Laptops Outsell Desktops in Retail Stores

TechnoPope writes "According to this article on MSNBC.Com, laptop computers accounted for 54 percent of of 500 Million in retail computer sales last year. Also mentioned was that LCD's outsold CRT's in retail as well. "

Comments

Outsold in dollars not units.

[Snags]

Not included in the article is discussion of the fact that, per unit, more desktops/CRTs are sold than laptops/LCDs because of the costs. When people buy more laptops/LCDs despite the price, then I'll be impressed.

Re:Outsold in dollars not units.

[The Grinner]

Ummm. . . Actually if you were paying attention to the article you'll see that at least with the LCD's they seem to be refering to % of total sales not the value of said sales. (i.e. In May 2002, LCDs were only 22 percent of total monitor sales, said NPD. This past May, that more than doubled to 52 percent.) Admitidly though the article was a bit more ambiguous with the PC/Laptop sales and I can see how that one could be read either way.

Re:Outsold in dollars not units.

[Snags]

The article did seem vague. But going to NPD's press release on the study, the Desktop/Laptop numbers were for dollars while the CRT/LCD numbers were for units. I am duly impressed with LCDs.

Now, I'll be impressed when there are more LCDs in use than CRTs.

LCDs outselling CRTs?

[kevin_conaway]

Now that LCD monitors are getting more and more affordable, of course the better technology will sell over the lesser. As far as laptops over desktops, I believe large corporations account for the majority of computer purchases and from what I have seen in my own company, everyone gets a laptop and a docking station (to simulate a desktop).

Re:LCDs outselling CRTs?

[intermodal]

dude. the article was about retail, not corporate bulk

Re:LCDs outselling CRTs?

[yintercept]

I would not be surprised if flat screen displays doesn't reverse the trend of laptop sales out pacing desktops. The main reason for buying a laptop is size. In most companies the cost of having people move CRTs around the office is more than price differential between lap tops and desktops. It costs about $20 more to ship a computer with a 17" CRT than a laptop.

Personally, I wish more PC manufacturers would get a clue and adopt some of the space saving features of laptops and produce smaller desktop models. In most cases, people don't need the environmentally questionable batteries in laptops, they just want something that isn't heavy and awkward.

Re:LCDs outselling CRTs?

[dago]

In most (big enough) companies, desktop pc are standardized and administrated as a bunch of them. You can usually walk to any desk and get your dekstop and files there. No need to move them.

Smaller Form Factor : did you saw SFF pc from dell/compaq (for the OEM) ? ever heard about shutlle barebones (for the DIY) ?

this may just be a phase.

[2MuchC0ffeeMan]

weren't computer sales down 6 months ago?

corporations don't have the money to upgrade anymore, that's a big bulk of a downcline in desktop sales...

and, universities would rather use laptops rather than desktops becuase of space and power requirements.

It's a misleading title...sales $ vs. units

[chia_monkey]

I read this yesterday and thought "whoah! More laptops than desktops!" but after reading the article I became aware that the money brought in from laptop sales was more than the money brought in from desktops. Considering the average laptop costs twice as much as the average desktop, you've still got roughly a 2-1 ratio of desktop units sold over laptops.

Re:It's a misleading title...sales $ vs. units

[Micro$will]

Not to mention the fact that there's almost no upgrades you can do, besides maybe memory and the hard drive. Need a new computer? Gotta buy a whole new one! My old Thinkpad is nice, but for home use I'll stick to my desktop. MUCH cheaper that way.

Re:It's a misleading title...sales $ vs. units

[NanoGator]

" Considering the average laptop costs twice as much as the average desktop, you've still got roughly a 2-1 ratio of desktop units sold over laptops. "

Perhaps. However, laptops have overcome many of the hurdles that used to hold them back. LCDs are good enough that they update quickly with good color. They come with 3D cards now, allowing for game play plus 3D art generation. They have large hard drives and can come with generous amounts of RAM. Plus, they all come together in one neat little package that requires no hookup, plus it can be folded up and go places.

