Tablets and virtual workstations to replace PC's?

[Hikaru12]

One of the PC's lead engineers, Mark Dean says "what people need is already mostly covered by the functional capacities and capabilities delivered by a tablet. If on occasion I “need” more capability I can pay for it as needed (or get it for free) through web-based services. These incremental capabilities include storage, applications, gaming, news feeds, media content and processing services. Moderate to high-speed internet connectivity is sufficient for most “needs” beyond what can be delivered through a “standalone” tablet or smartphone client.

I also see the demise of the smartphones via “wearable devices”, and the demise of the tablets via “virtual workstations”. Most of this capability will be enabled via 3D I/O devices, projection technologies and the ability to handle media data like text. "

 

Read the full article here: LINK

 

What do you guys make of this? Do you think PC sales will continue to decline? Will we see the replacement of the PC/keyboard anytime soon? I don't see touch or speech devices becoming as efficient as keyboards unless they were 100% accurate. I do agree with Dean's argument that basically we are moving to lighter, mobile devices without the complications of corded technology. The internet is removing a lot of the "heavy work" that once had to be accomplished by the end user (e.g. storage, file processing, etc.). Although, I begin to fear this too because I'm afraid that we'd be handing over most of our own power to do what we want with our data to companies who are then subject to being hacked or sharing their information without our knowledge. 

[terrytek]

Nope. I don't think tablets can harness the full power that PCs can. They just can't.

[RelentlessAF]

But PC sales are going up... Who told you they were declining?

[terrytek]

But PC sales are going up... Who told you they were declining?

They are going up, but tablets and laptops are starting to dominate the market. People just want portability over power. Sad. So sad.

[Hikaru12]

But PC sales are going up... Who told you they were declining?

 

PC's have been in decline for three years. Only recently has the decline been reversed a tad. It seems like the internet is taking most of the need out of what we need from our devices including being able to do all the things we currently do on our end like listen to music, processing files, etc.

[RelentlessAF]

They are going up, but tablets and laptops are starting to dominate the market. People just want portability over power. Sad. So sad.

Maybe the general consumer I suppose but for enthusiasts I don't think PC's are going anywhere especially with tablets still being quite a ways behind in power. I mean laptops are getting there (especially now with Maxwell's Mobile GPU's being close to the desktop ones) but they are still a magnitude more expensive than a PC.

[Oshino Shinobu]

For general consumers, yes, to an extent. Gaming through online services works, but is nowhere near good enough to replace a desktop for games with high res textures and such. 

 

For "workstations", no way. A tablet can't hold a candle to a 6 core, hyperthreaded workstation, even if it's using some online service. 

 

In the future, sure, tablets and other portable devices will likely replace the desktop and workstation once they become more powerful and online based compute services become more efficient and effective. 

 

Right now, they don't provide what content creators and heavy content consumers need. 

[terrytek]

Maybe the general consumer I suppose but for enthusiasts I don't think PC's are going anywhere especially with tablets still being quite a ways behind in power. I mean laptops are getting there (especially now with Maxwell's Mobile GPU's being close to the desktop ones) but they are still a magnitude more expensive than a PC.

Yeah, but the number of general consumers outnumbers us enthusiasts.

[RelentlessAF]

PC's have been in decline for three years. Only recently has the decline been reversed a tad. It seems like the internet is taking most of the need out of what we need from our devices including being able to do all the things we currently do on our end like listen to music, processing files, etc.

This year alone the PC market was extremely profitable. Tablets just aren't anywhere near powerful enough to replace them. Maybe for general consumers but general consumers don't really need the power of a PC for what they are doing.

[RelentlessAF]

Yeah, but the number of general consumers outnumbers us enthusiasts.

True but there are still A LOT of enthusiasts. On here alone there are what, 100,000 members? That's just those that sign up here there are probably hundreds of thousands more who have never even heard of Linus.

