CHALLENGE is a word synonymous with business.

Change is a word equally applicable to the computer industry.

Challenge and change have taken Steven Hardy's RightVIEW COMPUTERS from Mudgeeraba to Burleigh, and now to Griffith St Coolangatta.

His shop would confuse a traveller from, let's say, the 1990s, when computer stores did not generally sell mobile phones.

Mr Hardy told My Daily News "if I wasn't in the computer game I reckon I could get by just with an iPad (or smart phone)".

This statement is representative of lines blurring between what constitutes a computer and what a phone.

Furthermore, many people now no longer require a desktop computer or laptop for basic purposes - only a phone.

"When the iPhone first launched we applied to be a reseller with Vodafone," Mr Hardy said.

"At that stage it was just to compliment the Apple products we were already selling, but we had no idea then the market was going to move from computers.

"Since then the smart phone market has just changed - it's email, it's internet; it's news.

"People are less likely to think 'I need a computer' because they now think 'I can do that on my phone'."

He said the two biggest changes were the fact households now had one computer, while each family member had a smart phone.

And technology such as the iCloud now meant data uploaded onto a particular device could be stored remotely, and accessed through any device whether computer, phone or tablet.

"You can just stand there and try to sell computers," Mr Hardy said.

"But if you want to meet the needs of your customers - and people are moving to the next generation of computers - you have to sell what they want.

"Or they will go elsewhere."

RightVIEW opened in Coolangatta before Christmas last year, and its Mudgeeraba and Burleigh businesses are now closed.

Because Mr Hardy has moved the family business with the times, he said his customers do not "go elsewhere".

"It's good that there's no one else in this area who specialises in both Apple and Windows.

"In the real world, people use a little bit of both, and we can cater to their demands on need.

"So far it's early days, but we've had a positive response from people coming in.

"It's only 10 minutes from where we were before so a lot of our customers will come down.

"Besides, it's a nice place to visit - you can drop your computer off and go for a walk somewhere.

"The biggest challenge is this is a forever changing market - what was the flavour of the month 12 months ago can quite easily be something different in another 12 months."