PC Sector: Headed For The Worst Second Half Ever?

[Crap Daddy]

As the title says, here's a short read:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsav...-the-worst-second-half-ever/?partner=yahootix

The times they are a-changin'

 

[TRWOV]

The issue is that currently everything released under the sun is overpowered for most users so there's few if any incentives to upgrade. I just build a rig for a relative with a Celeron G550, PCchips H61 Board, Earthwatts 380w, 8GB DDR3 and a Powercolor HD6570 (OCed to 6670 speeds) and he couldn't be happier.

I myself went recently from a 6850 to a 6950 and apart from a couple of games and benchmarks I hardly notice the upgrade.




Also 1366x768.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/11/mo...screen-resolution-on-the-web-is-now-1366x768/

 

[INSTG8R]

This is the part that rubs me the wrong way.

Tablet cannibalization of PCs

It is the intended "plan" with Windows 8. With products like THIS appearing it's even looking more obvious.

But yeah like TRWOV said basically for the majority of PC users what we have is total overkill. Do I really need an i7 running at 4.6Ghz? Nope. Nor do I really need a 7970 either for the majority of games available. But I DO have these things and that it in itself has "shot them in the foot"

Anyone who has made a "significant" upgrade in the past 2 years lets say. Has more than enough power and has zero reason to purchase anything else for the foreseeable future. They have gotten my money and given a product that exceeds the current environments "specs"(can't think of a better word)They can't sell me the "next big thing" because what I already have is more than competitive/capable. They have essentially painted themselves into a corner.

Windows 8 on the other hand is just a step towards "Dumbing Down" The PC as we know it evolving it into a "Desktop Tablet" Not gonna sell many Ivybridge-E's GTX700s to run that now are they?
Now I get that those are "enthusiast" parts and a very small section of the market. But then look at the "mainstream" rig TRWOV built. Still "more than capable" and will continue to be in the current environment.

 

[yogurt_21]

From a larger purchaser of dell servers I can tell you that dell has raised prices on this latest generation, in some cases the same equivalent server costs you 25% more than gen11. This has many of their clients rethinking upgrades. At the same time mobile platforms are reducing the need for desktops/laptops.

Think about what 99% of people do on their home pc, browse the net, email, a few light games, etc.

phones do all of that fine, tablets can do it even better (web browsing at least)

Then you have to factor in the grim outlook for windows 8 and you've got a pretty bad picture.

 

[Crap Daddy]

We are moving fast to an uncertain future in PC world (those PC's that we knew). It is pretty dramatic, AMD stocks are plumeting to a degree that people are asking themselves if they will go bankrupt or if they will be bought, NVidia was downgraded because they failed to provide the chip inside the new Kindle and the GPU market is not a bright perspective. Intel can still take the heat but for how long?

We here are turning faster than we think in a bunch of hobbyists, some sort of an exclusive and extravagant club much like people who listen only to vinyl records and have expensive record players and tube amps and we listen at home our music while the rest of the world have their sounds in their pockets as MP3s and listen with in-ear cheap headphones while ordering a fat burger.

 

[eidairaman1]

From a larger purchaser of dell servers I can tell you that dell has raised prices on this latest generation, in some cases the same equivalent server costs you 25% more than gen11. This has many of their clients rethinking upgrades. At the same time mobile platforms are reducing the need for desktops/laptops.

Think about what 99% of people do on their home pc, browse the net, email, a few light games, etc.

phones do all of that fine, tablets can do it even better (web browsing at least)

Then you have to factor in the grim outlook for windows 8 and you've got a pretty bad picture.

Makes companies go to others with less priced Intel solutions or AMD solutions. OEMs have always price gouged

 

[erixx]

A really new gen of games, and a really bigger better gen of monitors that stress latest video cards could be marketable...

Otherwise it is just useless more mouses, more headphones, more keyboards, more laptop refrigerators and what not more stupid gadgets....

TV and video also died on the PC with Smart TVs in the living room...

