PCs 'will be obsolete in three years'

Desktop PCs could become an obsolete method of getting online within the next three years, according to John Herlihy, vice-president of global ad operations at Google.

Leigh Geary, webmaster of CoolSmartPhone.com, said web development and the changing way in which users wish to access the internet means mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular.

He commented: "The device-bound applications of old are slowly fading away as people use web-based applications like calendars, word processors and web-based email for their work."

However, Mr Geary noted it is hard to see such a dramatic shift in such a short space of time actually taking place.

A recent Gartner report showed smartphone sales reached 172.4 million units in 2009 - a year-on-year increase of 23.8 per cent.

Market share last year for the top three smartphone operating systems stood at 46.9 per cent for Symbian, 19.9 per cent for Research In Motion and 14.4 per cent for Apple's iPhone.

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