Weekend Open Forum: Desktops doomed to irrelevancy?
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captaincranky
Posts: 19,682 +8,822
Now there Was a Love to Remember.....
Um yeah, the Germans had one of those, try to guess his name....
I don't agree. People, especially gamers, will still need, or want, the most powerful system you can get, and logically the most powerful computers will be larger than the least powerful, if they are made with similar parts of course (similar as in one is not using 5 year old parts and the other recent parts). Desktops may diminish but they won't die until software designers cannot make software that could have improved performance on a more powerful machine.
Kibaruk
Posts: 3,836 +1,189
I might see this, but not in the next 3 years.
Have thought of selling my desktop computer and buying an USB hub to put an external hard drive, wireless key/mouse and a big *** monitor and plug in the netbook there. But to tell you the truth my desktop would sell for too little
Mmm maybe for gamers this is not a posibility to sell their precious gaming rigs, but for everyday users something with an explorer and enough processing to watch youtube type of videos is more than enough, so again maybe not in 3 years, but they will eventually.
Have thought of selling my desktop computer and buying an USB hub to put an external hard drive, wireless key/mouse and a big *** monitor and plug in the netbook there. But to tell you the truth my desktop would sell for too little
Mmm maybe for gamers this is not a posibility to sell their precious gaming rigs, but for everyday users something with an explorer and enough processing to watch youtube type of videos is more than enough, so again maybe not in 3 years, but they will eventually.
G
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I highly doubt people will give up the ability to have up to 6 monitors or 40'' monitor for desktop, plus the cooling and cleaing issue. My desktop burns my lap, and who wants to open it up and try to clean the fans right now? Besides, like other mentioned gamers, audio/video editor and graphic designers will always go with desktop. I don't see any laptops out there that are certified as "work station" also don't forget that desktop have the ability to stick up to 16 gb of ram and with a full tower you'd be able to get up to 10 Tb worth of memory.
I can see laptop becoming useless though, since if you think about it, as far as mobile goes smartphones are doing alot of things that people need to do on-the-go anyways and it's much more portable than laptops, there's a college professor who wrote an entire book on his Blackberry. As far as performance and life span, laptops can't outlast desktops, seriously how many here change their laptop cpu and mobo every 3 years?
Desktops will get smaller, but it wont go away.
I can see laptop becoming useless though, since if you think about it, as far as mobile goes smartphones are doing alot of things that people need to do on-the-go anyways and it's much more portable than laptops, there's a college professor who wrote an entire book on his Blackberry. As far as performance and life span, laptops can't outlast desktops, seriously how many here change their laptop cpu and mobo every 3 years?
Desktops will get smaller, but it wont go away.
G
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I'd have no quarrel with that. Desktops disappearing? No problem. IF they can make a laptop that has a 22 inch screen (I have eyesight limitations, it's not just eyecandy), with up-to snuff GPUs and CPUs and storage capacity. Basically, if they can put desktops inside a portable model without losing any of its advantages, I'll go with it. I don't why anyone wouldn't.
However, until laptops can effectively substitute pcs on performance, I don't see it happening in any market.
However, until laptops can effectively substitute pcs on performance, I don't see it happening in any market.
raie_noire
Posts: 19 +0
mmm.. tough question. I love my desktop too much to think that desktops will become obsolete. I don't think they could ever make netbooks powerful enough to run like desktops.
Laptops are a lot like a Toyota Prius, they have great battery efficiency, they're eco-friendly and the technology/size ratio is fantastic.
Or in other words they drive slow, they have smaller and more parts that are likely to break down causing greater replacement cost, and more than likely you will get laughed at every time you rev the engine because it sounds like an electric hedge trimmer.
Or in other words they drive slow, they have smaller and more parts that are likely to break down causing greater replacement cost, and more than likely you will get laughed at every time you rev the engine because it sounds like an electric hedge trimmer.
captaincranky
Posts: 19,682 +8,822
I think the word you were looking for was "homey", as in "I feel at home at my desktop". "Homely" means "unattractive" or "ugly".
But yeah, you're right, we develop a personal relationship with a desktop computer, a friendship if you will. Besides, I think the a desktop has a different purpose than a smart phone. Can anybody picture editing photos, burning DVD, or making a movie, something that requires much attention given and a controlled environment on a laptop, in the middle of a crowded room?
When I really want to listen to some crackpot Google exec spout a bunch of BS about how desktops going the way of the Dodo, I'll >> borrow << somebody's iPhone.
