PC Market Declining in Japan Due to Mobile Computing

My local paper - the Contra Costa Times - has an AP story about Japanese consumers switching to cell phones and other devices for computing tasks and accessing the Internet.  Key quote:

"The PC's role in Japanese homes is diminishing, as its once-awesome monopoly on processing power is encroached upon by gadgets such as smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, and digital video recorders with terabytes of memory."

The article points out that Japanese PC shipments have fallen 5 straight quarters, with both desktops and notebooks declining. 

The shift to mobile computing and new computing form factors is accelerating.  It is happening much more quickly outside the US in places like Japan, Korea and Nordic countries, but it is starting to happen in the US as well.  We covered this trend and what it means for small business in our last forecast report.