PCs Aren't Dead Yet

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PC aren't dead yet? But...but...but...I thought tablets and smartphones were killing the PC?

A year ago, pundits were declaring the personal computer dead. Smartphones and tablets were cannibalizing sales, and the once-revolutionary PC seemed unnecessary — and boring. Sure, a smartphone is great for checking emails, snapping photos and playing games. Tablets are perfect for watching videos and shopping online. But don't count the PC out just yet.
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These "pundits" have zero credibility, just like stock market analysts. Fuck 'em.
 
Who the fuck writes this shit, and why are they so confident they have any comprehension of the topic at hand?
 
Haha, always a new article about PCs death....which wont happen. Enjoy CAD on a smart phone/tablet...oh wait.....
 
Out of all of the bad things that Windows 8 bought the one great thing that I think it did help finally spur is a lot more interesting PC designs and now with free versions of Windows the cheapest while still decent PCs ever.
 
My tablet and smartphone will collect dust once OLED monitors start showing up.
 
Nothing is forever. All my ARM tablets have been replaced with Broadwell/Haswell tablets since both platforms have reached parity in areas that matter but Windows has the major advantage of access to the largest selection of software.
 
Call me old school, but I prefer a desktop with a regular keyboard and a nice, 27 inch monitor to actually get work done over a laptop or tablet. Even with my work laptop, I still hook up a regular monitor and a regular keyboard and mouse. Although I admit that I like being able to check my email or browse the web while mobile, composing a long email on a smart phone is a pain in the butt.
 
among certain (younger) non-game playing demographics, no one uses a desktop. makes me feel like a dinosaur sometimes. rawr.

anyway, PCs will never die, but as a result of lesser popularity, I do feel that desktop components are more stratified: things are either really cheap (for office types), or high-end (for professionals/enthusiasts). I remember what a struggle it was to find a reasonable 1920x1200 (not 1080) monitor just a few years ago. That said, I ended up with a pair of prosumer graphics professional-oriented monitors which I'm quite happy with. quality has definitely improved for a given price tier.
 
I used to think tablets were good for web browsing. But my iPad 3 experience has proved otherwise. Lots of page load errors and much slower than a decent laptop.
 
Smartphones are NOT "great for playing games" and tablets are NOT "perfect for watching videos and shopping online." Not even CLOSE. Both of those devices can accomplish those tasks to some degree and are easy/handy to use in many cases, but neither of them are anywhere near as good as a PC for any of those tasks.
 
The thing I expect to kill PCs are thinclients... I've heard that Microsoft wants to move in that direction however if they do, I believe many of us will just have to switch to Linux. ;)
 
PCs are absolutely not dead. Maybe as like the primary entertainment device they are because of consoles, phones, and tablets taking over media viewing and having a ton more people using them for games, but it's pretty easily argued that they were never dominant there either because most people were TV zombies before tablets and PCs were never really used mainly for gaming since probably the majority sold were used for data processing and business work or whatever. I think that really, they're changing a little bit, but it's kinda hard to draw some lines around what a PC is and then say that they're dead (or not) when the whole concept of computing on a personal level comes in lots of different sized and shaped boxes.
 
Smartphones and tablets are actually terrible for everything aside from making calls and for use as media remotes.
 
Megalith said:
Smartphones and tablets are actually terrible for everything aside from making calls and for use as media remotes.
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I think the sales and usage evidence makes it kinda seem like your opinion isn't shared by all the people that own them.
 
Laptops are better because they are more expensive and smaller. Wireless is better/faster because NO WIRES and is newer technology!

These are accepted facts for the average user. I have to explain that laptops are worse in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY compared to a desktop except for 1: portability. This blows their minds. Then I explain the same is true for wireless, with some convenience of not having to run wires as well. Minds blown again.
 
Gweenz said:
I have to explain that laptops are worse in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY compared to a desktop except for 1: portability.
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In a place like this where so many are focused on performance per dollar that desirability of portability is often greatly underestimated. I think that even most today that need mice and keyboards for productive tasks don't need top line performance and the ability to be able to work wherever is actually more important than top line performance.
 
I haven't upgraded my PC in 2 years. I don't use it half as much as I used to. So I can't justify the expense of upgrading it. Hell, my 24" monitor is 8 years old. Works fine. I do most day to day stuff on my phone, Nexus 7 or Chromecast.
 
Megalith said:
Smartphones and tablets are actually terrible for everything aside from making calls and for use as media remotes.
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And it's terrible at doing that too because of the really bad battery life (24h standby was what phones were last decade, and even then most phones had better standby...)

Battery life is one of my major deal breakers for going near smartphones, I don't take anything less than 7 days at the very least for standby battery life.

Also, they are too big for a phone, too small for anything else, worst of both worlds. The only thing I'd find them useful are for maps and bus schedules...
 
heatlesssun said:
In a place like this where so many are focused on performance per dollar that desirability of portability is often greatly underestimated. I think that even most today that need mice and keyboards for productive tasks don't need top line performance and the ability to be able to work wherever is actually more important than top line performance.
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Definitely agree. Most of the work people do can be done with no negative impact on productivity from the computer's performance being lower (as compared to a desktop), regardless.

As far as needing a mouse and keyboard, or a desktop providing a better experience due to screen size and all that jazz... has no one here heard of a Pluggable dock or similar? One USB cable and you're set with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc. ready for use. Unhook and take the laptop with you as normal after ;). I love my desktop systems, but you're kidding yourselves if you think peripherals are the reason they're better for some tasks.
 
Basically anyone predicting the "death" of the PC is an idiot. Full stop.

What we had is a time when mobile/tablet expanded into an area previous held by PC by default.

This was an area where YES, a PC was EXTREME overkill, but there wasn't, previously, a better form factor to service the niche.

Well, hey presto! The mobile/tablet form factor(s) happened to be a better fit in this particular niche and RAPIDLY cannibalized PC sales there.

So we get all these know-nothing "pundits" and "experts" screaming "PC DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!"
 
Chas said:
So we get all these know-nothing "pundits" and "experts" screaming "PC DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!"
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It's showmanship, nothing more, nothing less. They make their money and livelihood off of media hype which leads to page hits/views/people attending their paid speaking gigs/sponsorships. While some may or may not know what they're actually talking about, the vast majority have absolutely no clue (and the ones that do virtually never will admit to it, as it would damage their narrative). I'd honestly be comfortable saying the best people in most any field (or even the great people) aren't sitting around writing about insignificant trends and tempests in teacups on blogs: they're out actually doing serious work/research/etc., not bragging about how "expert" they are :p.
 
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