Are Desktop Computers Becoming Obsolete?

hollydolly said:
No need to go on for me Iris. I'm long sold.... we have the same set-up...2 desktops.. 2 laptops..and both of us have Ipads and Iphones (y)
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Same here except we have Samsung tablets and Android phones. Our laptops are primarily for travel - which we used to do quite frequently pre-2020.

My main desktop has twin 22" monitors. I also kept my Windows 7 desktop with a single 27" monitor, but only boot it up when I need software that Windows 7 ran perfectly well but Windows 10 won't accept. (I'm not about to buy those programs all over again.) The Windows 7 computer's wifi is disabled so it won't automatically go online when I boot it.

My desk looks like I work for NASA. :cool:

I love using a desktop. So much power, speed, memory, great speakers, a large keyboard and ergonomic mouse. If something goes wrong you can crack the case. Mine is hooked to the router via an ethernet cable.

p.s. I much prefer Windows 7 over 10.
 

The irony of it - as much of the population ages and requires larger viewing areas and larger keyboards for arthritic fingers, more is being done on still smaller devices such as cell phones and small tablets.

As for the OP question, I can't predict whether desktop computers will become obsolete since things are changing a an increasingly rapid rate. However, many good points in this thread have been brought up to support thinking that desktop computers still have very fundamental uses that have not been adequately replaced in smaller computing devices.

Tony
 
The term desktop can be confusing.
Are we talking about what I call a tower underneath the desk? (A huge thing).
I'm still using mine with a monitor and a keyboard on the top of the desk.
It's obsolete now because it won't run Windows 10 and I can't upgrade it so I would need to buy a new one. But I continue to use it and I'm still running Windows XP and I'm typing this on it right now. I just love a full size keyboard and mouse.
I can still use it for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. That's critical for me.
There are programs on it that are so functional. There are things I can do on it that I can't do with Chromebook.
I have all kinds of apps on my cell phone and tablets that are free. I have an I pad given to me and an RCA tablet.
So what I have done recently is that I bought a 7 inch tablet at Walmart on sale for $50.00.
It can run just about anything I need to do, even print on my wireless printer.
Simply amazing technology.
One of the most useful apps I have on it is Google where I tell it to "ring my phone" and then I start looking under the cushions for my cell phone.
The Ipad is now obsolete because I can't upgrade the software (IOS) and the battery won't hold a charge so I have to keep it plugged in. But it still works well.
 
We switched from a tower style to laptop with attached keyboard. It’s time to go to an all-in-one. I rarely use this.

After I got my iPad, I never used my old laptop anymore. Now it’s 99.9% iPad with a keyboard. I’m sitting in bed, drinking my morning coffee, have read my mail, read the news, etc. It pretty does everything I need and is lightweight for travel.
 
Camper6 said:
The term desktop can be confusing.
Are we talking about what I call a tower underneath the desk? (A huge thing).
I'm still using mine with a monitor and a keyboard on the top of the desk.
It's obsolete now because it won't run Windows 10 and I can't upgrade it so I would need to buy a new one. But I continue to use it and I'm still running Windows XP and I'm typing this on it right now. I just love a full size keyboard and mouse.
I can still use it for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. That's critical for me.
There are programs on it that are so functional. There are things I can do on it that I can't do with Chromebook.
I have all kinds of apps on my cell phone and tablets that are free. I have an I pad given to me and an RCA tablet.
So what I have done recently is that I bought a 7 inch tablet at Walmart on sale for $50.00.
It can run just about anything I need to do, even print on my wireless printer.
Simply amazing technology.
One of the most useful apps I have on it is Google where I tell it to "ring my phone" and then I start looking under the cushions for my cell phone.
The Ipad is now obsolete because I can't upgrade the software (IOS) and the battery won't hold a charge so I have to keep it plugged in. But it still works well.
Click to expand...

A desktop computer generally is that which is not a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. So a desktop could be an all-in-one that just looks like a large monitor with a keyboard and mouse attached, or any size of stand-alone computer with a monitor/keyboard/mouse attached. It doesn't matter whether the thing sits on the desk, next to it, or under it.

To me, the primary concern of running an older OS from Microsoft would be security, since they are always sending out security patches for the current OS (Windows 10). If you are not using that computer on the internet, it shouldn't matter.

When a discussion about this particular area comes up, there are folks who will tell you they never use anti-virus and similar software, and have never had a problem. That can certainly be true, so I tend to suggest that we think of such software as much like car insurance. Many people are paying their insurance premiums and have never had an accident. Many (maybe all?) states have a law requiring drivers to have car insurance, so that is certainly different from using anti-virus type software. But the concept of why we need it remains the same.

