If "desktops are dead", then why...

[Spike88]

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Like I said above and like I will continue to say….

"I will NEVER buy another fixed position desktop (like the iMac) again". For my needs, I use a laptop. It's full wireless, its full portable and I easily use it within public places - like local coffee shops, trains, local camp grounds and airports as well. Do I do "real" work on the computer? YES. Lots of typical real work like email, presentations, report writing, u-Tube surfing, Video streaming, etc. etc. No gaming for me. I use a computer as a computer and a gaming machine as a gaming machine.

Not too sure why some folks do NOT understand why I don't like fixed positions iMacs. For my computing needs, fixed position iMacs NOT the proper tool - for my business and personal needs. Not too sure why some folks are getting so "their nylons in a knot" over my posts. Its like I offended their red color Mustang car or insulted their grandmother. If you want to use a fixed position desktop, then sure, knock yourself out. Buy what you want - assume you live in a free country as well. For my needs, I'd rather use a laptop. And if large screen is needed, I simply connect a large screen to it (making it a fixed position - wired setup). If wondering, my business laptop has an external large screen - for his large spreadsheet calculations / filters. But in all, I use a portable system 95% of the time. Fixed position desktops are becoming "old school" in my IT world.

Based on market trending, I also know that more and more folks are going full portable phone and full portable computers. They are also pulling away from USB 2.0 and alway pulling away from CD/DVD media. Full wireless / full portability market growth is getting larger and larger each year. I see it and many system / application developers see it as well. Thus, why Apple is pushing their "portable" Mac Air, Mac Pro, IPads and iPods as well.

Sorry if I offended some folks in this thread. But like it or not, my world of computers is focusing more and more on "portability and wireless". One can clearly see it - even in public places.

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[karpich1]

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Not too sure why some folks do NOT understand why I don't like fixed positions iMacs. For my computing needs, fixed position iMacs NOT the proper tool - for my business and personal needs.

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I have no problem with people's laptop needs. I need one for work as I'm going between buildings / visiting other states+countries / etc. Even at home, a portable machine is quite handy.

That being said: when at home I like to have a lightweight portable machine and a heavy-weight desktop.

The personal portable machine (now an iPad) lets me do the simple stuff when I feel like chilling on the couch.

The personal heavy-weight desktop lets me do long-term work stuff (database, development, compiling, etc) and is a little less cluttered.

I tried the desktop-replacement laptop in the past... by the time I plugged in monitor + keyboard + wired network + etc my desk was always a mess. And when I wanted to go from working @ my desk to carrying it around: I had to unplug everything (and plug it back in the next time I needed it at my desk).

With an iMac my desk will be cleaner. And I'll still have an iPad + a weaker laptop for when I just need something mobile.

 

[mojothemonkey]

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Like I said above and like I will continue to say….

"I will NEVER buy another fixed position desktop (like the iMac) again". For my needs, I use a laptop. It's full wireless, its full portable and I easily use it within public places - like local coffee shops, trains, local camp grounds and airports as well. Do I do "real" work on the computer? YES. Lots of typical real work like email, presentations, report writing, u-Tube surfing, Video streaming, etc. etc. No gaming for me. I use a computer as a computer and a gaming machine as a gaming machine.

Not too sure why some folks do NOT understand why I don't like fixed positions iMacs. For my computing needs, fixed position iMacs NOT the proper tool - for my business and personal needs. Not too sure why some folks are getting so "their nylons in a knot" over my posts. Its like I offended their red color Mustang car or insulted their grandmother. If you want to use a fixed position desktop, then sure, knock yourself out. Buy what you want - assume you live in a free country as well. For my needs, I'd rather use a laptop. And if large screen is needed, I simply connect a large screen to it (making it a fixed position - wired setup). If wondering, my business laptop has an external large screen - for his large spreadsheet calculations / filters. But in all, I use a portable system 95% of the time. Fixed position desktops are becoming "old school" in my IT world.

Based on market trending, I also know that more and more folks are going full portable phone and full portable computers. They are also pulling away from USB 2.0 and alway pulling away from CD/DVD media. Full wireless / full portability market growth is getting larger and larger each year. I see it and many system / application developers see it as well. Thus, why Apple is pushing their "portable" Mac Air, Mac Pro, IPads and iPods as well.

Sorry if I offended some folks in this thread. But like it or not, my world of computers is focusing more and more on "portability and wireless". One can clearly see it - even in public places.

