Posted on 11/09/2012 8:53:22 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Consumers continue to favor lower-end desktop PCs and notebook computers over high-performance models for this year and beyond, with the top-end systems accounting for only 6% of the market in 2012, according to an IHS iSuppli market research company.
“For the desktop as well as the notebook PC market, the continuing domination of lower-end computers is due to the rising performance overall of PCs and their greater affordability to the purchasing public,” said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at IHS.
This year, the mainstream desktop PC category tied with the value PC category in the share of the global desktop PC market, with each segment projected to claim an evenly matched 46.9% by year-end. In comparison, performance PCs will be left far behind in third place, with a meager 6.2%. Meanwhile in the notebook computer space, the value notebook segment will take 46.8%, compared to 44% for mainstream laptops and 9.2% for performance models. IHS claims that the market calculus does not change in the years ahead, with performance PCs continuing to hold down a minority position compared to either the mainstream or value segments.
“While the highest and most potent specifications are still reserved for expensive PCs belonging to the performance sector, computers now in the mainstream or value segments are powerful in their own right, and cannot be deemed as throwaway models. Instead, these more affordable systems feature current-generation technologies that prove adequate for most uses, or boast increased microprocessor power that raises the performance bar even for seemingly rudimentary machines,” explained Mr. Lin.
(Excerpt) Read more at xbitlabs.com ...
Pre-packaged performance PCs are a dying market (i.e. Alienware), but the hobbyist and tweaker markets are far from dead. One need only look at NewEgg’s financial performance to see the proof in that.
But 95% of reviews and forum traffic is regarding the top end of personal computers....
Cheaper PC’s are more than adequate for 90% of computer users.
My wife uses our laptop for playing Solitaire,I got it to get emails when on a trip, Why do I need to spend a ton of money on an expensive one?
My home PC was the cheapest one in the store It get me on Free republic gathers my mail, and I watch an occasional Utube.
It’s adequate, and it cost me less than $500 bucks.
Anybody know of a good free Words Program.
I need it for a letter or a note once in a while, I don’t need excel ,Power Point ,or any of the other crap you get with the $400 dollar microsoft version just need a good word program that can send and receive.
www.openoffice.org
They also require constant hardware and software upgrading, and that is getting really annoying. Consoles have come a long way and they are still making games today that run on an XBOX 360 that was made in 2005. Try running a current game on PC equipment made in or before '05!
I'll move to console gaming when they start making decent sims for them (Codemasters F1 game is NOT a sim!). Way cheaper start up and long term costs. Until then, it's a large, costly, high-end PC for me.
I built a high end PC several years ago (AMD quad core) and it started failing this year. I had it repaired at the local shop (many failed fans) rather than replace it — still does everything I need.
Surfing FR while my other 31 cores are plugging away with about 50/64 GB RAM allocated. I wouldn’t mind an upgrade, either.
I use Google Docs. As long as it's nothing personal, I fell no qualms about using it. And I'll never lose it, it's saved in cyberspace.
In the past I needed performance PCs for my work (software development) and used a desktop because laptops were slower. My current development platform is an Acer laptop that I got at Wal-Mart for $350 and it outperforms anything I’ve used before.
I’ll third OpenOffice.
The only problem I have in exchanging files with MS Office are in things that are precisely layout-dependent (e.g., desktop publishing). The two applications will have some minor differences in layout that can cause some unusual hiccups when going between them.
If you’re sticking with just text and basic formatting, you’ll be fine.
PCs are a commoddity. They have been for over a decade, maybe longer. People want cheaper, smaller and they want to replace them more often. Very few PC users, except gamers, want to chase upgrades.
Enthusiasts write reviews of Porches, not Camrys. Commodity products are really not worth a lot of discussion. But what's find in the higher end stuff will make its way down to commodity in a few years.
With a little computer knowledge you can build a high end computer for about what it cost for an average to upper price manufactured computer. I had an upper end one built at my local store for $1500 then I built my own for $1000....
I’m on my 4th HP pavilion basic black box. It has Windows 7 and probably all the memory I need. If I need more back up/storage, I have my MyPc Backup on line backup service.
It cost a little less than $500 including CalifornicatoR’s sales tax.
My HPw2216h, 22 inch monitor is still going strong after outlasting the previous computer. I turned the new computer off and plugged in my old monitor, and it was recognized immediately when I turned my new computer on.
Most of the time, our Comcast connection is fast enough for what I do. This past week, probably due to the aftermath of Sandy and the election, it has been somewhat slow.
With Comcast and the on line backup services, even a crashed computer can be fairly easily replaced. It took longer to drive to Office Depot to buy the new computer and return home, than to get back on line.
Two weeks after getting the new computer, our printer died after lasting longer than the two black box plain Jane/John computer.
My new lowcost HP3050A printer prints and copies whatever my wife and I need. It cost much less than a dinner for 2 in Wino land. It took much longer to unpack the new printer and put the old printer in the box, than it did to get my new printer on line and printing again.
The printer is easier to use and to make copies. My computer ludite wife learned how to make copies in about a minute and makes several copies each week.
A younger female Apple addicted relative has the new Mac computer, which she paid 6 times what I paid. It doesn’t seem to be any faster than mine, and her kids like my old monitor better.
Perfect. It fits right in my comment about our younger female relative on my reply.
Cute, but you’d really have to work to spend $3,000 on a Mac these days. The highest-end base configuration for a 27” iMac is $2,000, so you’d have to jam a whole bunch of upgrades to get there.
A bit easier if you have the 15” MacBook Pro with Retina display — the highest base configuration there is 2,800, so you’re only one or two upgrades away.
I got my iMac, Parallels Desktop, and 3 years of AppleCare for less than $1,200. I also do a lot more than just Facebook on it.
For the facebook/twitter girl, an iPhone could be enough, an iPad would be entirely sufficient.
As a gamer and one who does a lot of side work for people on their home PC's and networks, I could not agree LESS!
People do not like replacing and/or upgrading. It's all a big headache to them. They're always complaining about how now they'll have to re-learn everything all over again. Every time MS comes out with a new OS or version of Office, many, many things are relocated and it is a big headache not just finding what folder an app has been relocated to, but the interface for it has changed (Defrag, anyone?).
As to gaming, I can't wait for consoles to be able to do simulation-style games. It's way cheaper than any PC as you can connect wireless to your LAN and get on the internet with a USB mouse and KB). Every game that comes out requires more powerful CPU/GPU combinations than the last iteration of the game, but will run on a 2005 XBOX 360. Go figure.
I think consoles will be able to do good simulations very soon. Now if they just had decent programmers who could write a game in-depth enough to last more than a couple of weeks, LOL!
yep
I know a few gamers that LOVE to upgrade. For some reason, swapping up for a new video card is the hilight of their day. Seriously. They’re like the “ricers” of the PC world.
Consoles don’t have enough inputs for really good sims. Maybe a USB HOTAS setup or input overlay, but not yet.
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