The PC era is dying. Welcome to the collective computer era

"The very term "personal computer" promises liberty and autonomy; this isn't the bus, but a transistor-powered rocket carrying a payload of rare earth minerals and rainbow hued headlights. The PC shrunk whole industries of work to our desktops, driving our ambitions anywhere they wanted to go."

"Whether you were publishing without a publisher, creating art without a studio, balancing books without an accountant, or mailing without a post office, the computer offered an all-in-one device for self-starters—a business in a box. Like cars, we invest in new computers because they are more expensive to fix than keep."

"In the age of AI, companies are acquiring unprecedented amounts of hardware, driving up prices, and affecting the entire PC market along the way. It's affecting everyone from Dell dudes to kids dreaming about a Playstation 6. We're currently shifting toward a world of consolidated processing, where the PC is trending toward a luxury item."

Personal computers emerged from garages as tools embodying American ideals of freedom, autonomy, and self-expression. They democratized computing power, enabling individuals to publish, create art, manage finances, and start businesses independently. The PC represented progress through continuous speed improvements and accessibility. However, the personal computer ideal now faces unprecedented risk. AI companies are acquiring massive amounts of hardware, driving up prices and destabilizing the entire PC market. This consolidation threatens to transform computation from an accessible personal tool into an expensive utility, shifting the PC from a democratizing force to a luxury item accessible only to the wealthy.

Read at Fast Company