We'll Be the Last PC Company Standing, Acer CEO Says 417
Velcroman1 writes: At a sky-high press conference atop the new World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, Acer unveiled a sky-high lineup of goods – and placed a flag in the sand for the sagging PC industry. "There are only four or five players in the PC industry, and all of us are survivors," Jason Chen, CEO of Acer Corp, told an international group of reporters. "We will be the last man standing for the PC industry." To that end, the company showed off a slew of new laptops and 2-in-1s, the new Liquid X2 smartphone, and introduces a new line of gaming PCs, called Predator. I suspect Apple will outlive Acer; who do you think will fall next (or rise next)?
Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Insightful)
Dell and HP have enterprise staying power, Panasonic Toughbooks are basically an industry standard.
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Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Insightful)
Do not underestimate Dell. Their ability to sell laptops by the pallet to corporations is impressive.
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Do not underestimate Dell. Their ability to sell laptops by the pallet to corporations is impressive.
Their ability to sell servers by the truckload to corporations is even more impressive... until a decent blade solution arrives that isn't so rectum-stretching expensive (*cough*CiscoUCS*cough*), I suspect that Dell will be around for a *very* long time...
(same with HP, come to think of it.)
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Their ability to sell PC made by others makes them a retailer and not a manufacturer. Ditto Apple and the rest. So ACER is right they are with a few other 'ACTUAL MANUFACTURERS' will be the last ones left standing until various countries decide it is in their national security interests to be able to securely make their own. You can bet with 100% total surety that, it will happen and it is just a matter of when. In order to subsidise that secure local manufacture governments will actively subsidise retail
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Do not underestimate Dell. Their ability to sell laptops by the pallet to corporations is impressive.
Beyond that, their enterprise gear is actually quite good. For people who've only ever used Dell's consumer crap this may come as a bit of a surprise.
My biggest complaint with the Dell Latitude work gave me is that it is a little bit on the heavy side.
Reliable laptops with decent specs combined with aggressive pricing at the enterprise level that Acer is unable to match and Apple is unwilling to match there is little surprise that Dell is an enterprise favourite.
Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:4, Interesting)
but ALL laptops were consumer-level crap. (Don't recall having seen a Dell desktop - seems companies want everyone to use laptops these days)
Look past the casing (the enterprise doesn't place any value on looks). The Latitude and precision series are extremely powerful and reliable as well as very easy to fix. Its no coincidence that organisations that use dell tend to have long replacement cycles (4 or 5 years in some places).
I've worked with procuring laptops in both small and big business, I have no problems in recommending Dells as they've demonstrated that they can:
1) go the distance.
2) bend over backwards to fix problems.
After sales support with Dell's business laptops is top notch, regardless of if you bought 10 or 10,000 laptops.
My only real complaints with them are they're fugly as hell and a tiny bit on the heavy side (as in maybe half a kilo). Both of these are easy to get over.
I've seen a few Dell desktops, SFF desktops are making a bit of a come back, but laptops are still dominant.
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Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Insightful)
I think you probably aren't aware that Dell has a pretty decent foothold in the market of prefab data center solutions, and compared to a lot of others their servers&racks snap together a lot nicer, and come with a lot more enterprise-friendly tech support. Don't get me wrong, I'm no big fan of Dell so I'm not gonna advertise for them, but if you Google "Dell blade server" I'm sure you'll quickly realize its no laughing matter.
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Also, Dell has been on a buying spree of enterprise solutions lately - they'll crowbar their way into your enterprise one way or another; be it with data-at-rest encryption software, firewalls and routers, switching, thin clients, storage, etc.
Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Informative)
How is Dell a laugh?
I write this on a gorgeous Dell Precision M3800 that has it all: powerful i7 processor, space for lots of RAM (16 GB), dual SSD bays, gorgeous 4K screen, and all in a lightweight, svelte case that rivals a Macbook Air in appearance and feel.
