I still use a desktop at home. Yeah, we have a couple of laptops at home and it’s all my wife uses, but I consider the desktop the “real” computer. It’s just a LOT more efficient when I sit down to it. It doesn’t compromise for portability. Big screen, natural keyboard, speakers placed where I want them, etc.
And I can upgrade fairly cheaply and simply. By the time I actually dump a motherboard, I’ve upgraded for many years.
No, but the desktop personal computer is becoming a special-purpose device, for office desktops and similar uses. It will hang on in the consumer space a while longer for gamers, but probably not for more than another 10 years.
It will likely be supplanted by phones, tablets, ultralight laptops, game consoles and special purpose entertainment machines.
Don’t know about PCs. Very few in my company have other than laptops. I was just issued a new Dell E6510 - with ss memory, etc. I really don’t know how they could have made it any heavier save for making everything out of pure lead. Even with Windows 7, it’s merely an OK machine, and not even close to my MacBook or the wife’s IMAC.
However, the company is also considering issuing many of us IPADs to deal with more of the day to day work (since here, we do a lot of classified stuff on PCs), and find little if any use for Windows based laptops.
The demand for the IPADs has been overwhelming - since even though we’re tech geeks, few - if any - of us really want another Windows based machine.
Windows 8 will render all user computers as User Interface Machines removing all meaning full work to the back-end.
Big brother will then define privacy
From the Inquirer article linked:
“He claimed,”while PCs will continue to be much-used devices, they’re no longer at the leading edge of computing” and are going the way of the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs.”
I bought almost 1,000 vinyl LP’s in the last year. And vacuum tube electronics for both musicians and home hi-fi STILL command top dollar.
Heck, I had to get a walkman cassette player to connect to the auxiliary input jack in my car stereo to play all the cassette tapes I’ve been acquiring lately.
Viva la SPARC!
I just got back from traveling for the first time with an iPad. Light weight and the ability to temporarily replace my ATT chip for a local AIS chip made it the best experience. You can use a regular keyboard and wireless printing. I’m a believer after nothing but PCs before.
had a chance pick up a tablet last week.
Went with a note book.
Has VGA and HDMI so I can hook it up to a monitor when at home or office.
Tactile feel of keyboard was huge issue for me.
Cost 1/2 the price of a tablet.
For business, does what we need.
Ten years ago NO ONE said the PC was dead - because it wasn’t...
Give me a desktop any day. Big screen and regular sized keyboard.
My son’s Dell dies last night. It’s two years, three months old.