Samsung Patent Hints at Modular All-in-One Desktop PC

Megalith

Megalith

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Patently Apple has discovered a Samsung patent regarding a system that would allow its user to dock and pair swappable components, such as a display, speaker, or charging unit to form some kind of all-in-one PC. They say that these customizable systems will be the next big thing, but aren’t regular PCs already “modular” enough?

The modular desktop is going to be the trend to watch for over the next several years as Intel delivers next-gen 10nm and 7nm processors that will be able to deliver desktop power in all-in-one form factors like a modular desktop. For 80% of the consumer market, the tower-based desktops will be a thing of the past.
 
Funny how these "modular" designs usually end up being much less modular and more expensive than a regular desktop PC. They are also addressing the stuff that is already the easiest to swap for some reason (displays and speakers). That's like saying "Check out our new modular car, you can change the tires and put more fuel in it!"

The idea that 7nm Intel CPUs will suddenly make this happen is pretty silly too. There are already plenty of CPUs that are power efficient and powerful enough to fit in these form factors and offer good performance for general use. Seems more like Samsung just doesn't have a product ready yet.
 
So all they want to push is a new form factor, that being a pre-specced aio screen with the ability to add peripherals to it. Yawn. That's going fucking backwards to what we have now. If it was going to be a trend, it would be already. Their pull from arse figure of 80% will just buy laptops.
 
It's all about eco system and install base. No matter how intuitive, how much sense it makes, or how much money you will save, it will all come down to convenience of integration into or away from what we already have. Apple is one company that could have done this long ago. Instead, they make a slightly upgraded 'NEW AND IMPROVED' version of what they make every single year, so instead of selling a 100$ upgrade, you have to buy the entire product over from scratch. There's a reason why companies don't do this, and unless their current portfolio is struggling with the status quo, why would they be trying to more towards a new direction?
 
The desktops I build have always been modular and upgradable.
Replace the CD->DVD->BluRay, replace the video card, upgrade the CPU or memory, even swap in a new motherboard.
Don't see any reason for some custom, non standard items.
 
I see this as a possible way to integrate a classic PC functionality and upgrade-ability with acceptable WAF. Maybe a way to incorporate PC power into the living room with "style". Not for me personally though as far as I can see.
 
Only way this would be better or new would be if they included a new type of bus which is faster than the latest PCIE or such so things can actually communicate better than they already do. Somehow I doubt that such a method was included in this "design" patent. Then again, Apple has made oodles of $ from such design patents over the years... but really all that did was screw over the consumer for $.
 
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