[ImBleu]

Nope. I don't think tablets can harness the full power that PCs can. They just can't.

 

But a tablet can stream. When internet is more advanced you could have like dedicated servers full of GPU power that you pay like a yearly subscription to and stream to a much thinner tablet - basically renting a computer from afar.

[terrytek]

True but there are still A LOT of enthusiasts. On here alone there are what, 100,000 members? That's just those that sign up here there are probably hundreds of thousands more who have never even heard of Linus.

But count how many general consumers there are. Hundreds of millions.

[RelentlessAF]

But a tablet can stream. When internet is more advanced you could have like dedicated servers full of GPU power that you pay like a yearly subscription to and stream to a much thinner tablet - basically renting a computer from afar.

That requires ISP's to actually upgrade their network infrastructure which they refuse to do. If tablets are solely dependent on cloud computing to replace PC's they have a very long way to go.

[RelentlessAF]

But count how many general consumers there are. Hundreds of millions.

I'm just saying PC's won't necessarily be replaced for anything like high-end workstations and things since those tend to be owned by enthusiasts. With the great number of them there are (though smaller than that of the general consumer base) enthusiast PC hardware will still hold a decent market share and continue to be developed for.

[ImBleu]

But count how many general consumers there are. Hundreds of millions.

 

For which the tablet could already work fine for, and in a more demanding environment it could stream games / professional apps.

[ImBleu]

That requires ISP's to actually upgrade their network infrastructure which they refuse to do. If tablets are solely dependent on cloud computing to replace PC's they have a very long way to go.

 

Maybe in the states, but our ISP is nice here, I say ISP because there is only one in the whole country and it's amazing. $20/month for 20mb down 15mb up + Router + 30 Cable channels. No BS at all.

[RelentlessAF]

Maybe in the states, but our ISP is nice here, I say ISP because there is only one in the whole country and it's amazing. $20/month for 20mb down 15mb up + Router + 30 Cable channels. No BS at all.

The U.S. is a fairly large market share though too.

[MLG Doge]

Tablets are a lot harder to work on. You have to find a stable surface to place the tablet on in order to type with two hands and they lack the computing power of laptops.

Desktop sales are going down but component sales are rising.

Desktop delivers the best gaming experience

#pcmasterrace

[GuideMe002]

Maybe in the states, but our ISP is nice here, I say ISP because there is only one in the whole country and it's amazing. $20/month for 20mb down 15mb up + Router + 30 Cable channels. No BS at all.

How dare you!! ISP here is 25$/month for 1mb Downspeed and 100kb Upspeed!

[Speedbird]

Nope. People like gamers, video editors and 3D designers are still going to need desktops.

[IMPERIUS]

I think desktops will still be used by gamers, video makers, 3d modellers etc, but for "normal" people laptops, tablets and a mix between those two e.g. surface will be enough

[Dimwitted]

It's bogus. Tablets/phablets/phones etc. are going to plateau, probably quite soon. Once saturation hits then all the "brave new world" scenarios will fall by the wayside as people find that as content consumers, these things are fine but once you actually have to *use* them, they are a headache and not a PC replacement. Content creation is more demanding than these things can do on a comfortable basis. Suddenly the laptops come back, the desktop stays relevant and they will want something else to dazzle you with. 

[juretrn]

With more and more network capability, there may be a new era of terminals ahead thanks to grid computing.

[Fgtfv567]

Holy shit I just had deja vu!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO4JIg-68gghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO4JIg-68gg

For general consumers that just use computers for casual games, videos, music, and internet surfing, mobile devices are just fine for them.

But for serious gamers and people who video/photo edit, and render like LMG, YOU NEED A DESKTOP.

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

True but there are still A LOT of enthusiasts. On here alone there are what, 100,000 members? That's just those that sign up here there are probably hundreds of thousands more who have never even heard of Linus.

a lot of those members are those fuckers who sign up for giveaways and never come back