Oh, did I mention Linux compatibility? Ubuntu is officially supported. (My fave distro, Fedora runs without issue - literally load and forget)
Not sure what you're looking for in a PC manufacturer, but for Slashbots, isn't this pretty much it?
Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Funny)
Not sure what you're looking for in a PC manufacturer, but for Slashbots, isn't this pretty much it?
He is looking for a tablet where he can install candy crush
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So wait, it supports a processor that was introduced 7 years ago in November 2008, has room for the minimum about of RAM I'd expect on a modern PC, and well under half what I could have installed on my desktop 3 years ago, only room for two hard drives, and a 4k screen? it really doesn't sound that great.
You try lugging that desktop around in a bag and we'll see how that works out for you. Hint: laptops aren't desktops for a reason. Also, the M3800 sports Haswell CPUs (another hint! i7 indicates relative strength within a series, it's not the series itself), which were definitely not introduced 7 years ago. Better luck next time.
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Name some other 4k, dual hard drive laptops.
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SSD for os and programs and HDD for storage just like a desktop?
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Oh great, a technology that gimps your processor to prevent it heating up. Nice!
Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Funny)
I take it that Windows 2000 keyboards don't have a return key?
Re: Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:3)
Hint: it starts with 'A' and ends with 'SUS'.
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That watch is also available for 350 bucks if you don't want it to be super spiffy. Even comes in a range of colors too.
Given the thing is backordered into June, I think you're underestimating what's going on at Apple. But I don't count them as a "PC" company since they're not building commodity Windows hardware to begin with.
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Right, nothing screams "artsy 99%-er" like a $350 fashion watch. That isn't even spiffy, because it is for the po'r.
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PC != running MS Windows. PC is pretty much short hand for x86 compatible cpu non-server non-embeded computer.
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Exactly. Also referred to in the past as the ISA (Industrial Standard Architecture). And even though ISA slots are long gone* PCs still are compatible with the old standard. This to the extent that some bus accesses will be artificially slowed down to conform to AT performance even though that isn't documented.
(* actually there still is remnants of it in the form of the LPC (Low Pin Count) bus)
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Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:4, Insightful)
Bollocks. Buy a game labelled as for PCs and when it doesn't run on your Mac (or Apricot, or Dragon 32) sue the manufacturer.
Because those are all, like, personal computers.
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Bullocks yourself. The games I have say what operating system and version they require on the box and in the product insert/installation instructions/manual. That hasn't changed from before IBM came out with their version of the personal computer, when games would list their hardware requirements, since personal computers then weren't hardware (never mind operating system) compatible.
IBM did not invent the personal computer [computerhope.com].
In 1975, Ed Roberts coined the term "personal computer" when he introduced the Altair 8800. Although the first personal computer is considered by many to be the KENBAK-1, which was first introduced for $750 in 1971. The computer relied on a series of switches for inputting data and output data by turning on and off a series of lights.
Even Allen and Gates gave Roberts credit [arstechnica.com]:
Even Roberts' Wikipedia page acknowledges him as the engineer who developed "the first commercially successful personal computer." When he died last year, Microsoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen praised him as "the father of the PC."
"The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things," their statement concluded. "The Altair ultimately failed in the marketplace, but it sold thousands of units and jump-started the entire personal computer industry,"
So Bill Gates and Paul Allen say bullocks
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Every game I see boxed in a store, or even on Steam for that matter, do not have a PC icon on them anywhere.
They have a windows logo and/or an apple logo (and on rare occasion a tux penguin logo along with the other two)
What game(s) have you seen with only "PC" or equivalent on it?
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When was the last time Apple actually built their computers?
The Mac Pro desktops are all allegedly built in the US.
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If you try and take software labeled as PC compatible and load it onto a non-windows machine, what happens?
It runs. Old games and applications run just fine in DOSBox. And there are plenty of users who run windows apps on a mac or linux machine. Also, there are tablets and portable personal computers out there that now run on ARM or Exynos cpus, so x86 compatibility is a non-requirement for a personal computer.
