The PC: "I'm Not Dead Yet!"

[MPN]

i was the same. i bought a laptop for gaming which had a 17ich screen but i enjoy the games more a bigger screen. everyone to their own i suppose enit

tru dat!

 

[jimbo45]

Already seeing laptops dumbing down & becoming Tablets with keyboards. Apple & Samsung latest slimline no longer have user battery or memory upgradeable parts, add the decline of expresscard slots means most new laptops have a 2yr shelf life.

Hi there

go to the OTHER end of the scale - what they call "Ultra books" - incredibly thin but expensive laptops with I7 processors USB3 slots , 250 GB SSD's etc. Expensive but worth EVERY Eurocent / penny / us cent / rouble or whatever.

The sales of these expensive laptops is suprising everyone - especially in this depressed market.

Plug the output into a 50 / 60 inch monitor via HDMI and you've probably got a better gaming platform than even some of your extreme home builds on classic desktop towers with standard Mobos and a lot of peripherals and extras like custom graphic cards. These laptops can alos in general accommodate up to 16 GB RAM although 8 GB is more than sufficient. Lack of RAM is not so much a problem as poor CPU and bad I/O design and is cheap enough to install if you need more.

These incredibly powerful laptops aren't actually much bigger than the old netbooks -- but you'll have to shell out serious bucks for these --but if you are a traveller like me WELL WORTH IT.

I used a Netbook for ages but I do need something a bit more powerful and these fit the bill 100 %.

Here's a few -- the prices might shock you a bit however.

Ultrabook Guide- Ultrabook Reviews, Buying Advice, Tips / How-tos, and Deals

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Bertison]

Jimbo I really, really wish you had not shown that link.

Now I am filled with lust for the Asus Zenbook. ('scuse me whilst I wipe the drool from my keyboard!)

I intended to write a post in praise of the PC, pointing out that I have a Iiyama 24" monitor which has allowed these ageing eyes to use my computer to its best ability. Now I know that I could do so much more with just one of those things, in a smaller space.

Great call, Jimbo! :sarc:

Of course we won't get this in the UK for a while, so why am I salivating over it? Maybe, by the time it gets here, I will have won the lottery.

 

[severedsolo]

Of course we won't get this in the UK for a while, so why am I salivating over it? Maybe, by the time it gets here, I will have won the lottery.

You'll have to get in line behind me.... Its definitely my turn to win the lottery.

I digress.... I don't think the PC is going anywhere, there is a point to be made about desktop sales levelling out, but as someone over on Eight-forums pointed out, (I forget who sorry) the desktop market is saturated.

Personally, I have always been a hardcore desktop fan, I didn't see the point of all these devices that could do what my PC does... until I got me a smartphone.

I don't know what on earth I did on the toilet before I got it. (Well.... you know what I mean)

 

[Nigsy]

The future:
Internet Enabled TV
Access to Cloud OS which I pay a monthly subscription for, so it's add free.
I can purchase boltons to the base OS so Office, more storage etc.
I have subscription channels for the latest Call of Man War Deathstrike 3012 Duty, and other more useful apps.
Using a system similar to Kinnect for Xbox I am able to use hand gestures to navigate around the OS and it's Metro interface (had to get that in!), and bring up an onscreen keyboard if I ever need anything more than space or enter.

No more need for my desktop

 

[gregrocker]

Hmm. When once asked what is next after Win7 I predicted hand gestures in midair also since nothing else is left to be desired performance-wise.

The reply was that this already exists using touch screen. But I was thinking more of a hologram.

Maybe Metro is on the way to accomodating this. That would actually make it cool.

 

[mjf]

A wireless interface to the Cerebral Cortex?
I'll be a late adopter.

 

[lehnerus2000]

The future?

How about bug-free software?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

How about bug-free software?

Now there's a novel concept!

 

[Nigsy]

How about bug-free software?

Now you're just being daft!!

 

[jimbo45]

A wireless interface to the Cerebral Cortex?
I'll be a late adopter.

Hi there
perhaps you've seen the movie Source Code. Quite an interesting concept BTW.

Source Code (2011) - IMDb

cheers
jimbo

 

[rraod]

I am using desktop in my office, for serious work like heavy typing, long reports on word and excel and engg. Drawings on Autocad. Here nothing beats the full keyboard and an optical wireless mouse and 22 in LCD monitor. Added to this setup, one HP scanner, one color laserjet and one black on white laserjet. I can't produce anything worthwhile without this gear.

At home my 17 in Toshiba i5 laptop almost covers the homework from office minus the extra peripherals.