Yes, laptops cost more, but people want more out of their computers. So today the 2-1 ratio will probably hold out, there is no guarantee it'll always be like that. I don't think it'll be too long before everybody is choosing laptops over desktops. Sooner or later, portability is more interesting than a few hundred megahertz.

Re:It's a misleading title...sales $ vs. units

[timeOday]

I don't think it'll be too long before everybody is choosing laptops over desktops. Sooner or later, portability is more interesting than a few hundred megahertz.

I don't know how it is other places, but where I work laptops are really taking over, for convenience and quiet. Sometimes you need to go work with somebody in a lab. Or during a meeting you want to take notes (or look like you're taking notes while actually getting work done). And then obviously there's travel. And work from home. The price difference between laptops and desktops is small compared to the expense of the employee who runs that computer. And the performance gap is both unimportant and quite small.

Re:It's a misleading title...sales $ vs. units

[jez9999]

I can think of several reasons why I haven't bought a laptop, and probably won't for a long while.

Ergonomics: Laptop keyboards *suck*. Also, bring your own mouse to plugin, because laptop 'touch mice' are a joke too.

Sound: Laptop speakers just ain't gonna reproduce sound as well as seperate speakers. You could plugin headphones, of course, or speakers, but then you might as well just use a desktop PC as they're not easily portable.

Upgrades: What upgrades? You can't upgrade a laptop like you can a PC. Buy a laptop, and live with its specs. When you need a new part, it's time to buy a new laptop, reinstall your OS and/or configure it for use with totally new hardware.

Not surprising

[geek]

People want mobility with out sacrificing performace. Todays laptops seem to do that nicely, especially Apple's power books. I never liked palm pilots but laptops are quite nice on the average. I just wish heat wasn't such an issue. I used to have an Acer laptop 5-6 year ago and it left burns on my lap after an hour or so of use.

Re:Not surprising

[EnsignExtra]

Still desktops generally have faster HDD speeds. I've seen a notebook with a 5400rpm drive, but it's still slower than desktop drives. On the subject of heat, I worked for a large computer manufacturer and we were stricly enjoined from calling them "laptops" for that very reason! They are mobile computers or notebook computers.

just a theory...

[thoolihan]

Is this a sign that 'joe user' starting to realize that software is no longer requiring upgrades every 6 months? (ease of Desktop ugrade is no longer a driving factor)...

-t

Same article, different format

[krs-one]

Pretty much the same article on CNN, but a little nicer format with less intrusive ads: CNN's article

-Vic

In dollars, not units..

[wfberg]

Bearing in mind that desktops are cheaper, and that you can upgrade them more easily using off the shelf components, this doesn't mean that all of a sudden the world+dog are switching to laptops, especially not first time computer buyers looking for a family pc.

Homebuilts -

[jpsst34]

I wonder how many PC users build their own - as in what percentage of desktop's are homebuilt, since these don't figure into the "retail PC sales" numbers.

In our little geek world, I'm sure the percentage of homebuilts is very high. But in the "real world," I wonder where that percentage falls to. I wonder if homebuilts account for enough to push laptop sales back under 50%, thus negating this /. story.

Re:Homebuilts -

[mercuryresearch]

It's a very small number. I research this stuff for a living, and 2% of people with PCs even open the case to upgrade graphics cards each year. Building your own system was less than 1% of PCs a few years ago, and that's when you actually saved money with DIY PCs.

With system prices now, unless you have components to reuse, it actually costs you money to build it yourself (i.e. buying a prebuilt Dell is cheaper than the prices of the components bought individually in low quantities.) Of course there are other (better) reasons to build your own system than just the money involved.

portability + power=profit

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

I never thought notebooks were that usefull until I got one myself. Its almost as powerfull as my desktop,but portable and more comfortable to use. Which makes me wonder if a stupider labtop that simply connects to a more powerful desktop would be even more usefull. I guess they still need to workout the bandwidth and display issues.

Re:portability + power=profit

[L. VeGas]

I have never understood the idea that laptops are more comfortable than desktops. My forearms are resting on my chair's armrests, my 21" monitor is at eye level. Try that with a laptop (sans docking station).