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Again, you're just reframing the argument to make it sound like you made more general statements. You're responding and acting as though we were trying to convince you that YOU should buy a desktop. That never happened. But it's your lead point in every response post, despite the fact no one has said it.

I argued that your original broad, baseless statement that all desktop machines would be retired like dinosaurs as "old tech" was narrow-minded. I took great care to distinguish individual needs from general market trends.

So if you're going to act like I'm getting fussy, at least make an accurate representation of the original argument.

 

[iSayuSay]

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Based on market trending, I also know that more and more folks are going full portable phone and full portable computers. They are also pulling away from USB 2.0 and alway pulling away from CD/DVD media. Full wireless / full portability market growth is getting larger and larger each year. I see it and many system / application developers see it as well. Thus, why Apple is pushing their "portable" Mac Air, Mac Pro, IPads and iPods as well.

Sorry if I offended some folks in this thread. But like it or not, my world of computers is focusing more and more on "portability and wireless". One can clearly see it - even in public places.

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People here don't have problems with notebooks, even me use notebook occasionally. But that doesn't mean all people going to ditch dekstop anytime soon.

Like I said, some notebooks are not really portable, a few friends of mine bought 15" or 17" notebook/MBPs and realize a few months later their laptop stays on desk all the time and they feel awful about it. So why did they get such a notebook when they could buy more powerful desktop with the same price? And get ultra portable notebook later for mobility.

Like it or not, fixed landline still sell well today in the wireless world. Sure it has no fancy data plan or LTE, but it still does phone call more well and reliably than any cellular could.

You don't like being judged for your mobility computing needs? Maybe you should stop dictating that desktop is unnecessary and dead.
Just because Apple makes iPhone doesn't mean people will stop buying cheap feature phones.

Even in this modern era, designing a notebook is all about compromise. You don't get GTX680M on rMBP. But you also don't get sleek thin and lightweight AlienWare with dual GPUs. Pick your poison, you can't get both.

You don't do games? You don't need powerful graphic? You don't need ancient wired tech? Fine.. Good for you, but the girl next door does. And so the industry will keep selling it.

 

[Spike88]

Like I said before and I will continue to say, I will NOT buy another desktop computer again. Not too sure why people want to debate my posts. If I don't want to buy a red color Mustng car or don't want to buy a 2 story house, then why do people continue to post why I should? It's like going into a Ford forum or Chev forum and stating I will never buy "that make" again. And, people get their nylons in a knot about my purchase choice. If I have no need for a fixed position desktop iMac with wires, then why should I buy one? If I need a can opener, then why should buy a fork instead? It doesn't make sense to me... Not too sure why people continue to tell me that I should buy a "fixed position" iMac desk - when it doesn't fit my portable with full wireless computer needs. Buy what you want (after all, its a free country - with freedom of choice). For my computer needs, I will never buy a fixed postion desktop again. Not too sue why folks want to debate what type of computer I need.

And if wondering, I'm never posted to anyone they should NOT buy an iMac. No where in this thread I have stated a person NOT buy an iMac. Buy if they want, one can buy one. After all, we do live in a free country.... For my computer needs, my current iMac is the last fixed position desktop I will ever own.... Period.

 

[jksu]

Wirelessly posted

actually if it's a road trip, ie. driving, packing up a iMac is pretty easy. i remember back in the day they used to sell bags for the mac plus/se that made them "portable."

anyways, i get your drift, though...

 

[Buffsteria]

Sorry if I offended some folks in this thread. But like it or not, my world of computers is focusing more and more on "portability and wireless". One can clearly see it - even in public places.

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[flynz4]

Wirelessly posted

actually if it's a road trip, ie. driving, packing up a iMac is pretty easy. i remember back in the day they used to sell bags for the mac plus/se that made them "portable."

anyways, i get your drift, though...

The iMac/ATD bags are still readily available. I have one of these: http://www.ilugger.com/product/detail.cfm?nid=1460&pid=40029

Every month or two I'll spend a week working from my beach condo... and this lets me take my 27" ATD to use with my laptop. The difference between working all week on my laptop vs working on a 2560X1440 27" display is stunning.

When we go to the coast for the weekend, the ATD stays home. However for full work weeks, it is great to bring it along.

