The end of the PC era

Most analysts could have predicted that HP's (HPQ) PC and printer sales would be down for its last reported quarter. Research firms say that the number of PCs being sold has been dropping quickly both inside and outside the U.S. The news has driven Dell's (DELL) shares close to new lows.

Over the last few days, surveys of retailers show that even the Apple (AAPL) Mac has not been immune. Its sales were off last month -- Macworld writes that the drop may have been as much as 6 percent.

Welcome to the end of the PC era. It is not just the recession that is causing the end to rapid growth of desktops and laptops.