Opinion: Can You Blame the PC Crash on the iPad?

[whooleo]

Lol nothing would make me wait in line for a PC cause for one I build mine and two these companies have no innovative drive or spirit and they don't have a clue what people really want/need. Apple has this and that's why it's Macs are going up up up...well and because that's all they can go lol.

 

[back_by_demand]

Wolfgang, normally I think your articles are well written but the titles come straight from the supermarket tabloids.

Since when if PC sales increase does that classify as a crash?

A crash would imply a drastic decrease, rather than your rather tepid reasoning that sales are slowing down but still actually GOING UP

If your article were a school report card I would have to mark it as "Must Do Better"

 

[Goldengoose]

I can't see my office (call centre&data entry) using a tablet to do that; it's my understanding that it's this type of industry that makes the majority of purchases.

It's the enthusiast&gaming side of things that will perhaps take a hit - already i don't see PC games being sold on the highstreet like i used to. Space marine is out and i couldn't find it anywhere, had to go online for it.

 

[illfindu]

Although I think some of the slow down is due to the ipad mostly because its not considered a computer which seems silly just because some people are desktop purest doesn't mean its not still a computer it has all the parts the define a computer.But the industry has the same problem most do if they arn't growing at these unnatural levels they act like there gonna close up shop. Look if you have 15%+ growth every year and you expect that forever that's infinite growth and that's impossible you could never expect any market to grow 18% every year.

 

[memadmax]

As others have said: crappy economy, a overhyped fad, possible priced market as in people still are unwilling to jump to 7(or just dont have the money to do it)

I blame alot of it on analysts/reporters that have no idea how to adjust to a down economy and are expecting the boom times that were going on earlier last decade.

Just because someone is suddenly unwilling to buy a new computer every 6 months, doesn't mean the pc is dead.....

 

[dthx]

An iPad is a nice complement to a computer but not more. It can never store all your photos, music collection, let you edit complex documents ... and it even needs to be plugged into a computer to receive contents! So I don't think we can blame it for the low PC sales.
I believe that the main reason for the low PC sales is that since the appearance of Windows 7, for the first time in PC history, Windows runs perfectly fine and smoothly on average/affordable hardware. So, owners of PC's younger than 3-4 years see absolutely no reason to even consider switching to a new PC. In the past, even brand new pricey computers started to become slow or even unstable once you installed a few softwares and opened a few applications (and the fact that some manufacturers were already so good at providing bloatware with their PC's didn't help), so users wanted to replace their PC's very often.

 

[runswindows95]

As many have already said, no. It's a combination of the poor US economy, and older systems that are still running fine for what people do, including me. I'm still running an XP system, but will never replace it with a tablet. If I was going to shell out the money, I would be getting a new desktop or laptop first. I do a lot of word processing, so I need a physical keyboard at all times. Yes, I'm aware they make keyboards for the tablets, but it can't do everything I want. I want a system where I can run dual monitors, plug in a laser printer, use external hard drive, and can also burn a 300+ page Word file I wrote to at least a CD-RW for backup. No tablet can do this, and even if they can, I can barely stand writing for hours on my 15.6" laptop.

 

[kriswone]

This article should be considered fan fiction AND flame bait, but I would like to retort to some extent:

I Laughed so loud it was "Out Loud" when I read this sentence:

"Apple is outgrowing the market because it is able to design and build desirable PCs for relatively affordable prices."

I would assume by the above sentence alone, Wolfgang Gruener has never bothered to compare prices and/or specs. Furthermore I would assume that he did no research to complete this article.

"...the iPad, which could be viewed as a radical redesign of the compact notebook."

Apple did not invent, innovate or bring something new when they created the iPad. It cannot be considered a redesign of the notebook as they are not related, it's two separate entities.

 

[bejabbers]

I would never buy an off-the-shelf PC. I build my own. And apple isn't killing anything, only people who need technology spoon-fed to them buy apple products, be it the iphone, ipad or any other apple idevice.

The pre-built PC game is changing because smart people build their own. But the Windows game is still pretty much the same owning 9 out of 10 computers in the world and in the mobile market, it won't be too much longer until Android does the same to iOS.

 

[beardguy]

[citation][nom]cTs Corvette[/nom]The lack of growth in the PC sector is due to one simple fact-computers have gotten so powerful, and Windows has gotten so stable, that it's very rare to have any sort of problem with them, and they are fast enough to handle pretty much anything you throw at them, so the average consumer has no reason to go out and buy a new PC every couple of years. That 5 year old Dell is still chugging happily along, and still runs Word and Netflix like a champ. And in actuality, even though I'm a hardcore gamer, the only thing I've replaced in my PC in years is the GPU. Nothing else needs to be upgraded.[/citation]

You hit it, spot on. Most people have no need to go out and buy a new PC. They have computers that are 3-5 years old and still running fine. The average user doesn't need the power and so it makes sense that they would not be upgrading every couple years. The only folks who can utilize the power of new hardware is power users (gamers, designers, developers).