The recent addition being an android based Asus transformer TF300T. Sometimes I use it in loo for catching upon daily news (I was using my iPhone before). Don't worry! I keep it very hygienic with regular cleaning.

I also use it as a bedside companion for browsing, emailing, skyping and news reading and occasional gaming. This keeps me company during my sleepless nights.

The conclusion is that all the three devices have been serving me in different places and circumstances. I can not swap them from present locations. I can't take my desktop to my bed nor my tablet replace the workhorse at my office. I need all the three of them (not talking about my smart phone).

Whatever new smaller devices appear in market, they have their own niche and can not replace the PC's and laptops.

 

[chev65]

My custom built overclocked desktop PC with 22" screen and a "real" graphics card isn't going anywhere!.

 

[jimbo45]

When they make a tablet with a full size keyboard, a 22" or larger monitor and/or multiple monitors, 4-8GB RAM, an optical drive, a decent sound card, and enough disk space to store all my books, mp3s, videos, etc., I might consider one.

Hi there
But surely that device is actually a PC isn't it.

cheers
jimbo

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

When they make a tablet with a full size keyboard, a 22" or larger monitor and/or multiple monitors, 4-8GB RAM, an optical drive, a decent sound card, and enough disk space to store all my books, mp3s, videos, etc., I might consider one.

Hi there
But surely that device is actually a PC isn't it.

cheers
jimbo

In my remaining lifetime, yes (I'm 63). I can see optical drives becoming obsolete in my remaining lifetime (I've seen punchcards, 8", 5.25", and 3.5" become obsolete already) and storage into the terabytes being crammed into a format that will fit in a handheld device. Keyboards could be replaced with voice recognition. There would be a serious learning curve on how to use voice recognition sophisticated enough to replace a keyboard; I doubt I would be willing to endure that by then.

However, I don't see how the screen of a handheld device could ever replace a full size monitor. I can just see someone doing music engraving, including final page layout on a 10" screen. Or 3D Cad. Or desktop publishing. Or running several applications at once that people now run in side by side windows on large screens (something I frequently do) and/or on multiple monitors (I wish I had room for a second monitor so I could run one in portrait). Sure, in theory, one could run external monitors off a tablet, even wirelessly, but I won't live long enough to see that. 'Til then, I will stick with a PC.

And, until tablets can match the battery life of an e-book reader and still fit in my purse, I'll stick to my little JetBook Lite (which runs on AAs easily changed in the field; how many tablets can do that?).

 

[ltmcmullen]

I am shuddering at the thought of a Cerebral Interface coupled with buggy software. Yikes!

 

[TanyaC]

My custom built overclocked desktop PC with 22" screen and a "real" graphics card isn't going anywhere!.

I remember the days when I had a sole 21" monitor. Seems a lifetime ago. I'm running 3 x 27" now, running typically 10 applications at a time. My kids have been running dual monitors for the last 4 years too.

None of us here could function normally without all the technology we have.. Heck I might be forced to actually have a social life.

Nope. Unless they become illegal (shudder), I'll stick with my PC.

I offered to buy the kids iPads or tablets for Christmas, and they said "what on earth for? What can't we do already with our PC and phones?" And they are 16, 17 and 21.

 

[lkgriffith]

Microsoft thinks it is in control. One day, it will wake up and discover it is not in control of much of anything. If they satisfy their customers, they and their customers win. If they don't, they will lose in the long run.

Microsoft is acting like that person who, against wise advice, jumped off the top of a 100 story skyscraper. As he passed the 50th floor he was heard to say "they were wrong, nothing bad has happened." The pavement below will have the last word on that.

It seems they are not about to back down and listen to the people who actually create the content the consumers of smart phones, pads, and tablets expect to use and are willing to pay for. Because of that, I suspect Microsoft will continue falling past the 50th floor and onto the rock hard surface of reality. The result will not be pretty and not very good for anyone. It would have been stupidly simple to avoid: give people a choice. The support of choice is what has made Windows great throughout its two plus decade history. Without choice, it is all but worthless.

Does Microsoft have a plan B if their grand plan doesn't work out? I haven't seen one yet and I am not holding my breath waiting for one either.

 

[Dallas 7]

Microsoft thinks it is in control. One day, it will wake up and discover it is not in control of much of anything. If they satisfy their customers, they and their customers win. If they don't, they will lose in the long run.

Microsoft is acting like that person who, against wise advice, jumped off the top of a 100 story skyscraper. As he passed the 50th floor he was heard to say "they were wrong, nothing bad has happened." The pavement below will have the last word on that.......

I love that analogy! LOL