And since Windows RT (those Windows Surface devices, etc) runs on ARM, you don't need x86 to run Windows either.
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If you want to run mac OS X and you don't want to violate the EULA you have to buy apple hardware.
This means that while PCs from vendor X and PCs from vendor Y are largely interchangable PCs and macs are less so despite using the same core components.
Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because a tomato is a fruit doesn't make ketchup a smoothie.
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It did.....in 1980.
But since the mid to late 80's, when people say PC they mean a computer using a CPU with the x86 instruction set running a Microsoft operating system.
Face it, the Intel/IBM/Microsoft hegemony wone the terminology battle years ago. As was said then: Those Commodores, Ataris, TRS-80 branded machines aren't PC's, they're "home computers" not "real PC's". A real computer runs Word/Lotus123.
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I find it ironic then that nowadays "real" PCs run IOS and Android.
What?
Die Micro$soft, just die!
How about you grow up instead?
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Re:Dell, HP, Panasonic (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple isn't going anywhere. At worst, their smartwatch has mediocre sales like iPods do now, where the line is kept and maintained, but not actively updated like iPhones are.
I would say that the PC company that will be left standing is Apple in the consumer sector.
However, what isn't mentioned is enterprise sales. Businesses buy just as many PCs as individuals. In this market, I'd say it will be a tossup between Dell, Lenovo, and HP.
Dell isn't under the lash of the quarterly shareholders, so they can do what they well please. Charge off a quarter just for R&D? Dell can do that and not face shareholder lawsuits from the HFT guys.
Lenovo is China. They also can do what they well please because of the government/company interaction involved. They are not going anywhere because Chinese businesses need desktops, laptops, servers, and other items.
HP... who knows. They have a solid ground in the enterprise, but are shackled by being publically traded. However, their products are decent.
As for PC vendors, they just need to start realizing that the desktop is now a role that can be done by a tower, mini tower, laptop, tablet, or even a cellphone (as in the case of the Motorola Atrix). They also need to start adding functionality into their machines. A few examples:
1: There is a reason why NAS drives are hitting the market. Apple's MacBook and fast wireless connections are creating a market for NAS drives as well as larger servers for home use. Plus, backups don't hurt either, and file servers will only get more buyers as ransomware and other malicious software gets more common. There is a market here. For wired machines, sell iSCSI, 10gigE, and the ability to boot from the NAS (well, used as a SAN in this case.) One drive array then handles all the home files, and is easily backed up and managed.
2: Virtualization. Windows 10 is going whole hog with Docker containers, both "plain" and in Hyper-V VMs. It might be wise for EMC/VMWare to get with hardware makers and put ESXi into BIOS of computers before MS overruns the market with Hyper-V, or both players have to deal with OpenStack/Xen/KVM.
3: SAN functionality like snapshots, copying backups on the array level, deduplication, and other tools would be useful on PCs. Malware can't touch previous backups if done on the snapshot level.
4: Time to bite the bullet and move to SSD wholesale, at least for the OS. HDD bays are still useful, but the machine should at least boot, if not run its apps and data from SSD.
5: Consumer level backup media. Malware isn't going away anytime soon, and there is nothing out there that actually gives resistance from malware overwriting backup media, except for CD/DVD/BD-R drives. What would be ideal would be some form of inexpensive tape drive with the media able to be write-protected, maybe even WORM media available, so if some CryptoWall or CryptoLocker variant does its nasty work, stuff is still recoverable.
PC companies just need to open their eyes, perhaps move some enterprise features down the chain, and they will still have not just a market, but the ability to expand and get people to buy new stuff.
I love my Packard Bell (Score:3)
Said no one ever. And who owns Packard Bell now? The company that thinks they'll outlive them all.
My Packard Bell was invaluable (Score:5, Funny)
It taught me to never go cheap again.
