The day of the PC over?

**Stuart** · 12-08-2011, 09:21

Mark Dean, one of a group of engineers who designed and built the IBM 5150 (later to be renamed the IBM PC) has said he thinks the day of the PC is over. He also said that he thinks PCs "going the way of the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs."

I have to admit, I think for general use he is right. I can only speak for myself and my friends here, but I am finding that for general computing use , people are now tending to pick up a smartphone (such as an iPhone or Android phone), a tablet or netbook. In some cases, they are using a Kindle for basic browsing.

When they want to play a game, they do so either on the tablet, smartphone etc or they fire up a console.

The one that most surprised me is one friend who was a hardcore PC gamer. He has a monster of a PC that over the years he has spent thousands on and would rebuild the PC with the hghest spec CPU, GFX cards (he would always use two), memory and motherboard at least once a year, yet when I spoke to him in the pub the other day, he admitted he hardly ever uses it now. He found that he was using mostly for web browsing and development (he runs a website for a major estate agency), and gaming. The web browsing, development he does mostly on an Android tablet, and the gaming is done mostly on an xbox now.

While I am currently looking to upgrade my PC at the moment (some of the stuff I need to do on it for work runs rather slowly on it's elderly Core 2 duo, so I am going to rebuild it around a new CPU), generally I am now the same. For web browsing, 80% of the time I use my Mac Laptop at home, 10% of the time I using my iPhone and the remaining 10% I use my PC. ?With gaming, ATM, it's about half and half, but the xbox is getting more and more use.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/201...c.html?hpg1=bn

What do you think? Is the PC on it's way out, is it still going strong, or will it hang around for a few years and eventually disappear?

peanut · 12-08-2011, 09:37

I think it is on the way out, but I also think it's purpose has changed. I pity those now that pay out for a top spec desktop PC as it seems a waste of money. PC gaming is pretty much non existent, those that pay out crazy amounts are paying for what? A benchmark score that means nothing in the real world. I tend to use my PC now more as a multimedia thing than a games machine, it's rigged up to my tv and I have no need for a blu-ray player etc and I would be lost without it.

I don't like laptops, I don't like the keyboards and they struggle at multi-tasking. Ipads to me are the biggest waste of space and pointless items going, that's only because my PC is in my living room and is always on. If I had a 'normal' house and the PC was upstairs, then that might be different. I do use my iTouch and HTC Sensation for browsing, but I'll never bother writing this amount of text on one.

I'm fed up with upgrading my PC, my last upgrade was about 2-3 years ago and even though I can still play any game that comes out now on max settings (proof that PC gaming is dead) I won't be upgrading again.

Onboard graphics has a lot to answer for in the death of PC gaming, and games like WoW has to be mentioned. Stores like PC world where even their most expensive model means you can't run a game unless you upgrade as soon as you get it out of the box. Laptops are just plain useless for gaming unless you pay over the odds, which is pointless as you could get a desktop for half the price and would run better, but it seems the sales of laptops are overtaking desktops, so what chance has PC gaming got.

Halcyon · 12-08-2011, 10:03

The days of plugging in a thousand cables, testing, installing, and then having a big white PC box sitting on your desk are gone.
That is why Apple got it so right with the Imac. Works straight out the box and looks stylish and takes up minimum space.

**Chris** · 12-08-2011, 10:03

The average home PC has always been vastly more capable than the uses most people put theirs to. I guess it was always likely that their star would fade as soon as dedicated, lower- powered devices became affordable and practical.

I disagree re. usefulness of tablets though (and iPad in particular) ... Our main home computer (an iMac) is sometimes not switched on for a day or two at a time since we got our iPad, because most of what we did on the computer we now do on the iPad (taking B&B bookings, which requires email and calendar, both of which work wonderfully on the iPad and sync through MobileMe back to the mac anyway, plus invoicing through Paypal, and general web browsing, which is much more pleasant when sat on a sofa than at a desk).

There are certain productivity tasks that I still need the computer for, but those are the sorts of things I would want to sit at the desk and do. The iPad frees me from the desk for all the things I shouldn't need to sit at a desk for. And it is frankly amazing at amusing bored children when it's raining.

heero_yuy · 12-08-2011, 10:11

For home use I suspect it's days are numbered but industrially there's no way you'd try to design a multilayer PCB on a tablet nor run compilers and in-circuit emulation, target de-bug etc on anything other than a good sized desktop usually with large twin monitors and lots of connectivity.

