HorrorScope wrote on Dec 1, 2013, 11:36:
Beamer wrote on Nov 30, 2013, 23:16:
Desktop PCs fell off a cliff years ago. They're about dead and not coming back. How many Black Friday deals were for desktop PCs? Not many. Why? No one wants them. No one wants to dedicate a corner of their apartment or home for a big machine that can't go anywhere.
There is no doubt some truths to what you say but there is a huge part missing here. It doesn't have to be the hottest device to have a real market. Did you see a lot of different consoles out there? I saw 6, I saw more desktop models at BB than I did consoles, I guess that means they are more popular? No. But even the desktops they are selling at BB aren't gaming units, some could be converted decently with an additional video card, but most shouldn't be.
How well does new egg, tiger, amazon and the rest do in selling cases and mother boards? How do these get counted in?
I can go over to a lot of friends houses and not find a console either. In fact I'll say I could go over to my friends house and sometimes see and sometimes not see the following: Desktop, Laptop, Tablet or Console. The only thing they all have is a cell phone. I would say #2 is a laptop. But anyone that doesn't have a gaming pc or a console isn't a gamer to anywhere near our level, they are fashionable gamers. So one could say any dedicated gaming device is dying, because it's not the norm vs something else more popular I suppose.
The point is hot rods aren't the norm, there are still millions of enthusiasts and there are markets to make money in. And then that is your country, there are other countries, some stronger in using pc's and some still growing.
None of this matters to the fact that PC's are stronger in moving pixels around your screen better than a console. If people choose to use it or not is their choice, doesn't change that fact. And with Steam box, perhaps there is a bit of a change coming. But no matter... it won't be as strong as cell phone sales, so it must be a failure.
1.5 million Android phones are activated each day. WHY DO WE EVEN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?
I'm not understanding you.
No one is saying anything about models. I'm talking deals. Black Friday is when merchants put things on sale that people want. No one put desktops on sale. Do you know why? Putting a desktop on sale won't get anyone to come to the store because not enough people want desktops.
Yes, Amazon, Tiger, Newegg, etc., sell motherboards. And a lot more. Notice that Newegg and Tiger do daily deals now, Newegg often even selling apparel. Why? Because sales of things like motherboards are dwindling. You're openly calling it niche. Niche does not sustain a business like Newegg. Niche is declining sales. Niche is why, when NVIDIA goes to CES, they only discuss their mobile developments. No lie, in 2012 they did not mention the PC. In 2009, it was all the mentioned. Why?
Because PC sales are dwindling. Axis can block me if he'd like, but that Forbes article I linked to gives hard numbers - year over year it's falling like a rock.
Yes, there are things PCs do better than tablets, but so what? People already HAVE their laptops (and not desktops, which were destroyed by laptops 5 years ago.) They sit in the corner, gathering dust until something comes up that they are needed for. Most people use computers at home primarily for consumption, though, and use devices designed solely for consumption.
You final point about cellphones makes you hard to argue with. You're confusing so many different points and arguments together that you're incoherent. Here, I'll break it down for you in numbers:
1) Desktop PC sales have been falling rapidly since 2005. They were supplanted by laptops
2) Laptop PC sales have been falling rapidly since 2011. They were supplanted by tablets
3) Most users don't do any kind of power use, at least not often, so tablets fit their needs for the vast majority of their usage time, and since they can use them while relaxing on the couch, they prefer them
4) The amount of "power" needed for power usage is also falling, so whereas people used to replace their PCs every 3 years or less, people are now keeping them around much longer, which also leads to far fewer sales
5) The amount of people with enough power in their systems to do any kind of PC gaming is falling rapidly
6) Consoles, while weak, are still more powerful than most systems you can spec out at Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc., which is where most people still buy their systems
7) Tablets are rapidly gaining in power, with Apple rumored to be working on their own version of the Surface Pro - a full fledged laptop in a tablet form factor. Just connect it to a docking station with a monitor, keyboard and mouse and it's a desktop. Connect it to a keyboard and it's a laptop
8) NVIDIA and AMD repeatedly show that PC components are less and less a key part of their business as they shift R&D and revenue to other areas
I'm sure if we go back 40 years people will have said "man, you're dumb. My terminal can do infinitely more than these 'PCs' IBM is building. Why the heck are they even bothering when their server business is so robust?" Those people were unable to look at trends and only looked at the current state. Yes, today, PCs can be more powerful. In actuality, most PCs sold can't do nearly the graphics consoles can do. In actuality, tablets can do most of what PCs are used for just fine. And they're rapidly growing in power and ability.
The desktop sitting in the corner of the room, with a room dedicated to computing, is going to be as obsolete a concept as having a computer the size of a refrigerator. It's sad that so many people here claim to be huge tech people but can't see this. It's sad that so many people here are terrified of a form factor. It's sad that, rather than getting excited about what the future may hold, and rather than come up with ideas about how tablets can adapt to fit your needs and desires, you sit around claiming that nothing will ever change and the model that took hold in the damn 1990s will hold true for the remainder of your lives.
Seriously, think about how pathetic it is that some of you think the technology from the 1990s will always be here, never adapting, never improving, and you're too damn afraid to even realize that new technology will supplant it and, as it grows, become even better for your uses. You're like the damn Unabomber with your fear of new technology. "WHAT I'M USED TO IS BEST AND EVERYONE SHOULD USE IT AND NOTHING SHOULD EVER CHANGE THE END!"