Desktops not feeling well.

[LogicalDrm]

There's some point to this. I've cancelled my old pc magazine subscription when the content sarted to lack hardware and even peripherals reviews and comparison. It shifted from hardware stuff to hifi, home electronics and mobile stuff. I think because of its main subscription base turned 40 and wasn't interested about building their own stuff anymore. Same is kinda seen in countrys biggest webstore. It started as hardware place and is now more about general electronics and hobby stuff with some hardware on side. Funny note though, its main competitor is mostly hardware based with some mobile and electronics on side. And they have moved twice because warehouse got too small.

[Dimwitted]

Do you see magazines about telephones? Or about the care and feeding of TVs? No. What's happened is that PC's have become a commodity. Fairly easy to use. Almost everyone is now on their second or third one. They 8know* how it works or are not interested in how it works, just that it does. PC's are not "circling the drain" just becoming so ubiquitous that we won't even notice them until we don't have one. The internet is going that way too. Very soon, it won't be "internet available!" but "what happened, my device isn't working?"

[soup]

. PC's are not "circling the drain" just becoming so ubiquitous that we won't even notice them until we don't have one.

Tablets/phones are becoming ubiquitous that is true, but desktops?

[soup]

Perhaps "circling the drain" is TOO strong a phrase maybe it is the market changing/maturing, but there seems to be nothing like the advertising now for desktops it's all phones and tablets.

Don't get me wrong I like the power and customability of desktops and will continue to build and use desktops.  I just feel they are becoming niche and Tablets/phones are getting all the publicity.

 

I feel that desktops will still be needed by content creators but for MOST people a tablet/phone will suffice.

[Dimwitted]

soup, on 29 Jan 2015 - 10:22 AM, said:

Tablets/phones are becoming ubiquitous that is true, but desktops?

 

Yep. We'll have computers everywhere. Phablets are nifty but limited. There will be a much more powerful desktop around to anchor all the mobile devices in every place that you go. I would expect that almost all new builds in NA within the next 5 years will include a server closet with power and wire/network conduit in place as standard equipment in most suburban homes.

[soup]

 I would expect that almost all new builds in NAthe developed world within the next 5 years will include a server closet with power and wire/network conduit in place as standard equipment in most suburban homes.

If only.

[TheMcSame]

My theory:

 

Magazines are dead.

PC World is the only (big) physical PC shop I know of in the UK and they don't stock new parts and their prices are usually terrible so people buy from other cheaper retailers like Amazon and overclockers.

[rentaspoon]

My theory:

Magazines are dead.

PC World is the only (big) physical PC shop I know of in the UK and they don't stock new parts and their prices are usually terrible so people buy from other cheaper retailers like Amazon and overclockers.

Maplins have always been PC and electronics and fairly competitive

scan and overclockers both have shops

As for mags we have custom PC but thats not really enthusiast anymore

[Bucax]

The Desktop PC market will switch to high end only (it is doing it already). I believe that it will be that way as long as Desktop hardware components are more powerful than their mobile counterparts.

[SkulD]

OK desktops may not be dead but (going by magazines and shops anyway) they are "circling the drain".

  A local(ish) chain called PC World used to consist of warehouse sized shops full of MoBos, keyboards, procesors etc.  Now it is part of Curries-PC World which sells mainly fridges, cookers, televisions and that sort of thing whilst there are only five aisles dedicated to computery stuff, two for phones two for tablets and one dedicated to laptops there are also half a dozen or so pre-built systems advertised.

   I also spent time looking for something to read at a WH Smiths.  Beside all the "How to use your iPad., iPad for beginers etc there were half a dozen or so PC titles one was 'PC Advisor ( the rest were Linux user etc which I didn't look at as I no longer even dual boot) this had one article which was a 'top 10 laptops currently availlable' and one which concerned all in one systems the rest of this magazine was tablets and phones including an article titled "how to take better selfies" when I saw that my heart sank: there was no tech news no building hints/tips anything like that.

I think that is because people that don`t know much about PC go for the portables (laptops, tablets and such), and those who know a thing or two about PC (or have a friend that does), build their PCs, and thus the OEM PC industry is going to hell, but i don`t see the PC as we know it today going away on the forseeable future, they may be going smaller thats for sure, I like having a deceptively small yet powerfull PC @___@.

[ANNIHILATOR284]

there will always be tasks that only a desktop can perform or tasks that a desktop can and will perform better than any other device. plus with the growing technology desktops will always be the first place to implement it(for various obvious reasons like superior cooling,ample room,etc...)