Do you think desktops are on the Decline? From what I see not really. Read the wiki about desktop decline.
Most people don't really need a computer. usually a phone/laptop/tablet will do 90% of their daily tech tasks.
That's just normal people though. A single desktop computer will still remain the basis and benchmark for all laptops/phones/tablets to strive to be like in terms of performance.
To date there isn't a phone/tablet/laptop that exceeds a desktops performance. The only thing that does is a server or network of computers/servers.
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lol
There's been a few discussions about this, but this is my opinion.
There will almost always be a need for a desktop / workstation but it is coming to a point where it would only be used for intensive tasks due to its ability to fit beefier hardware. The average tower desktop in my opinion is getting towards its end. With lower power consumption and heat the average user can start using smaller and smaller computers. By average I mostly mean web browsing, email, hd video playback etc.
Now there is another factor, and that is a generational gap. Most older people that I know hate touch screen interfaces and prefer having somethings physical to type on, alongside have a physical mouse. Now of course there is us who are kinda in the minority who like both for the most part. And then the much younger generations who see a desktop and think its from the stone ages, and prefer using a tablet or phone for daily tasks.
It's hard to say when the average tower will pretty much be a thing of the past. We aren't there yet, but it's coming in the not so distant future. But again its also based off of usage and the preference of the user.
Right on the head dasktops and also laptops hit the point after SSDs became common to be able to do everything an average consumer wants.
It doesn't take muck to run an office suite, email and browse the web. Your average person really only uses a desktop/laptop for that.
Phone and Tablets are already hitting the same wall too. Communications, Web, and Media run just fine on a mid range phone. Convergence really right now is the last frontier. Unless some one has a mind blowing app like some amazing form of augmented reality then there isn't much new to do with mobile.
There isnt really any intensive software with general consumer appeal. We need a new "Doom" or "Photoshop" to drive hardware sales. Maybe VR could do it but I don't know.
I feel it's maybe just a little more complex than yes or no. Like emosun said
But at the same time, desktops, with the main purpose being gaming, are rising. So i guess desktops for small tasks are declining, but for gaming they are increasing. Well, according this http://gearsiege.com/2015/09/10/pc-industry-still-growing-faster-than-consoles/ (though i cannot vouch for the site's credibility in any light)
I got a laptop but I've found what I wanted is probably a desktop. My laptop is plugged in 99% of the time to a better screen, keyboard and mouse. Productivity plummets when it's just the laptop and it's stupid keyboard and shiny assed screen.
so much regret.
In all seriousness, I'm fairly happy with the laptop because I am a lowly programmer, just that I don't think some specialized tasks can be done well on a laptop or portable device only and thus workstations will always be a thing as far as I can tell.
For people that just want to consumer media and data probably a mobile device serves their purposes much better. Also the fact that laptops got much development made many people use them, especially if they are very mobile. When I was moving between countries and houses I only used a laptop. It was the only practical option.
So yes compared to the past there is a decline.
On the other hand, the best productivity platform is still the desktop. If you need to produce and not just consume there is nothing like the desktop. So it will always be relevant.
Actually if open and free technologies become more used, it might even push people to be more productive with their devices and , thus, lead to a new increase in desktop computer usage.
Desktops have seen much of a decline but they still do and always have there place. I prefer to have a desktop but i got a laptop since im always on the go and its much more portable. With a laptop all i need is the laptop, Headphones, and a mouse. With a desktop all i need is the desktop, monitor, keyboard, possibly a desk, and a mouse.
For the general users out there the desktop is kinda like a meh item now, a smart phone such as the note 4 or the nexus 6 have a lot of power and you can send emails n crap, and a laptop can be almost as powerful as a desktop. for someone who doesn't do extreme gaming or just wants the game to run smooth whether it is med settings to achieve 60fps or that "good enough" feel then they will see no benefit in having to use something that has to remain in one location.
I myself have thought about selling my rig and replacing it with a boss laptop that can still drive my three displays. because what do i do when i go to my buddys house for the week end? drag my tower unmount my screens the keyboard the mouse? or do i bring the old dual core laptop that can't even run dota. And it doesn't even need to be one of those super thick laptops these days, they make thin light weight ones that have a lot of power inside.
I find myself not buying new games anymore, the latest demanding game i have bought for pc was battlefield 4 on release. Do i have an xbone sure but the only games i have are destiny and halo MCE to which i don't play either because fuck consoles, i probably should sell it but it is nice to have it control the tv and surround sound.
Yes I see a decline. Previously I had a XPS laptop because I thought desktops were dead, but what I figured was that laptops that one can be described as desktop replacements, tend to stay at home anyway, because they're heavy as s**t! So why bother paying more for potential mobility when you never move the thing anyway!
