Laptops Outsell Desktops 414
wintermute1974 writes "According to a new report by Current Analysis, laptops have overtaken sales of desktops for the first time in computing, ever. Figures are for the U.S. market, but presumably this is part of a world-wide trend." From the article: "Notebook prices fell 17 percent during the past year while desktop prices dipped only 4 percent. Some of the features common in most notebooks are longer-lasting batteries, CD burners and wireless capability."
College requirements (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:What does this mean to desktop users? (Score:5, Interesting)
I really wonder if wireless interface systems could get ubiquitous enough that you could more or less forgoe the full key board and mouse on the laptop entirely and just make a mobile processing memory unit say the size of a cell phone. Wirelesss interface stations would be all over the place and you could browse the systems in range and log onto yours.
One idea I like about that is being able to test drive systems at a store before you buy it. Wonder if that new monitor has fast enough refresh ? Enough resolution ? Just attach it to the system on your hip and run a favorit movie/game etc... How about the sound quality of those speakers ? How about wondering if that new system will do what you want ? Access files on your current system while demoing a new unit with similar periphials you have at home. Have an automatic interface with your cars computer... no more dealer visits for codes or wondering what tripped the 'check engine' light.
Re:Well .. (Score:3, Interesting)
Laptops are still too slow compared to desktops, especially the hard drives. Laptop drives are not only slower, but you cannot get the same large sizes and the prices are far higher. Then there is the issue of graphics cards. Laptops generall have poorer graphics cards with lower memory. You can put together a far cheaper desktop with good components than you can get in a laptop. Most of the lower end laptops have crappy video with shared memory; they get too hot and have at most 3 hours of battery time. Oh and then there is the problem with the tiny screens. As a programmer, I cannot look at any screen smaller than 17" for a long time. Also, most of those lower end laptops only go to 1024x768 (I need at least 1152x864). These limitations may be OK for Joe User, but I don't think more tech savvy people or especially geeks could put up with them.
I personally have had the "same" computer for about 4 years. I call it the "same" computer because I have changed different parts at different time to keep it current. You cannot do that with a laptop. My laptop is 2 years old and is not "bad" (1.7GHz P4, 512MB, 40GB), however I litterally have not used it for the past year. It just sits in my laptop bag on the floor of my office. After one year the battery died and cannot hold a charge so I can only use it pluged in. I don't feel like spending 100+ on a battery when I can spend that money on something else.
Here's something to think about... (Score:3, Interesting)
Just a thought I had.
For two reasons (Score:4, Interesting)
2. I'm writing this lying on the couch. There's no going back to desktop once you go completely wireless. The only desktop I have is iMac G5, but that's only because I need a good display for digital photography, and iMac display is top-notch. If Apple puts decent panels into the next crop of their laptops, this iMac may go to ebay.
Re:Well .. (Score:2, Interesting)
But I agree that the hard drive is the bottleneck. I have 1 GB of RAM but once it needs to load anything off the drive it gets really slow...
Laptops: Complete, convenient, computing - Ahh! :) (Score:2, Interesting)
I used to lug around A DESKTOP TOWER in order to do my work several years ago. Horrifically inconvenient but a necessary evil.
Getting (and using) a laptop took some getting used to but now I wouldn't use a desktop unless I absolutely have to. My laptop allow me to work anywhere there is an electrical outlet, a chair and a desk. I heard that the laptop I have was one of the first ones to 'cram' desktop computing power in a laptop-sized package--kudos the the laptop manufactuer! (They are Japanese and they put out music and anime 'on the side'. I won't identify them lest I be branded a 'corporate shill' but I will say their laptops are built to last! My boss dropped his laptop several times with the last time borking the LCD display for good. Guess what? The HD was fine throughout all the unintentional abuse and is now working inside a laptop made by a large U.S. computer/business machine firm that shall remain nameless to avoid me being branded a 'corporate shill'.
And to the smart asses who say you can hook all these up to a notebook, yeah but why?
I did that at first then quit. I only hook up assorted data storage devices to my laptop via USB nowadays as these are external peripherals that matter the most to me.
I like my laptop and am glad I was able to get one to use it.
Laptops truly make computing complete and convenient - Ahhhh!
Re:popularity vs. durability (Score:4, Interesting)
Not surprised (Score:3, Interesting)
College students. College goers everywhere are convinced they need a laptop for school for various reasons (I'll take notes with it..my desk is small..etc etc) when really what they need is a mini tower with an LCD monitor to accomplish the same or better end. Plenty of colleges require laptops (Which IMHO is so much more a status thing than anything productivity oriented) these days which is no doubt driving up the sales rates as well.
Touchpads versus Touchpoints(eraser point) (Score:3, Interesting)
IBM still uses the touchpoints, but they are really expensive. I really liked Dell laptops, until they went el-cheapo a year or two ago and removed the old legacy ports and the touchpoints at the same time. A few laptops, especially those angled at the business market, still have touchpoints, but they are few, more expensive, and lack the features that I desire.
Re:They left out the killer feature (Score:2, Interesting)
Dell recently committed to buying 300,000 wide-screen 14" laptops a month from a single Chinese supplier. That is one model for one segment of its laptop product line. The hobbyist market doesn't count for much against numbers like these.
Re:Well .. (Score:2, Interesting)
I remember a laptop that became a desktop after a mere 18 months, because the battery failed and *they had stopped making them*. It had to be plugged into the wall forever after that.
