I think the PC is on its way out

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jauburn said:
I wasn't sure what to call this thread.

These past decades have been just sad, in human terms.

Anyone agree?
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Agreed that for the average person a PC should be - or will be - relatively dead and useless.
There are many sub-groups of people, but I usually classify internet users as content CREATORS or content USERS. The users outnumber the creators by orders of magnitude - depending on how you define them.

For many users, the ipad or the next generations of chromebook and assorted smartphones and cloud laptops should do the job.
Most creators do need at least a decent laptop.

If I look close to home (me) I find I use desktop apps less and less and less. My bbedit and photoshop are crying out because I largely ignore them these days! I'm not a coder, but definitely fall into the content creator category.

We are finally seeing the convergence of devices which has been talked about for a decade or more. In many ways, the ipad represents this...not to say it has to be an Apple, but a touchpad with cameras, media, outputs, etc. is about as far as hardware can come. The "next big thing" has hardly been thought of because software and interfaces really are what is happening (IMHO).
 
VincentU said:
Only the ones who really need Desktops for Gaming, Really Hard Computer Work or Server **** will buy a Desktop.
The rest will buy a Laptop, Notebook or Tablet.

This is the proof that PC's will never die, else Apple would've discontinued them :D
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My wife has always had an old notebook from her travel and outside of office use. She liked my macbook air so I told her we'd get one for her. But then I saw how proficient she was with her iphone and told her to try an ipad 2. After all, Apple gives you 30 days to return it for full credit! She has the apple bluetooth keyboard and she loves the thing! And, I saved 50%.

That's just one example. People have to be educated as to what they really need. My wife uses virtually no desktop apps....or at least has no reason to. Why deal with all the OS and hard drive hassles?
 
Computers are a great tool. Other devices can be useful but don't get me wrong...I would never trade a computer for a tableT or a touch phone...absolutely not.
 
@jauburn this is your PC talking, If you would like to look into a real person's eyes please insert credit card details.
 
Who said you needed to completely replace RL contact with OL contact? Also many people are now more social than without it. If anything the PC and computers in general will become an even more prominent part of our lives in the future.
 
The PC won't die for ages yet as for one did you notice PC components are getting smaller in size? I think the PC will get smaller and smaller and in about 5-10 years you'll be able to fit a PC in your pocket...
 
kuyenmotdivad said:
The PC won't die for ages yet as for one did you notice PC components are getting smaller in size? I think the PC will get smaller and smaller and in about 5-10 years you'll be able to fit a PC in your pocket...
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you can almost do that now...you can build a computer with an i7 and 16gb of memory on a mini ITX motherboard using a ssd and it is just a little to big to be called pocket sized...but to be fair if you want to bend the rules, I am wearing super comfy and baggy sweatpants that have pockets that I could fit a mini ITX build in so I could say you can do that now :-)
 
Forsaken said:
How has this decade been bad...?

There have been leaps and bounds in the field of computing (Not so much in the consumer niche, but everything will be there eventually). The consumer market is just a small percent of what is invented and advanced, and that is only due to the cost being too much for your average consumer.
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I can think of things bad about this decade but it might not be about computing.
 
jauburn said:
I wasn't sure what to call this thread.

Candidates were:

Good riddance
Is the PC dying?
Not a moment too soon...
What a fad!

Bottom line is this: I think the traditional PC is on its way out. (And with it, of course, the device that spawned a gazillion forums.)

If the PC is on its last legs, or beginning to wobble like a drunk headed for the curb, I'd like to say, "thank goodness!" Take a step back from these past 20 years, and what I want to say is this: What a horrible way to spend one's life! Sitting in front of a computer screen, looking at some CRT or LCD rather than into a real person's eyes.

These past decades have been just sad, in human terms.

Anyone agree?
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A lot of people on my site post from their mobile phone. I've noticed that a lot of posters on other sites I've post on, post on their mobile phone. In almost every hip forum that doesn't have a good mobile theme or app, you will find members requesting a mobile skin or Tapatalk. Having a mobile app is a must. Wish xenforo would create one already. I'd pay for one to get made but I don't know if a coder would be able to get attachments to work.
 
BTW, I don't think most members on here would understand what you mean 'On it's way out'. They are admins that mostly do their work on a PC or laptop. That statement is something more suited for regular users, who are usually on-the-go.
 
