These sorts of articles have been bubbling along online for at least 5 years (that I know of…), and I see that they are both right and wrong… For the personal computer world, home PCs, and for some (maybe much) work PCs this may indeed become the truth… Laptops may inherit the earth for a short time (quite short) for those who use computers primarily as a means to connect, to consume, and to do those simple tasks we have allotted to our PCs these days.
There is still a huge market for computer horsepower: consider the metaphor of compact cars taking over all of the roads…taking the place of long haul tractor trailers (e.g. Semi’s), or motorcycles, and everything else which is not ‘compact’. It doesn’t make sense, if you extrapolate the idea to an illogical extreme. As with computers, the automobile marketplace still has a need for trucks, fast cars, big cars, and only serving the simple majority of home users misses out on a large portion of the total market.
There will be less demand for home PC towers (expect for inveterate gamers), more demand for mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, and their ilk), and in the meantime the Laptop may indeed rule…for now.
Desktop PCs: Dead as a doornail or maybe just a fax machine
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/062711-desktop-doomed.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_am_2011-06-27
The corporate desktop has looked the same for decades: computer, keyboard, mouse, desk phone, maybe a printer. But do these tools dominate because they’re the perfect combination of technology needed for work today, or is the enterprise workplace due for an extreme makeover?
According to industry analysts, hardware vendors, architects and futurists, the odds that major changes will revamp the standard corporate cubicle, technology tools, and even buildings, rise every day.
Of course, fundamental changes like this don’t happen at all once. "When you’ve got hardware in place, it’s tough to yank it out," cautions Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. "Some corporate PBXs are still in use from the 1980s. Faxing was declared dead in 1995, but I have two in my office."
Enderle’s point is that it takes a major event to upset the status quo, but that event, or confluence of events, appears to be happening today.
The proliferation of mobile devices, the broad availability of high-speed wireless access, cloud-based services, and browser-based videoconferencing mean that employees no long have to be tied to their desktop PCs.
Unplanned obsolescence
"The desktop computer really will become obsolete," says Amy H. Tabor, director of facilities planning for RNL, a global, full-service design firm. "This change is driven by the way we work, the need for more flexibility and space use, and the younger generation expecting the difference."
Because employees are on the move, a single desktop computer in every cubicle is no longer enough. "What was once a single device computer system is now a two- or three-device environment," says Jeff Tripp, a Technology Strategist for Enterprise Clients at Intel. The extra devices are laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
"It will be interesting to see if the ‘desktop’ term ever goes away," says Tripp, who works with enterprise Intel customers, and focuses five years in the future. "Younger kids tend to start with mobile laptops or tablets in kindergarten."
RNL, along with Steelcase and OfficeScapes, is sponsoring Workplace-2020, a digital forum to "explore workplace trends, spark discussion, and inspire debate regarding the workspace of the future." Ten years ago, RNL spearheaded Workplace-2010, and built out 6,000 square feet of office space to show off new concepts and provide a place for continued research.
"The technical change is now exponential, faster than ever before," says Tabor, "and will continue to evolve the technology we know. But maybe not as much as the sea change with the arrival of mobile devices and smartphones."
The desktop PC becomes outdated!
http://pc-health.maxupdates.tv/the-desktop-pc-becomes-outdated
The identity of a modern office is the PC that stands proudly and prominently on the desks of almost every member of the staff. The office networks of businesses still rely on the desktop computer. The question whether the PC is out dated gets a firm no as an answer. There is no sign in the horizon of anything to replace this wonderful piece of furniture. The end of the desktop era will come when some great genius will invent a more powerful and more reliable device to take over.
