"Read on to find out why PC sales are HURTING so badly"

[2WheelPhoto]

Reason #4 should be reason #1!

Windows PC Sales Keep Lagging: 10 Factors Holding Back the Market

 

[Derrel]

Funny...I had JUST not too long ago read Windows 8: The disastrous result of Microsoft’s gutless equivocation | ExtremeTech

"Windows 8 The Disastrous Result of Microsoft's Gutless Equivocation", on extremetech.com....lol

Poor bass-tards from Red-dumbed, Wash-in-town...they just cannot get it right...but they've been trying so,so,so hard...

 

[texkam]

Reason #11: People are discovering they can install Linux on their existing machine and derp around safely on the internet and do other basic tasks just as fast without buying a new machine.
Linux Mint 14 released: It’s like Windows 8, minus the bad bits | ExtremeTech

 

[John27]

I was really disappointed with Windows 8. The reason Microsoft failed at creating a tablet where Apple succeeded (DISCLAIMER: Not a fanboy, but COME ON, look at how many Windows tablets sold pre iPad, and look how many iPads were sold, you simply CANNOT tell me that the iPad isn't more successful) is because Apple created a tablet from the ground up. Tablet apps, tablet UI. Now Windows 8 is halfway there with a tablet UI, though it'll still run apps that will not work well with touch. BUT, the screwed over the keyboard and mouse users! That OS is AWFUL on a traditional PC! No thank you!

I know it's not apples business model, but I really wish they would license the OS. I would love to build a PC and put OS X on it (legally and without the headache of an unreliable hackintosh). I wouldn't mind paying a couple hundred bucks for OS X in that case (I'd have to pay that much for Windows anyway)

I DO like Windows 7. It's a good OS for sure, especially compared to some of MS's other offerings. I am happy with my Windows machines. But, OSX is just a rock solid platform!

Reason #11: People are discovering they can install Linux on their existing machine and derp around safely on the internet and do other basic tasks just as fast without buying a new machine.

Linux Mint 14 released: It’s like Windows 8, minus the bad bits | ExtremeTech[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]

[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Absolutely! Modern Linux OS'es are as easy if not easier to use than windows. And anyone who can follow directions can install most popular Windows titles on linux. Most lightweight software will run out of the box with Wine (freeware), and with a little tweaking, MS Office, Photoshop, Lightroom, etc. can all be made to work in linux fluidly. It's not quite as easy as running those same Windows applications under Windows, but for lots of folks it's well worth the couple hundred bucks! I have an older laptop that I run Ubuntu Linux on. Has MS Office running on it, it's great for toting to class because it's smaller (14") without being too small. It's a good tough machine. Linux is really the way to go for a lot of people. I really think that lots of businesses that use very specialized computers should consider linux. A great example is point of sale machines (aka cash registers that use a computer, external cash drawer connected with a USB cable, etc.) Instead of running MS Windows, you could build a simple and inexpensive computer and run linux, and use Wine to run any number of popular windows POS solutions (or some awesome free linux setups!). Linux is the PERFECT solution for situations where the computer has a fixed role (or non fixed roles, but from a tech support standpoint, there is no advantage to windows in a fixed role). When you are talking about a company with hundreds or thousands of computers, the switch to linux can save tremendous amounts of money...[/FONT]

 

[texkam]

For a user with very specific software needs, like many of us photogs, Linux is not the answer, but sooooooo many people use a computer for pretty basic stuff. Internet, basic word processing and such. Our kitchen computer is an old P4 and hums right along. For my wife's needs the preloaded software does the job just fine. No need for MS Office when Libre Office will meet her/our needs. And you are correct, a modern Linux OS is as easy or easier than Windows or Mac. The Linux percentage is small but growing and being able to breathe new life into an old machine is just one more thing having an impact on the new PC market.

 

[John27]

For a user with very specific software needs, like many of us photogs, Linux is not the answer, but sooooooo many people use a computer for pretty basic stuff. Internet, basic word processing and such. Our kitchen computer is an old P4 and hums right along. For my wife's needs the preloaded software does the job just fine. No need for MS Office when Libre Office will meet her/our needs. And you are correct, a modern Linux OS is as easy or easier than Windows or Mac. The Linux percentage is small but growing and being able to breathe new life into an old machine is just one more thing having an impact on the new PC market.

Well you are right about that, but to use your photography example, that becomes an investment in and of itself. 'cheap' doesn't really cut it. High end monitors, the better end of CPU's, lots of RAM, and very expensive software. MS Windows or the 'apple tax' on Apple hardware become a drop in the bucket really. But for businesses and home users alike, with basic needs, linux is really becoming the way to go.