My old laptop
So now I have a big Xeon desktop and a Nvidia Shield Tablet with Cyanogenmod and Microsoft office pack, and it's great! HDMI ports on tablets FTW
I would say that traditional laptops are more in danger of actually dying than desktop. Ultrabooks, netbooks and tablets will stay around for a while.
A laptop is still easier to move than a desktop. A good example college. Lots of students now have laptops. It's just way more convenient to move, and they can take them to class, library, or wherever. There's always a trade-off.
Desktops will be around for a long time. Desktops didn't replace supercomputers, and I'll bet people thought they would at some point. Nearly a decade ago, we had PCs and laptops as powerful or more powerful than the supercomputers of the 80s. Distributed computing (e.g. folding@home,) has maybe changed the implementation of supercomputers, but they're still used. Same thing with desktops and laptops. Laptops haven't killed desktops and tablets and smartphones haven't killed laptops. Devices are playing more niche roles though. This has really been made apparent with the advent of tablets and smartphones. Every new technology has supplemented the old one, and the power hierarchy is still supercomputer > desktop > laptop > tablet/smartphone.
I do agree that basic tasks have largely been taken over by tablets and smartphones. My mother said she would never get a computer. She hates how they're a necessity now. Then one year, she asked for a tablet, I was shocked. After some tutoring, she now checks her own email and prints things. Before this, I had to do that stuff for her. She also watches YouTube videos now. Logistics are still a problem with anything smaller than a laptop though. Typing is a nightmare with a software keyboard. You really need a hardware one if you spend a lot of time doing things on it.
If the desktop does decline significantly enough though, it could really hurt the enthusiast/gaming market, as component prices will rise with the lack of demand...unless by some miracle, the decline is buffered by an increase in PC gaming market share.
Gamer will save the desktop.
Well. Small formfactor cases are becoming more commonplace. The biggest two consumer electronics retailer in Germany (Saturn and Media Markt) have only mATX cases in stock. What I see is miniaturization of the desktop computer.
I don't see Laptops dying in comparison to Ultrabooks and Tablets just yet. The border between a laptop, a notebook and an ultrabook is not that precisely defined. Someone will do a slightly thicker device for a discrete GPU or a slightly wider one for a second 2,5 inch drive or a bigger battery. All that stuff.
I see all the cable clutter of a desktop computer a little bit more relative. Especially in a college context. Laptops tend to provoke more cable clutter ON the desk. External hard drives, mouse, power cable, USB thumbdrives.
I see this too. I used to have the massive 750D case....it was stupidly big for air cooled, single gpu setup. i now have it in a 250D and even that is "large" sitting on a desk. What I would like is a phone sized device that you can plop into a dock and run my monitors. EX: the ubuntu phones goal only with hardware that could run games such as dota 2, csgo, civ, and other bit more demanding games, then I don't have to have a 800usd(contract its 200usd) phone, a 1,500usd tower.
The other reason I see why desktops aren't selling as much is there isn't as much incentive for companies to sell them.
A desktop normally last a person 3-5 years (or more) and the screen plus accessories are reused.
Mobile on the other hand can be forced into obsolescence by dropping software support. People are now dropping $1000 every two years on mobile hardware. $600 for the phone and $400 for the tablet and the they have huge profit margins. Mobile isn't user repairable for the most part so accidents drive sells too.
I am not saying it is right but that is what is happening.
Imagine everyone would be dropping a grand every two years on a desktop computer.
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Bet the guys at Best Buy and any other big box store would totally try to get everyone to buy one.
I have a $1500 desktop and its mini ATX but I would like to build a miniITX in the future. I think miniITX computers will be the future.
It's a matter of options....back in the day you had to have a desktop because it was the only option, with mobility came laptops that offered the functionality of a desktop in a portable form factor, today the average user surfs the web, sends email, does social media, and consumes media, all of these things can be done from a mobile device such as a phone (screen is too small), a tablet (much better screen but lacks options for user input controls) or a laptop (next best thing to a desktop but sucks in battery life and lots of other issues like as a gaming platform)
The options today paired with the average user make desktops not desirable or necessary for the average user, but break out of that category into the next level which most of us fit in and we need and use both mobile devices and fixed desktop systems, some of us even branch out to the next realm which is client - server finding the power of a server and multi-clients useful.
So yeah there is a decline in desktop usage overall, but it's only because the average user wants to carry that connectivity around in their pocket or backpack, not because it's a better solution than a desktop but because it's more convenient for their usage and lifestyle.
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