I remember over twenty years ago my family got their first desktop PC. The computer had an 8088 processor with a speed of 4.77 Mhz, with 640 KB of RAM and a 20 MB hard drive. The graphics card was CGA and was capable of displaying 4 colours on the screen. Eventually the graphics card was upgraded to an EGA card that display 16 colours.
Desktop computers, that we know of today, have been around longer than those 20 years, but recently I have seen people talking about the demise of the desktop computer. With the increased use in mobile devices, the once stalwart desktop seems to be disappearing like the dodo.
Demise of the Desktop?
Technology is constantly changing, and it seems every few years a brand new device hits the market. If the new device becomes popular, it may fill a niche that previous devices have tried to fill. The desktop gave way to the laptop, which then gave way to the more portable tablet PC. Smartphones are even more mobile, and can be used for easy communication.
As the usage in laptop, netbooks, and tablets has increased the desktop has slowly fallen back in terms of usage. Everyone wants to be mobile, and constantly connect with others. Desktops are static, and don’t move – too big and clunky – so mobility is out of the picture for them.
Is the end of desktops close? I think it is more of new devices filling different niches than the end of the desktop.
A Niche for Every Device
When the iPad hit the scene, many people wondered where it will fit in the technology world. With laptops and netbooks, the mobile computing world seemed satisfied with the current offerings. Eventually, however, the iPad and other tablets since then, have found their niche as an even more mobile device than laptops and netbooks.
Many people may not need a full laptop to check e-mail, view Facebook, or even play simple games. A tablet can be carried easily as it isn’t as big and as heavy as a full laptop. This makes it much easier to carry a tablet everywhere you go.
The laptop still fills the needs of businesses that need mobility for their staff. Laptops provide more power, hard drive space, and memory than a tablet. This means laptops can easily work with multiple large applications at once, such as word processing, and spreadsheet applications, or image and video editing software.
Now where does the desktop fit in a world full of mobile devices? Easy – for those that need the most power, for the lowest price.
While mobile devices are great, they still can’t compare with the amount of power offered by a desktop. Serious video, and images editors, as well as gamers may prefer a desktop because of the amount of hard drive space, memory, and graphics power a desktop can provide. The cost of a desktop, compared to the speed and power it provides, is much lower than any mobile device.
Until companies can create a laptop or tablet that can house multiple graphics cards, have the largest hard drives available, massive amounts of RAM, and the fastest processors, I don’t see the desktop disappearing anytime soon. The niche that the desktop is fitting into can’t be handled by any device currently on the market – and probably never will.
Each device has its own niche, and how you plan to use a device depends on which one you should use. I use both a laptop and desktop, and like using each one for specific reasons.
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on June 8, 2011 at 10:07 am
Its sad to see the desktop disappearing from our world, bot mostly to is because of the laptop which is mobile and is easier to connect to any wi-fi
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on June 8, 2011 at 10:16 am
The number of desktops in homes have probably decreased because of the laptop, but I don’t think it’ll disappear completely. All devices seem to have their own niche to fill.
on June 9, 2011 at 1:58 am
I agree. I don’t ever see the desktop going away. Personally, I use my desktop any time I possibly can over my laptop. Desktops offer too many features (better processing, keyboard/mouse, all accessories already plugged in and ready, etc.) to disappear. That said, I do expect laptops to take a larger share of the market as the difference in processing power decreases.
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on June 9, 2011 at 8:20 am
For the average user, a laptop has more than enough power for what they need to do. Desktops are becoming more of a niche product for those that need the most powerful systems to accomplish their tasks, such as gamers or video/photo editors.
on June 9, 2011 at 3:45 pm
For some time now, each year smart phones have been increasing its power quite rapidly, also each year they are capable of running more complex applications, even some phones now offer 720p resolution out put, which shows us that they are becoming more capable.
We also have seen that every 18 month CPUs shrink, waste less power and they increase dramatically on speed, this been happening for many years.
Now we also have the new chips called “system on a chip” which house all the main parts of a computer in a single chip, it will not be crazy to see them in phones in a near future.
In my opinion I see computers fading away very, very, very slowly, but I don’t see a complete eradication, because at the end of the day all comes done to choice, so in the future we may have phones, laptops and computer that have the same power but because of your job you might end up choosing a desktop computer.
Even Microsoft knows this when demo Windows 8 with “system on a chip” and if you see the new Windows 8, doesn’t it looks like a giant phone now?
Bottom line is that as technology keeps evolving, components become smaller, cheaper and more efficient, and they can be house in smaller package, like in a mobile phone.
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on June 10, 2011 at 8:26 am
I agree that smartphones and more mobile devices are becoming more powerful and cheaper. Heck, the fact that they can display HD is a huge step forward. I also agree that while computers are fading away slowly, they won’t be completely eradicated.
The one thing to realize is that desktop components are also becoming more powerful and cheaper as well, so they will continue to push the envelope of technology before that technology reaches mobile devices.
on June 17, 2011 at 12:30 pm
One more reason I think is around affordability. Laptops and notebooks have become so much for affordable that what it used to cost before 10 years. The extra price they have to pay compared to desktop is for the mobility factor.
on June 18, 2011 at 9:09 pm
That is true. I remember when laptops and netbooks were out of reach in terms of price for most people. Now because they have become so popular, their prices has dropped drastically to the point where anyone looking for a computer can afford one. Desktops, however, are still cheaper for the lower end systems.
on September 19, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Nice share. You know, when I think about it, I think I’m getting more ready to leave PC behind and start using laptop instead. It’s more convenient in some way.
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on October 30, 2011 at 10:29 am
Hi Paul,
I liked your first paragraph where you describe your family’s first PC. It reminded me of my own very first computer which was similar to what you describe above, but it had a huge “Turbo” button in front and you could press that and get 8 Mhz speed instead of 4.77 !!! what a great turbo charge!!! Oh, also mine didn’t even have a hard disk….you could purchase a 20MB one for like $400 !!!
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on October 31, 2011 at 8:27 am
I remember the Turbo button as well, but never really understood what it did internally. Times and prices sure have change today. Sometimes I’ll look at the SD card I use in my camera and think about what it would be like to go back in time and show people that 16 GB fits on that small card, and see their reactions.
on November 20, 2011 at 11:44 pm
For me, I still love desktop more than the most high tech gadgets today…
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on November 21, 2011 at 8:06 am
I still enjoy my desktop also, mainly because of the customization I can do and the sheer power that no device can match.
on November 29, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Well as of right now, I am still using desktop computers and it is more convenient for me and even for my business…
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on November 30, 2011 at 8:14 am
I still use my desktop from time to time – mainly because of the processing power it provides.