A hidden reason

[Ignorant Aardvark]

We all know that porn drives all the technological progress we evidence around us. What do you think the first telescopic lens was made for? To look at the sky? Hah! Gallileo happened to have a really attractive woman living next door.

So it should be no surprise that laptops are outselling personal computers, because they are much more suited for the Viewing Of and Whacking Off To porn. Personal computers are large, unwieldy, and it's easy to get caught "doing the nasty" in front of them. Not so with laptops, in my personal opinion. They're portable, and can be transferred to anywhere in the house (along with thier pornographic contents) for ease of masturbation.

What sort of innovations does the future hold? I can't say for sure. But I can say for certain that they will bring pornography to us in more detail than ever before.

Re:A hidden reason

[Anonymous Coward]

Hans Lipperhey of Middelburg invented the telescope in October 1608. Galileo did not construct one until June or July 1609. These dates are even more difficult to ensure since Sidereus Nuncius was not published until March 1610. Regardless, any advantage that Galileo had in terms of quality or power was lost by 1611. Maybe he was a pervert, but like most perverts he was only creative with known tools.

Re:A hidden reason

[lactose99]

Galileo lived around the age of the Renissance. Women, particularly in Italy, were considered beautiful if they were big, or at least full-figured. I don't think Galileo would have needed a telescopic lens to see his "really attractive woman living next door" under those circumstances.

Rather, I suspect Galileo was more interested in checking out the beautiful Amazonian women on neighboring planets.

Steve Jobs = Nostradamus?

[tweder]

And here I thought Steve Jobs was simply weilding the "Reality Distortion Field " when he declared this year as "The Year of the Laptop."

But Still...

[rocket97]

I am sure that there are more *new* desktops in use than there are laptops. You have to take into the account the amount of people that build their own desktops as compared to those who build laptops (not too many people that I know of build their own laptops). I would say give it a few more years and then I can see laptops truly outselling desktops.

And this is a suprise?

[infonography]

As far as I've seen Desktop buyers almost routinely build their own. Even non-'IT professionals' are building them. I don't know many people building laptops for fun.

Re:And this is a suprise?

[DoorFrame]

You know a lot of very nerdy people if desktop buyers "routinely" build their own machines. I don't have numbers, but I'm sure the percent of people who build versus buy is miniscule. I know a lot of people with desktops, only of them was homemade. Most people aren't interested in the hassle for little reward.

Microsoft must be so happy....

[ozzy_ball]

... since almost all laptops are guaranteed to be running some form of Windows. I'll buy one when they ship it to me with FreeBSD installed.

Slight Increase in Price?

[temojen]

I'm not sure what planet you're from, but where I'm from a 17", 1600x1200 CRT retails for ~$279CDN, and a 17", 1600x1200 LCD retails for ~$890CDN.

To me, 3x is not a slight difference in price.

Re:Slight Increase in Price?

[PetWolverine]

A 17" LCD is a lot bigger than a 17" CRT. With LCDs, the inches refer to the size of the screen, all of which is viewable. With CRTs, the inches refer to the size of the screen--some of which is covered by the casing and made unusable by the fact that the tube curves at the very edges. Combine that with the fact that LCDs are sharper, so that 1600x1200 is actually readable on a 17" screen, and brighter, and don't flicker--basically, look for a CRT that matches the quality of a 17" LCD and you're looking for a 19" CRT designed for very demanding users.

None of this changes the fact that people who simply want a cheap monitor and not a good one will buy a CRT, but then, the differences between Macs and Wintels don't cause people to shell out the cash for a Mac, either.

Now I'll be modded down by Wintel advocates for indicating that Macs are better, and by Mac zealots for indicating that Macs are more expensive. While I do believe that Macs are better, let me qualify both implications by saying that they're perceived that way on both counts, and if you accept at least hypothetically that common wisdom is correct, the analogy stands.

My theory

[mrpuffypants]

Once again proving my time tested old theory:

The fatter and older we nerds get, the slimmer and younger our computer get.

Re:My theory

[hendridm]

> The fatter and older we nerds get, the slimmer and younger our computer get.

