The Personal Computing Industry Center focuses on the production and use of "personal computing" devices such as desktops, notebooks, servers, PDAs, digital media players, and smart phones. It conducts basic and applied research on industry trends, product innovation, business models, emerging markets and use of the technology by people and organizations. Housed at the Paul Merage School of Business, the Center acts as a vital resource to an industry characterized by constant innovation and intense competition.

   Close industry collaboration is a fundamental aspect of the Center's work. Executives from such companies as Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Lenovo, Toshiba, and Western Digital serve on the Advisory Board, helping to define the research agenda and spearheading their companies' participation in specific projects.

Globalization of Innovation and Production Networks explores factors that allow manufacturers to gain competitive advantage in a global environment, electronic integration of the supply chain in Greater China, and the role of coordination in globally distributed knowledge networks in R&D and new product development. Offshoring of Knowledge Work examines the impact of offshoring production and knowledge work, and the role of personal computing in decreasing the digital divide between developed and developing countries. Research on the PC Market addresses corporate and individual consumer needs through research on the "digital home," development of a method to estimate market potential in developed and developing countries, and the role of standards in the adoption and use of computer technologies.

  Field research on product development and manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific region, where the majority of the world's production occurs, is a well-regarded example of the Center's contribution to the study of industry globalization. On-site observation, analysis of secondary data and interviews with executives, engineers and government officials yield insights on key developments in the field.

   The establishment of the Center builds on a prior affiliation between UC Irvine and the Sloan Foundation. Faculty have studied the computer industry since the 1980s and in 1998 published a Sloan-supported book by Jason Dedrick and Kenneth Kraemer, Asia's Computer Challenge: Threat or Opportunity for the United States and the World? The book was the result of a study that analyzed the rapid growth of the computer industry in the Asia-Pacific region and its impact on the American industry, markets and global production. The Center has recently completed a study on the "Offshoring of engineering work" for the National Academy of Engineering and another on the "Globalization of innovation" in the personal computing industry for the National Academy of Sciences.