The Desktop is Dead. Long Live the Desktop! - Comments Page 2

I've had a desktop since the IBM PS2 running MSDOS, so roughly 30 years. I probably always will, I'm three years retired. I have an iPhone that goes wherever I do (it's a lifeline in a way should something happen), a 12.9 iPad Pro, a MacBook (which gets virtually no use and if replaced will be with a Mac Mini). My HP Pavilion is just over three years old, but it's got a Terabyte drive, 16GB of Ram, is connected directly to my router, keyboard and a 32 inch HD monitor, wirelessly to my printer. I spend a good bit of my day at that desktop, I've got tons of security on it that I can't get on my mobile devices though I do use iPhone and iPad quite a bit.

You're right, and so are others, it's impossible to do some things on a mobile device, like taxes or anything serious. My desktop is faster and can do so much more. I've always got three browsers open with up to 12 tabs in each, all different sites and I go between them with ease. Cursor control on a mobile device is a nightmare, almost every app I use on those works better, easier on my desktop. I normally upgrade every five years or so, but my last one is still functional and working as a backup and it's near 10 years old, will run Win10 but not 11 - which I don't want anyway until forced into it, if ever. All my devices have some functionality to me but the desktop is the one I use most, though I couldn't get around without the iPhone either - who remembers phone numbers anymore? Plus is my password manager works on ALL my devices so I can get into anything on any of them, but using banking or anything like it is only really possible on the desktop. I don't think they're ever going away either. I sure hope not. When working, we'd gone to laptops, but they were cabled into a 27 inch monitor, when I worked from, I did the same into another HD monitor, my current one is so large there's no room on my desk for another, though I wish there was. You're right on this idea!

The PC desk top reminds me of Older cars....you could work on them yourself...now they push mobile hardware where working on them is very hard... just like working on new cars is beyond the scope of most people. Driving the cattle to market.

I have been computing since before Windows or Mice(or should it be 'mouses') and wouldn't be without my trusty desktop and its dual monitors. And I keep an old superseded model as backup.
I have a laptop, but it is only for away-from-home use - and my iPad sits in my purse when visiting the doctor or dentist, or any place I may have to sit and wait.
But... Long live the desktop....!

I'm a retiree who has desktop, laptop, and smartphone. I replaced 8-year-old desktop a few moths ago' It's much faster than its predecessor and I have a 28-inch monitor. My laptop is a speedy little devil which I take whenever I need portability and the tablet has gone on vacations with me when I need a screen larger than cellphone and don't' want to worry about keeping track of an expensive laptop. . I need the large screen and keyboard to do everything necessary when I 'm home. I no longer have fine touch in my fingers and have a hard time texting with the tiny "keyboard" and small cellphone screen. In fact, I'm sitting here in my home office using my desktop to send you this comment. Love live desk tops!

I'm writing this response from my mid-tower desktop PC in Windows 10. There is a lot to like about desktop PCs. They are easy to upgrade/enhance. When a component fails, the entire box is not usually trashed because the component can be replaced. When the heart (motherboard, CPU & RAM) of a desktop PC nears obsolescence, its peripheral components usually remain useful so the case can be stripped clean, a new motherboard, CPU, & RAM can be installed along with the peripheral components from the original setup, and Wahla! You have a 'new' computer! Most laptop computers are not as functional as desktops because their design sacrifices performance for battery life. Even when plugged in many laptop CPUs are less performant than their desktop counterparts with the exception of the new gaming laptops (I have a Lenovo Legion 5 gaming laptop PC) that are gaining popularity.

Speaking of laptop PCs, I have two - my Lenovo (mentioned above) and an aging Dell Inspirion 15. The Lenovo can act as a backup for my desktop if needed because it is perhaps the most performant laptop I have ever owned, and it does rival the speed and functionality of my desktop PC provided I connect the desktops monitor, mouse, and keyboard to it - thus defeating its portability. The Dell laptop lives at the other end of the house from my desktop and laptop. When my Shih tzu needs to go out back - usually to go potty - I sit down at the Dell and play solitaire while I wait for her. The Dell has grown old, and it is slow compared to current devices. It is even slower than my two tablets or my smart phone, but it still allows me to play a game of solitaire, or surf the web when I need to, so it remains in service.

In the mobile device department, I have an Amazon Fire 7, an Android tablet, and a Sony A21 S smartphone. I use the Fire mostly to read eBooks. When I take my son to the grocery store (he does the shopping for me), I take the Android tablet along so I can play some games on it while I wait in the car. As for my smartphone, it goes everywhere I go. If something happens when I'm out and about, I can use it to get help. When I'm at home, I use it (and Microsoft Authenticator) for 2FA when accessing nearly all my online accounts, and when/if the power goes out it proves to be invaluable to me, because I can use it to call my friends and family to make sure they are all O.K.

I agree with the commenters who came before me and said that each class of device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop) has its place. With that said, I do not believe that any of the devices mentioned can effectively replace the desktop computer. With its large screen for viewing content, its full-sized keyboard for data entry (I'll bet you don't hear that term very often), and its mouse (wired or wireless) for navigation, no other device can accommodate the user's ability to get things done better, and except for the laptop, none can multi-task as well (or efficiently).

My2Cents,

Ernie

I have one more reason...I have arthritis and it's difficult most days for me to type on a phone or tablet keyboard. I much prefer the keyboard of a PC. Long Live the PC!!

Isn't it interesting that Alzheimer has now been linked to the iPhone along with genetic factors. The idea that they can contribute cancer is debunked but maybe we now can understand how so many "smart" people are falling victims to dementia. Looks like a desktop is a lot safer.

I've always thought desktop PC's were irreplaceable.

I agree with you from a business perspective. There is nothing better than a desktop for cad design, or for running just about any business software. But as stats from my www.brew-control.com website show, handheld devices are taking over the consumer market. As of the last 30 days, the breakdown of devices reaching my site are.

Desktop - 38%
Tablet - 2%
Mobile - 60%

I use my Desktop every day. My laptop once a month.
The only reason I have a laptop is for backup.
Desktops are the only way to go for me.

Shag carpets? Nobody told me they were passe. Bought mine I suppose a decade ago and everyone loves it.

Could somebody tell me why the wonderful cigarette box sized mini PCs are apparently not replacing the clunky towers? They seem the perfect solution to me. I have two alongside my 9 year old clunker which I can't seem to part with.

Joseph,

I prefer a mid or mini tower case here because they are easier to work with if anything goes wrong. I build and repair my own PCs, and I don't like getting my knuckles barked on the case frame when I add or replace a component. Also, the hardware that can fit into a cigarette box sized case is probably not as powerful or performant as what I have in my box here. Small is nice, but only if you do not sacrifice performance or capability for size.

My2Cents,

Ernie