Which proves my theory, that Germans love David Hasselhoff.

Re:CRTs still being made

[xTown]

I haven't seen an LCD yet that was really good for certain types of games, like driving games and shooters. For work, yeah, I'd rather have an LCD. For games...unless there's something out there that won't ghost at all, I'll stick with the CRT.

Re:BAAAAAA

[robogun]

What, are you kidding me? If you read the article instead of trying to hit first post, it says people are buying laptops for the portability -- imagine that! I thought we all wanted smaller & easier to use.

Not discussed in the article, CRTs and desktops use much more energy. Laptops can be used when the power is out - what a concept, not just a UPS where you can gracefully shut down when the power goes out.

The desktop is king only where unit cost is important. Oh, and gaming.

Re:BAAAAAA

[pyrote]

It's amazing what sheep will do when you tell them they should.

This is about laptops, not social reform in wyoming.

Cash amount, not number of units...

[Man Eating Duck]

I read this as "Higher number of laptops than desktops".
As laptops generally cost a lot more, it's not that surprising. I also think that laptops are most popular among business / professional users (who can afford the higher price for increased convenience), while the vast majority of home users have desktops as their primary /only computer.

Could something similar be the case with the LCD's?

Pardon my English...

Re:CRTs still being made

[Tha_Big_Guy23]

Amazing how people will hold onto the old & known, despite better options being available

Well, not too amazing. We've run into some issues with the people at my company. One of our receptionists for example: She acquired a LCD monitor to fit on the new receptionist desk that was purchased for her. The reasononing behind the LCD purchase was due to space reasons. ie. there wasn't enough room on the desk for a CRT. In any case, we put the display in, and within minutes she was complaining because she couldn't read it. The standard, nice and crisp, 1024x768 resolution on the monitor was too small for her to read. Our solution. Bump the resolution back to 800x600. On an LCD display this creates problems as the letters get all blocky, and it becomes rather difficult to read. The thing is, since the display looked like crap at 800x600, she complained about it more than being unable to read it. In the end, we had no choice but to leave it at 800x600 so she could at least see the words. I think that's one of the major reasons people stick with CRT's. Despite the resolution on a CRT, all the text is nice and clear.

This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Who here is in love with their laptop?

[ACK!!]

I cannot imagine computing without them. I carry mine around almost everywhere I can. Sitting back in a cafe typing out code before a friend shows up or playing a game. I use mine everywhere.

It is also nice to be able to sit the thing in my lap and sit in the same room as my wife and hold down a conversation instead of being relegating to one room while I aimlessly surf.

Any others? Who loves having a laptop?

Re:Who here is in love with their laptop?

[gold23]

I have to agree. I don't want to be relegated to the "office" room when working on the computer, and having the machine at hand while watching a movie or television means never having to wonder "What else have we seen him/her in?" Or if I'm watching something good, I can search IMDB for other films by that director or writer, and queue them up in Netflix immediately, instead of making a mental note and misplacing it later.

And that does not even take into account the ability to leave home with it, and administer my servers remotely anywhere there is an accessible hotspot.

I think my next step will be a tablet PC, once I can be sure that I can run Debian on it. (And once I have the requisite cash, of course, which may mean around 2010.)

Re:CRTs still being made

[EvanED]

I bought a CRT about 9 months ago, but even by today's standards of LCDs, that "slight increase in price" would be about $700. Taday's lowest price of a LCD that does 1600x1200 res: about $950 off pricewatch. My monitor when I bought it: $225. This is not just a "slight difference".

And where do all those laptops go?

[Minwee]

That's hardly surprising. How often do you think people replace a stolen desktop?

And...

[BlueSkyResearch]

In other news today, the President of the United States is George Bush! More News at 11:00.

Re:And...

[presearch]

well, sort of.

Re:CRTs still being made

[Unoriginal Nick]

Two words: digital photography. An LCD simply can't match the true color representation a good CRT can give, which is essential if you're going to do any serious photo work on a PC.

Price Gap is finally Closing

[kremvax]

It's not surprising when you think about how much the price gap between laptops and comparably equipped desktops (with a 15"-17" monitor) cost.

