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Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

zdnet.com

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Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#41

Post by cadetzero »

bluedino wrote: post #12
cadetzero wrote: post #3

"Windows is done". What a final statement. PC sales may be mostly done. A desktop that was bought 10 years ago can still run fine today - and many still are. We reached a point in computing where upgrading doesn't make that big of a difference. You can use the same machine for a decade or more without problem if you're an end user, especially given so many rich web apps that don't require high processing power.

A Pentium 4 or Athlon XP 2700+ from 10 years ago has been unusable for all but the simplest tasks for years. It would have also needed to be upgraded along the way - it came from the factory with just 256MB or 512MB RAM. You can still edit office documents and do some light web-surfing, but for todays interactive sites and content it falls far behind the experience that an iPad can provide.

My mom still has no problem using QuickBooks and doing all the required web stuff at work with a Pentium 4 and 512mb ram. She literally just bought a new desktop because quickbooks requires it.

In an office environment, she really doesn't need more.

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#42

Post by alok-g »

>> but you know what device we'll still be using for most of our interactions? It will be a PC, simply because it's easier to enter data with a real keyboard than any other interface.

Real keyboards are nearly gone from the smartphone space. Several people I have spoken to assert that keyboards will also be gone from the workplace in a few years.

I have some ideas on how to enhance a real keyboard to make it more productive and ergonomic. My key motivation behind these comes from I myself wanting such a thing. However, I have been having mixed feelings about pursuing these due to mixed feedback from friends, primarily because they think keyboards/PCs are going away, or that getting external funding in this space would be nearly impossible.

Do you have any advice on whether this area is worth pursuing or not? Are PCs and real keyboards going to go away, or there are here to stay as OP says?

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#43

Post by Terretta »

recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

It will be interesting to see Apple's Mac sales numbers this quarter. Last quarter they were down close to 20% year-over-year. My personal theory for some of the loss in sales is that PCs are lasting much much longer than they used to. I just recently retired a laptop after using it for 6 years and am still rocking a quad core PC that is over 5 years old. My earlier computers were replaced earlier.

> My personal theory...

"The Real Reason No One's Buying PCs Anymore: They've Gotten Too Good" — http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/04/12/why_pc_sa...

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#44

Post by evanhamilton »

I don't think Windows is done because there's always going to be a market for cheap(er) laptops and desktops. My girlfriend is a teacher. She can't afford a Mac. She doesn't want a Chromebook because she spends time in locations with no internet connection. She'll be buying a Windows machine for THOSE reasons.

Someone could absolutely disrupt Microsoft in the low-price market (and who knows, Chromebook might get there) but we're not going to see everyone switch to Macs just because the new Windows isn't great.

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#46

Post by benburleson »

evanhamilton wrote: post #44

I don't think Windows is done because there's always going to be a market for cheap(er) laptops and desktops. My girlfriend is a teacher. She can't afford a Mac. She doesn't want a Chromebook because she spends time in locations with no internet connection. She'll be buying a Windows machine for THOSE reasons. Someone could absolutely disrupt Microsoft in the low-price market (and who knows, Chromebook might get ther…

I feel like there's some other alternative there...just having a hard time putting my finger on it...I heard it's really cheap, maybe even free?

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#47

Post by WayneDB »

Samuel_Michon wrote: post #37
dkrich wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this overlooks one fairly major fact and the reason Microsoft became one of the most valuable companies in the world: businesses have employees. Employees use productivity software. Productivity software cannot run on a tablet in any practical sense. Even if it could, most large companies (which are Dell and Microsoft's bread and butter) lag a good 10 years behind technology trends. This is why most employees…

“Businesses have employees. Employees use productivity software. Productivity software cannot run on a tablet in any practical sense.” Employees stuck in offices use productivity software. There are so many settings in which notebooks and desktops aren't practical, but tablets are. Places where specialized software is required. Tablets deployed in retail, healthcare, defense, airplanes, hospitality, parcel delivery,…

That's why employees should get a Microsoft Surface Pro.

They get the full-featured operating system that they're used to and they can operate the full OS via touch, pen, keyboard or mouse. I've got one and I love it. No walled garden for me, thanks!

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#48

Post by WayneDB »

redial wrote: post #29
mariusmg wrote: post #11

Yes, the OS with +90% market share is done. Idiot....

I believe the point is that the market is shrinking, so Microsoft is now the leader in a segment that gets more irrelevant every quarter while unable to enter in any meaningful way to the mobile race.

Unable? I don't think so at all... Have you tried a Surface device? I got the Pro - it's a full operating system in a device the size of an iPad, with Intel i5 CPU and graphics. What's not to love?

I predict that Windows is going to be increasingly more available on smaller mobile devices. Not much of a prediction because to me it's obvious that's the direction they're heading in.

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#49

Post by dkrich »

Samuel_Michon wrote: post #37
dkrich wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this overlooks one fairly major fact and the reason Microsoft became one of the most valuable companies in the world: businesses have employees. Employees use productivity software. Productivity software cannot run on a tablet in any practical sense. Even if it could, most large companies (which are Dell and Microsoft's bread and butter) lag a good 10 years behind technology trends. This is why most employees…

“Businesses have employees. Employees use productivity software. Productivity software cannot run on a tablet in any practical sense.” Employees stuck in offices use productivity software. There are so many settings in which notebooks and desktops aren't practical, but tablets are. Places where specialized software is required. Tablets deployed in retail, healthcare, defense, airplanes, hospitality, parcel delivery,…

"There are so many settings in which notebooks and desktops aren't practical, but tablets are. Places where specialized software is required. Tablets deployed in retail, healthcare, defense, airplanes, hospitality, parcel delivery, onsite sales and repair, city councils, classrooms, elderly homes, etc etc."

This is partially what I meant by "non-consumption." In few if any of those environments are tablets replacing desktops. They're making those jobs easier to do by integrating software where previously it wasn't possible. Perhaps it's replacing a clipboard and pen, but not really a desktop.

"Also, even productivity software works better on tablets in some cases. Nowadays, I use OmniPlan for iPad instead of Microsoft Project and Apple Numbers for iPad instead of the OS X version. I make website mockups on the iPad instead of on the desktop. For what I need to do, it's faster and more convenient."

This may be true, but I would argue that this is what would be defined as a niche market. People in corporate America using Word and Excel is not.

However I do recognize that this might not always be the case. The tablet may come to surpass the desktop in enabling productivity which is why I said that if manufacturers ever halted desktop production, he/she would likely not be using desktops for productivity anymore, either. Chances are what he/she does isn't all that unique compared to the overall market.

Re: Stick a fork in it: Windows is done

#50

Post by Livven »

TheCapn wrote: post #4

In a way journalists writing this type of article over and over puts a little fear in my heart. I don't ever intend or want to pass up my PC or laptop in favor of a phone or tablet interface; as a content developer its just not something I could ever see myself wanting to change. Sure, I own a smartphone and tablet but they're recreational at best and often used only for efficiency in my life, never a replacement for…

Lots of gamers custom-build their own PCs, so as long as people keep playing games on Windows and demand ever faster graphics cards and CPUs etc. the desktop PC should be fairly safe.
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