The Future of the Desktop PC

[Topcat]

I was having this debate with a kid about 19 years old today, who in his infinite wisdom thinks the PC is a historical commodity....and that in another year, they will be completely extinct, to be replaced completely with tablets and smartphones....

While I concede that the tablet & smartphone market has taken a bite out of the PC world, but the PC (desktop and conventional laptop) is FAR from extinct, and won't be for quite a few years to come. My prediction is another decade before the PC as we know it will be all but gone. Maybe it's my generation gap showing....as I get no thrills out of watching videos on my phone. Web browsing on my phone is also an annoying pain in the ass as well. I have a note3 with a 5.7" screen, and I still think its small and annoying....forget trying to do anything productive!! Those that do it on smaller screens... While it may be a handy substitute when I'm away from my PC, but its no replacement for my PC in any way shape or form. When I get home, the phone goes on the charger, and I'm in my comfy chair at my desk looking at my 30" screen on my trusty desktop..... The gadgets/trinkets known as smartphones & tablets are no replacement for this, and never will be for me......

Let the debate begin!

[ratdude747]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

I love my desktops and laptops.

Althogh I may be getting a asus laptop with a C2D and geforce 9 graphics for $50 (needs a repair) because a friend of a friend likes his surface too much. Moron!

[mariushm]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

For serious work, development, creating stuff, computers will continue to exist.

For consumers of work, media etc, tablets and mobile phones and stuff like set top boxes (steam box, xbox, consoles) may dominate.

Young people don't understand or can't think that all that they see on their devices (games, movies, applications) and even the devices themselves are built using tools that either can't be run on those devices, or are simply too inefficient to use on such devices.

[trebo]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

love my desktops, would not be without them, one upstairs (for grandchildren etc) and one ground floor
have plenty of access to lappys about the home, but hate touchpads etc
give me a mouse any day and my desktop table

[ncovert]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

For me, the desktop will live on forever. For the average person, they'll probably be phased out in favor of laptops, tablets, and smart phones.

[c_hegge]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Althogh I may be getting a asus laptop with a C2D and geforce 9 graphics for $50 (needs a repair) because a friend of a friend likes his surface too much. Moron!

ASUS?

Back to topic, I think that Desktops will die out almost completely for home users. My mum almost never uses the PC ever since she got an iPad (Yes, I know. She's now an Apple Sider, unfortunately), and I'm gradually seeing a shift away from desktops for home users.

BUT

Tablets don't network well, and on screen keyboards with 7-10 inch screens are a pain to do any serious work on and it's impossible to get a half decent GPU (like a GTX760) into a tablet, so for the business/corporate world, as well as enthusiast users, PCs are here to stay.

[ratdude747]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

ASUS?

Yes, ASUS. Thier laptops seem OK. Now thier eee series and desktop mobo's... those are JUNK. Hell, it's $50.

(wishes I still was a mod, so I could move all this to a separate thead...)

[Topcat]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Now thier eee series and desktop mobo's...

I dunno....while I'm not an Asus fan by rule, the eee all in one 22" I found in the trash and fixed up for my wife has ran 24/7/365 for almost 2 years, never had a single problem out of it....

[ratdude747]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

I dunno....while I'm not an Asus fan by rule, the eee all in one 22" I found in the trash and fixed up for my wife has ran 24/7/365 for almost 2 years, never had a single problem out of it....

yeah, and I had two eee netbooks (1000Hb and a 1000HEb)... they sucked so bad.

[Topcat]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

yeah, and I had two eee netbooks (1000Hb and a 1000HEb)... they sucked so bad.

The operator perhaps!?! ZIING!!

[goontron]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

i would like to see somebody try to write code on a tablet. i wounder how many errors the compiler with throw before ti crashes.

[ratdude747]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

The operator perhaps!?! ZIING!!

3 faults between the two:

1000Hb:

-Card reader went out after a few years as a display model and 3 months as my netbook. replaced under warranty with:

1000HEb:

-cracked screen. fell from mantle onto hardwood. my fault.