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Honestly, my Acer Aspire One is the PC that taught me that. Odd that it's Acer which thinks they're going to be the last one standing. I'd have a hard time being convinced to buy another of their computers.
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Wow! That's like crapping out a used turd.
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Aren't all turds "used?"
Re:I love my Packard Bell (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I love my Packard Bell (Score:5, Interesting)
Makes you wonder what type of constraints they were working under to come up with a solutions like [the power switch rod]...
If memory serves, this was to meet UL certification rules. For some reason, line voltage was not allowed to cross the case to the switch. That said, my first PC was a whitebox clone that completely violated these rules, so don't be surprised if your no-name PC from that era also lacked the Rube Goldberg rod linkage.
The ATX form factor solved this by using a low voltage signal to control the power supply -- the wires crisscrossing the case for this carry no more than 5V (with a large series resistance). Shorting that to ground turns the power supply on; this (plus a 5V standby signal powering a small supervisor microcontroller) is how your motherboard can control the power to the system.
Apple may outlive Acer - But will they make PCs? (Score:5, Insightful)
I could easily see Apple abandoning the PC market. As a business they make most of the money on mobile devices & iStore. They continue to make good hardware in their laptops but it would be easy to see them decide it wasn't worth it if the pc market deteriorated further in the future.
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Apple needs the Mac for their own use, and so do all of the iOS developers. They won't get out of the PC business until and unless an iPad can drive a" 5K display.
-jcr
There is no reason why iOS developement couldn't be done on PCs running Windows or Linux. And the iPad is not that far from being able to drive a 5K display. If there were a market for that, there could be a 5K - compatible iPad next year
Re:Apple may outlive Acer - But will they make PCs (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, a few years ago at WWDC, the whole "Apple isn't making personal computers anymore" came up in one of the labs. And the comment from one of the Apple guys was, "Do we really want iOS development to be dependent on Windows?"
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Already, tablets and 2-in-1s are progressing much faster than the desktop, which hasn't seen any truly revolutionary leaps in ages (tech-wise, anyway).
I was always a big nay-sayer on tablets taking off, and I still think the classic version of the iPad-style tablet
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Apple doesn't need to build Mac hardware to use or to do the development. It needs OSX. There is absolutely nothing stopping them from selling their hardware manufacturing arm to someone like ACER and then releasing OSX to the market. Potentially releasing it as a free item in order to increase market penetration. In fact there would be an argument to be made for combining iTunes and OSX into the same package and releasing that to the market.
Re:Apple may outlive Acer - But will they make PCs (Score:5, Insightful)
What Apple learned from the PC manufacturers, is to not depend on anyone. They are one of the few companies who keep all design and technology in-house.
It's key to how Apple operates that they can and do switch suppliers and manufacturing locations.
The whole PC-clone industry became possible because IBM and others didn't own the designs or the technology. It is why companies like ASUS, MSI, AMD and many others exist in the PC industry, but there are no equivalents in Apple land.
It is the key difference between the PC and Apple industry. It is also the reason why I think Apple will be making machines for OSX for a long time, at least as long as those are needed to develop software for Apple (iOS or whatever). Apple doesn't want to depend on any one and doesn't want anyone to be easily able to copy them. It is at the core of their business model.
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Re:Apple may outlive Acer - But will they make PCs (Score:5, Insightful)
That would make perfect sense to me. They don't care about the Mac, and haven't since the iPhone. Originally, products like the iPod were designed to sell more Macs -- but with the decoupling of iTunes from their "operating system" and the insane pace of iPhone sales, they realized that the real money wasn't in Macs. It never was, but it took them a long time to realize it.
I think the signs are already there. They get rid of Aperture thus shunning the "I got a DSLR a year ago, now I'm a photographer" crowd, and not long ago, the whole FCPX debacle showed the video editing world how much Apple gave a crap about them and their industry. Recently, DJs were taken aback by the lack of ports on the new MB -- because they knew that those stupid dongles would break very quickly and need to be replaced constantly as all Apple cables must be.
