Laptops vs. Desktops: Who Cares, It's All Evolution
from the gamers-and-grandmas dept
Despite the occasional instance of spontaneous combustion, it looks like laptop sales are up 35% this year, while desktop sales are down 5%. Part of the spike can be attributed to higher quality laptop builds and lower prices, but laptop makers are also increasingly targeting people's vanity, as laptops become as much fashion accessory as productivity tool. Increased 3G deployment and the push to integrate 3G networking gear is also making laptops more attractive as true mobility gets easier, making an already flexible platform that much more useful. The traditional power & performance gap between the platforms continues to shrink, and laptops now have plenty of power for most applications. Hardware vendors are thrilled with the shift, since a consumer replaces a laptop on average every three years, compared to every five for a PC. Analysts note the change has left PC vendors catering to "grandmas and gamers", as the middle-ground PC user migrates to a more flexible platform. Of course this will result in a stream of reports claiming the desktop is dead, though a 5% drop in sales hardly qualifies. Getting too caught up in "competing" platforms is pointless, since laptops are simply the next evolutionary step. It's obvious that mainstream customers will move to the smaller, more elegant platform as hardware prices plunge.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Games on a laptop!??!
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Cheap desktops
This also helps the OEM company because it means with inherently more expensive laptop parts (compared to desktop parts) the OEM gets to put cheaper, lower-end parts in systems (costing them less) and yet they still get to charge just as much as a $700 bundle with an Athlon 4200x2 at Best Buy.
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flip a coin
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About laptops
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DIYers
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Nearly every student these days has a laptop.
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Its all about Wifi baby...
Wifi is exploding thus so are portables...
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It's just a box
The desktop PC will likely be non-existent in 5-10 years as most applications will be web-based and run on servers (including MS Office). As hardware becomes more powerful and smaller, there won't be a need for a desktop size case.
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Re: It's just a box
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Re: It's just a box
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Re:
Ridiculous statement.
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Re:
My point is though is you can not say they are impractical. It's a pure crap answer. The only reason I bring my desktops with me is for others to use and a half assed file and game server along side my real one. Otherwise I would put laptop in as my gaming rig.
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Desktop and laptop
The fact is, a desktop is much easier to deal with on a day to day basis. Large drives, bigger screens, more ports, more card slots, etc. I have a 21" widescreen on my desk, can't see even carrying that around, never mind traveling with it.
I also have a 2.5 lb 10.1" screen laptop with around 10 hours of battery life. I drag it to meetings and when traveling (around 120k miles this year). The laptop syncs with the desktop as soon as I plug it into my network. It's got pretty much every port you'd ever need on the road (including Firewire and SVGA out) and a built in DVD-RW.
I think that's pretty much the trend. Desktops are great for playing video, games and storing lots of stuff, while laptops are perfect on the go, although my Blackberry does a lot of what my laptop used to do....
What I don't get is those huge laptops with 17" screens. What's the point? It's the worst of all worlds...
Chris.
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Not dead yet...
Where a laptop will get the market is the web surfing and word processing people. Especially here in the UK, where ISPs are falling over themselves to offer wireless hubs with their broadband connections. Then its just a quick installation and you have the ability to surf on the toilet if you so desire. Plus, you don't have to clutter up the living room/spare bedroom up with a desktop, monitor, and printer.
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Laptop Portability?
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Laptops......
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Laptops vs Desktops
My lightweight laptop does everything & more plus it accommodates my disability (fibromyalgia) I love it! It's portability allows me to carry it easily from one room to another, upstairs to downstairs. I'm even thinking of going back to work (from home). It's made a difference, I don't think anyone is taking into account all the people out who for various reasons cannot sit in an office chair for long periods of time. And it's also ready for the new Vista platform!
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Different strokes for diff folks but Desktops will
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Shifting mentalities...
The only people left that "prefer" a large form factor desktop as the ones can't afford to migrate to a portable desktop.
Gamers may think they need a desktop so they can constantly upgrade it... but they dont. Eventually they realize that constant upgrades are the hobby, not the games. Then they will grow up and realize that they want out of the monthy upgrades so they stop playing that stupid game and they buy a portable desktop.
Here's a secret... Grannies don't want a large form factor either. They only get them cause their grandkids are too cheap to buy them a portable desktop.
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They should both exist...for now
Desktops have the key advantage processing power and no dependence on a battery that may fail (and that's not even talking about the explody factor).
They both have their reasons to exist and until one can absolutely and truly offer everything that the other can it will remain that way.
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Laptops
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Re: Laptops
Working on a portable desktop on an average table or desk actually forces people to follow the recomendation for proper ergonomics... It's actually quite better than the typical office setup.
(and those keyboard trays are NOT good for you, they make everything worse, REGARDLESS of what the corporate regulations require)
Now if you want to talk about the advantages of the split key keyboards, then you will have my ear. Other than that, the portable desktop is typically better.
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Re: Laptops
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Desktop?
First of all, unless you're a techno-geek (granted, most folks here are), the average person can't see a huge difference between a nice laptop screen and the lcd sitting on their desk. Most "gamers" aren't buying the $2000 Dell super machine, they have the atypical $700.00 system (laptop or desktop), which is more than powerful enough.
Do people, aside from us geeks, even open up their PCs anymore? Honestly, with the huge size of hard drives and memory in most systems today, is there a need for the average person to ever open up a desktop, let alone need that capability in a laptop? I opened up a PC for the first time in years the other day because I needed to install an RS232 card to handle multiple lines for a project I'm working on, but before that haven't had to open a computer in a very long time. Systems are so ubiquitous and cheap that it almost doesn't make sense to "upgrade" hardware versus just buying a new system.
I work as an embedded developer and I find laptops just as useful as desktops (moreso sometimes because you can take it around and be using it at the bench, then take it over to your desk). I'm not forecasting the total removal of desktops, but the capability "gap" between laptops and desktops is rapidly closing. When we finally figure out a way to have a full size keyboard and screen, and finally get battery life where it should be, then I will predict the true demise of the desktop. Until then my docking station is a fine surrogate for my old desk dust collector.
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they both have pros and they both have cons.
laptops are great for average to low end using on a larger scale, while desktops are great for high end using on a larger scale.
yes you can get great gaming on a laptop, alienware makes gaming laptops, but that comes at a price. more expensive, more weight, runs hotter....things like that.
but for everyday web browsing, document writing, excel work...autocad, a laptop works just fine. plus you have the capability of working "anywhere" so long as you're near a power outlet, or have a full charge.
yes, gamers can get desktops for 700 bucks, but that's still better than the $700 bundle from dell or wherever.
but i guess it comes down to pratical uses.
if you are going to be doing most of the compter work at home in the den, a desktop sounds better. if you like to frequent the local coffee shop or park or whatever, a laptop sounds better.
the whole crap about upgradability:
the ram and video cards are about the 2 things that MAY need updaged for a new game each year. the processor will be able to handle it. as for HD space? get a ext. HD, they are cheap and well...huge. so...there.
but as i pointed out....(maybe) it's a matter of usability
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Integration. While it does force the price of hardware lower, it also destroys any expansion capabilites. I have had this computer apart more than once. Mostly for cleaning. With the actual "mother board" section of the mainboard taking up about 1/3, making room for expansion should not be a problem.There is actually empy space in here as well.
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Re: Bad Keyboard
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laptop VS Desktop
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