[Discuss] Future of Personal Computers

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

On 03/12/2012 10:07 PM, markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
> My friends and I were arguing about what the future holds for computers. I
> think we all agree that the desktop is dead, but there is some
> disagreement as to the fate of the laptop. Does anyone think that this is
> an interesting discussion?
>
> Here are my assertions:
>
> The desktop if largely dead like cobol. It will linger, but never return.
>
> The laptop is dead too, tablets will become the new laptops. Bluetooth
> keyboards and mice, plus a master USB port, will make them more usable
> than laptops. Android will make them price competitive.
>
> A "yet to be filled" niche will become a new must-have home device, It
> will be a cross between a set-top box and a file server. The cloud is a
> possibility in this space, but I don't buy it. With all the hand-waiving
> going on "people don't want that" I really think they do want their data
> under their control. The device will allow you to sync all your devices
> and share files and songs in your house.
>
> What do you think?
>
I would tend to agree to some extent.  The need for a desktop is
primarily for additional storage that laptops do not have. The one
drawback of the tablet is that it is not comfortable for heads down
typing, but with bluetooth keyboards, HDMI ports, cases and docks that
you can use to set up your tablet on a table. I don't think that laptops
are going to disappear anytime soon.

I think that "the cloud" will become more prevalent. In your niche, a
settop/file server device could essentially be a home cloud. Or, people
could buy cloud services.

But, the bottom line is that the traditional desktop and laptop will
become things of the past to be replaced by tablet devices of various
sizes and features.

-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
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