Nope, Apple would rather continue selling to mass market nubs who won't complain about features on their iPhone. Corporates are too much work, they have requirements and those requirements can't be dictated to them by some egotistic nutjob working at an art gallery that thinks it's a computer company.
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Just as it dropped the DVD drive before most were comfortable with the idea, Apple will absolutely dump the PC market as soon as it is forward-thinking to do so.
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When the Acer guy says "PC" I'm pretty sure he's talking about the category of "computers that come with Windows installed". That's how consumers use the term.
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There's actually a lot of cross-pollination going in between the 2 platforms. For some things it's easier to release first on the desktop at WWDC and let the devs play with it a year or 2 before it ends up on iOS. Look at the new Force Touch thing they're rolling out. Apple Watch -> MacBook -> iPhones/iPads last.
Then you have things like Continuity in Yosemite that tightly binds a Mac and iPhone, that increases sales of both and prevents commoditization.
Besides, in a few years phones will be at the "
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Yes but that doesn't mean they have to build the hardware.
As for your comment about phones I think we are already there. A huge number of people are still using their Samsung S2s and are quite happy. The difference though is life is pretty hard for a phone and you can always tell whose phone is long in the tooth just by the bumps and scrapes. I think this means for most people the 2 year cycle will continue because their phone is battered rather than obsolete.
Ever cheaper computers (Score:5, Interesting)
PCs are going from commoditized to some sort of ultra-commoditized place not even yet seen in the PC market.
Intel's new SoC's reduce what you need for a basic end-user computer to a motherboard the size of a stick of gum. And that's not an exaggeration.
SoC+memory module+32 gigs EMMC+wifi chip and you're done.
Microsoft has even started seeing the light, and is pricing consumer windows down in the givaway range, because they know their old 199-for-base-99-for-upgrade model does not stand up when the hardware costs half that. Microsoft knows that they've got to give away windows and make it up on services, otherwise ChromeOS devices will eat them alive in the consumer space.
The premium PC market will remain. There are gamers. There are people that need to work.. But high-end consumer is already owned by apple. They enjoy -margins- with macbooks 1000% better than their nearest competitor. It not matters 2 shits what anyone puts out. Apple will be the only survivor because they're the only ones making money.
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Intel's new SoC's reduce what you need for a basic end-user computer to a motherboard the size of a stick of gum. And that's not an exaggeration.
Oh yes it most certainly IS an exaggeration, it's 10cm by 4cm, much larger than a gum stick at 8.5cm by 2cm. Plus the Intel needs a fairly large power brick. Now some of the Android sticks are as small as a pack of gum and are low enough power that they can run off the USB port built into some TV's (if they're made for charging a phone it will work, if they're only
Pay per view event (Score:5, Funny)
This had better end in a Steel Cage match.
PC Survivor Series. Make it happen.
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Donald Trump vs Michael Dell battling to the death with the sharpened bones of downsizing victims.
Thunderdome: The Apprentice
The future of television.
And if you need to decompress after being subjected to that, here is a good old anti-TV song to help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
PC industry (Score:5, Informative)
PC industry has "4 or 5 players"? Really?
Apple
Asus
Acer
Dell
HP
Lenovo
Toshiba
Not to mention the plethora of hardware component manufacturers which are dozens.
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ASUS has a full product line including PCs, but they're a TV/monitor/tablet company mostly. Toshiba still sells laptops, but they mostly do other stuff.
(disclaimer: I own lots of ASUS stuff, and nothing from Acer)
Apple is mostly a phone, laptop, and portable audio company. They do still sell a few PCs, of course.
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MSI
Intel
Gigabyte
Falcon Northwest
Boxx
Winbook/Powerspec
Zotac
Elo
Samsung
Viewsonic
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Acer own Gateway
A new Windows phone? (Score:2)
Perhaps they should focus on the more short-term goal of being the last Windows phone standing...
