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DIY and alternative tablets can be desktop replacements, or close to it. But that's not the sort of mass market trend of which you can write these sorts of arti

by gexla 14y ago

DIY and alternative tablets can be desktop replacements, or close to it. But that's not the sort of mass market trend of which you can write these sorts of articles (though in China this may be a large trend compared to the U.S.) Personally, this is just evolution of form factors. Nothing terribly interesting. As a techie living in Asia, I would either just buy a Chinese gadget (clone) which fits my needs or just build my own. In this sense, the PC lives on. ;)

dasil003 14y ago
> Personally, this is just evolution of form factors. Agreed. Ballmer was ironically right when he said "they're all just PCs". What's perhaps more interesting than the form factor is the app-storification of software delivery. I have real concerns about a future where there's no market for hackable platforms.
- gexla 14y ago
  Open source is going nowhere. I do most of my work on the server, and that's a form factor and ecosystem which isn't being affected by all this tablet / smart phone silliness. ;)
vidarh 14y ago
> DIY and alternative tablets can be desktop replacements I don't know why you consider this "DIY" or "alternative tablets". Most tablets on the market has these capabilities. > Personally, this is just evolution of form factors. Nothing terribly interesting. I find it exciting we're close to the point where we can get convergence and not need multiple different computers for must uses, but you're right: It is largely about evolution of form factors, which is why I find it so amusing that so many people are so insistent the desktop PC will remain important. The traditional big box desktop has been in freefall for years. It's losing market share at a rapid pace, and what remains of it is shrinking too - it's harder and harder to find full size ATX or Flex ATX, and almost impossible to find towers in shops geared at "ordinary consumers" for example. Sure, it will still exist. But as a smaller and smaller niche.
- gexla 14y ago
  > I don't know why you consider this "DIY" or "alternative tablets". Most tablets on the market has these capabilities. Sure, but I think this space will be constrained by market forces for the next couple of years until we see movements towards these devices actually trying to be desktop replacements. Right now the focus is for these things to be phones and media consumption devices with a long battery life (which is what the masses want.) I'm waiting for the market to settle down enough so that Dell can jump in and make these things boring. Give me a tablet which is power hungry, gives me only 4 - 6 hours of battery but delivers everything I want to make these things true desktop replacements.I don't want sexy, I just want to throw the thing on my desk, plug all my crap into it and get to work. Maybe sometimes I might even take it with me. I do all my work from home though, and when I leave my home I don't want to take my work with me, so my mobiles don't get much mobile action.

by gexla 14y ago

dasil003 14y ago

> Personally, this is just evolution of form factors. Agreed. Ballmer was ironically right when he said "they're all just PCs". What's perhaps more interesting than the form factor is the app-storification of software delivery. I have real concerns about a future where there's no market for hackable platforms.

gexla 14y ago
Open source is going nowhere. I do most of my work on the server, and that's a form factor and ecosystem which isn't being affected by all this tablet / smart phone silliness. ;)

vidarh 14y ago

> DIY and alternative tablets can be desktop replacements I don't know why you consider this "DIY" or "alternative tablets". Most tablets on the market has these capabilities. > Personally, this is just evolution of form factors. Nothing terribly interesting. I find it exciting we're close to the point where we can get convergence and not need multiple different computers for must uses, but you're right: It is largely about evolution of form factors, which is why I find it so amusing that so many people are so insistent the desktop PC will remain important. The traditional big box desktop has been in freefall for years. It's losing market share at a rapid pace, and what remains of it is shrinking too - it's harder and harder to find full size ATX or Flex ATX, and almost impossible to find towers in shops geared at "ordinary consumers" for example. Sure, it will still exist. But as a smaller and smaller niche.

gexla 14y ago
> I don't know why you consider this "DIY" or "alternative tablets". Most tablets on the market has these capabilities. Sure, but I think this space will be constrained by market forces for the next couple of years until we see movements towards these devices actually trying to be desktop replacements. Right now the focus is for these things to be phones and media consumption devices with a long battery life (which is what the masses want.) I'm waiting for the market to settle down enough so that Dell can jump in and make these things boring. Give me a tablet which is power hungry, gives me only 4 - 6 hours of battery but delivers everything I want to make these things true desktop replacements.I don't want sexy, I just want to throw the thing on my desk, plug all my crap into it and get to work. Maybe sometimes I might even take it with me. I do all my work from home though, and when I leave my home I don't want to take my work with me, so my mobiles don't get much mobile action.