Think about it, the tablet is pretty "new" and exciting for alot of people and most folks don't already own one. This is why they are currently selling like hotcakes. Once the market gets flooded with tablets and the initial "wow" factor wears off tablet sales will see a steady decline, but probably end up with a more steady stream of sales like what we are seeing with the PC right now

Generally speaking, modern PC's are overpowered for most people. Unless software can push some cool and innovative stuff that makes people want to upgrade, there is currently no need. My thought is, we have all this processing and computing power, lets use it! Give us something that actually uses all this power!

 

[internetlad]

The only reason people aren't excited about innovations in any PC (Desktop) Hardware is that they're not interested in learning about it. We're on the cusp of something amazing every day in Hardware tech, Bulldozer is making a last stand for the high end AMD market, Nvidia and ATI are at each other's throats, SSD technology is emerging and showing us storage performance not imagined 3 or 4 years ago.

If anyone isn't still excited about PCs, it's because they are ignorant and don't care about using a computer beyond facebook and youtube (which the iPad doesn't even natively do because apple considers flash a dead standard for some stupid reason)

The only thing apple is good at is making shiny things and fancy marketing, they overprice cheap products and make people who don't care to check believe the products are good by telling them so.

 

[Miharu]

iPad it's just an hype and this hype could stop anytime.
Surely iPad could steal some functionnality from the PC, but the PC will always be FULL EDGE compared to the iPad.

iPad STILL doesn't added any functionnality over what a PC can do.
So as long iPad doesn't give more.. it's a just a complementary flashy item.

Also, you buy 1 personal laptop... you don't need buy 2 and you won't. Same as iPad. You just buy 1... and you don't probably just buy a iPad without a PC at home.

If you can live without PC, it's because "PC is to complicate to you so you prefer a soft hardware like an iPad" or "you have a aggressive headline burn in your brain "Think different" and you like this propaganda".

back_by_demand:
A crash would imply a drastic decrease, rather than your rather tepid reasoning that sales are slowing down but still actually GOING UP

 

[spanspace]

I blame the media who get these free ipads to review as the problem. They write negative reviews claiming PC sales are down when its far from the truth. That and they quote executives of failing companies. They are failing cause they use cheaply made parts.

 

[scuba dave]

Do I believe it could be blamed on the iPad? No. If Apple hadn't made the iPad, someone else would have eventually put two and two together, and a tablet would have existed that would have done the same thing.. It's most definitely a lack of innovation, software, and complacency in my opinion. The pace at which everyone is upgrading their computer, is slowing down as it seems the common thing to do when programming, is to take into account the "boo hoo" of people who can't afford, or just don't want to buy, upgrades to do something.. and a mix-in of companies pandering to the masses too much in terms of hardware, and design their programs to work on not just pre-existing hardware, but relatively ancient hardware. The fact that in some applications and uses, that a lowly Prescott can STILL perform admirably, is ridiculous. We have amazing hardware nowadays.. For the enthusiast, there is almost always something delicious on the horizon for us.. As such, we, aren't slowing down. We aren't dying.. We are just getting exceedingly picky in price-point. As we know, unfortunately, that software isn't advancing beyond a crawl at times(or not at all it seems from time to time), we have the extreme luxury of being able to use "top of the line" software, on relatively low-end hardware.. And as such, would explain just why you see, ever so frequently, people bashing people who spend more, when they can do the same, or more, for less. Then as for the innovation part.. Companies are way too willing to pander to the masses, in giving them absolutely worthless, addictive baby games.. Like the masses and their unfortunately oh-so-willing-"ness" to drone their lives away playing Farmville for example. Not only that, but tie in the fact that established markets do NOT like to completely revamp their way of business(too risky to them) or not profitable enough(Look into thorium for nuclear reactors as a major example. As far as I can tell, it's an ungodly amazing form of power, ridiculously safe, and far more cost effective than uranium. And that is just the beginning. Look it up. Seriously.)

Simply put, just in case I was typing in circles above, I think that:

People are too focused on price, as software being(in my opinion) several years behind hardware provides a negative luxury mindset..

Companies are finding their cash cows in the masses, and pandering to even the most restricted of wallets(in programming, etc. The console is the perfect end product of that attitude.), and spending vast amounts of money to actually ENCOURAGE it too..

And, a very generalized lack of innovation in the field of computers(en mass) because of those able to push the limits and level of society through advancement see no need to.. As what they are doing now, seems to work just dandy for the Farmville generation... :,(

Once upon a time.. Technology AND software were advancing in tandem, and the best of the best really DID become obsolete in 6 months. I've got an old Prescott rig in my garage that I power on from time to time just for giggles.. And it makes me sad that I can actually use that, with its nVidia 6800, and I can do almost anything I want to with it outside of high-end pc gaming (and that's mostly only due to dx10, 11, etc).

It was pioneers of all sorts that built this world, in industry, exploration, etc.. Nowadays.. It's all about the quick-rich, the safe-bet, and social-media.

Barf.