ASUS (Score:2, Interesting)
ASUS will outlive Acer, but does it really matter?
Unless you're a gamer, you're wasting your money buying a desktop (whatever form factor). Before long reasonably priced laptops will run games well, too, and the desktop PC will be effectively dead. I've been building/maintaining towers since 1991, and I said goodbye to all but one machine this month. I don't know why I kept it. I turn it on once a month.
Maybe you want a desktop for storage. Laptops are shipping with more than 1 TB of storage, and you can re
Re:ASUS (Score:4, Informative)
Some of use still play games. You can say bye to all the low spec crap you like, but some of us like performance, and you don't get that from laptops or SBC. Not everyone wants to play flappy-birds. Some of us want to push Rome to the limits.
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you could also get a NAS if you're nerdy and you want storage. with gigabit ethernet and extremely fast wifi, NAS almost feels like a local disk
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Desktops of some form (possibly just as a remote workhorse) will persist because of power users.
Laptops, on the other hand, will be pushed out of the market as tablets/phones get better at doing the jobs laptops are used for.
That being said, I cringe at your idea that a laptop with external HDDs are somehow comparable to a desktop.
Re:ASUS (Score:5, Insightful)
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Laptops and tablets are not what will kill the desktop. Laptops are slower, easier to steal or damage, harder/costlier to repair, have less storage, and are HORRIBLE for ergonomics. Any business swapping out desktops for laptops are idiots who haven't done the ROI. Tablets aren't any better.
Eventually though, desktops will change, personally, I think we will be swapping out the towers for cell phones with wireless keyboard/mouse/displays (something
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Except I hate crap keyboards, crap track pads and small screens. It doesn't matter how good a laptop keyboard is it still sucks next to a decent discrete keyboard.
Yes you can plug external everything into a laptop but then it becomes an expensive version of a desktop. The only exceptions to this are where the laptop comes with a decent docking stations - ala Dell Latitudes. In that instance you still get the advantages of mobility with the ability to have a work place setup.
But even if you do run a docki
next? (Score:3)
> who do you think will fall next [?]
I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I've been predicting for awhile that HP will fall next, it just seems so obviously likely, but I continue to be wrong. At least, so far. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.
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One can hope.
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Meg, is that you?
Coming from the people that spent... (Score:2)
... a substantial sum to acquire the Packard/Bell brand, I find this hard to believe.
Nightmare scenario (Score:2)
Only Acer left. Who wants this ?
I remember back then, several friends bought Acer laptops because it was cheap, few of these survived. Even store brands fared better.
I hope they are better now because otherwise, it would be a nightmare.
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No, they won't... (Score:2)
There will always be a market for PCs - there is no way a tablet is going to replace everything a computer can do. In particular, programming on them is clunky, they are very poorly optimized for a keyboard / mouse combination, they overheat if doing anything remotely difficult, and are very unreliable. We were told that mobile devices were going to completely replace desktops way back in 2008 - here we are, almost a decade later, and we're still in the same position as back then.
Will sales be reduced? A
My sympathies (Score:2)
Determined to be the last of a dead market segment! Quite the aspiration you have there.
Bunch of nonsense anyhow. PCs aren't going away.
Tablets not as useful as expected (Score:3)
Apple seem to be aware of this as well, with their latest Macbook Air being only slightly larger and heavier than an iPad but with a usable keyboard.
People are now used to devices with few to no ports, and connecting to everything wirelessly. The days of chunky laptops that have CD burners, ports galore and are nearly an inch-thick are long gone, but lightweight laptops that are really like super tablets seem to be the future.
Meanwhile (Score:3)
The homebrew PC market is still booming.
Re:Apple? (Score:4, Funny)
They are PCs. Uses just have to throw away the BSD that came with them and upgrade to Windows.
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A Mac is basically a UEFI x86 box. It will happily allow a recent Windows version to be installed on it, with or without BootCamp. In fact, in some scenarios, if one compares hardware features to hardware features, Apple's offerings are actually cheaper than the PCs with the exact same specs.
