Dell: PCs have Nothing to Fear from Mobile Devices
Dell: PCs have Nothing to Fear from Mobile Devices
Posted 05/17/2010 at 5:46am
| by Paul Lilly
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As smartphones continue to become more powerful and handheld tablet computing gains steam, some say the demise of the dedicated PC is imminent, but don't count Dell among those who would ring the death knell.
"What's converging is the data, not the device," Dell CEO Michael Dell told attendees of the Citrix Synergy user conference in San Francisco during a keynote speech. "It's not clear that one device replaces another."
According to Dell, users are more likely to carry several devices with each one focused on a specific task rather than an all-encompassing gadget.
"Some are better for carrying with you. Others for consuming content, others are better for creating content," Dell added.
In other words, Dell is saying don't expect a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device to eventually become the multi-function computer users gravitate towards for work, communication, social networking, and entertainment all in one.
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Mighty BOB!
May 17, 2010 at 5:57pm
Until these smart phones (or equivalent future mobile devices) actually have the horsepower of a desktop, and the robust input devices* they will never replace "the box."
*Since people aren't going to carry around a keyboard, a mouse, and a large LCD screen there needs to be two breakthroughs (assuming that there is also a breakthrough in mobile horsepower and battery technology) before mobile devices could conceivably replace "the box" and all of the many things you can do with "the box" (because we all know that smartphone-sized mobile devices can't even come close right now):
One is in displays, so these mobile devices will either need some kind of projector so you can project a large screen on the wall (ooh, or holographically in the air :P ), or alternately perhaps a pair of glasses/contacts that beams the images onto your retinas so it looks like a large image.
The other is input, because typing with your thumbs on a tiny keyboard will never work for productivity or writing an essay (unless you like bleeding thumbs and slower productivity). So either projecting a keyboard onto a desk surface (ooh, or holographic again :P ), and some kind of Minority Report hand gesture system to replace the mouse (or eye-tracking).
Or perhaps a mental interface device could replace both keyboard and mouse. But there's no way all of that is happening in only 20 or 30 years.
Evoman16
May 17, 2010 at 2:52pm
I love how the story is about Dell, but the picture shows a Gateway computer. hahahaha
lunchbox73
May 17, 2010 at 11:49am
What? Of course something will replace the PC as a multi-function computer eventually! That's like a press release from Johnson Typewriter Company in 1942 saying the typewriter won't be replaced by something else.
Anybody who thinks we're going to be using a device that even vaguely resembles a PC 20 or 30 years from now has a screw loose.
tri8gman
May 17, 2010 at 4:31pm
The typewriter isn't multifunction and the desktop computer as we know it isn't an evolution of the typewriter as much as a device that adapted its functionality - and these days, so did many things with a QWERTY.
I don't see why people are in such a hurry to get rid of "the box." It's already been decades and we still have "the box." It's become prettier and more powerful, but it's still essentially "the box" that it's always been. (not including all-in-ones)
I'm really not sure what kind of change we're going to have until we stop using molexes and the same basic chipset configurations. The most visible changes to the PC in 10 years seem to be standards compliance among OEMs and the sizes of some components. Other than that, PSU is still usually on top, cards face horizontally out the back, the card slots are in the same place, RAM is vertical on the right (facing the board), drives are stored in the front end (opticals on top, hard drives on the bottom, floppy/card readers in the middle), etc. etc.
Of course, now that I've said this: instant consumer quantum computing! The power for 50 i7s in a box of crayons!
violian
May 17, 2010 at 10:42am
I agree with Dell. It's hard to envision smartphones replacing PC's. How would you type short papers, make Powerpoints, edit photos, etc. The screen is just simply too small for these tasks. Even netbooks aren't replacing laptops according to a recent finding. Smartphones are companions at best.
Michael Ellis
May 17, 2010 at 2:54pm
This boils down to a simple concept.It is easier to pack more power into a bigger space. Until that changes, pc's will always be around in some form because they will always be more powerful.
ps The printer replaced the typewriter because it was superior in every way, just about, but the smartphone still has a LONG way to go before it even comes close.
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