 

[yogurt_21]

We are moving fast to an uncertain future in PC world (those PC's that we knew). It is pretty dramatic, AMD stocks are plumeting to a degree that people are asking themselves if they will go bankrupt or if they will be bought, NVidia was downgraded because they failed to provide the chip inside the new Kindle and the GPU market is not a bright perspective. Intel can still take the heat but for how long?

We here are turning faster than we think in a bunch of hobbyists, some sort of an exclusive and extravagant club much like people who listen only to vinyl records and have expensive record players and tube amps and we listen at home our music while the rest of the world have their sounds in their pockets as MP3s and listen with in-ear cheap headphones while ordering a fat burger.

amd isn't going anywhere, they're nowhere near their 2008 low of 2.18 a share and they survived that. Remember that the next gen of consoles are all amd graphics, it's a delay but that will help them rebound. nvidia similarly isn't close to its 2008 lows. Both are struggling but both seem to have things in the future that give a brighter outlook. Still though in both cases stand alone gpus don't seem to be making money, and that doesn't bode well for gamers.

 

[Peter1986C]

About the AMD graphics in consoles subject: I remember that the Gamecube I had, had an ATI GPU.

 

[xBruce88x]

The biggest problem is mobile devices. For a while software was beginning to catch up, until everyone decided they had to be able to do all these things on their phones and tablets.. so now software has slowed down to accommodate these devices.

While tablets and such become ever more popular, there will still be a demand for desktops... the reason is simple. You can only fit so much processing power within that small package and still actually afford the thing. The only time it becomes very affordable is when it is considered outdated and put on sale, or a cheaper version that doesn't require as much refinement is made, i.e. desktop components.

 

[Frick]

While tablets and such become ever more popular, there will still be a demand for desktops... the reason is simple. You can only fit so much processing power within that small package and still actually afford the thing. The only time it becomes very affordable is when it is considered outdated and put on sale, or a cheaper version that doesn't require as much refinement is made, i.e. desktop components.

Not a lot of people actually need a desktop. Some proffesionals and serious gamers and thats about it.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Not a lot of people actually need a desktop. Some proffesionals and serious gamers and thats about it.

It's not just a question of need but convenience in an affordable package that pays for itself. Just look at how many people own cheap desktops just to stay hooked up to online shopping, Google, and various news sources. The mainstream ones that are $300-$500 can easily pay for themselves in under a year if not within a few months.

Students like laptops, some business professionals of course use them as well. The majority of the population however are not students and don't require laptops for the work they do. That is a HUGE market for most of the population to just buy home desktops for internet.

These statistics are no more than a reflection of the dips in the economy than a warning sign of desktop computers going away entirely.

 

[eidairaman1]

It's not just a question of need but convenience in an affordable package that pays for itself. Just look at how many people own cheap desktops just to stay hooked up to online shopping, Google, and various news sources. The mainstream ones that are $300-$500 can easily pay for themselves in under a year if not within a few months.

the web is still more PC oriented- easier to use than mobile interfaces ive noticed.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Another thing is, not all people, despite the large number you see in public fiddling with cell phones, can throw money away on what it costs to have internet service on such devices. From what I've seen they're usually the types that already have inflated monthly calling/data plans and end up downgrading them out of budget constraints.

They are more the exception than the norm, and if they weren't, the economy would be better and we'd be back to most everyone affording net cell service as an addon to their desktops, vs as an alternative. Besides that, I can't imagine trying to intensely research something at length on the net using a mere cell phone keypad and tiny screen EVERY time you have a hard time finding info. No thanks.

 

[xBruce88x]

yea... and at $10 per GB of data on a mobile network... F that... and the unlimited plans are balls slow.

i have to admit though... a 7in tablet version of this with android OS would be pretty sweet, or even a 5in with just the qwerty board and numbers at the top and a Thinkpad nub in it.

http://www.techpowerup.com/171342/T...indows-8-Powered-Tablet-Ultrabook-Hybrid.html