Bernard Biolchini is VP of sales and GM, META.

It’s the flexibility and choice offered by the modern PC that makes it the number-one tool for business today.

Mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) are gaining popularity very rapidly worldwide, which has led to a great deal of talk about these mobile devices replacing PCs (laptops). However, the PC remains the all rounder, and because of that it will stay the choice of businesses as the primary tool for getting work done.

Unlike the desktop, PCs allow people to work from anywhere, anytime. It may be slightly challenging to use mobile devices as presentation tools, but that is not the case with PCs. It ensures the user has access to amazing graphics processing, superior screens and robust build quality. The PC continues to evolve with a range of formats and specifications designed to satisfy virtually every usage scenario. The long life battery models are ideal for highly mobile users who rarely get a chance to plug in their units, and the ultra-thin model serves the best purpose for those users who travel frequently.

Today, PCs are better value than ever before, thanks to a long and well documented decline in retail prices. They are enabling users to perform an array of new tasks, handling everything from offi ce applications to Web browsing. In recent years, as video games have soared, so has the importance of visualisation. PCs display everything from videoconference calls to HD online training, AV capture and DVDs.

I believe processors that combine graphics and multi-core CPUs – what are known as APUs – are one way forward. The deep integration achieved by combining both in one silicon package is a platform for excellent performance and great energy efficiency. By incorporating a series of technologies that accelerate video, the key visualisation element comes alive. At the same time, memory, I/O (input/output) and other elements must keep in step with the processor to avoid performance drawbacks.

The new face of the PC is fast, highly graphical, better value than ever, and it also comes with an extended battery life. More than ever, businesses that are braced for economic uncertainty need this flexibility.