I wouldn't hesitate to run Linux and OpenOffice/LibreOffice on my office computer at work. My ONLY need for MS Office is the fact that professors want stuff in Office formats! (Fewer and fewer want printed papers anymore, most want it e-mailed). LibreOffice will export to that, but with some APA/MLA sticklers out there, it can mess up formatting just enough to affect a grade, and with the cost of tuition, MS Office becomes insurance But at the office, who cares what I use to draft a document, create a presentation, work on the bulletins, write my sermons, etc. etc.?

I must admit, as much as I love Apple, all of these college students on campus (not creative/art students) toting $1500 Macbooks is a little silly on the other end. It's their money and I've got no problem with an American company like Apple doing well. But, a $400 Windows laptop will do just as much facebook, occasional note-taking, and last minute paper writing as a Macbook! (Or maybe I'm just jealous because I don't have one! LOL)

 

[texkam]

LibreOffice will export to that, but with some APA/MLA sticklers out there, it can mess up formatting just enough to affect a grade,

Save as .pdf, or is that not acceptable? Academia. :roll:

Reason #12: Smart phones.

 

[John27]

LibreOffice will export to that, but with some APA/MLA sticklers out there, it can mess up formatting just enough to affect a grade,

Save as .pdf, or is that not acceptable? Academia. :roll:

Reason #12: Smart phones.

Well it all depends on the professor. I have had some adamant 'it must be .docx' professors, I even had an ENGLISH professor at the start of my undergrad, of all professors, who said that MLA formats were retarted and we weren't research students writing journals, he cared more about what we wrote. He had some basic guidelines to make sure a 5 page paper had 5 pages of content, but he was super lax on that.

Of course, in a couple years when I write and present my dissertation, it certainly won't hold any validity, nor be even worth reading, if the spacing isn't just right and the comma on the sources isn't in the correct spot for that year, naturally! hehe.

The best part is being a psychology student in an undergrad program. Half of my professors want MLA, the other half, the psych ones, want APA (American Psychology Association). Because, apparently, whenever you talk about the brain the sources must be cited differently...

 

[rexbobcat]

I love PCs and even I have to wonder what the hell Microsoft was thinking with Windows 8.

 

[Tee]

I love PCs and even I have to wonder what the hell Microsoft was thinking with Windows 8.

I agree. I'm on the 7 platform and will convert to MAC before going to 8. My desktop is dedicated to photography so I have minimal extras on it. It's straight up used for post processing and image storage only.

 

[jake337]

Ipad and ​smartphones should have been number one.


Google Study: Mobile Phone Use Tops the PC | InvestorPlace

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Microsoft is going down quick. And taking down its hardware "BOX PC" makers such as Dell, HP Acer and the like. Fortunately for some makers of memory, chips, and boards King Apple is employing those products.

 

[bratkinson]

The article really is 'right on' as to why the desktops are a dieing breed. Or, at least, are on their way down to a new plateau.

In the early days, and until the last 10 years or so, desktops had two markets...corporate and consumer.

The corporate customers embraced desktops as a means to interface with the mainframe as well as word processing, later email, spreadsheets, and a plethora of other workplace 'productivity tools' (HA!). That meant and still means a stable platform with no new daily surprises, bombouts, new releases, etc. To that end, that's why some of the bigger companies around here, including my employer, still use Windows XP. It's by far the most stable platform Microsoft has come out with. Win 7? That would require a major expenditure not only for new computers, but for the whole gamut of other software that works under XP, but not compatible with Win 7. And Windows 8? I don't see corporate users going to 8 for at least 3-5 years, and that's only because their XP machines are slowly dieing of old age.

For personal users, until 8-10 years ago, a laptop was secondary to a desktop computer. Then, as laptops got cheaper, the lastest upgrade to their laptop obviated the use of their desktop box as well...or their toddler-age kids got the old desktop. And now, with iPad and smartphones, except for hard-core MS Office users, and 'us' Photoshop/Lightroom/etc users, there probably isn't much need for desktop power and capacity any more.

When I started in computers 47 years ago, the biggest mainframe cost well over a couple of million dollars. My 10 year old Timex watch has a faster processor in it now. As computers get faster/cheaper/smaller by the day, the capabilities of todays desktops will soon be in iPad size computers with the bulk of the storage 'in the cloud'.

 

[John27]

The article really is 'right on' as to why the desktops are a dieing breed. Or, at least, are on their way down to a new plateau.

