The future of PCs and Macs is expensive: The PC is a niche now

The Verge ^ | October 28, 2016 | Vlad Savov

[EveningStar]

The personal desktop computer used to once be an exclusive and expensive machine, though we now know it and its laptop counterpart as a mass-market commodity that most people can afford. This week, however, the companies that defined the personal computer, Microsoft and Apple, gave us a glimpse of the future and it looks like a return to the past: the PC is going back to being an exclusive and expensive machine.

Set aside all the explosions of color on gorgeous, high-resolution displays. Ignore the glamorous promo videos and the ultrathin, all-metal chassis of the new Surface Studio and MacBook Pro. Instead, focus on the prices.

[EveningStar]

ping

[LouieFisk]

If I bought my PCs from either MS or Apple I’d be worried about cost. Otherwise, nah.

[seastay]

Its a physics issue, the bigger the enclosure , the more features, and more performance can be had. The issue is that the common user just needs only enough power to facebook comment on what some other person they don't know in real life had for lunch.

[EveningStar]

This will probably eventually affect the independent brands too. :(

[VanDeKoik]

It’s an obnoxious twist. From 2,000.00 dollar machines in the early 90s, to 200.00 ones in 2005, and now back to expensive.

But thankfully I can get good machines used and piece together whatever I need from home.

These new machines from both Apple And MS are utterly absurd in their prices, but they are more “pro-sumer” devices, so they weren’t designed for cheap-Os like me.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

If you are saying MS or Apple, yes they are. My opinion is Apple shot itself in the foot with laptops. Too much money too little hardware. Microsoft is just too expensive.

I handled their Surface Book for the first time last week. My take was they are probably getting dropped all the time. The balance is way off because the keyboard is too light.

[arl295]

Most people don’t need computers these days

Facebook
Snap chat
Instagram
Email
Twitter

Work fine from any smart phone or tablet

PCs will be for businesses and dorks

[Paladin2]

I haven't built a Desktop PC in about 6 years after building about one per year (partly to supply my kids college needs at the time).

I did upgrade the video card in a 6 yr old hand me down Dell and it does HD video just fine.

VirtualBox allows me to run the old software on the old OS's so I only need one computer.

Just what new features do I need?

[arl295]

My clients, I buy Lenovo M93p Minis

i5
8GB RAM
240 or 500GB SSD hard drive
Windows 7 or 10

small, no dvd drive, they don’t use them anyways

simple ac adapter power supply

VGA and Display port video

fine for my customers

They love em

especially the small foot print

Price under $500

[proxy_user]

It is hard to write a book on a phone. You need a keyboard and a big monitor.

[redfreedom]

“PCs will be for businesses and dorks”

I guess I’m a dork, and just as proudly a dork as I am a deplorable.

I don’t have a business, but do lotsa CAD Dwg, photo shop type work and movie editing. Some of this requires a 64 bit machine. Also, the larger the monitor screen size the better.

[PapaBear3625]

It is hard to write a book on a phone. You need a keyboard and a big monitor.

At work, I need a large amount of monitor screen area to comfortably work with a large number of documents and apps at the same time. I suppose with goggles I could get the illusion of a room-spanning display.

[LouieFisk]

This will probably eventually affect the independent brands too. :(
==
What the article is about is pricey software/OSs, e.g. Surface Studio, that most people have no use for. Windows 7 accounts for nearly half of all OSs in use and it’s supported until 2020 - Windows 10 until 2025. So no need to sweat anything soon.
And those of us who also use Linux get our OSs for free.
The there’s android that’ll be happy to be the low cost alternative if people just want something to poke at to read email, play some games and post pictures of what they had for lunch.

[edh]

“PCs will be for businesses and dorks”

HEY! I RESEMBLE THAT COMMENT!!! :-)

You violated my safe space here on Free Republic!!! Quit picking on me :-) :-P

[bigbob]

I see no evidence of this

[wally_bert]

Some photoshop but a lot of 4k video editing for stock galleries and youtube fodder.

It looks like I will upgrade to the next version of Sony vegas. THE new one has a waveform monitor and vectorscope.

[Red in Blue PA]

I will always have a PC. Tried working with a tablet....just does not do the trick.

[LouieFisk]

The most I’d pay for a PC with Win 7/8/10 is $250. Just recently picked up a Dell 960 Optiplex, Win 7 Pro, 3GB processor, 4 gigs ram, DVD&BluRay, 360G HD on EBay for 60 bucks - included shipping & a mouse & keyboard. Works just dandy, but I might spend 30 bucks to put in 4 more GB of RAM.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I’m not liking the MacBook/MacBook Pro price/performance ratio these days. I do my big work on a 27” retina iMac, and take it over remotely with a Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12” tablet - trading in for an iPad Pro next year. I think that is the future, rather than taking the whole computing platform on the road and trying to make a small screen notebook do everything.