I've already established that I might never buy a traditional TV or internal combustion engine ("ICE") car, and now find myself wondering about the venerable desktop computer. My school is leaning toward the "all-in-one" format for some computer labs, smartphones are on the rise, tablets are stealing marketshare from netbooks from laptops from desktops.
Even console computing is experiencing a resurgence in which a user has direct control over little more than a mouse, keyboard, and monitor, while storage and processing are largely handled over a network or by another remotely-connected device. Does "cloud computing" ring a bell for anyone?
Having fried my own little netbook, I recognize that desktops are still superior for flexibility and upgrade options, but wonder if they'll wind up dinosaurs maintained only by gamers and "power users" who need (or think they need) a half-dozen or more drives, or heavy-duty graphics cards.
I think that if a format other than desktop ever cracks the general business / commercial threshold, then desktops will certainly see downgraded prestige, but for now they're (barely) hanging in there.
Having fried my own little netbook, I recognize that desktops are still superior for flexibility and upgrade options, but wonder if they'll wind up dinosaurs maintained only by gamers and "power users" who need (or think they need) a half-dozen or more drives, or heavy-duty graphics cards.
I think that if a format other than desktop ever cracks the general business / commercial threshold, then desktops will certainly see downgraded prestige, but for now they're (barely) hanging in there.
