desktop computers in decline?

anticupidon

each day i see few and few desktop computers getting in and out of the computer shop i work in.
more,all my tech friends are telling the same story.
tablets and laptops is what i deal lately.
worst of it,there are few things one can fix in a tablet,a loose dc jack or a headphone jack,a baterry change ..maybe a bricked tablet who needs to be revived.
and in top of that ,each day i kinda loose interest in hardware parts,almost everything gets a meh from my part.
maybe it is time to move along to something else?

lucidus · 12-11-2012, 23:41 | posts: 3,543 | Location: UAE

Yeah, they're in a decline. Not surprised though as the power they offer is not necessary to the average user and tablets/laptops are a smaller and more attractive profile. I myself have an iPad 3 and I love using it when I don't want to play games or need my CPU's power.

Hardware parts aren't as fun as they were because .. they're mostly useless now. My sig rig is performing surprisingly after all these years and I've no incentive to update given that I'm only interested in 2-3 titles of 2013.

PhazeDelta1 · 12-11-2012, 23:42 | posts: 9,535 | Location: 90° N

It probably depends on locality. There are a couple PC shops around here that stay pretty busy.

airbud7 · 12-11-2012, 23:44 | posts: 2,066 | Location: Evans Ga,USA

Nothing that small can replace my Samsung 32"......BTW, hardware, The pub?

anticupidon · 12-11-2012, 23:44 | posts: 1,722 | Location: far,far from home

yeah,but the times are changing,and fast.
desktops are living in borrowed time.

nicugoalkeper · 12-12-2012, 00:01 | posts: 737 | Location: RO TM

Na, i think that they will have to evolve , still allot of people still need a PC and will need it.

lucidus · 12-12-2012, 00:07 | posts: 3,543 | Location: UAE

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicugoalkeper

Na, i think that they will have to evolve , still allot of people still need a PC and will need it.

Of course they're not going anywhere. Just that the average Joe will be purchasing Tabs and/or Laptops instead. My desktops aren't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

anticupidon · 12-12-2012, 00:09 | posts: 1,722 | Location: far,far from home

Quote:

Originally Posted by airbud7

Nothing that small can replace my Samsung 32"......BTW, hardware, The pub?

we can discuss hardware while enjoying a

scatman839 · 12-12-2012, 00:12 | posts: 8,828 | Location: Dundee, Scotland

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicugoalkeper

Na, i think that they will have to evolve , still allot of people still need a PC and will need it.

Or just get a laptop, more portable

tablets, limited use sure, but a laptop is just a pc

Mufflore · 12-12-2012, 00:14 | posts: 9,833 | Location: UK

The recession doesnt help.

EspHack · 12-12-2012, 00:18 | posts: 1,594

well im noticing my rig after some years of use is still the most powerful pc around... no way to see it lagging so i have no plans to upgrade, thats why the computer's market is running slow, they are at peak power already, no real need for more GHz or ramz until there is something revolutionary in the software world, maybe windows vista 2.0? lol and as they said, a tablet/smartphone is good enough for most people nowdays

i cant survive using only my phone, to be honest, i dont need it when i got that monstruous rig sitting in my room and is a waste of time to use it considering how fast and productive my pc is, i also lost some interest in using my phone when going outside, now i see something in the web and think 'well i better wait to go home so i can watch it with decent hardware'

colorblindnejc · 12-12-2012, 00:21 | posts: 65

I would agree its in decline... quite a big decline too!
If you try to aproach the "decline" from an average user point of view its quite simple - most people want tech on the go since it saves time and its mostly cheaper while offering all what people need.

Its kind of like PC vs Console. Sure, PC is a thousand times more advanced but who cares if it doesnt show in a big way? Just buy the friggin console and be rid of all the compatibility problems and what not for the time of the cycle (not to mention getting components together, installing 101 types of software to run stuff...). Same goes with small tech. If you like to facebook, twitter, read news dont buy a pc, buy a tablet or a smartphone! And if you need a pc for occasional gaming and mostly mainstream stuff, buy a laptop and you are done.
Besides if I might speculate 90% of laptop users are students anyway

That said I also think our enthusiast desktop PCs arent going anywhere since they still got too much to offer - anything that isnt mainstream fits on PCs like a glove, that plus KB+ Mouse is too good of a combo

AshCation · 12-12-2012, 00:43 | posts: 175 | Location: Brazil

Nah , laptop/tablet dont have the horsepower to run modern titles at max and at least in my country a very good laptop to play at 1080p cost 2X-3X more than a same level PC , and there is the mod part on PC , laptop you almost cant change parts.

I like laptop to work , travel etc , but when I really want horsepower , PC always.

OBS: I dont have consoles/Dont like consoles.

Mikedogg · *Last edited by Mikedogg; 12-12-2012 at 01:17.*

Desktops these days get a big, fat, "super MEH" from me. I love the portability of my lappy, and I'm considering a table or the Nokia 920 to fill the gap for less demanding tasks.

Besides, any tech here in NZ is stupid expensive anyway - and this recession is killing me!

scatman839 · 12-12-2012, 01:18 | posts: 8,828 | Location: Dundee, Scotland

Quote:

Originally Posted by AshCation

Nah , laptop/tablet dont have the horsepower to run modern titles at max

Average consumer does not play modern pc games on a pc/laptop, so they wouldn't care.