As a recent p-4 2.4ghz with 15" screen laptop only runs about $1100, a comparable desktop (retail) runs close to $1000, why not get it in a portable package?

( OK, a hardcore gamer who wants to swap in a $400 graphics card would not want this... But somtimes you just need to use a machine to accomplish work, learn, communicate, etc. honest...)

Kremvax

LCD's are cheap

[vasqzr]

I got an email from TigerDirect today.

LCD specials

14" for $159
15" for $219
17" for $319

Do we see 17" LCD's for $249 this Holiday season?

LCD's are great for multiple monitor set ups, your desk doesn't collapse like with CRTs. Then again, your colors don't quite match up either...

Re:LCD's are cheap

[stratjakt]

We do multi-LCD demos on the road, our software uses 3 concurrent screens. They match up fine IF you buy 3 of the exact same make and model and production run.

One of our demo screens died, and we pretty much wound up replacing all three, because the replacement (same make and model) didnt match color-wise.

LCDs are nice desktop displays for most work. But the fixed resolutions, ghosting, and color problems will keep CRTs around for a while to come. They're a slowly expanding niche market, IMO.

Re:Laptops Rule!

[Anonymous Coward]

I love my laptop so much, too. It really depresses me to see it disappear as I stand up. But you can hardly imagine my joy at having it return as I sit down again.

Re:Laptops Rule!

[pimpybra]

Overpowered? What the hell does that word mean? Surely you jest!

Unsatisfied customers!

[freeze128]

Yeah, LCDs outsold CRTs, but how many of the LCD owners are unsatisfied with their slower responding pixels and limited viewing angle?

Every day where I work, users are saying they want an LCD monitor for their workstation. Of course, we have no money in the budget for that, so I have to tell them 'no', but they don't know that the LCDs have downfalls. They just think that they are 'Cool'.

Re:Unsatisfied customers!

[packethead]

Well, "cool" sells! How do you think smokers learned to smoke?

Re:Unsatisfied customers!

[MoOsEb0y]

Actually, I bought a LCD at the beginning of May, and I am quite satisfied with it. There's only a slight pixel lag which is most noticeable when scrolling webpages. (No joke!) I can't even notice the lag when playing games or movies. As for the viewing angle, I have no problems whatsoever. I can look at my screen from pretty much anywhere and have no problems.

20 watt power consumption, reduced heat radiation, and smaller footprint on my desktop all while having sharper text than before? Sign me up :D

Re:Unsatisfied customers!

[pmz]

...they don't know that the LCDs have downfalls.

For most professionals, there are no downsides for LCDs. Most jobs don't require super-accurate colors or ultra-small pixels (although Apple seems satisifed with LCDs), nor have I noticed problems viewing good LCDs from angles.

LCDs are appropriate for every non-gaming non-animation task I can think of, right now.

totally obvious

[undoman]

With wireless networking beeing around - this was becoming totally obvious. if you would ask me to expend 2k euro on a small and superflat laptop just for surfing, mail and irc.. i would say yessss!

Common Complaint

[vasqzr]

(Assuming you're using Windows)

Turn on Large Fonts.

I hear this all the time with my laptop users at work.

You can't get any work done in 800x600 anyway. Hell, for much other than Word, 1024x768 stinks too!

ooh! ooh! I know why!

[aflat362]

Well . . .

Maybe because more people are realizing it is a better idea to build their own desktop PCs from retail parts rather than buying an Expensive, Non-Upgrade-Friendly, Pre-Windows-Loaded Piece of Junk.

And They can't build their own Laptops. :(

wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

they compare laptops vs. desktops by looking at sales, not units sold. where i work we buy machines every week, and while we buy 2 times more desktops than laptops, the totals are the same. i think that's because laptops have a longer lifespan. ppl say: i'm going to throw out that extra 500$ for that up-to-date model since it will be harder for me to upgrade later. same thing for CRT vs LCD, we bought a 19' lcd for trade shows and we could have bought a shitload of 19' crt for that price.

desktops still rule the market

Re:wrong

[timeOday]

I agree "outselling" is ambiguous, but you goofed by saying desktops still "rule the market." A market is *always* measured in dollars, not units. Otherwise one would say that the market for automobiles is dwarfed by the market for M&Ms.