-chipset USB went out. after a year or so of use by my dad (as I scored a fresh lid for cheap). Gutted it, it was pretty flimsy. JUNK.

[shovenose]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Most people don't understand or can't think that all that they see on their devices (games, movies, applications) and even the devices themselves are built using tools that either can't be run on those devices, or are simply too inefficient to use on such devices.

With a minor edit which I performed on the first word, spot on.

[Uniballer]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

I prefer a big display, real keyboard, choice of pointing device, and fast network connection. For creation of anything, I also want serious RAM and big permanent storage, and backup options other than the cloud, etc. If I can have all that on a "Super Tablet" then fine, but at the moment that sounds like a desktop or server-class box.

I am perfectly happy with headphones for sound reproduction and I can imagine being happy with a really good inexpensive lightweight visor display when one is available. At that point if the box could fit in my pocket I would be OK with that.

[kikkoman]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Same thing here, they won't go down that quickly. Well.... I guess compact (or 'slim') desktops might have a chance. Integration has come a long way and fast external storage is no longer a problem (neither is cheap network storage which also doubles as media server)

Besides, the entire gaming market is too big to be abandoned just like that, and laptops are... laptops.

[TELVM]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

If I'd be selling microcars ...


... quite naturally I'd be vociferating all the time that "the family car is dead!" to anyone dumb enough to listen.

But facts are stubborn.


I once read these wise words around the web:

The desktop didn't kill mainframes and rack servers. The laptop didn't kill the desktop. The tablet didn't kill the laptop. The netbook only killed itself. Each serves a purpose.

We're not seeing anything obsoleted. We're seeing the market fragment into ever more specific niches. The DIY box long staked out its niche and it's not going anywhere so long as PC enthusiasts still exist.

[Per Hansson]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

For me personally I don't see the point where a desktop PC will not exist.
Simply because I always get problems if I spend too much time with laptops or god forbid tablets, backache and general discomfort.

As TC said it's hard to beat a nice chair and a big monitor, and obviously mouse & keyboard for input.
But maybe we are a dying breed...

[SpectrHz]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Like any technology, someone will need a desktop/tower and there will always be some market for them. My tower can do things my laptop cannot, and my laptop does MANY things my tablet could not dream of, and my tablet does things my phone cannot.

So I don't think they will ever dissapear, especially not for me


...as for tiles/android/ios...

[momaka]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Let the debate begin!

What debate?

The desktop is here to stay. I can't imagine anyone doing anything productive on a tablet or phone. They are just a flashy toy.

I think that Desktops will die out almost completely for home users. My mum almost never uses the PC ever since she got an iPad

Same here, until she has some work to do from home (usually Excel/Word stuff). Then the good ol' desktop gets fired up.

i would like to see somebody try to write code on a tablet. i wounder how many errors the compiler with throw before ti crashes.

Whoever takes on that task... good luck.

I've had a few friends use my desktop now when we were working on some homeworks. Believe it or not, I did get a few compliments, despite the ancient looks of my desktop/monitor. The one thing everyone liked so far was my keyboard - a Dell QuietKey RT7D5JTW. No laptop keyboard will ever come close to that. As for tablets and cell phones - forget it.

I think some of you have seen my gear from the desktop thread - nothing is newer than 8 years old (the keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, amp, and speakers are actually all close to 15 YEARS!).

[goontron]

Re: The Future of the Desktop PC

Whoever takes on that task... good luck.

I've had a few friends use my desktop now when we were working on some homeworks. Believe it or not, I did get a few compliments, despite the ancient looks of my desktop/monitor. The one thing everyone liked so far was my keyboard - a Dell QuietKey RT7D5JTW. No laptop keyboard will ever come close to that. As for tablets and cell phones - forget it.

I think some of you have seen my gear from the desktop thread - nothing is newer than 8 years old (the keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, amp, and speakers are actually all close to 15 YEARS!).

i have successfully written HTML on a phone.
the desktop is not even close to dead!
where do i plug this SCSI RAID card into on a tablet? wheres the SATA port? wheres CUPS? how do i run file recover software without crashing the device?
exactly why the desktop is here forever.