Posted on 01/31/2023 9:45:56 AM PST by FarCenter
Businesses are likely to sweat device assets for longer this year as they spend conservatively in a weakening economy, and this along with shrinking demand from consumers is leaving manufacturers in a tight spot.
Gartner forecasts a perfect storm with fortunes declining for shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones 4.4 percent year-on-year in 2023 to 1.74 billion units.
If accurate, that's just slightly more than 287 million computers, down 6.8 percent, some 2.9 percent fewer tablets to almost 133 million and 1.339 billion phones, down 4 percent.
This is against a backdrop of a 36 percent revenue decline for Intel's PC division, as reported late last week, and Microsoft reporting a 39 percent plunge in Windows-related license revenues paid by PC makers. These figures will be based on revenues for products that will already be sat in warehouses of distributors and retailers.
"They are effectively forward looking views on the world," Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner, told The Reg. "That's what they've sold tomorrow or into next quarter. That tells you everything about the rationalization that's going on."
PC shipments grew rapidly during the early years of the pandemic, peaking at almost 350 million units in 2021. Reality came crashing in last year when sales into the channel dropped 16.2 percent to 286.2 million – the steepest decline on record.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.com ...
We’re probably an exception here, if only because our smartphones are 5.5 years old (and were 3+ years removed from initial release when we purchased them as new old-stock). We’re looking to drop AT&T, mainly due to text messages being lost (sent and received), so new phones and a new service it is.
The two-year tech upgrade cycle has become a five-year cycle - and that's going to inflict major damage on tech stock prices.
There is no need to scan Facebook any faster...................
I’m getting a new phone next month.
Probably Pixel 7.
A flagship phone at less than the flagship price.
Completely concur. And I go back to the original IBM PC on this stuff, so I’ve been through a few upgrade cycles at this point!
Heck, I remember for the first couple decades or so, the machine you wanted always cost ~$3000! And that was in 80s and 90s dollars.
Technology gadgets have hit the saturation point. By now everybody that wants (and can afford) a cell phone has one. There a relatively few who always want the latest and greatest but for most if the cell phones basic features work they will keep it.
Don’t get T-Mobile. We switched from Verizon a couple years ago and the T-Mobile service is HORRIBLE. Unreliable, voice quality so bad you cannot understand anything, dropped calls, no ringing on incoming calls, ringing on incoming calls but call won’t connect. What an incredible waste of money.
Lol, I’m a “techie” who is typing this on my nearly ten-year-old laptop with my nearly seven-year-old iPhone close by.
My other laptop is fourteen years old. It’s slow and required some repairs along the way but it’s still useable.
Yeah, I’ve been hearing bad stories about T-Mobile and AT&T in our area. Verizon seems fine, as does Google Fi (yeah, it’s Google).
Sure, I’m reading this from an Early 2015 Macbook Pro. It’s a bit slow for some video tasks, but not full replacement cost slow.
When it comes to accessing the Internet, nothing is faster than instantaneous.
I'm running Win 7 on a Lenovo P520 Think Station. Why should I upgrade?
Same here. Actually will be 5 years old in February. Did I enjoy paying $999.00 for it. No, but extrapolated over the 8 years I intend to keep it, it’s definitely not excessive based on how IPhones work and keep working. And do what they’re supposed to do.
My laptop on the other had is older than that. A Toshiba I bought reconditioned around 2015. Still works fine, but the hinges are wonky, the door came off the DVD/CD drawer about 4 years ago, and now the one corner is shedding plastic bits. I have to be careful picking it up to grab it in places where it is still fairly sturdy.
Exactly so. I have written about this before.
The market is saturated. Everyone that has a need for a computer has one. Same for smartphones, which is really just a handheld computer.
Will more pixels make me buy a new computer? No.
Will a faster processor make me buy a new computer? No.
Will more memory make me buy a new computer? No.
Will a new OS make me buy a new computer? No.
Will ever need a new computer? Certainly, in some future date when the thing eventually wears out and won’t come on.
But not until then....................
Unfortunately voice sound quality of calls is one of the things that reviewers rarely describe in their reviews.
Particularly missing is any discussion of how well the microphone works and how good you sound to the other caller. Yet that is one of the main things that leaves a poor impression with others.
I have both an XP and W7 around.
They run the few old games I like.
I gave my daughter my iphone 7 Plus a year or two ago, which I had been using since 2016. The only downside to that phone is the internal storage, otherwise it still works well.
In our house we treat cars and tech the same...buy then keep them in good condition until they’re worn out. Get a lot of good years on old stuff and the longer we can keep something, the less it cost!
I upgraded from a Pixel 3a to a Pixel 6a last year only because Google were offering $300 for the 3a trade in and throwing in pixel ear buds and I suspected that I wouldn’t get such a good deal for a long time.
Usually hold on to phones until something mechanical is not working (usually a button)
I have T-mobile and it works just fine.
I’m sure it has to do with the network coverage, geographical location, maintenance, age of equipment, etc. We’ve had multiple phones with the same problems.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.