Ramrod · 12-08-2011, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut

PC gaming is pretty much non existent

*ahem*
imo, if you want the best graphics you can get, it's still a PC that will deliver those.
Ok, you have to pay for that but I think it's worth it......couple that with as you say, the multimedia capabilities when attached to a telly and I think ithe PC has life in it yet.......for certain sections of the population.....

peanut · 12-08-2011, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramrod

*ahem*
imo, if you want the best graphics you can get, it's still a PC that will deliver those.
Ok, you have to pay for that but I think it's worth it......couple that with as you say, the multimedia capabilities when attached to a telly and I think ithe PC has life in it yet.......for certain sections of the population.....

Ok that's fair enough, the price of graphic cards have come down a lot, but how many PC specific games are being released yearly? One, maybe two... if that.

I can understand if you want to play something like BF3 etc, but to pay a price of a new 360 or PS3 to just be able to play it, I know what I'd rather put that money on instead.

I haven't said that gaming isn't good on the PC, I much prefer it on the PC over consoles but when you only get less than (one) handful of games a year (mostly console ports), then you can't help being disappointed.

**Rob** · 12-08-2011, 11:01

Most games are unfortunately being written first for the console market and then ported to the PC. That means that most PCs aren't being taxed by recent games. I'm hoping BF3 will prove to be the difference where we see the PC as the platform for the game.

I don't have an ipad. I have a small Android tablet. That only comes out if I go travelling, largely so I can watch predownloaded films. I don't even have a smartphone.

I'm typing this on my office laptop. I have another laptop at home that might get used for general web browsing stuff if I'm in front of the TV. Another computer acts as a media player, with plenty of storage. True I could get a NAS, but realistically a NAS is just a one function computer. Web site development, graphics and any of that stuff is so much easier on a desktop PC when you have big monitor or even multiple monitors to see what you are manipulating. Tablets and other portable devices are great for some things but the portability creates some compromises. When you need power, the PC is king.

denphone · 12-08-2011, 11:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramrod

*ahem*
imo, if you want the best graphics you can get, it's still a PC that will deliver those.
Ok, you have to pay for that but I think it's worth it......couple that with as you say, the multimedia capabilities when attached to a telly and I think ithe PC has life in it yet.......for certain sections of the population.....

Yes l agree that there is definitely plenty of life in the PC yet for quite a lot of people and l still intend to buy a new one soon but for some people the convenience of a tablet, i pad or other devices is just right for them and their modern lives where time is sometimes at the essence.

Hom3r · 12-08-2011, 12:45

I think laptops will replace desktops.

My sister had a desktop which took up a lot of room, she bought a laptop and when they have finished they put it in a drawer out of the way.

In my home there are 3 laptops and a netbook, both my dads and mine have a dedicated GFX card which plays and makes game look awesome.

My mum has one with a stand GFX card, which does what she wants.

I also have the netbook which I bought for use when I travelled in my job. I've put DVDs on to a HDD and watch it on that. I've even taken SVGA leads so I can plug it in to the hotels TV (if possible).

**Hugh** · 12-08-2011, 14:04

I think it is "horses for courses".

If I am browsing the web/checking emails, I use my iPad/Xoom.

If I am gaming or working (writing documents/spreadsheets), I use the PC (I haven't seen a laptop with a 24" screen yet).

**Chris** · 12-08-2011, 14:19

You have a Xoom? How is it?

muppetman11 · 12-08-2011, 15:30

I agree 100% with Chris our PC doesn't get used as much these days I would say its now something like 50% IPad , 25% Ipod Touch/Android Phone with the rest split between laptop and desktop .

**Hugh** · 12-08-2011, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

You have a Xoom? How is it?

Not too bad - not as intuitive as the iPad, but you can do more with it (more of a techy's tablet than a consumer tablet at the moment, imho).

For instance, to view videos, you have to download a file handling app, then go into that, and double-click on the video file to play it - not user-friendly, imho.

I may be getting a HP Touchpad on demo soon, so I will feed back on that as well.

**Matt D** · 12-08-2011, 20:19

I've not heard great things about the TouchPad, sadly. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is meant to be excellent, though, if you get a chance to try that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't play games on my PC (other than the odd bit of Civ 5), and haven't done for ages. I can't be bothered with all the upgrading etc., and I find console gaming far more convenient anyway.

The main thing I use my PC for is web browsing, along with downloading and streaming videos.

I use my iPad a lot for browsing, and also for games and watching videos. It's far more convenient than my PC. I could switch completely to just the iPad, if there weren't still a few things I need a PC for...