/Jim

 

[flynz4]

Like I said before and I will continue to say, I will NOT buy another desktop computer again. Not too sure why people want to debate my posts. If I don't want to buy a red color Mustng car or don't want to buy a 2 story house, then why do people continue to post why I should? It's like going into a Ford forum or Chev forum and stating I will never buy "that make" again. And, people get their nylons in a knot about my purchase choice. If I have no need for a fixed position desktop iMac with wires, then why should I buy one? If I need a can opener, then why should buy a fork instead? It doesn't make sense to me... Not too sure why people continue to tell me that I should buy a "fixed position" iMac desk - when it doesn't fit my portable with full wireless computer needs. Buy what you want (after all, its a free country - with freedom of choice). For my computer needs, I will never buy a fixed postion desktop again. Not too sue why folks want to debate what type of computer I need.

And if wondering, I'm never posted to anyone they should NOT buy an iMac. No where in this thread I have stated a person NOT buy an iMac. Buy if they want, one can buy one. After all, we do live in a free country.... For my computer needs, my current iMac is the last fixed position desktop I will ever own.... Period.

Why do you continue to dig yourself in deeper and deeper? NOBODY is questioning your desire to just use a laptop. Most of us here also use a laptop. I've owned more than twenty of them. Some (like you) use laptops exclusively... others use them in conjunction with a desktop with a nice high resolution and large monitor, large internal drives, large internal SSDs, direct attached Thunderbolt 12TB high speed arrays, high end fixed peripherals (ex: I have a $2500 slide/negative scanner attached), etc. All of those are clumsy at best with a laptop... which is why "I" choose to also have a very powerful desktop.

Where people are upset with you is your statements (the ones some called ignorant)... such as:

• Fixed position desktops are becoming old school technology.
• The days of being at a fixed desk are coming to and end.

Personally, I do not think you are ignorant. I do think that your initial posts came across as closed minded... or over super-positioning your personal needs onto the needs of the general population. Those are almost always poor arguments to make... or bad generalizations to believe.

I will give you significant credit that your more recent posts have been more focused on "Your personal needs and desires"... vs. "I don't need a desktop, so therefore everyone who does is a fool". (paraphrased)

Had you restricted your opinions to your personal belief... then you would not be under such scrutiny.

My advice... either just move on and let the topic drop... or even better, acknowledge your early behavior in this thread, offer an apology, and then let the topic drop. In either case... the common thread, is to let the topic drop.

I'm done.

/Jim

 

[Roller]

Sorry if I offended some folks in this thread. But like it or not, my world of computers is focusing more and more on "portability and wireless". One can clearly see it - even in public places.

Not too long ago, using a laptop computer meant sacrificing speed, memory, and non-volatile storage for portability. But the gap between laptops and desktops has clearly narrowed considerably, and portable computers can now be used for jobs that were impossible just a few years back.

However, desktops still have the edge in displays. Sure, you can drive almost any monitor with today's portables (like the rMBP), but for some applications (such as medical imaging), that doesn't make economic or practical sense.

I suspect that some people took your characterization of desktops as "old school" as pejorative, as if you were saying that anyone who uses them hasn't caught up with the times.

 

[shady28]

Not too long ago, using a laptop computer meant sacrificing speed, memory, and non-volatile storage for portability. But the gap between laptops and desktops has clearly narrowed considerably, and portable computers can now be used for jobs that were impossible just a few years back.

However, desktops still have the edge in displays. Sure, you can drive almost any monitor with today's portables (like the rMBP), but for some applications (such as medical imaging), that doesn't make economic or practical sense.

I suspect that some people took your characterization of desktops as "old school" as pejorative, as if you were saying that anyone who uses them hasn't caught up with the times.

That's only true to a certain degree (laptops being ok to replace desktops). What you're saying isn't something that hasn't been said before - it's "powerful enough", "fast enough", "expandable enough" etc.

I think what we are seeing is a fundamental shift in Apple that is going to turn out to be a very, very bad move. It's the first big shift noticeable since Jobs passed away...

Apple's new products are all sealed, non upgradeable. They haven't updated the iMac in ~15 months now. The Mac Pro is dead outside of resale markets. The iPhone has stumbled in my view, stuck with the 4/4S at a time when they should already have the 5 out.

Other anecdotal pieces :
"Apple told the nonprofit EPEAT group that the company would no longer submit its products for green certification from EPEAT and that it was pulling its currently certified products from the group's registry."

In and of itself I could care less about EPEAT, but I think the main thing apple didn't like about EPEAT is that it requires :

"the EPEAT requirements hold that electronics must be easy to disassemble, so their components can be recycled."

