IBM, one of the biggest contributors in the rise of computing has decided that the end is nigh for desktop PCs.

Mike Rhodin, General Manager of IBM Lotus software, revealed in his keynote speech to VoiceCon that the company feels desktop computers will slowly disappear as more and more people switch to the portability of laptops.

Fade away

“Desktop computers will gradually disappear, replaced by mobile devices, including laptops, that take on traditional office capabilities,” reads a summation in a company press release.

For IBM to sound the death knell for desktops is particularly astounding bearing in mind the company’s history.

From the 1950s until the 70s, IBM was, by a distance, the dominant force in computing and in 1981, the iconic IBM Personal Computer set the compatibility standard for PCs.

Although the manufacturing arm was sold to Lenovo in 2005, the company remains one of the most powerful influences in the industry.

Although an increasing number of people use laptops in the office, the humble desktop is still a huge factor in design and, for the home gaming market, it is still static PCs that dominate the arena.

More predictions

But IBM are not finished there; Rhodin’s other predictions for the future include a great increase in instant messenger programs – replacing the ubiquity of email in businesses, the end of the deskphone and increasing numbers of people working from home.

Collaborative tools will spell the end for traditional face to face meetings and Open Standard software will ‘tear down proprietary walls across business and public domains.’

IBM's predictions in full