No it's not.

[The Grinner]

I can see how it's sort of ambiguous in the original article, if however you go to the NPD web site you can read their original press release where it's actually clear that they are refering to # of units sold for LCD's. It also turns out though that they are indeed refering to percentage of money for Desktop/Laptop sales.

One reason for this

[El]

If I buy something with an LCD screen, I want to see it fired up first with an all black, then an all white screen to make sure none of the pixels are defective (yes, my current laptop has 1 green pixel that is on all the time, and it's annoying as heck!) Don't have this problem with CRTs...

Re:CRTs still being made

[Ho-Lee-Chow]

>> Just run the damn lcd in its native resolution
>> and increase the default font sizes!!!!!!!

> How does this help when doing word processing?
> Do you really want 1/2" tall text out of your
> printer?

Ahem. When he said "increase the default font sizes", he meant increase the default SCREEN FONT SIZES in your operating system. In Windows:

1) Right-click on the desktop
2) Click on "Properties"
3) Click on the "Settings" tab
4) Click "Advanced"
5) Under the General tab, there is a "Font Size" setting. You can select "Small Fonts" (96 dots per inch), "Large Fonts" (120 dpi), or "Other" (whatever you want).

You'll notice that when you select "Other", Windows shows an example of how 10 point Arial text will be displayed on your screen with the modified settings. By dragging the ruler, you can increase or decrease the displayed size of 10-pt Arial text.

That's right, you can change the onscreen size of your text (measured in dots per inch) without affecting the printed size of your text (measured in points). I hope that clears everything up. Next time, don't jump to rash conclusions.

BTW, I can see the benefits of LCDs, but I don't see how LCD fanboys can proclaim "CRT is inferior". Sure, LCD is superior if you don't mind being locked into one resolution, motion blur, etc. For business and word processing use, I'm sure LCD is just fine. For gaming, graphic design, movie playback, I would go with a CRT.

laptops outsell desktops, except that they don't

[frovingslosh]

laptop computers accounted for 54 percent of of 500 Million in retail computer sales last year

But if you look at the statement, they only say that laptops accounted for 54% of $ of retail sales. Given that laptops are generally more expensive, desktops still outsold laptops in numbers. Add to that the average guy can build his own desktop, which is not counted in these numbers, but cannot build his own laptop or notebook, and the actual number of desktops as well as dollars spent on desktops far exceeded laptops.

So they can twist sales numbers to say what they want, even if it isn't accurate. What else is new? And who really cares?

Re:CRTs still being made

[NanoGator]

"Two words: digital photography. An LCD simply can't match the true color representation a good CRT can give, which is essential if you're going to do any serious photo work on a PC. "

I do 'serious' photo and texture work on my laptop. It reproduces color quite well.

An LCD can do it. However, it would only be fair to remind you that I paid extra to get a really good display. If you buy a crap LCD (or a crap CRT) the color's going to suck.

I'm not attacking the details so much as I'm attacking the generalization.

Haven't had it long, have you?

[fireboy1919]

Just wait 5 years.

I'll still be using the desktop machines I've got - doing incremental upgrades, of course - but it'll basically be the same boxen.

By then your laptop will be gone. Even if you don't step on it, drop it, run over it with a car, or get it stolen, it'll die from overheat or one of the internal components will break and be irreparable because everything's integrated (with the possible exception of the harddrive).

And then you'll have to buy another one.

Laptops may eventually replace desktops in per-unit usage simply because the laptop owners have to keep buying new ones, while the desktop owners don't. Kind of like how industrial laser printer sales are far fewer than inkjet printer sales.

Re:Haven't had it long, have you?

[Sanction]

Yep, and I'll be playing games at a friends house, answering my email while sitting at the beach, and enjoy the ability to not be chained to one location by a gigantic box when I want to work on my PC :)

Then I'll buy another one, with the same money I could have used for desktop upgrades, without having to suffer the intervening years with lack of portability.

