BILL GATES AND PAUL OTELLINI, TWO OF THE PC INDUSTRY'S TITANS, SAID REPORTS OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTER'S DEMISE ARE PREMATURE AS PCS FIND NEW FUNCTIONS IN THE GROWING MARKET FOR DIGITAL DEVICES, INCLUDING CELL PHONES AND MUSIC PLAYER GATES, CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF MICROSOFT CORP., AND OTELLINI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF INTEL CORP., WROTE IN AN OPINION PIECE IN MONDAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL THAT THE PERSONAL COMPUTER IS ENTERING A NEW ERA, BECOMING THE HUB FOR A VARIETY OF DIGITAL DEVICES. THEY SAID THEY WERE RESPONDING TO REPORTS IN THE JOURNAL THAT THE PC "DOESN'T APPLY TO THE WORLD OF DIGITAL DEVICES." IN FACT, THE PC IS BECOMING A "KEY ENABLER" OF SUCH DEVICES, THE EXECUTIVES WROTE. THEIR LETTER COMES AS WORLDWIDE PC SHIPMENT GROWTH SLOWED TO 12.9 PERCENT IN THE FIRST QUARTER FROM 15.9 PERCENT A YEAR EARLIER, ACCORDING TO MARKET RESEARCHER IDC. IT IS THE LATEST SALVO IN A LONG-STANDING DEBATE OVER THE FUTURE OF THE PC, WITH SKEPTICS SAYING THE GROWING POPULARITY OF DEVICES, SUCH AS APPLE COMPUTER INC.'S IPOD MUSIC PLAYER, DIGITAL CAMERAS AND VIDEO RECORDERS COULD MAKE THE TRADITIONAL HOME COMPUTER OBSOLETE. --More
