As company executives discover the advantages of being able to carry their work with them, and processing it while on the move, the great portable revolution gathers strength by the minute.
As 1993 approaches, one thing will certainly not change, the pace of computer technology. It's come a long way in a short time (just compare the size of the average computer a few years ago with the machines around today); and there are no signs of it stopping. If anything, the advent of the single market will speed the process. Most of the pace setting will be in one important field - portability, which is the key to doing business efficiently in the future. Whether the need is to process information at home or on the move, or to ensure the success of a sales trip or client presentation, a portable PC can make the critical difference.
Yet in computer terms, the portable revolution is still in its infancy. it is a lusty infant, however, and growing stronger by the minute. Company executives all over Britain and Europe are discovering the advantages of being able to carry their work with them and to process it while actually on the move.
As noted, another dimension is that sales people are finding making a pitch to prospective customer much easier when the customer can see what he is being sold.
Portability equates with productivity. A recent study undertaken for Toshiba in the US showed that 98 per cent of users the flexibility and freedom that their portables provide with gains in efficiency and effectiveness. for those whose jobs demand mobility, there is no real alternative. But not all users of portable PCs need to travel. Some simply like the convenience of having a machine which can go home in the evenings or to other people's offices during the day.
In fact, when questioned about performance at work, more than half of all portable PC users thought they completed projects more quickly than they would on a desktop. And 93 per cent said they would be dissatisfied if they had to go back exclusively to desktops. The portability of the computer is the crucial factor in saving time, calling up supporting data, feeding information back to the head office mainframe where necessary, and leasing with other users via modems. The latest generation of what are known as 'notebook' PCs has broken free of the obvious restraints imposed by being mains powered all Toshiba notebook PCs are battery driven and can be used anywhere.
The technological strides that have been made in the short history of the portable have been enormous and have long since dispelled the initial fear that a truly portable computer could not pack sufficient punch. Today's portable computers are compact, light, easy to pack and carry around - and they are also powerful enough to cope with today's sophisticated software. The old generation of sewing machine sized luggables did enable a computer to be taken home for the evening or weekend. But the new portables mean you can take and use equivalent computing power round the world. Even the remarkably small notebook PCs accommodate many sophisticated options, including modems for communication with your office or databases around the world, while modern battery systems can run machines for hours before they need a recharge.
The business traveler can present figures and reports in acceptable format as soon as he or she reaches the end of the journey - rough notes in London, finished document in Tokyo. But the benefits of portable computers go further still; these machines are changing the way in which people work.
The latest technology will enhance this process - although it is always dangerous to talk about the latest technology in computers; progress is being made so rapidly that the latest very quickly becomes outdated as new products are developed to meet new needs. For example, the emerging breed of serious notebook user demands a smaller machine, but still needs industry standard storage media and the power to run much of the DOS software found in the office. The same technology that made notebook PCs possible is bringing the size of other portables down. From desktop to portable to notebook has taken a very short time and the pace of development is accelerating; soon color screens will appear on pocket PCs, then more processing power, then more memory and so on.
As 1993 approaches, one thing will certainly not change, the pace of computer technology. It's come a long way in a short time (just compare the size of the average computer a few years ago with the machines around today); and there are no signs of it stopping. If anything, the advent of the single market will speed the process. Most of the pace setting will be in one important field - portability, which is the key to doing business efficiently in the future. Whether the need is to process information at home or on the move, or to ensure the success of a sales trip or client presentation, a portable PC can make the critical difference.
Yet in computer terms, the portable revolution is still in its infancy. it is a lusty infant, however, and growing stronger by the minute. Company executives all over Britain and Europe are discovering the advantages of being able to carry their work with them and to process it while actually on the move.
As noted, another dimension is that sales people are finding making a pitch to prospective customer much easier when the customer can see what he is being sold.
Portability equates with productivity. A recent study undertaken for Toshiba in the US showed that 98 per cent of users the flexibility and freedom that their portables provide with gains in efficiency and effectiveness. for those whose jobs demand mobility, there is no real alternative. But not all users of portable PCs need to travel. Some simply like the convenience of having a machine which can go home in the evenings or to other people's offices during the day.
In fact, when questioned about performance at work, more than half of all portable PC users thought they completed projects more quickly than they would on a desktop. And 93 per cent said they would be dissatisfied if they had to go back exclusively to desktops. The portability of the computer is the crucial factor in saving time, calling up supporting data, feeding information back to the head office mainframe where necessary, and leasing with other users via modems. The latest generation of what are known as 'notebook' PCs has broken free of the obvious restraints imposed by being mains powered all Toshiba notebook PCs are battery driven and can be used anywhere.
The technological strides that have been made in the short history of the portable have been enormous and have long since dispelled the initial fear that a truly portable computer could not pack sufficient punch. Today's portable computers are compact, light, easy to pack and carry around - and they are also powerful enough to cope with today's sophisticated software. The old generation of sewing machine sized luggables did enable a computer to be taken home for the evening or weekend. But the new portables mean you can take and use equivalent computing power round the world. Even the remarkably small notebook PCs accommodate many sophisticated options, including modems for communication with your office or databases around the world, while modern battery systems can run machines for hours before they need a recharge.
The business traveler can present figures and reports in acceptable format as soon as he or she reaches the end of the journey - rough notes in London, finished document in Tokyo. But the benefits of portable computers go further still; these machines are changing the way in which people work.
The latest technology will enhance this process - although it is always dangerous to talk about the latest technology in computers; progress is being made so rapidly that the latest very quickly becomes outdated as new products are developed to meet new needs. For example, the emerging breed of serious notebook user demands a smaller machine, but still needs industry standard storage media and the power to run much of the DOS software found in the office. The same technology that made notebook PCs possible is bringing the size of other portables down. From desktop to portable to notebook has taken a very short time and the pace of development is accelerating; soon color screens will appear on pocket PCs, then more processing power, then more memory and so on.
