Jonathan Davies

We are now at the point in computing where there is not a massive difference between the power of a desktop and a laptop and I sometimes wonder (with the exception of professionals and gamers) why anybody even still purchases them. There are of course a couple of pros to owning desktop:

• Expandability
• Normally slightly cheaper with a higher spec
• They tend to run a bit cooler

For some, the desktop will always be “their machine”. Knowing it’s reliability, and the lack of damage through transportation. All the above points are valid but I think as time progresses they will become less and less important. With such advances as the Time Capsule (which I am about to place an order for) and wireless printing we can have our laptop anywhere but not loose the functionaility of a laptop. If the screen is too small - plug in an external monitor. If you don’t like the keyboard - there are a menagerie of keyboard out there for you to choose from. Power? If all you do is browse the internet and write with word then you’re off your rocker, and even then you can still play a lot of games and do some light video editing with a standard laptop.

However there is always a but, and this is no exception. Some people do need power, some people need a maxed out Mac Pro with 32GB of RAM and two 30″ Displays (well I need one too!), but most people could easily work with a laptop - even something with similar specs to the MacBook Air.

My concluding thought is that the desktop is on it’s way out for the average consumer, I have already seen people getting rid of their desktops and replacing them with laptops. Even in the enterprise area, a large amount of business’ use notebooks with docking stations rather than desktops. However there is still a large enough market for the desktop PC - with professionals, but the gap is shrinking and the only way to keep things where they are now is to increase performance without price, something thats not to easy.

Do you think desktops are dying?

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