Of course, Apple isn't really gunning for the enterprise, so some company ordering 10,000 iMacs with a specific company-custom Windows image isn't likely, but their hardware is definitely usable.
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By your definition, Lenovo ThinkPads, Dell Inspiron, etc, aren't PCs, they are they own line of computers.
Laptop and desktop form factor, check. x86 based, check. Unlocked bootloader, check. Run general purpose OSs like Windows and Linux, check. Mac are PCs too.
I think the x86 architecture is not even needed, it is the form factor and be able to run non Apple OSs that make them PCs too.
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The part that some apple fans miss is that the rest of the world doesn't use your "PC means Microsoft Windows" code-words. PC means "Personal Computer."
The funniest though are the people still saying "wintel." That one always creacked me up, especially the time I was running a linux PC with a cyrix CPU and an apple guy kept pronouncing "linux PC" as "a wintel." Of course, Apple's personal computers are also running Intel now. Though most of my PCs are on AMD.
Here is another PC that used to be popular:
https: [youtube.com]
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MSIs are indeed pretty great, in my admittedly small experience of one machine. My current laptop is an MSI - I was a little hesitant at the time to get a machine from a moderately unknown company, and one with, I've heard, pretty crap support, but the price and specs were fantastic at the time, I figured it couldn't *possibly* be worse than the HP I was replacing.
4 1/2 years later, this is the longest I've gone on a single laptop yet, since I got my first one... dang, almost 20 years ago. Haven't had to ca
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Actually we have in the latest RFP a bunch of laptops from Fujitsu e.g 574,752,754. They are ok.
Re: ASUS Acer (Score:2)
I don't know when it became standard to have a 5yo computer that requires keyboard replacement or has cracks. Even with daily rough handling it (student loaner), I have a PowerBook G4 and IBM ThinkPad although both are very much scratched up, still going well without major damage for the last 12 years. Besides the requisite RAM upgrades and battery swaps and an SSD upgrade, I never had to open it up for repairs..
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
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I think Apple will stay in the desktop/laptop market as long as it's the development platform for their software. I believe it's a core principle of how Apple operates to not be dependent on anyone but Apple. It's why they have all their design and technology in house.
This gives them the immense power to switch suppliers and manufacturing locations and completely control their own future.
Pc-clone manufaturers and brands come and go because the parts are interchangeable. Apple doesn't live in that world and
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Demand might be there, but the problem is that OEMs are really *REALLY* awful at business.
Selling lots of machines at razor thin margins to compete with everyone else selling machines at razor thin margins has been a massive albatross on the neck of the PC market. When there are no more OEMs, who's going to sell PCs to people who don't want to build or want notebooks?
While it's possible that savvy enthusiasts not willing to make the mistakes of their elders may rise from the ashes, I'm not holding my breath
Re: (Score:2)
While they may change and mutate into tablet/desktop/laptop hybrids as they already have, the concept of a PC will live forever.
Indeed, the mainframe and the minicomputer both still exist. However, they're also largely irrelevant in the technological space. PC's will no doubt have millions working on them for a long time to come. The real question is whether they'll have HUNDREDS of millions working on them. And that's not nearly so clear.
Re: IBM will outlive both, but it doesn't do PCs n (Score:2)
From what I see, people only work on Apple hardware. PC (esp. acer) only gets used for gaming and enterprise drones (playing solitaire/flash games all day). That will probably be the case unless Apple goes into the custom PC building.
Re: (Score:2)
That's weird, my work machine is a 15" MBP... and I don't see the BSoDs (black, not blue), frequent reboots, dropped wifi, or the cursing in general that the 'doze users commonly do.
It's also easier to have an OS that does both the necessary evil of MS Office/Outlook, and at the same time gives me a usable bash shell without having to use PuTTY, Cygwin, or something similar.
But you know, YMMV...