| Is Desktop PC a Dying Breed? Many Think Not! |  |
| Articles - Opinion & Editorials | ||
| Written by Scot Strong | ||
| Friday, 28 September 2012 | ||
Is the Desktop PC a Dying Breed? Many Think Not!So the desktop PC is a dying breed, you say. Hmmm, are you so sure about that? Since making such a statement infers a comparison, one then has to ask the question "compared to what?" Compared to the way it used to be? Considering that we are discussing one of the most rapidly and continuously evolving technologies known to man, "the way it used to be" can be as little as six months ago. The ongiong need for desktop PCs continues to manifest itself in many ways. With the rapid proliferation of mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, notebooks, ultrabooks, etc. the trend has become for people to own multiple devices. Tablets and note/ultrabooks have advanced to the point that they are literally portable PCs. But are not the majority of these purchases in addition to the desktop PC still being used at home? Mobile devices also tend to get replaced more frequently; whether it be a mere upgrade, or due to being lost or stolen. Upgrading a mobile device almost always requires replacing the device; rather than just upgrading an individual component. If it breaks, do we try to have it repaired (good luck with that) or just replace it? At the end of the day, many of us still go home (or get up in the morning) and fire up the desktop PC for our first/last dose of personal computing for the day - especially if we need to print anything. Whether it be your "workstation" at your job, or your own personal desktop PC at home, the ergonomic advantages are the same. The desktop-style keyboard is designed to fit the natural spacing and shape of the human hands; allowing the use of all the fingers (and thumbs) to create speed and accuracy with its use. Would you rather compose a lenghty e-mail or report on a standard-sized desktop keyboard? Or would you rather do the two-finger or finger-thumb hunt and peck on a miniature or virtual keyboard? Which one lends itself to greater accuracy? Would you rather use a mouse that is desigend to fit the human hand/fingers; or a trackball/touchpad that is overly sensitive or not sensitive enough? Again, which one lends itself to greater ease of use and hence greater speed and accuracy?  Photo courtesy of Newegg And then, of course, there is the visual aspect. The desktop gives you the option of a wide variety of displays. The trend is toward wide-screen monitors or even flat-panel HDTVs (guilty, your honor!) as monitors. For gaming, the bigger and wider the better - even multiple monitors for the hardcore gamers. For workstation situations that require multiple tasks such as spread sheets, documents, user manuals, training materials, etc. that wide-screen monitor is hard to beat. With most mobile devices, you are stuck with whatever screen comes with that product. The lifespan of a desktop PC continues to get longer and longer. The desktop PC platform offers a whole host of upgrade paths. Virtually every component can be upgraded from a multitude of choices from a multiitude of manufacturers avaiable through a multitude of retailers and e-tailers. Yes, the desktop PC component market is alive and well. Key players continue to make significant investment in ongoing product development for desktop components. Intel and AMD both continue to develop desktop processors. With storage being the most frequently upgraded portion of a desktop, the storage manufacturers continue to develop larger capacity, faster, more reliable drives. HDDs, SSDs, hybrid drives, internal, external - take your pick. The 'health' of the dekstop PC business should not be judged based solely on new OEM pre-built system sales. The single most compelling reason that I feel that desktop PCs will live on for many years yet is that funny not-so-little thing called the world-wide-web. The vast majority of content is browser-based. Browsers are by design a primarily desktop interface. Even the most robust mobile browser does not compete with a full-featured desktop browser. If you have some serious web-surfing, research, or shopping to do, are you not going to gravitate toward the best tool for the job? When we see all of these mobile devices being developed and sold, consider that much of that is in addition to - not instead of their dekstop PC The desktop PC as a usage model will live on in homes and offices for years to come. It will continue to be supported by hardware and software vendors for years to come. Those of us who build, repair, and upgrade desktop PCs will still be needed for years to come as the technology continues to evolve. The continued "evolution" of the desktop PC certainly does not yet equate to its "death" - and we never have to recharge the battery! Mobile Phones, Tablets, Laptop, Desktop PC... what direction are you going?
Related Articles:
|
||
