4 ms·

Honestly, it seems like the desktop is more in danger of dying these days. Laptops have been far more compelling to average users for some time, especially with

Honestly, it seems like the desktop is more in danger of dying these days. Laptops have been far more compelling to average users for some time, especially with the rise of netbooks, and the increasing proliferation of cheap full-sized laptops. It's hard to even recommend desktops to users unless they're heavy gamers or dealing with hardcore media editing.

potatolicious 17y ago
It's hard to say - I think the future of the tower desktop is definitely suspect, but I see a lot of room for the all-in-ones like the iMac or HP's touch thingamajig. My folks are looking at getting a new computer - and right now I'm torn between getting them a laptop (and then making them buy a real monitor to work on), or just getting them the gorgeous 27" iMac. I mean, I could buy them a 27" IPS screen + a laptop or Mac Mini, but it seems almost pointless, and would likely be MORE expensive. I think it's safer to say that the hulking monstrosities of towers, with the requisite puddle of wires and incomprehensible operation - those are on the way out in a big way. A large segment of the population doesn't do any computing on the go - but have in recent years been buying laptops (and then just leaving them in one place) just for the simplicity and the ease of setup/use. If desktops can clone this (and the iMac has for the most part) and give a better user experience (almost guaranteed) there's a lot of room here.
bartl 17y ago
Five years ago, I bought a laptop instead of a desktop, just for the fan noise: at least, a laptop is quiet. I've never used it on the road. Just agreeing with you... and I am a programmer, not just a home user.
Zak 17y ago
I've never used a desktop as my primary computer. My first real computer was a laptop, in 1992. There are a lot fewer reasons to prefer a desktop now than there were then. I would stick with laptops even if I didn't travel with my computer, just so I could use it on the couch. I'm not an average user. I'm a programmer, and an occasional gamer. I have a laptop with a fast CPU, real graphics chip and high-resolution screen. Bought refurbished, it was still probably twice as much money as the average user spends on a computer.
jamii 17y ago
> It's hard to even recommend desktops to users unless they're heavy gamers or dealing with hardcore media editing. Even for gaming, my current laptop can handle everything I've thrown at it at the highest settings and I can take it to lan parties on the tube. The only reason I would ever recommend a desktop is the lower price.
- lief79 17y ago
  Best bang for the buck/upgrading GPUs. I happen to be using my laptop for gaming now, and it can handle everything, but I fully expect to need a new desktop in a year or two, because I won't be able to update the graphics card. The laptop will be fine for everything but gaming at that point.

potatolicious 17y ago

It's hard to say - I think the future of the tower desktop is definitely suspect, but I see a lot of room for the all-in-ones like the iMac or HP's touch thingamajig. My folks are looking at getting a new computer - and right now I'm torn between getting them a laptop (and then making them buy a real monitor to work on), or just getting them the gorgeous 27" iMac. I mean, I could buy them a 27" IPS screen + a laptop or Mac Mini, but it seems almost pointless, and would likely be MORE expensive. I think it's safer to say that the hulking monstrosities of towers, with the requisite puddle of wires and incomprehensible operation - those are on the way out in a big way. A large segment of the population doesn't do any computing on the go - but have in recent years been buying laptops (and then just leaving them in one place) just for the simplicity and the ease of setup/use. If desktops can clone this (and the iMac has for the most part) and give a better user experience (almost guaranteed) there's a lot of room here.

bartl 17y ago

Five years ago, I bought a laptop instead of a desktop, just for the fan noise: at least, a laptop is quiet. I've never used it on the road. Just agreeing with you... and I am a programmer, not just a home user.

Zak 17y ago

I've never used a desktop as my primary computer. My first real computer was a laptop, in 1992. There are a lot fewer reasons to prefer a desktop now than there were then. I would stick with laptops even if I didn't travel with my computer, just so I could use it on the couch. I'm not an average user. I'm a programmer, and an occasional gamer. I have a laptop with a fast CPU, real graphics chip and high-resolution screen. Bought refurbished, it was still probably twice as much money as the average user spends on a computer.

jamii 17y ago

> It's hard to even recommend desktops to users unless they're heavy gamers or dealing with hardcore media editing. Even for gaming, my current laptop can handle everything I've thrown at it at the highest settings and I can take it to lan parties on the tube. The only reason I would ever recommend a desktop is the lower price.

lief79 17y ago
Best bang for the buck/upgrading GPUs. I happen to be using my laptop for gaming now, and it can handle everything, but I fully expect to need a new desktop in a year or two, because I won't be able to update the graphics card. The laptop will be fine for everything but gaming at that point.