Why PC Sales Have Stalled

[A Guy]

I recently got my hands on a rather interesting piece of research that showed how certain age groups use technology. Although the scope of the research was rather broad, it explored how four different age groups used smartphones and tablets in their digital lifestyles.

Source

A Guy

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

This is really OLD stuff - that even a CHIMPANZEE could predict -- PC's are now a niche market

We'll doubtless be reading in the not to distant future about "Why sales of Smart phones" are stalling".Apart from the changes in the way we USE devices (a lot more choices now than before) don't people EVER realize that markets can't grow indefinitely --once a market matures sales inevitably slow down - and with modern electronics who needs to replace this type of gear frequently anyway.

I sort of disagree with the older group using tablets a lot though -- most of that group - particularly as their eyesight begins to get worse IMO prefer doing their computing with LARGE SCREENS rather than 10 inch tablets. They also use smart phones a lot too- but actually for making calls rather than the "Smart phone features" such as Internet although a lot are increasingly using Video calling like SKYPE -- Granma's like to see their grandchildren etc especially if they are a long way away.

So apart from probably a failure of perceiving what the older generation are doing (My long retired Dad is still doing daily Stock Trading with a proper computer and there's plenty of older people using PC's) almost anybody could have written that piece.

It's not "NEWS" but "OLDS". (i.e not new but ancient).

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Fantail]

It is the age - of the smartphone zombies.

 

[margrave]

PCs are work. Phones are play. So there's little wonder that the under-23 age group prefers the latter.

The 40-65 group prefer PCs? Of course. No surprise there. The screens on phones are too small for aging eyes.

This is my category. My home and work PCs both have dual 24" screens. I could tolerate a single 20" screen, in a pinch. I'll put up with a 15" laptop when traveling. But a 10" tablet or 4" phone screen is just punishment. Don't have either one. Never will.

Someday phones will have holographic projectors. No need to carry a big screen with you. The air is your screen, and it's as big as you please.

Princess Leia sent Obi-wan just such a hologram via R2D2. I want that capability! I hope it's soon.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...Someday phones will have holographic projectors. No need to carry a big screen with you. The air is your screen, and it's as big as you please.

Princess Leia sent Obi-wan just such a hologram via R2D2. I want that capability! I hope it's soon.

Sadly, I will be dead before that happens.

 

[strollin]

It may be ancient news but I found it to be dead on. I fall squarely into the 3rd group and, even though I have a smartphone, tablet, netbook, laptop and desktop, my primary/preferred computing device is my desktop. I carry my smartphone everywhere but use it mainly as a phone, a gps device and to play a game or 2 when I wish to kill time. I don't do much browsing on my phone but occasionally will do a quick lookup of something. I use my laptop, netbook and tablet mostly when traveling in my RV. For daily use, I'm on my desktop.

My 4 20-something old kids fall squarely into the 1st group and live on their smartphones even though they have all the other type of computing devices. The only reason they all have desktops is for gaming.

My older sister falls squarely into the 4th group, she does most of her computing on her 10" Android tablet. She has both a laptop and a desktop, the desktop is more than 10 years old but she has no desire to upgrade it since it does whatever she needs to do with it (occasional PrintShop projects).

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Another truism is what goes around comes around. So just wait and when people are straining to perform work on these smart phones and restrictions on use as with cars get put in place then maybe we'll see a swing back to laptops and desktops. I hope so as nothing would ruin my day more than learning my only upgrade option was a hand held smart phone.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm 65, leaving the third demographic and entering the fourth one. And I'm taking my PCs with me! Oddly enough, everyone I know my age and older still depend on desktops, with one exception; she uses a tablet for light web surfing but still has a desktop for the heavier duty stuff. She is also the only one I know my age and above that even has a tablet.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

even in this small group it shows Group 4 (older people) are happier using PC's - especially with larger screens than 10 inch tablets -- so I'm sure the person who did the original research comes from that school of statistics where you apply a standard deviation to ONE observation and say it's a good statistical model. !!

Most of these "Articles" aren't worth the paper (or bandwidth if they are only digital these days) they use.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...Most of these "Articles" aren't worth the paper (or bandwidth if they are only digital these days) they use.

Cheers
jimbo

That I agree with.

 

[Phill3990]

I have a smart phone, tablet and desktop. I love my PC and will always have one, tablets can be annoying and have low battery life (usually). My phone is a HTC one and its battery currently lasts a day or so, even less when using WiFi. Yes technology is 'moving forward' but i still think desktops have more positives than a tablet or phone. I hate seeing parents walking in the street, with their faces in a phone ignoring their kids. It is sad but it happens and it has increased the last few years. It is not surprise that young people are hooked on such device when all they see is their parents using them most of the day.