So they are beginning to take a very bean counter industrial view of their products. i.e, they don't want you to be able to upgrade / modify them, they want to seal them, they ignore a large and incredibly loyal segment of their customer base in pursuit of profits.

So basically Apple has bought into its own hype. A very big part of Apple's current success is 'halo effect' of the brand and its products, one might call it a 'fad' effect. I guess my view is that the company has turned a bit off the path of inventing / designing and onto a path of conventional industrial thought processes. That means not much inventiveness, a lot of sneaky things that slowly piss off their customer base, and eventually it's gonna be 1999 again...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-5...t-of-program-for-environment-minded-products/

 

[philipma1957]

That's only true to a certain degree (laptops being ok to replace desktops). What you're saying isn't something that hasn't been said before - it's "powerful enough", "fast enough", "expandable enough" etc.

I think what we are seeing is a fundamental shift in Apple that is going to turn out to be a very, very bad move. It's the first big shift noticeable since Jobs passed away...

Apple's new products are all sealed, non upgradeable. They haven't updated the iMac in ~15 months now. The Mac Pro is dead outside of resale markets. The iPhone has stumbled in my view, stuck with the 4/4S at a time when they should already have the 5 out.

Other anecdotal pieces :
"Apple told the nonprofit EPEAT group that the company would no longer submit its products for green certification from EPEAT and that it was pulling its currently certified products from the group's registry."

In and of itself I could care less about EPEAT, but I think the main thing apple didn't like about EPEAT is that it requires :

"the EPEAT requirements hold that electronics must be easy to disassemble, so their components can be recycled."

So they are beginning to take a very bean counter industrial view of their products. i.e, they don't want you to be able to upgrade / modify them, they want to seal them, they ignore a large and incredibly loyal segment of their customer base in pursuit of profits.

So basically Apple has bought into its own hype. A very big part of Apple's current success is 'halo effect' of the brand and its products, one might call it a 'fad' effect. I guess my view is that the company has turned a bit off the path of inventing / designing and onto a path of conventional industrial thought processes. That means not much inventiveness, a lot of sneaky things that slowly piss off their customer base, and eventually it's gonna be 1999 again...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-5...t-of-program-for-environment-minded-products/

amen brother!

 

[jksu]

I think what we are seeing is a fundamental shift in Apple that is going to turn out to be a very, very bad move. It's the first big shift noticeable since Jobs passed away...

Apple's new products are all sealed, non upgradeable. They haven't updated the iMac in ~15 months now. The Mac Pro is dead outside of resale markets. The iPhone has stumbled in my view, stuck with the 4/4S at a time when they should already have the 5 out.

whoa, way off topic of "desktops are dead" i think.... but i'll chime in.

while i agree we all, corporations/individuals, should care more for the environment (for our kids, for the planet, etc), i think as long as people vote with their wallets and apple continues to innovate and design gizmos that people lust after, you can be as righteous as you'd like about the any post-jobs downfall, but apple will be just fine.

apple's success the past few years has been to miniaturize and package technologies in a way that no other manufacturer has been able to.

if you want a computer that you can take apart, upgrade, etc. there's plenty of PC boxes you can buy and build yourself (visit anandtech). if you want it to be a mac, you'll have to be patient -- they're busy building the next great thing...

they could come out with 5 different iPhones of various sizes/shapes and configurations but that's not apple. they are meticulous and purposeful. why come out with an iPhone "5" when LTE tech is not ready? when they do rush, it sucks (ie. siri) so i'm ok with being patient and have apple take a big step and have my socks knocked off (ie. iPad, macbook air).

personally, i don't think mac desktops are dead -- definitely a market for them. the fact that apple isn't giving them the focus it is to laptops, iPads, iPhones, etc. is not surprising as the market is smaller and margins probably less.

if apple doesn't launch the "next great thing" in the next 2-3years, then yes, we can claim apple's on the decline post-jobs. but the fact iMacs and mac pros are somewhat neglected, well, i don't see that as a decline of apple...we'll see...

 

[xgman]

Which makes me think that the desktop as a setup isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Thoughts?

What Apple wants, Apple will get. It is clear to me that they are very much pushing for the "post pc world", but even they realize it may take a couple more years, so I think what we will see are fewer updates and a transition away from desktops entirely. Mostly because they make so much money on portables. By the way, you can always hook up a larger monitor to a macbook pro.