The tech press is full of articles on the decline of the PC. The latest whipping boy is Windows 8. People claim that Windows 8's new "Modern" interface is too different and people balk at it. Really? Then why is the iPhone and Android phones so successful? Their interface is nothing like the desktop counterparts yet people have no problem using them. I honestly believe the problem is convenience. Smart phones come with their own internet connection. A camera and applications to do work. Best of all, it fits in your pocket. The majority of people only need this. For sharing pictures, and communication with others a cell phone or tablet will usually do the job. If you're doing video editing, writing long form or crunching some serious numbers then a larger computer is required.
What the tech community fails to understand is the Windows 7 machines that were sold in the last couple of years do that exceedingly well. And from the business point of view office 2003 still does spreadsheets just fine. So why upgrade?
