"PC Revolution Is Over," Lotus' Manzi Declares
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO --- "The PC revolution is now over,"  Lotus
chairman Jim Manzi told the Personal Computer Outlook conference
last week. "It's over because PCs so totally dominate the
computer industry and the thinking in our industry."
 
Service, not raw technology, will drive the next cycle in the
personal computer industry,  Manzi said. "The rate of
technological changes hasn't slowed.  For many customers it
has become too rapid.  We have given our users more
processing power and more new applications than they can
make use of."  And in the process, Manzi said, the computer
industry has created a mixed computing environment that to
many users is "their worst nightmare."
 
Revenues from systems integration services will jump from
$5 billion this year to about $15 billion in 1993, Manzi said.
Furthermore, revenue from "professional services," including
consulting, software development, and application training,
will double by 1993.
 
The projected boom in the PC industry is a logical
progression, he said.  The 1980s saw a "great boom" in the
service industry for mainframes.  "Until now, growth in the
computer service industry has been confined mostly to
mainframes and to minicomputers.  But the PC service
industry is about to experience a similar growth opportunity."
 
The complexity of new programs like Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3
has created a "great opportunity" for software companies to
offer customers additional support -- at a price.  For
example, Lotus now has a 7-days-a-week, 24-hour support
hotline for users of the latest 1-2-3.
 
                              --- Jeffrey Bertolucci
 
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