EspHack · 12-12-2012, 01:22 | posts: 1,594

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikedogg

Desktops these days get a big, fat, "super MEH" from me. I love the portability of my lappy, and I'm considering a table or the Nokia 920 to fill the gap for less demanding tasks.

Besides, any tech here in NZ is stupid expensive anyway - and this recession is killing me!

whats wrong with you?

Mikedogg · 12-12-2012, 01:28 | posts: 2,872 | Location: The Freak Show - Earth.

More things than what my psychiatrist could figure, lets put it that way.

The reason they get a meh from me is because on a performance perspective, a modern laptop can perform "almost" as well as a desktop these days. And with the poor integration and porting of console games too PC is all that top quality hardware being utilized properly? I think not.

Plus, I love portability.

sykozis · 12-12-2012, 01:44 | posts: 13,636 | Location: US East Coast

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhazeDelta1

It probably depends on locality. There are a couple PC shops around here that stay pretty busy.

It's the same here. The well established shops with good reputation are staying busy while the rest are going belly up. A lot of it has to do with clientele... If the majority of your business is your "average joe"...you're going to notice declines in business when the economy sucks....

JohnMaclane · 12-12-2012, 04:16 | posts: 4,837 | Location: Malta

Quote:

Originally Posted by anticupidon

each day i see few and few desktop computers getting in and out of the computer shop i work in.
more,all my tech friends are telling the same story.
tablets and laptops is what i deal lately.
worst of it,there are few things one can fix in a tablet,a loose dc jack or a headphone jack,a baterry change ..maybe a bricked tablet who needs to be revived.
and in top of that ,each day i kinda loose interest in hardware parts,almost everything gets a meh from my part.
maybe it is time to move along to something else?

With the way the industry is moving I think you should strongly think about something new. The battleground is mobile computing so unless your servicing some big business which needs desktops your going to be **** out of luck. I don't see families buying more then one desktop today, they probably go out and buy one of these new touch all in ones (windows 8 ) which screw computer repair guys anyways. There might be some laptops but even there with Apples latest "innovations" (having less serviceable parts which I am sure others will follow) and Intel Ultrabook push its going to get tougher.

For all you know the new devices will bring a different kind of business. There will always be plenty of formatting to do but the hardware side of computer repair has become more depressing IMO.

volkov956 · 12-12-2012, 04:37 | posts: 5,916 | Location: Канад

I see on average a few more laptops , same amount of desktops but... the majority of desktops age is starting to be a major problem when needing parts i still get desktops dropped off that are windows 98/2000 era *with xp* I even donated one person a P4 compaq since they Celeron (p2 era) compaq was no longer worth working on . I dont see any tablets (android or similar) I do see more Workstations Mobile and Desktop now though strangly. Servers well I see maybe 1-2 a year most people up here dont deal with servers or etc. I got more servers in my Business then do the 3 schools here as an example.

Desktop Selection has been dropping year by year in stores most people that do want desktops cant find any unless they want to buy say a Dual Core or Single Core mini pc with less specs then theyre older system so that has caused some to buy laptops that normally wouldnt.

Parabola · 12-12-2012, 05:23 | posts: 282 | Location: Northern India

Considering what an average user does with a computer, the point OP made isn't surprising. Most people use their computers for social networking, e mail, youtube, music and like. Since smart phones mean that you don't actually have to switch on your computer and connect to the internet in order to log on to facebook or get updates from twitter, such people consider desktops(or for that matter, even laptops) as a burden.

I think soon there will come a time when no one except enthusiasts will own desktop computers.

tktk104 · 12-12-2012, 06:26 | posts: 160 | Location: North Carolina

Hmmmm.... sounds like the end of another era. I better start reading more about the future of computing. **kisses my computer** lol

anticupidon · 12-12-2012, 07:19 | posts: 1,722 | Location: far,far from home

One needs to read between lines,nobody will come and announce:
The desktops are dead!
More,i have older friends also in computer repair biz,and they are deeply worried about this shift.
But where are gadgets,there will be always the need for a knowlegde person to fix some problem.
Guess i will need to follow the trend and focus more in mobile platforms.
Or getting a degree in law,suing companies for patents seems the most profitable biz outhere!

Speed Weed · 12-12-2012, 08:02 | posts: 678 | Location: Somewhere in Scotland

Still so paranoid that I do online banking on my desktop only!

Otherwise, I often do lightweight surfing or watch films on a SGS3.

Jonnyboy · 12-12-2012, 14:28 | posts: 3,382 | Location: Florida

Quote:

Originally Posted by EspHack

well im noticing my rig after some years of use is still the most powerful pc around... no way to see it lagging so i have no plans to upgrade, thats why the computer's market is running slow, they are at peak power already, no real need for more GHz or ramz until there is something revolutionary in the software world, maybe windows vista 2.0? lol and as they said, a tablet/smartphone is good enough for most people nowdays

i cant survive using only my phone, to be honest, i dont need it when i got that monstruous rig sitting in my room and is a waste of time to use it considering how fast and productive my pc is, i also lost some interest in using my phone when going outside, now i see something in the web and think 'well i better wait to go home so i can watch it with decent hardware'

yea same here. My pc is still doing a great job considering that I built my pc back in 08 and upgraded my video card to GTX 470(not overclocked) in 09 and overclocked my i5-750 to 3.6ghz last year, and my pc still holds up and plays bf3 and metro 2033 like a pro on high setting with af.