G
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I don't think most of you are forward thinking type of people, stating that it will never happen or will take 20 years is unlikely, but so is three years. I can imagine it happening in 5-8 years. There will most likely be innovations like quantum computing that generate much less heat for the amount of computing power and having a desktop will become overkill and there won't be any apps that require such power(for average users, even gamers). Screen sizes could become a moot point with laptops being able to project onto walls or else tglasses with screens inside. Worst case is you hook up your laptop to your TV, probably wirelessly.
Look at how much laptops have closed the gap in the last 5 years and now that they are very popular with everyone who isn't a gamer they will only get more attention and innovation.
Look at how much laptops have closed the gap in the last 5 years and now that they are very popular with everyone who isn't a gamer they will only get more attention and innovation.
I am sitting at my trusty ( getting on a bit) Dell Dimension 2400 which is about 6 or 7 years old. Just like the house it gets dusted and has a present once in a while of newer hardware and Screen to keep up with the fast pace of technology.(more ram, video card, Lcd Monitor ) etc. I will have to let the old girl go soon as it will not be pushed along any further or faster whatever I try to do! Desktop or Laptop ? it will be a hard choice with what is available but will stick with a Desktop with its wires and dust, I believe. Just for the record it hums along with the same fans and ,would you believe the original 40 gig hard drive !
There is no way the desktop will become irrelevant in 3-5 years. The technology just isn't there to put what a desktop can do into a laptop or smartphone. Even in 15 years, computer servers (which are considered desktops) will not be outdated. I can see the field slowly adapting towards mobility, but it will take time.
rskapadia2294
Posts: 102 +0
yes! according to me, the era of mobile computing has already begun! n with devices like iPad and iPhone and many netbooks, the desktop would surely be doomed to irrelevancy!
unless u would like to please yourself with a 20 or 32 or 40 inch screen!
i think thats the only advantage of keeping a desktop!
people are becoming more and more tech savvy and they surely would like their device to b ultra portale!
besides most of the devices offer the same power as desktop nowadays!
i surely think desktop would be doomed to irrelevancy within next 3 years!
unless u would like to please yourself with a 20 or 32 or 40 inch screen!
i think thats the only advantage of keeping a desktop!
people are becoming more and more tech savvy and they surely would like their device to b ultra portale!
besides most of the devices offer the same power as desktop nowadays!
i surely think desktop would be doomed to irrelevancy within next 3 years!
ravisunny2
Posts: 1,055 +11
You presume that technology will remain static.
A crowded room ... Personal preference, I guess.
LightHeart
Posts: 155 +0
Maybe Someday
I don't see this happening anytime soon. Hardware and user I/O needs to improve quite a bit yet. If you could have wireless speeds that were equivalent to a LAN and used cloud computing and everyone trusted it then maybe you'd have something. This may eventually happen but I don't think it will over the next 3 years.
I don't see this happening anytime soon. Hardware and user I/O needs to improve quite a bit yet. If you could have wireless speeds that were equivalent to a LAN and used cloud computing and everyone trusted it then maybe you'd have something. This may eventually happen but I don't think it will over the next 3 years.
I agree with what a lot of people have already said. I went the laptop way myself because I don't need the top performance for what I do. I know a lot of gamers who wouldn't touch a laptop with a 10 foot pole, though, and some who like having the option of being able to upgrade parts of their computer (which you can't do on a console), so I don't think desktops will disappear so soon. They probably will eventually, but more like 10, even 20 years.
I do surf Techspot on a laptop. Most Techspot readers prefer desktops. My next computer will be a laptop. However, laptops are all the more difficult for the cottage industry techie to repair. They are less frugal for the power/capacity they have, and with smartphones plans are usually $100 a month including surfing (because they have to surf while driving) as my internet connection costs $20 a month. I don't need to be constantly on the phone, either. My pay as you go plan costs $8.33 a month, and I have hundreds of dollars in rollover. Americans seem a little spoiled, but they're eventually going to pay the piper and HAVE to become more thrifty as more jobs are disappearing everyday. Finally, AMD and Nvidia, with their high end cards, are not going to let the desktop market disappear. And cloud gaming is a farse with the latency of the internet.
I can see this happening for a lot of people (maybe not in 3 years however.) So much processing power is being added to smartphones. Picture it as your only device. When you get home, you dock it into your HDTV, surf the web for on-line video content and go through your email using a connected full sized keyboard.
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