Goes a bit off topic but that's my opinion, I prefer desktops and always will!

Thanks

Phill3990

 

[SIW2]

Apple is doing ok.


Calling into question the legitimacy of market estimates the tech media uncritically presents as factual.

Globally, Apple reported that Mac sales jumped year-over-year for its fiscal Q3, a unit increase of 18 percent and a new June quarter record.

While iPad sales retracted in the U.S., Cook noted that Apple's Mac sales made up the difference. American buyers opted to buy more powerful Macs, and in particular Apple's light and thin notebooks.

Apple's sales figures not only contradict both IDC and Gartner figures, but also both firm's market conclusions.

Apple, Inc's double digit U.S. Mac growth contradicts IDC & Gartner reports of a Mac sales slump

 

[Jonguy30]

I have a smart phone, tablet and desktop. I love my PC and will always have one, tablets can be annoying and have low battery life (usually). My phone is a HTC one and its battery currently lasts a day or so, even less when using WiFi. Yes technology is 'moving forward' but i still think desktops have more positives than a tablet or phone. I hate seeing parents walking in the street, with their faces in a phone ignoring their kids. It is sad but it happens and it has increased the last few years. It is not surprise that young people are hooked on such device when all they see is their parents using them most of the day.

Goes a bit off topic but that's my opinion, I prefer desktops and always will!

Thanks

Phill3990

I will also always prefer PCs. I'm one of those people who have a "non-smart" mobile phone. The great thing about it is that the battery lasts very long! It can last UP TO TOW WEEKS!!!! Try to beat that with your "smart-phone"! LOL.

I also don't even make too many calls, so that helps too.

About parents with their eyes glued to their phones, I see that here too. It's even more disturbing seeing those people in the traffic driving their cars. I just hope the Police takes care of them, hah.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...It's even more disturbing seeing those people in the traffic driving their cars. I just hope the Police takes care of them, hah.

Hah is right! After CA passed their no cell phone (other than hands free) law, I saw no change in cell phone usage.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yea these small screen devices haven't been around long enough to really get the eye strain impact over long term usage,

Your eye sight doesn't improve with age

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...Your eye sight doesn't improve with age

You got that right!

 

[Gary]

Maybe it is the economy?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The economy hasn't helped any.

 

[Wrend]

I'm not convinced that PC sales have actually stalled.

Also, that there is a substantial conflict between "handheld devices" and "computers" (laptops, desktops, et cetera), seems like a false assumption to me. Sure, some handheld devices offer some of the same functionality, but so what?

Are some people getting handheld devices instead of more traditional computers? Probably. Are handheld devices replacing computers? To some extent, perhaps, but overall so far, not really from what I've seen. Just because more people are buying handheld devices doesn't mean people aren't buying and building computers. I'm thinking that it is the rate of growth of more traditional computer sales in comparison to mobile devices that may have "slowed down" rather than the number of those kinds of computers being used and bought.

Personally speaking (so perhaps not all that relevant), I've bought more traditional computers and computer parts more recently than I ever have before. I've also bought newer handheld devices, but less frequently than traditional computer parts. I know I've spent a whole lot more on traditional computer parts overall, recently, and even on individual components recently than on handheld devices. But yes, I'm not most people.

I'd like to see a comparison of when and how many people have had "traditional computers" in their households and at their places of employment. I'm guessing that the general trend for this number has only gone up, even taking into account population growth.

Likewise, I have more "traditional computers" and computer parts in my household and place of employment than I ever have. As far as I know, that's also the case for everyone that I personally know, including my parents and their household.

So yeah, I find the notion of there being a significant conflict between traditional computers and mobile devices to be false. A purchased mobile device does not mean an unpurchased traditional computer. Likewise, just because there are more mobile devices being sold than there have been previously, it doesn't mean traditional computers are losing out on that market, since they're different markets, though they may have some overlap. It's kind of like trying to compare the sale of houses/apartments with the sale of automobiles in the previous century even though some people have mobile homes.

 

[mjf]

The Let's have fun groups:
First group 12-23, Fourth group 65-80
The Let's keep a job groups:
Second & Third groups: 24-64

The "Let's keep a job groups" see the necessity of PCs.
The "Let's Keep a job groups" can of course indulge themselves in smartphones and tablets when time permits.