

Have laptops killed the desktop? (Dell closing factory in Austin) - erickhill
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040108dnbusdell.1be6ad8c.html
Dell is closing a plant in Austin as its desktop business continues to wane.  DMN may require login (sorry) but it's an interesting story.  Basically, Dell is closing an Austin computer factory, and lay off thousands worldwide.
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ambition
I think that, in the future, the idea of reserving special places in homes and
offices to use computers will seem quaint, like the way we think of reserving
whole rooms for giant mainframes. No doubt people will still want reserved
working-places, but the computing arrangements will be much more flexible and
integrated.

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wumi
I still don't get why people by HDTVs and not just an HD projector for the
same price or cheapter

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AF
Because projectors require a few things that TVs do not.

1\. A dark room

2\. Nobody getting in between the projector and the surface it is displaying
on

3\. Extra space

Don't get me wrong, projectors are cool, but there is a reason they aren't as
popular as regular TVs.

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wumi
this is a hacker crowd -- I imagine most people here have a ton of content
already on a computer, which using a projector makes it much easier to watch.

1\. agreed on dark room.

2\. if the projector is mounted high (as it should be) this is not an issue

3.I was in military barracks half the size of a normal bed room and my
projector still had a very tight 4-5 foot screen on a bare wall -- oh and it
was $600 OTB.

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antiismist
This article has nothing to do with the death of desktop machines. It is just
a simple reflection that it is cheaper to make them in places other than
Austin. I am in fact surprised that they haven't already closed all of their
US-based manufacturing.

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henning
It's disappointing that people aren't interested in optimal productivity when
carrying out knowledge-work tasks like programming and editing photos (most
laptop users don't hook up a big monitor to get high resolution).

Macbook Pro + 30" cinema screen is what I'd buy if money were not an object.

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baldwinlouie
I totally think so. Why should I be tied to a desk, when I can take my laptop
anywhere.

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antiismist
Desktops are going to be around for a long time...

\- Gamers have an insatiable need for power, and the fastest computers are
always going to not be laptops.

\- A lot of people are very price sensitive, and desktops are always going to
be less expensive.

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AF
Don't be so sure either of those are that important.

You can get a laptop with comparable power to some of the more expensive
desktops now for about the same price. Look at the Gateway p-6831.

Also more and more power will continue to be fit into laptops, and I think it
is only a matter of time before a desktop tower is a waste of space for even
most gamers.

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antiismist
Extrapolating trends is of course dangerous, but isn't it reasonable to say
that people want as much screen real estate for screens?

<http://www.pibmug.com/files/wideview.jpg>

That people will want ever more realistic graphics, with ever more realistic
physics engines?

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AF
I don't think so. Most people don't want massive screens and don't know how to
effectively use more than one anyway.

Game developers are already having problems with the expense and time required
to push out the artwork for today's games. There will come a point, and it
might even be here with games like Spore, where the industry will focus more
on gameplay than having the most advanced games possible. Regardless, there
are quite a few laptops that can play Crysis without problem. I linked to one
earlier, and it costs under $1300.

/And/ with more people playing games on consoles, the need for high end PCs
just to play games is less important. I think there are many factors that are
coming together to make desktops less useful.

Of course there will always be those hardcore fanatics that just need the
speed that only a big desktop tower can push out, but those numbers are
decreasing by the month I bet.

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bkrausz
I don't think they killed it, but average Joes will be buying laptops instead
of desktops for the foreseeable future. They have all the power needed for the
basics.

I definitely see desktops becoming how laptops were years ago: a niche market.
If you need a specific feature: i.e. lots of power or high-end gaming, you go
with a desktop. Years ago people only got laptops if they had a specific need
for mobility. The default option has already changed from desktop to laptop.

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jimbokun
Laptops and servers are the future (present?), I think.

The laptop is your way of interfacing with data. Ergonomics (such as easy
portability) are very important here. Hook up large display and maybe more
comfortable keyboard/mouse when appropriate. iPhone provides another set of
ergonomic trade-offs (even more portable, interface options even more
constrained). Non-volatile storage in these devices become more of a caching
mechanism over time; more and more of our data will reside on a server
somewhere we never physically see.

Then the universe of large scale processing power and data storage is The
Network. Amazon S3/EC2 and the like. Most people on the planet will never
physically see this hardware at all. But we use these resources constantly as
we browse, interact, communicate, and work on the web.

So, two directions for the future of computing. Ergonomics is King for
consumer devices (Apple is thriving in this market), and economies of scale
(Google the poster child here, interesting in that they do not design or
develop hardware at all, but write software to make commodity hardware scale
in amazing ways).

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graywh
Computing started off with mainframes and terminals. Then we got to
workstations. Now with the web and your prediction, we're going back to the
server/thin-client model.

Isn't progress cool?

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davidw
Could be it has something to do with Dell's position in the market for
desktops and laptops. I'd rather buy a white box desktop and take the savings,
but for something where service is more important, having a brand like Dell is
more meaningful. Or maybe not... I'd definitely rather have a laptop. I wonder
what the difference between price/performance in laptops and desktops looks
like over time?

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PStamatiou
I asked that question a while ago and quite a few people responded:
[http://paulstamatiou.com/2007/12/21/are-desktop-computers-
dy...](http://paulstamatiou.com/2007/12/21/are-desktop-computers-dying)

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axod
Last time I used a desktop was in 2004 I think. Try using a desktop in the
bath or sofa or toilet :/

Also desktop keyboards still just don't work.

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icey
I know it's fairly unlikely, but remind me to NEVER use your laptop if we
should ever meet.

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xlnt
my problem with laptops is that when i'm at home, i want to hook up external
mouse and keyboard, and put it on some books on a desk to get the display at
the right height (or plug it into an external display). if you're doing all
that, a desktop makes some sense.

laptop using all the built in stuff is bad ergonomics.

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edu
My workplace:

\- MacBook

\- Apple USB Keyboard

\- Logitech Mouse

\- Apple Cinema Display HD 23"

Plus, I can carry all my work environment anywhere I go. If I want to be with
my family and I don't need a lot of concentration I can take the MacBook to
any room.

