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.