 

[zanny]

1. The ipad is a pc, just one with a custom OS designed for phones and no input devices besides touch, and its on an ARM chip.
2. Most people can do anything in a web browser today without any hint of slow down on a 5 year old laptop.
3. Businesses are moving to cloud options a lot more, so there is much lower bulk sever purchase.
4. People are broke without jobs and crap pay even if they have one.

 

[jecastej]

I don fear the mighty workstation to disappear: I really fear the price increase.

And I use the term "workstation" specifically because is the price increase why a desktop tower may be called "Workstation" in the future anyway. They will be primary related to power users creating content, developing software or doing science. Desktops may just be entry level "workstations".

Only avid gamers spreading and growing and very attractive and innovative games could sustain the PC market relevant for the prices not to climb seriously and become out of reach for gaming. But even the gaming PCs may become a mixture of an upgradable console box.

The projected 4% PC growth for this year is shocking to me. It may recover in 2 years but more important it is a sign investors are following very closely.

Tablets came to stay. They are underpowered today but they will be more powerful in 1-2 years and in the future they may be very powerful. At least to do what they are builded for, "consume media or interact on the internet". But also they will start to be powerful enough to create content at a basic level where most consumers are comfortable. They will include a way to connect very easy to a big screen TVs or monitors and wireless keyboards pens or mouse. And you will have a computer with moderate powerful apps.

PCs for people ergonomically seated and producing on demanding applications wont disappear but even for us they may evolve, reduce in size, change their aspect, be even more modular, etc.

The iPad just entered into the market at this time where consumers are discovering they no longer need or want a PC or can survive with an old PC, and why Apple has a head start. Consumers may invest on a PC again at some point in the future, but they will invest the minimum amount of money.

 

[cyprod]

No, tablets cannot replace desktops/laptops.

The reason why is exemplified by myself, last night. I'm sitting in my living room playing some stupid game on my Xoom while watching TV and an email comes through from a friend. I feel the need to respond, and realizing that the response was going to be more than a sentence, exited the game, set my tablet down, went to my computer and proceeded to write the email. Why? Because I've found it takes me about 10 times longer to type something up on a tablet than it does on a real keyboard. That reason alone is enough to not kill the PC.

Beyond that, other simple annoyances, if I have to do anything beyond the most simplistic file management, I connect it via USB to my PC, because even the best file managers I've found (I'm using astro right now) is just slow and clunky. None of them have a good method for selecting a lot of files. It's always "click a button to say select multiple, individually select each file, choose action, usually from a pop up menu", it's just irritating doing something bizarre like trying to organize my music library.

 

[sentinelspark]

The ipad will never "Crash" the PC market. People over glorify the ipad so much that they tend to forget that most of what apple produces is just an overpriced shiny toasters. I would rather have a nice powerful laptop with, and like the last comment said, a big HDD. Lastly to say it will hurt the "PC" industry is just stupid. Computers will adapt and change to the times like they always have. Deep down inside Apple and Windows based computers are all the same. They all use the same hardware.

 

[Archean]

@Zanny
I don't think all that cloudy **** will go beyond a certain point, everyone I talk to in the industry / business arena, don't want to place all their eggs in one basket and then get held hostage due to any reason (e.g. outages or security breaches), hence, almost no one have even started any sort of discussion about moving their data in the cloud. Sometimes, I feel that all this hype is created by a certain segment just to create a new business model where all these big players can easily control everything or anything.

 

[schmich]

Can blame it on pathetically old sites like yours, Tom's Hardware, where the word innovation has been lost in a time-warp just like your image "gallery" from the 90s.

People's 6 year old computer will work no problem so why buy a new PC?

 

[jacobdrj]

I blame the crash on 'fast enough, good enough' laptops and desktops. Back with Pentium 120 MHz systems with 8 megs of RAM running Windows 95, systems were sluggish. As things progressed, software always pushed hardware beyond their limits for BASIC CONTENT. Now, with dual cores a minimum standard, and dirt cheap RAM prices, the advent of the balanced APU and the Solid State Drive/ultra high density HDD, speed is good enough for basic content creation and consumption on most LAPTOPS, let alone desktops... My Windows 7 machine from 2 years ago is just fine, and doesn't need to be upgraded. I may WANT to, but I don't NEED to to get my daily internet fix without Flash videos stuttering or my Skype call dropping, or my MS Word taking forever to load...

Computers are good enough to preclude an upgrade cycle. Now these PCs are like cars. You replace them when they break, or when the lease is up. Not because it is too slow...

 

[amstech]

Apple products are good for people who aren't good with computers.

 

[COLGeek]

No. Nope. Nein. No matter how you say it, one had nothing to do with the other.

 

[nikkidpartypooper]

The first to blame would be this economic downturn,secondly the good old stable windows XP is being phased out for no good reason. As such a whole lot of people got disalusioned with the whole pc game & are stagnating. while there is a small percentage increase towards Apple products,but not the same increase percentage wise as what pc has decreased in percentage wise. Enjoy both Apple for not getting as high a percentage as what they wanted & Microslft for making stupid little cloud mistakes in getting rid of the XP operating system.

 

[legacy7955]

So let me guess, Apple is paying this clown Gartner to write

"sales pitches" as articles?