Re:Haven't had it long, have you?

[JVert]

If you are running the same case as you were 5 years ago I will slap you. And most incremental upgrades not related to gaming include memory and hard drive. But no I havn't had it long, and I dont plan to either, I'm gonna sell to a student or someone else who doesn't need a higher end machine, because well, laptops hold their value alot better then homebuilt PC's.

And as far as failure rate I still have 2 working thinkpad 701c's (486 100mhz). I only keep them around because they look so cool with their butterfly keyboard.

I'm not trying to lapzealot I think at least 1/2 of the people who are currently buying laptops still have a PC at home in active duty.

Re:Haven't had it long, have you?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll still be using the desktop machines I've got - doing incremental upgrades, of course - but it'll basically be the same boxen.

Me too. My current machine is 5 years old... I've replaced a few things, but it's still basically the same machine.

I've only replaced the motherboard (the old one got fried), got a new cpu since they were cheap. Added some more RAM, and a couple of bigger harddrives. I got a CDRW to replace the the CDROM that was making odd noises. I replaced the case because the power supply blew, and it was cheaper to by a whole case than just a power supply seperately. Bought a new keyboard, the old one was sticking, and it came with a new mouse. Oh my brother dropped my screen when he was helping me move, so I got a new 19" one. Upgraded my TNT card to a GeForce4 Ti4200 so Quake 3 would run better. That's all though.

Still basically the same machine but.

Portability is the new killer app

[elliotj]

I bet laptops will continue to gain market share over desktops. For most people a good laptop has more than enough power to use office apps, Internet and maybe the odd game. And that's all most people need to do with their computers.

Now that you don't have to sacrifice power and performance for portability in any significant way, why would you bother buying a desktop other than cost? So I think a lot of people are thinking that getting a desktop that they can only use in one location is a major drawback.

Personally, I've been drooling over the new Apple G5s, but I really think my next computer will be another Powerbook. I take my TiBook everywhere with me, and with WIFI at home and work, I can use it all day. If I buy a desktop for home, I won't get to use it for most of my day.

Laptops and LCDs are economically justified...

[vudufixit]

Real estate is more expensive than
computers. And getting more expensive.
Computers get less expensive, at least
expressed as computing power and features
for a given amount of dollars.
Businesses want cubicles to stay small
(or get smaller) and people with home offices
want to make maximum use of that space.
It makes perfect sense on that basis.
However, I think there a lot of downsides
to laptops that overzealous desktop replacers don't see, including proprietary components,
vulnerability to physical damage and theft,
and relative difficulty of backing up whole
hard drives.

Laptops are convenient.

[supabeast!]

Does anyone else think that laptops could be gaining ground simply because of the overall convenience of having a small computer with a built-in screen that can be carried around? Aside from hard-core gamers, not too many consumers have a need for a desktop and a large screen. It also saves one from having a big ugly desktop and monitor sitting around, which is nice from a aesthetics perspective, especially in apartments.

Possible reasons

[tmark]

Before anyone jumps to grand conclusions about what this means vis a vis desktops vs laptops:

I don't see anyone noting how laptops are inherently hard to upgrade. If your laptop is sluggish, you basically have two options: 1) add more RAM, and if that fails, 2) buy a new laptop. Whereas, with desktop PCs, you have several more options, like upgrading the CPU or buying a new graphics card. This means that the average desktop will have a longer upgradeable life than the average laptop.

A related factor is that the average desktop for under $1000 is way more powerful than the average $2000 laptop. So a desktop bought today is much less likely to be made obsolete by horsepower requirements within a given time frame than a laptop also bought today, if only because it has more horsepower right out of the box, even if that desktop costs a lot less.

And because of the inherent cost differential, people who can afford to buy laptops can afford to upgrade them faster.

Also, many people who buy laptops buy it for the chic factor, so they're going to upgrade (i.e. buy a new laptop) sooner than those people who buy the decidedly unchic desktop.