The8thLegion said:
A lot of people on my site post from their mobile phone. I've noticed that a lot of posters on other sites I've post on, post on their mobile phone. In almost every hip forum that doesn't have a good mobile theme or app, you will find members requesting a mobile skin or Tapatalk. Having a mobile app is a must. Wish xenforo would create one already. I'd pay for one to get made but I don't know if a coder would be able to get attachments to work.
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Just because people are using mobile devices more....
The8thLegion said:
BTW, I don't think most members on here would understand what you mean 'On it's way out'. They are admins that mostly do their work on a PC or laptop. That statement is something more suited for regular users, who are usually on-the-go.
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....means that "on-the-go" demographic is going to stop using PC's. Mobile phones are a way to communicate online while you're out of the house. People are reading the growth the wrong way.

Here, this is a perfect example of what I mean...

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That's what we're going to be seeing in the next 5 years. As if it isn't happening already. OnLive more or less does the same. Apple is trying to accomplish similar with Iphone/Ipad/Apple TV (whatever it's going to be called), my point is... We're moving towards a seamless world.

Just remember, by the time Apple accomplishes it, Sony did it first.

PS3 + PSP although not perfect. Right now, they've done it with PS3 + PSVita.
 
rollthebones said:
I meant in terms of the average Joe's life being more about technology and less about IRL contact. That was in response to the OP's "These past decades have been just sad, in human terms."
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Exactly. In terms of quality of life, technology has taken us nowhere but down, IMO. Everything goes too fast. No one has time for each other any more. Personal contact has been replaced by Facebook, voice mail, internet forums, dating sites, etc.

It's just pretty effing sad, if you think about it. Hopefully there will be a backlash at some point, with people coming to their senses. Maybe the mobilization of technology is slowly leading us back to where--oh my god!--we actually bump into someone and say "hi."

What a scary thought.
 
jauburn said:
Exactly. In terms of quality of life, technology has taken us nowhere but down, IMO. Everything goes too fast. No one has time for each other any more. Personal contact has been replaced by Facebook, voice mail, internet forums, dating sites, etc.

It's just pretty effing sad, if you think about it. Hopefully there will be a backlash at some point, with people coming to their senses. Maybe the mobilization of technology is slowly leading us back to where--oh my god!--we actually bump into someone and say "hi."

What a scary thought.
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On the other hand, technology has allowed for people to stay in touch at greater distances with more convenience. For example, I have family in Japan and England, but to call them at a decent time for them means calling them at a time that might be difficult for me. With social networks and IM programs you're able to keep touch with more convenience, and share things like pictures and videos in a way that is much faster than snail mail.

There is also video chat like Skype that allows you to have conversations with visual with people you can't easily see.

It isn't like people don't socialize at all, it's more that socializing tends to be done through the Internet just as much (Sometimes more for introverts) as personal contact now.
 
jauburn said:
In terms of quality of life, technology has taken us nowhere but down, IMO.
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I know what you mean and to some degree can agree with you, but there are times…

For instance, just yesterday during lunch, my brother-in-law and I were talking about Renaissance painters and he brought up an Italian painter named Masaccio. I'd never heard of him before, but a few clicks later on my iPhone and we were on the same page (and I learned something!).

BTW, I noticed your avatar shows pretty good camera holding technique. Then I noticed you have a photo forum site (http://photocamel.com/forum/). Very cool! (y)
 
Yes, the personal computer is a technological dead end. PCs will cease to be very shortly because they are unnecessary.

But that doesn't mean that personal computing goes away or that the PC is going to be replaced by tablets. Instead, the PC is going to be replaced by a VDI thin client that looks, feels and operates like a PC to the person at the keyboard, except that it will cost a fraction of the price. It won't be something you repair when it breaks, it will be something you throw away and replace.

Maintaining the OS will be the responsibility of the VDI provider. Same with the applications. The end user will lease apps, not buy them. The cost goes down on software as well. because it will be based on concurrent user licensing, not per seat.

Even better is that nearly anything can be a thin client. Both VMware View and Xen Desktop support tablets, iPhones, blackberries, Windows, MacOS, Linux, and even internet some connected televisions as thin clients. You desktop will move with you to any device you choose.

And yes, even gaming computers will go away now that VDI vendors support GPU virtualization.

But don't let that dissuade you from buying a computer today. This technology is still 5-10 year away from commercial viability on a provider/subscription model. Moore's Law will continue to hold true and if you buy a computer today, you'd end up buying at least one more before the above is a reality.
 
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