Some say the Age of the PC is over -- that the traditional PC is dead as products such as the iPad and other tablets attract more users from both the enterprise and among consumers. Tablet sales have climbed dramatically while PC sales indicate that we’ve indeed entered a mature market phase. Even the every reliable PC replacement cycle is failing to deliver like it used to. To add insult to injury the leader in PC sales, HP, is talking about potentially selling or spinning off its PC business. And critics point to the end of the Microsoft Windows era as PCs go the way of punch cards. But all that talk may be no more than just talk. The fact of the matter is, the PC Age is still here, and desktops and laptops will survive (and thrive) over the next several years. Sure, tablets are important, but they’re not taking parts of the pie from laptops; they’re making the pie bigger. Here’s why the death of PCs has been greatly exaggerated.
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Desktops Are Still Needed For years, folks have been saying that desktops will die off. But so far, they haven’t. They’re still as relevant as ever. For good reason. Desktops offer a level of power and usability that isn’t found elsewhere in the computing space. And that won’t change anytime soon.
Laptop Sales Are On the Rise Although much of the attention in the computing market revolves around tablets and other mobile devices, laptop sales are still rising. In fact, some research firms believe sales of laptops could see double-digit growth in the coming years. That doesn’t sound like an industry that’s dying, does it?
Tablets Are Huge, But Not Practical There’s no debating that tablets are wildly popular and stealing market share from laptops, but that doesn’t mean that they can actually kill off PCs. For many functions, including typing out long documents, surfing the Web, and using sophisticated programs, tablets just aren’t practical. And unless that changes, PCs will stay on top.
Can We All Stop With the Smartphone Talk? Oddly, there are some folks that say as smartphones become more sophisticated, they could steal some market share away from basic laptops. Such comments need to banished altogether. Smartphones are great for checking e-mail and placing calls, but they don’t work as laptop replacements.
The Enterprise Won’t Switch The enterprise has long been a key driving factor for the popularity of PCs, and looking ahead, that likely won’t change. The enterprise is heavily reliant upon desktops and laptops, and although companies are warming to tablets, it’s not happening fast enough to kill off PCs. Like it or not, PCs are here to stay in the enterprise.
It’s A Matter of Productivity As mentioned before, it’s easier to get work done on PCs. But for enterprise users, it goes far beyond just getting work done. Companies around the globe care most about productivity. And for now, PCs are the best way to keep employees productive. Tablets might eventually come close, but until that happens, PCs should be the number one choice.
Microsoft’s Death Grip Quite often, people like to talk about Apple and Google and how they’ve been major agents of change in the mobile space. Those same folks say that the two firms could eventually take down PCs. But that’s quite unlikely for one main reason: Microsoft. The software company has boatloads of cash and its success relies upon the continued adoption of PCs. Microsoft will stop at nothing to ensure PCs stay strong.
Think about the Software Mobile applications are becoming more popular as developers flock to iOS and Android to offer their software. But for sophisticated applications, and especially those programs companies rely on, there’s no getting away from the fact that the best software is still available on Windows-based PCs. Best of all for PC vendors, those developers need Windows PCs to continue to generate boatloads of cash. Don’t forget that when evaluating the PC market’s future.
Sophistication Means More Sophisticated Products Around the world, major industries are becoming far more sophisticated. And with that sophistication comes the need for more sophisticated products. In the computing space, that means turning more and more to PCs. Tablets are fine for simple tasks, but for sophisticated operations, the high-powered chips found in desktops and laptops are needed. And that will never change.
Billions of Dollars Are Riding On It When it’s all said and done, the futures of key markets come down to money. If an industry is huge and worth billions of dollars to a slew of companies, it’s far less likely to be destroyed than those that few companies rely on. When it comes to PCs, there are a slew of prominent companies that rely on them. And until the PC space doesn’t generate billions of dollars any longer, it’s hard to see any of those companies waving the white flag.
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