Laptops are undeniably at least partly about image, and people consume them every bit as conspicuously (and in the very same places !) as people consumed Filofaxes, cell phones, and PDAs before. And I've noticed many smirks or at least raised eyebrows when someone trundles in a 3-year old, heavy-as-hell-with-passive-matrix-screen laptop into a meeting. And many if not most of the laptop-advocates here are familiar with the satisfaction of hauling in the newest, coolest laptop, hearing the oohs-and-ahhs and having the neatest toy in the board room for the next month or so.

Re:CRTs still being made

[Chrysophrase]

Me.

I work on this 20" cinema display mainly to do page layout, gives a nice and crisp result at 1680 x 1050 resolution and a I also use19" Lacie Electron blue for colour correction and Photoshop work.

And if I may add: nothing comes close, in terms of picture quality, to the Lacie.

I LOVE STATISTICS... I make them up all the time

[enigmals1]

But seriously... I wonder what the statistics are of the amount of PC's bought in retail compared to on-line and how many specifically how many laptops vs. desktops are bought retail vs. on-line. Stastics show whatever the collector wants them to show. Here's some interesting points to think about... - How many of those laptops were purchased by people already owning desktops from previous years - People tend to want to purchase a laptop from a retail location because they can "feel" the product, whereas a desktop is pretty much just specs and can be purchased from the on-line store of any major brand. - Same is true for LCD panels where you want to check out the clerity and picture of a panel whereas CRT's tend to be more specs and commonplace for most purchasers. - Why would someone be buying JUST a display from a retail store? They are upgrading. Why upgrade? You want bigger, better or both. The rest of users are receiving their new monitors with their desktops they just purchased at the above on-line store. SUMMER: screw retail statistics or any selling portal for that matter. You want accurrate statistics? ...more accurately study the volume of PC's manufactured since demand generally drives supply for the following quarter and/or fiscal year. ;)

Re:BAAAAAA

[praedor]

Eh? Your laptop is good for what, an hour? Hour-and-a-half max if you are actually doing anything? Big deal. You can do without a puter for at least that long during a power failure and not die. Also...next year NEC is planning to produce a DESKTOP system running on their power cell (same one as they will use in their laptops late this year) that will provide laptop-like time for a desktop. The only thing a laptop will have is portability. It can't hold a candle to a desktop for CPU and video power in the best case, of course.

Yeah, except that a 19" LCD will give you the same

[AzrealAO]

viewable area as that 21" Monitor.

Re:get both in one package.

[Zurk]

get a desknote -- desktop parts in a portable laptop package and external battery if you really really need to have one.
cheaper than a regular laptop too.
i ditched my desktop for a desknote which is upgradeable around a year ago and ive not looked back since.

Re:Actually...

[lactose99]

Trust me... if/when you get married you will continue to aimlessly surf, if only to come up with new and interesting things to talk about with your wife. After being married for a year, my daily grind drivel is only so interesting to the one person who's listened to it every day.

IMO aimless surfing can be a mind-expansive activity if done to do more than simply waste time.

Re:BAAAAAA

[steveg]

Eh? Your laptop is good for what, an hour? Hour-and-a-half max if you are actually doing anything? Big deal.

When this laptop was new, I regularly got 3-4 hours of constant use out of it. I wasn't doing multimedia, etc., just coding, but it *was* constant use. The battery has gotten a bit more wear on it, and I'm lucky to break 2 1/2 hours these days. Still, that's a lot better than an hour.

And its portability means I can work on the patio at my favorite coffee shop or where ever I prefer.

Re:CRTs still being made

[EvanED]

Ah, but radiologists aren't as concerned with absolute color correction as they are with resolution I would bet... the top resolution monitors are LCDs. Artists however are more concerned with the color than ultra-high resolution.

Pipe dreams...

[Archfeld]

Couldn't pay me enough to give up my CRT. A laptop I have for the sheer convenience and mobility, I need an over-priced UNDER performing ONLY MADE in a a few places in ASIA LCD, like our CEO needs another bonus, and HE DOESN'T. They've been trying like crazy for several years now to convince people that LCD is 'DIGITAL' and there fore somehow better than a CRT...