Death of the desktop? I don't think so!

[Saracen]

Portability is not always an advantage. Sure, for lots of business users, taking your PC home is an advantage, but for a LOT more, it not only isn't an advantage, it's a large security risk, both in terms of physical security (laptops are easier to nick than a desktop and monitor), but in data security too. Businesses don't want staff taking company data out of company buildings unless there's a reason for doing so. Then there's the risk of confection by a computer being used on a non-locked down network and picking up a nasty, or in sales/marketing info, or IP, getting out.

And finally, not only is buying a desktop still typically cheaper (though by nowhere near as much), but so is fixing them if they go wrong.

My view? Laptops have a place and with the growing power and current cost levels, it's a far larger role than it used to be simply because of cost-effectiveness as prices have dropped .... but there's still good arguments for desktops as opposed to laptops. Don't write the desktop's obituary just yet.

[arthurleung]

Portability is not always an advantage. Sure, for lots of business users, taking your PC home is an advantage, but for a LOT more, it not only isn't an advantage, it's a large security risk, both in terms of physical security (laptops are easier to nick than a desktop and monitor), but in data security too. Businesses don't want staff taking company data out of company buildings unless there's a reason for doing so. Then there's the risk of confection by a computer being used on a non-locked down network and picking up a nasty, or in sales/marketing info, or IP, getting out.

And finally, not only is buying a desktop still typically cheaper (though by nowhere near as much), but so is fixing them if they go wrong.

My view? Laptops have a place and with the growing power and current cost levels, it's a far larger role than it used to be simply because of cost-effectiveness as prices have dropped .... but there's still good arguments for desktops as opposed to laptops. Don't write the desktop's obituary just yet.

There is something called a laptop cage, that bolt the whole thing on the table so its non-removable.
A lot of lecture halls here have it. You can probably make it in such a way you can't physically plug in any external USB device or access the DVDROM which improves the security. The whole solution is probably also cheaper than buying a computer desk with locked access panel.

Regarding to fixing it, since most if not all companies have service contracts, they just send the whole thing back for repair. And as an added advantage, you don't need to take the whole thing apart to remove the harddrive (security). You just flip the laptop over, remove two screws and take the harddrive out.

I think that sort of applies to home user too, when you just send the whole thing back. No need to take the computer apart and test individually. And the postage is significantly cheaper than sending a 10~40kg case back.

P.S. I thought companies now use blackberry / exchange / activesync for employees to work at home?

[Whiternoise]

The laptop market is increasing, probably, party due to the amount of students that need laptops now. A few years ago laptops were certainly used by students but nowhere near as mainstream as they are now. I personally took my desktop, don't own a laptop yet, but out of 100 students, i would say 90 have laptops, the rest having desktops or nothing (very uncommon for someone to not have any form of computer) - when you think that there are a what.. a hundred thousand students entering education in britain alone plus those who want upgrades (and of course worldwide). There's also the "mature" market, older folks are getting into the computer scene and they want machines that will do EVERYTHING for them. Some people expect your computer to be able to fit into your bag by now, so that's what they get. If you watch the adverts for PC World, they're advertising laptops not desktops these days.

With regards to repairs, i think there's more to it than just cheaper postage. Laptop parts can be significantly more expensive to replace than desktop equivalents - partly due to the extra labour (CPU dead? lot more work on a laptop). Hard drives, i would argue, are trivial on both. I have to remove two screws to change the hard drive in my desktop (and even then they're thumbscrews). Case manufacturers are also leaning towards the ever popular "tool-less" rig.

I don't think it's entirely true that you don't have to test every part individually. The same situation applies, you have to check the RAM, connections, etc and it's not as simple as just switching your mates graphics card in to see if his works on your motherboard. You should never have to post a desktop back to a company. If they're any good, they should do onsite maintenance or organise a courier free of charge (the warranty from any decent pc builder should cover that).

EDIT: oh i see what you mean about hard drives, wrong context! But.. desktops are better in this regard. You keep all your sensitive data on a "data disk" (popular option these days) and have the OS on separately. You pop out your data drive and send back the computer with the OS. It would be a pain in the backside to troubleshoot without the original operating system install. You don't know if the user's problem is driver/software related for a start because the numpty's taken the disk out.

Perhaps the future is a home mainframe that can interact with any number of terminals (bit like in the Iain M Banks Culture novels). You'd just carry around your screen with a touch interface and a wifi card, you log in to your hub and all your applications and data are sitting there backed up safely and securely. The mainframe just has to process your input and effectively stream a video of what happens back to you.

Pretty much the only, albeit good, reason that i want a laptop is so i can cart it around with me. I've never, contrary to popular opinion, found the need for a laptop at university - i coped a whole term without and no one really takes them into lectures - however, it would be nice to sit in the pub and do my homework (mostly web interfaced) or go to a friend's room and load up what i've done, etc, or if i visit my girlfriend (the list goes on). I'm not bothered about performance so long as it has a dedicated video card so i can game a little on the move (nothing fancy - to be fair the worst video card hogs are fps's and that'd be dire on a laptop on a train anyway). My current benchmark is "if it'll run diablo 3 when it's released, that'll do me fine!". 2.4GHz Macbook it's going to be

[arthurleung]

There is something quite close to what you wanted, it is called KVM over IP
Theoretically I think it is possible to play games through KVM/IP on a netbook but then the major setback is the latency and bandwidth of the link.

