• redalastor
    +18

    PCs are getting "good enough", they aren't changed that often. Tablets and cell on the other hand seldom last more than a year, max two.

    If you look at the number in use, PCs aren't dying.

    • NotWearingPants
      +4

      SO true. I went almost 7 years between buying desktops, and I can see my current one probably lasting that long before I do it again. Doesn't mean I don't use it at least 2-3 hours per day.

    • hingeattack
      +3

      That's actually a really important point! You're completely right, I hadn't even thought about that! I haven't gotten a new computer in years, and I probably won't get another for another year. If everyone else (that has a computer) is at least almost as bad about keeping their computer up to date, this sort of decline in sales might spell an even greater increase in price. A new computer just isn't one of my priorities, and if prices go up because of this, I really don't know what will happen. There's a few different ways this could go and I guess we'll just have to wait and see. How do you think this will play out?

      • redalastor (edited 9 years ago)
        +5

        It's not a new or original observation, the papers have been saying that every year so I've known why that is for a while now. The truth is that since Windows XP, people don't want to let go of their old computers. The only ones that need new machines at a regular interval are the gamers and even them don't change their war machines at the same rate people change their tablets.

        PCs will continue to be in every business and everywhere. They'll continue to give some modest ground to the laptops but still, it's all the same manufacturers.

        Next year you'll see that PCs are dying. Again. And the one after. And the next.

        If you want to understand why it's written, Paul Graham explains it in this article.

        The first paragraph of the article written in 2005 is:

        "Suits make a corporate comeback," says the New York Times. Why does this sound familiar? Maybe because the suit was also back in February, September 2004, June 2004, March 2004, September 2003, November 2002, April 2002, and February 2002.

        And if you Google for "suits are back", you'll find articles claiming that the suits are back up to 2015.

        Go read the article, it's quite worth it.

        • Distinguished
          +1

          I'd like to point out as well that pc gamers also a lot of the time don't just straight up buy a new rig. They'll normally upgrade parts until their motherboard can't hold the latest stuff. At least that's what I do.

          • redalastor
            +1

            And often buy the first rig piece by piece to begin with, thus never buying a PC as far as stats are concerned.