crop of Internet access devices will push PCs into the background by 2002, according to an IDC study. The study, entitled Death of the PC Era, says PCs accounted for 96 per cent of the Internet access market in 1997. They expect this to drop to less than 50 per cent over the next four years, with appliances like handhelds and set-top boxes exceeding PC shipments by 2004. The growth will be driven by customers who want cheaper, more flexible Web access, IDC claims.