My reason for avoiding laptops is the heat dissapation. If you set a laptop and a desktop next to each other and run the hard drives intensively, the desktop can run 24/7 forever, essentially. The laptop stops itself after a few minutes because the hard drive is getting too hot. You sometimes get the same effect on some of the 'all-in-one' PCs that have the LCD screen built on.
My Mum bought a laptop. I told her she'd find the built in mouse pad less easy to use than a real mouse, and also it'd need to be plugged into the mains and network all the time. But she went ahead and got one anyway. A year later, and the laptop is tied down just as I had predicted. It has a USB hub too, with a scanner, printer, etc. It never gets taken 'off the grid' and used for mobile computing. No suprises there.
Re:5 More Years Until PDA's Outsell Laptops (Score:3, Interesting)
If Nokia properly markets their new 770, or Archos with their AV series, it'll be all that's needed. Laptops were originally marketed as something you used when you were away from your desktop.
Now we've got a whole new generation of PMP/PDAs that are capable of what laptops were just a couple of years ago, with all the above mentioned stuff AND office apps. Just attach a USB keyboard and you're good to go.
Re:Well .. (Score:2, Interesting)
Laptops are transitional products (Score:3, Interesting)
Someone MUST have done it right. Come on, it's 2005.
No Profit (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Well .. (Score:3, Interesting)
That's about normal. Take a typical power user. They have a good desk machine and the kids have to cast off. They also have a laptop. The desk top gets used at least 4 years and gets pawned off on the kids to extend it. A cola gets spilled on the keyboard and the keyboard gets replaced.
Laptops... Either the battery dies after 12-18 months and it's considered obsolete. The laptop gets replaced instead getting a new battery. The coke gets spilled into the keyboard. The laptop gets replaced. The briefcase is left on the roof of the car while the presentation is loaded then forgotton. Know how many laptops are left in taxi cabs each year? These things don't happen to a desktop.
When laptop and desktop sales are equal, I'm guessing desktops are still used 4:1 more than laptops. Laptops just get replaced more often due to them getting the hard knocks of mobile life.
Re:Longer than a desktop, n'est-ce pas? (Score:3, Interesting)
Annualized failure rates (Score:5, Interesting)
Laptops are not any less endurable than desktops, it is just they get thrown around a lot more. A workstation SCSI disk is very fragile, but you dont throw it the backs of cars, kick it under the seat of the airplane in front etc, etc. Furthermore, vendors dont like unrelaible laptops; the annualized failure rate (AFR) makes the difference between profit and loss on warrantied systems.
What has happened is that the trend towards consumer-centric laptops has eliminated much of the exchangable-IDE drive design of the past. These all-in-ones are robust as they are mechanically simpler. The other big trend is that with two main ODMs in taiwan doing much of the work, a greater level of expertise has built up into doing quality designs.
Now, for an annedote of amusement:
When the first thin-and-flat laptops came out, the AFR went up. This was tracked down to people dropping their laptops while trying to lift them out of bags/briefcases one handed, and losing their grip. The older laptops were so fat and heavy they could be lifted two handed, but the new ones were thin and light enough to be one handed -only nobody had thought of this when it was designed
If you look at today's laptops, they normally have grippy texture on the top and bottom, or some features on the batteries to provide a better handgrip. This is to eliminate the problem.
That's an amusing story but it shows the problem: a robust laptop is not an intel chipset in a box. It is a system designed with ergonomics in mind too.
Just Bought A Dell Inspiron 9300 (Score:3, Interesting)
I say this all as a backdrop to current situation. You see, I talk about this PC in the past tense because I am selling it. I have bought a Dell Inspiron 9300. The 2MB cache on my 1.86 GHz Pentium M makes this processor perform in the same league as a 3 GHz Pentium 4. It is actually faster than my overclocked system in many tasks. The GeForce Go 6800 outperforms my Radeon 9800 Pro (not surprising given the generation difference) and the 1 GB of dual channel DDR RAM allows for plenty of gaming overhead. The 1440x900 widescreen display has native resolution support in many newer games (like Half Life 2 and Riddick.) The 7200 RPM drive, while not comparable to a RAID-0 setup, is still quite zippy and the dual layer DVD burner works like a charm.
So what's my point (other than tooting my horn?) My point is that desktop replacements have truly come of age. There isn't a game on the market now or in the next two years that I won't be able to play comfortably. Given that this little beast runs cooler and quieter than my desktop, there's nothing that I miss. Nothing.
Re:Not surprised (Score:3, Interesting)
"Status thing"? Please. Life got much easier when I got a laptop for school.
Re:Well .. (Score:2, Interesting)
Not really. I have a Sager AMD - 64 laptop with a 17" screen. I'm usually the envy of the plane whenever I take it out. I edit videos (even has firewire built in), it has a 60 Gig high speed ide disk so I can easily edit a 20 gig - 1 hour avi file. It cooks right along and will even run on my shoulder, in the car, etc.. Has a DVD burner built in. It beats my desktop even with an accelerator card for the graphics and 320 Meg/sec SCSI disk with adaptec raid. And I can take it anyplace, even lock it in an industrial/commercial (standard Mosler or Diebold) grade safe if security is an issue. I do wish I could get much larger drives though. I need around a TB on that machine so I can hold more video data longer. I'm sure that is coming soon. I'm thinking in another 10 years desktops will be a thing of the past. Sort of like mainframes are today.