Weekend Open Forum: Desktops doomed to irrelevancy?

I like the idea of computers becoming more like gaming consoles, something you can plug and play with ease no long setup times much more user friendly experience at a mass produced rate and therefore at a huge reduced cost in price tag. I'll buy a PC for $299 and plug it into my huge high def TV and enjoy gaming and surfing the web at the same time. Smaller more friendly but not a laptop. That's the future I see.

Errr, no. A desktop actually gives me some comfort. Strange as it must be.

"Few businesses cater to niche markets"

Sorry, CMH, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

As a current successful amateur stock market investor (ie I didn't lose my a** when the market tanked and made money when it came back) I've done a lot of research and found the most profitable SMBs are niche players. Consider that way back when, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, were all catering to (at that time) small, specialized markets.

BTW, computer gaming is still a niche market, particularly at the levels discussed in this forum. Talk about your prices soaring...average folks buy complete brand new entire desktops for the price of a high end graphics card...or less. Niches are always about "wants" rather than "needs". People "Needs" become commodities and are available from Wal-mart. People "Wants" become Nvidia
Even though

ET3D & Wolfleader 's comments are already proving prophetic.

When Asus' UL50VF laptop ships, it's going to come with a "hybrid graphics" solution from Nvidia. That's a fancy way of saying that it will have both integrated and discrete graphics. If you're working in Word, Nividia's Optimus will route GPU info directly through the integrated graphics. Start running Photoshop or Battlefield and Optimus' software automatically turns the GPU on and "Boom!"; your game is on.

no way, desktops are faster than laptops, yes they are limited but the speed changes everything

I don't think this executive realizes the full ramifications of his comment. Desktop PCs give the user control over device maintenance and upgrading, and in their current state mobile devices are nowhere near as serviceable by non-professionals.

It makes fiscal sense to limit the control users have over servicing & upgrades, because that returns the control to businesses instead of customers. But some of us do not want to pay extra for service & upgrade plans, either tacked onto the retail price or, worse, as a subscription/insurance fee.

If desktop PCs are somehow phased out, what will happen to many of us who enjoy the responsibility and challenge of maintaining and servicing our own equipment?

Should we all just go the Apple route and bring our Chrome PC pods in for a Google Genius to fix?

Granted, this exec may just be extrapolating the rate at which mobile devices have increased in functionality and coverage in the past few years, but the consequences of a true decline in support for Desktop PCs would damage a large consumer group still quite happy to pay retail prices for components later, as opposed to high initial sale prices.

There are so many advantages to desktops. Ability to have multiple large screens, high performance graphics cards, ability to upgrade, etc. I know I will always be a fan desktop pc's. Laptops are meant to go on the internet for the most part.

I wouldn't jump straight to calling the Prius a fad or to claiming as fact that hybrids are as bad for the environment as traditional engines.

Yes, there is a current fad for celebrities to appear eco-friendly and so hybrids are a quick status symbol. That aspect is a fad. However, the long term solution for the environment is one of mixed solutions. We won't have a truly clean fuel vehicle for a very long time, so in the meanwhile a mix of hybrids, electric vehicles and more efficient traditional gasoline vehicles will help during the transition.

As far as hybrids being just as bad (or worse) than traditional gasoline cars for the environment, that argument is usually based on a study relating to the production of the lithium ion and nickle cadmium batteries used in hybrid cars. That study was found to be very flawed. You can look it up on Snopes, as well as a number of scientific journals. Yes, lithium, nickle and cadmium are elements that through their mining and refinement processes are bad for the environment. Very bad in fact. However, you are talking about a 1 time damage to the environment in the mining and then refining process. The vehicle then produces less emissions and lower damage to the environment throughout it's product life cycle. In contrast a traditional vehicle make similar (though slightly lower) damage to the environment during it's production, no nickle or lithium, but plenty of iron and aluminum (almost as bad during mining and refining processes as the materials used in the batteries). But then during the products life cycle it will continue to do significant damage through it's consumption of gasoline (not just the C02 gasses it emits either, but also in oil pumping, and refining).

Look up that claim again and double check the sources.

As far as that all relates to the desktop though, small and compact is the way of the future. But lower cost, while still high powered machines will not just go away. I know I'd rather spend an hour sitting in front of a desktop than in front of a laptop. And I don't even want to have to do a full days work on my cell phone.

Desktops will be around for a very long time. The upgradability, the fact that people like to have workstations at home. And I for one believe that eventually people will grow tired of having mobile internet (ever try typing or reading a small screen whilst in your car?). I am a techie guy with loads of tech in my house. The one thing I do not have though is a cell phone as I find the technology invasive and intruisive. People do not need to get a hold of me if I am on the road, or I am in the washroom. Messages can wait until I am home or at the office.

On the one hand I agree: all this mobile tech can feel very invasive and more like digital leashes than toys. On the other hand, I'm on the flip side of the spectrum. I did away with my land line and TV service years ago and couldn't be happier about both. I get all my entertainment and news online. My only phone is my cell phone. My wife and oldest child have phones and I couldn't imagine not having one any longer. It's so much easier to reach my child when she's at a friends house or if she needs to stay late at school she can call to tell us.

But yes, smart phones will never fully replace laptops and desktops. You just can't get the functionality out of that tiny screen and the limited input methods. The question is really: will desktops survive the laptop trend. And I agree with you that they will. If nothing else as media servers.

I would never give up a desktop. I use my desktop at home and I use my netbook when i'm out, and use my smartphone for when i'm in the car or at the store and need a map or need to check the grocery list.

But would I ever replace a desktop or would I never ever buy one again? No. And do you really think businesses are going to buy smartphones and laptops for their business to replace their outdated desktops? Hell no.

@jjbeard926
Toyota Prius averages about 48 mph a gallon, and just to drive home my point VW Polo Bluemotion would do something like 74 mph a gallon on diesel (no hybrid stuff). It was just an objective observation nothing more. On the more subjective note, its one ugly looking beast. Regards.

That's a truly unusual statistic but a good point. There are better options out there than hybrids, so point taken.

Did you mean to say MPH/gallon or did you mean miles/gallon? Because the highest rated miles/gallon diesel I'm finding is rated at 34 (new that is, I'm not looking at older models). I'm not able to find any information on mph/gallon on any site.

Anyway, I find all of this interesting, not trying to be confrontational just looking for info I find cool. Thanks for clearing up what you meant though.

Paranoia Has Begun to Set In......

Google won't send armed thugs to take away our desktops,...um, er,.....will they...?

Nah.

They'll just post a candid photo. You and your love (the desktop), in a compromising position.

Now THAT's funny! It's funny because it's true! LOL

Ouch, remind me to never buy a monitor with a web cam.

The mobile and portable computers are filling a need for portability. But Desktops are there for continuity and stability. In fifteen years....perhaps!

I see the expansion of computer users who, like me, have both a desktop and a laptop far into the future. Portability at home and outside the home will remain, I believe, key, while the work-horse, durability of the desktop will IMHO keep it around for years to come. Just like T.V. did not replace radio, and home movie watching hasn't supplanted the movie theater experience yet -- there is enough of a market for all providers to share. That's my $ .02 worth.

as long as we have homes with a desk ,the desktop will live.
it will transform but never die.