Playing at 1920x1200, 32bit colour, 30FPS would need 2.2Gbps (well, may be not accurate, but definitely in the Gbps range). There ARE wireless video transmitter that can do this kind of speed (my friend in Berkeley worked on that a couple years back, I think it was something like 20Ghz transceiver)

So FPS is off the list. (Perhaps the only thing)
For video, I suppose it is possible to do realtime reencode of video so that even atom can play 1080p+ content (e.g. huffyuv lossless).
Other stuff like CAD can run without much trouble over RDP I think.

If you mean office work kind of stuff, Google already doing it with GoogleApps, and Microsoft is doing it with Live.

P.S. Yes REALLY no one bring laptop into lecture. I basically find myself the only one in the whole department using a laptop in over 90% lecture. Save me from carrying 1.5~5kg worth of notes / blank paper / reference books in lecture. And good exercise carrying extra weight

[Saracen]

There is something called a laptop cage, that bolt the whole thing on the table so its non-removable.
A lot of lecture halls here have it. You can probably make it in such a way you can't physically plug in any external USB device or access the DVDROM which improves the security. The whole solution is probably also cheaper than buying a computer desk with locked access panel.

Regarding to fixing it, since most if not all companies have service contracts, they just send the whole thing back for repair. And as an added advantage, you don't need to take the whole thing apart to remove the harddrive (security). You just flip the laptop over, remove two screws and take the harddrive out.

I think that sort of applies to home user too, when you just send the whole thing back. No need to take the computer apart and test individually. And the postage is significantly cheaper than sending a 10~40kg case back.

P.S. I thought companies now use blackberry / exchange / activesync for employees to work at home?

You're missing my point. Forget lockable cages - for most companies for most purposes, they're not worth it. It's easy to walk out with a laptop in a briefcase. It's not so easy to do it with a desktop. Nor do companies want to "send the whole thing back for repair" if that means a member of staff is sitting there twiddling their thumbs for several days. A lot of things can be fixed, onsite, quickly and easily by a simple part replacement, for a desktop, but not for laptops. And when you do need to repair a laptop, you'll find there's a far higher degree of proprietary parts, and they'll be harder to source, and more expensive. It's also in the nature of laptop design that they're far more integrated. For instance, graphics circuitry usually on the motherboard. For that matter, fragile power connectors via a small socket are usually on the motherboard and repairing those ranges from removing the motherboard to solder a dry joint, to replacing the motherboard. But for a desktop, you'd just swap the PSU, and it's far less likely to break down in the first place, because it has a substantial plug and socket, not a lightweight pin and socket.

And, of course, laptops are more susceptible precisely because they're moved about and bumped, rattled about in cases on trains, and so forth. So, if you have a business need for a computer to be moved, then you'd buy a laptop. But I can't see a point in buying a laptop, with all the compromises it entails, for machines that are intended to be fixed points. For instance, a PC on the reception desk, PCs used by credit control or accounts staff who operate purely in the office, and so on.

But seeing as you mention lockable desks, the same applies to supermarket checkouts. They're PC-based these days, and the hardware is locked in a cupboard inside the checkout. And they're subject to maintenance contracts which involve a unit or two on-site that can be swapped out, and engineers that carry components. If they can't fix, quickly, on-site, they just swap a live machine for a spare or training room machine, and sort it out next-day. Again, there's no advantage in that scenario to laptops, and plenty of drawbacks.

I can't see any of this changing in the foreseeable future, either.

[Whiternoise]

Not to mention security issues at airports?

The hassle of having to make "clean" laptops to go through US customs is a non starter for many companies.

[Deadalus]

I have a laptop for work, one which is quite light and portable so I can carry it without getting a serious back injury. At home I use my PC for everything including gaming, Photoshop and as a media center so I have a desktop with a large monitor.

If anything, I would imagine we might see an increase in the all-in-one form factor for mainstream users, which are still 'desktops'.

[Lucio]

Personally I'd like to see the idea of an entertainment "server" take off. A simple modular system that you can plug in different components. Idea being the "laptop" part of the unit can be undocked and either serve as a wireless interface to the main unit, or as it's own netbook away from the home, the games are provided via a "console" module, and a hi-fi or DVD player can also be integrated.

Ah well, never happen, but it's a nice dream

[DataMatrix]

Magazine writers tend to know little about computers

[CaseyV9]

I have heard Laptops are outselling Desktops.

One thing I really am itching to get my hands on for my desktop PC - OLED monitor. I think I got that right.
These sexy little things do not require a backlight. And said to be at 3mm thick. Ohh, I get a tingle in my nuts thinking of it.
This will mean laptops will have a greater battery life and be thinner. One thing I think may make me think twice about though rumours that laptops may get external graphics cards. That could be sweet.

I don't think that desktop PC's will ever die though. I think there will always be a market for them.

but on the downside, I think that laptops are becoming more slimmer and portable - and affordable and more efficient in it's use of electricity.
maybe the same could be said for PC's as well. But if you like gaming then it just becomes more and more power hungry.

Maybe Desktop PC's will be a thing for gamers? After all, if you only really go online, watch video and listen to music, You wouldn't really need to upgrade your machine for years at a time.

[MadduckUK]

One thing I think may make me think twice about though rumours that laptops may get external graphics cards. That could be sweet.

that would be sweet, unfortunately while an external graphics box seems to pop up at a trade show every year, no-one has actually bothered to sell any yet

[Funkstar]

No you can buy them, they are just stupidly expensive for the ExpressCard to PCI-E adapter.

And right now they are only PCI-e 1x. Probably not designed for graphics but it could work.

http://www.magma.com/products/pciexp...x1/prices.html