Never mind the associated cubicles, desks, chairs, and monitors that, for many people, have become part of everyday life. A Google exec believes desktop computers will be irrelevant in three years' time. No twisting of words or misinterpretations took place here. John Herlihy, Google's vice president of global ad operations, simply said at University College Dublin's Digital Landscapes conference, "In three years' time, desktops will be irrelevant.