In the early days, and until the last 10 years or so, desktops had two markets...corporate and consumer.

The corporate customers embraced desktops as a means to interface with the mainframe as well as word processing, later email, spreadsheets, and a plethora of other workplace 'productivity tools' (HA!). That meant and still means a stable platform with no new daily surprises, bombouts, new releases, etc. To that end, that's why some of the bigger companies around here, including my employer, still use Windows XP. It's by far the most stable platform Microsoft has come out with. Win 7? That would require a major expenditure not only for new computers, but for the whole gamut of other software that works under XP, but not compatible with Win 7. And Windows 8? I don't see corporate users going to 8 for at least 3-5 years, and that's only because their XP machines are slowly dieing of old age.

For personal users, until 8-10 years ago, a laptop was secondary to a desktop computer. Then, as laptops got cheaper, the lastest upgrade to their laptop obviated the use of their desktop box as well...or their toddler-age kids got the old desktop. And now, with iPad and smartphones, except for hard-core MS Office users, and 'us' Photoshop/Lightroom/etc users, there probably isn't much need for desktop power and capacity any more.

When I started in computers 47 years ago, the biggest mainframe cost well over a couple of million dollars. My 10 year old Timex watch has a faster processor in it now. As computers get faster/cheaper/smaller by the day, the capabilities of todays desktops will soon be in iPad size computers with the bulk of the storage 'in the cloud'.

My younger brother does IT work for the Navy and, to this day, deploys Windows XP on brand-new computers. The Navy spent a lot of time and money learning how to lock down that OS. They have no incentive to move to Windows 7 (or 8 for that matter). It simply doesn't do anything new for them, and the software they use is mostly developed in-house, and thus there is no need to upgrade to remain compatible. I suspect the same is true for many large corporations.

I think Steve Jobs had it right when he said we are entering into the Post PC era. Portable, ARM platform devices like tablets and smartphones will dominate our computing needs. Beyond that, the laptop computer has come leaps and bounds. Most laptop computers now are more than powerful enough to handle the load of a typical user. They are much faster, and have near-desktop specs. The local high school here switched to all-laptops a few years ago for the teachers, AND the computer labs. It just makes sense! Less space taken up, less power consumed, and the price is similar! Years ago, a laptop was a substantially more expensive machine with substantially poorer performance. I remember the first laptop I ever saw/used. It was an IBM of some sort, had a giant protruding box out the back of it, it belonged to my neighbor and he spent several thousand dollars on this machine that my dust old hand-me-down computer ran circles around.

Nowadays, the gap has closed. Heck, look at Apple, they are embracing this method in both ways. Aside from the Mac Pro, everything they make is, essentially, a mobile computer. The iMac and the Mac Mini, though technically desktops, both use mobile technologies (mobile CPU, mobile RAM, mobile graphics, mobile Hard Drives), in a DESKTOP platform! For most users, a laptop will do everything they need.

There will always be a niche market. Those of us who have computing needs that require a lot more horsepower than what a laptop can give us. But I think the days of buying a desktop computer off the shelf are dwindling to an end. There will always be online-ordering of desktops or home-building for the rest of us.

Kind of scary to think back to just a few years ago, where technology was, vs now. I was watching Mythbusters on Netflix today from 2003 (season 1), that's not that long ago, but the technology looked of a forgotten ancient world. Gone were small suction cupped go-pro cameras on their various rigs (hoods of cars, cranes, etc.) that you had to squint to look for, instead everywhere you looked there were giant rigs with huge cameras. They used cellphones with protruding collapsible antennas. It was scary!

The first computer I built had a 33MHz processor, 2MB of RAM, and a 1MB video card that was bigger than my 1GB HD Radeon I have in my desktop now. It had a whopping 500 MB Hard Drive. I remember building a computer with a 6.0GB Hard drive, and saying "There is no way anyone could possibly fill one of these". HA! 6 Gigs wouldn't last a half hour in my camera, and that's being VERY generous!

 

[Steve5D]

It's not like WIndows 8 is causing the demise of the PC. The article makes it clear that PC sales were already suffering prior to the launch. It's just as likely that the increased slump is simply a continuation of the pre-Windows 8 trend as it is a slump directly related to the launch of that OS.

Personally, I have no issues with Windows. While I'm not running Windows 8, I also remember all of the doom and gloom predictions which have followed the release of seemingly every version, and I have never, ever had a problem. Windows works fine for me, and it always has. Given that track record, I have no reason to change over to a system which is, in my always wildly humble opinion, ridiculously over-priced...