Future of home computing

[Teaos]

I have been reading a lot of articles lattly, several on Apple Insider about how Tablets and smart phones are killing and are going to eliminate the home PC.

But I just dont see that happening. Home PC's still have their place and I cant see them going away for a long time. Maybe they will be replaced by Laptops which fill a similar function with the added benifit of being portable.

I personally think the slow down in the PC market is just due to the fact that people are no longer compelled to update their PC every 2 years to stay up to date, so long as their smart phone or Tablet is working okay, or hell even a PS3 then its okay to have a out dated PC.

I know my home PC is a slow old beast and I will use it till it dies a slow death on me, becasue I use my laptop and iPhone for 99% of my computer use.

[Tinadrin Chelnor]

I don't do smart phones or tablets, love my laptops way too much

[Teaos]

I use my laptop when I'm at home, but while traveling or out and about a smart phone is so convenient.

[McAvoy]

Cell phones sucks for typing and so do tablets unless you get those ones with a connected keyboard. I am pretty good using a cell phone touch keyboard only because of practice. But I cannot imagine trying to use excel on it or a tablet. Not to mention anything a smart phone or a tablet can do as a computer, a desktop or a laptop can do better.

[Teaos]

I can type pretty fast on a iPhone. Hell with auto correct my posts here come out better on my iPhone than on my Laptop.

[McAvoy]

Fuck iPhone autocorrect.

[Tinadrin Chelnor]

I only use my phone to text and call. My primary pastime includes lots of writing and spreadsheets, so I either have my laptop with me or carry several notebooks. I just see no real use for a smart phone or tablet for me.

[Teaos]

I didnt until I had it. Now I couldnt stand to be with out it.

[McAvoy]

I didnt until I had it. Now I couldnt stand to be with out it.

Same here. But it will not replace my laptop even as old as it is now.

[IanKennedy]

I didnt until I had it. Now I couldnt stand to be with out it.

Same here. But it will not replace my laptop even as old as it is now.

I think that's kinda the point. You won't replace your laptop, even though it's old... Desktops are starting to die as a platform. Are they going to disappear overnight, no, but over the next 5 to 10 years quite possibly. Mobile devices will take over the role (and already largely have for a lot of uses). Mobile devices includes laptops. People don't really want to go to a dedicated place at home to use a computer any more. 10 years ago my parents used to sit under the stairs to use the computer, it was the only space available for such a large machine. Now one of their computers is coupled to the TV and the other is a laptop.

Over the next 10 years, probably much sooner, we will see a merging of tablets and laptops to the point where you simply won't be able to tell them apart. Wireless keyboards for tablets are already available and even MS is making tablets that look like a laptop. Eventually keyboards will vanish, but they will be replaced not by virtual keyboards but by something we've yet to see. Be it vastly improved speech recognition or something completely new I don't know.

[stitch626]

Until a mobile device is as powerful and effective in the same areas a home PC is (not even close right now, even laptops are years behind powerwise) the home PC will continue on. Also, interestingly numbers are up for PC gaming. Several reports indicate that unless the next gen consoles come out soon (leading to a frenzy of "ooh its new buy it"), PC gaming will take back a significant share of sales.

[IanKennedy]

Until a mobile device is as powerful and effective in the same areas a home PC is (not even close right now, even laptops are years behind powerwise) the home PC will continue on. Also, interestingly numbers are up for PC gaming. Several reports indicate that unless the next gen consoles come out soon (leading to a frenzy of "ooh its new buy it"), PC gaming will take back a significant share of sales.

I'm currently using a Quad core 2.7GHz i7 (turbo boost up to 3.7GHz), 16GB RAM, 767GB of SSD and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM. There's not that may desktops that would out pace it.

Oh, yes it also has a screen resolution of 2880 X 1800.

[Tsukiyumi]

I'm currently using a Quad core 2.7GHz i7 (turbo boost up to 3.7GHz), 16GB RAM, 767GB of SSD and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM. There's not that may desktops that would out pace it.

Oh, yes it also has a screen resolution of 2880 X 1800.

Yeah, I bet that came in under $400.

If my PC starts falling behind, I can replace a few components for $100 and be right back to compatible with new software. If I had to shell out $1000 every 2-3 years for a new tablet or laptop, I wouldn't be able to afford a computer. I've had the same 1600x1200 monitor for about 10 years now, so there's a component I don't need to upgrade; nothing I need uses higher res than that. What about gaming, or writing? Shitty virtual keyboards and tiny eye-strain screens don't fly for gaming or watching videos. Mobile devices are cool for people who don't need a larger screen or a real keyboard, or much power (for anything less than the cost of a used car), but the market for PCs shouldn't go anywhere. Overpriced, pre-packaged HP-style machines? Sure, but not PCs in general.

[Teaos]

If you upgrade you computer you are in a small minority. Also that doesnt contribute to the continuation of the PC market really.

[Tsukiyumi]

Can't be that small of a minority, or sites like Tiger Direct wouldn't even exist. You shouldn't have to spend a fortune buying a whole new device when you can just buy individual components. It's a ripoff, and just another way they're screwing over the growing low-income portion of the population. Since you have to own a computer in today's society, there is literally no option.

In the end, where this is headed is that low-income people just won't be able to afford computers, or at least nothing of any real utility or quality without spending half a year's salary on one.