This post is very short, and folks reading it can certainly question much of what I have said, and be correct. If I were to discuss this in detail, it would be LENGHTY, and I doubt that anyone would want to read through it any more than I would care to write all of that. So please, when reading this, just take what you need and leave the rest. I just briefly skimmed what the subject matter for consideration is rather than covering all the holes that could be discussed.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
A desktop computer generally is that which is not a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. So a desktop could be an all-in-one that just looks like a large monitor with a keyboard and mouse attached, or any size of stand-alone computer with a monitor/keyboard/mouse attached. It doesn't matter whether the thing sits on the desk, next to it, or under it.

To me, the primary concern of running an older OS from Microsoft would be security, since they are always sending out security patches for the current OS (Windows 10). If you are not using that computer on the internet, it shouldn't matter.

When a discussion about this particular area comes up, there are folks who will tell you they never use anti-virus and similar software, and have never had a problem. That can certainly be true, so I tend to suggest that we think of such software as much like car insurance. Many people are paying their insurance premiums and have never had an accident. Many (maybe all?) states have a law requiring drivers to have car insurance, so that is certainly different from using anti-virus type software. But the concept of why we need it remains the same.

This post is very short, and folks reading it can certainly question much of what I have said, and be correct. If I were to discuss this in detail, it would be LENGHTY, and I doubt that anyone would want to read through it any more than I would care to write all of that. So please, when reading this, just take what you need and leave the rest. I just briefly skimmed what the subject matter for consideration is rather than covering all the holes that could be discussed.

Tony
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I agree with all you said.

Although my computers haven't ever been hacked, at least not to my knowledge, I always use updated antivirus software.

Shortly before Windows 7 ceased to be supported by Microsoft with patches and updates, I bought Windows 10 computers and turned off my Win-7 computer's wifi for precisely the reasons you outlined.

DH & I are semi-retired and need our computers for business purposes.
 
If you wait a few years the cycle will return to a newer version of the desktop. It's like the hem of a woman's skirt. Up and down depending on the whim of the fashion police and need to sell. The dumb terminal has returned to accomodate the cloud, so everybody can allow Google/Amazon/MS/Facebook to store everything making tracking easier.

As I've always said 'It's all about money, the rest is just window dressing'.
 
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ManjaroKDE said:
If you wait a few years the cycle will return to a newer version of the desktop. It's like the hem of a woman's skirt. Up and down depending on the whim of the fashion police and need to sell. The dumb terminal has returned to accomodate the cloud, so everybody can allow Google/Amazon/MS/Facebook to store everything making tracking easier.

As I've always said 'It's all about money, the rest is just window dressing'.
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...or Windows 10 dressing. :ROFLMAO::geek:

Tony
 
hollydolly said:
Not mine. I have a brand new Mac desktop... for the uninitiated Mac desktops need no towers.. they're set all in one with the monitor
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That's kind of weird. I remember the first desktop computers from Radio Shack had the keyboard, monitor and main components as one piece. Of cousre, they were much larger than today's version of the Macs.
 
A desktop computer generally is that which is not a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. So a desktop could be an all-in-one that just looks like a large monitor with a keyboard and mouse attached, or any size of stand-alone computer with a monitor/keyboard/mouse attached. It doesn't matter whether the thing sits on the desk, next to it, or under it.

Quoted:
"To me, the primary concern of running an older OS from Microsoft would be security, since they are always sending out security patches for the current OS (Windows 10). If you are not using that computer on the internet, it shouldn't matter."

I am using the computer on the internet. I really don't care if it's not secure. There's nothing there to steal. I don't do online banking anymore. I learned my lesson. I don't have any anti virus software .


"When a discussion about this particular area comes up, there are folks who will tell you they never use anti-virus and similar software, and have never had a problem. That can certainly be true, so I tend to suggest that we think of such software as much like car insurance. Many people are paying their insurance premiums and have never had an accident. Many (maybe all?) states have a law requiring drivers to have car insurance, so that is certainly different from using anti-virus type software. But the concept of why we need it remains the same."

Unless you buy software that picks up the virus or whatever before it gets installed, the software is useless. If the virus software is not up to date what's the point of fixing it after it has been installed on your system.

"This post is very short, and folks reading it can certainly question much of what I have said, and be correct. If I were to discuss this in detail, it would be LENGHTY, and I doubt that anyone would want to read through it any more than I would care to write all of that. So please, when reading this, just take what you need and leave the rest. I just briefly skimmed what the subject matter for consideration is rather than covering all the holes that could be discussed."

We had long threads on this topic before Tony.

In fact I started a thread on it that inquired about how many virus incidents have you had in your lifetime of computing. I was surprised. It was a rare occurrence. I have only had one bad one in about 30 years. I took home one of those 2 1/4 disks from our golf course computer.
When I put it in my computer it wiped out the operating system.

That wasn't fatal however, because I just reinstalled the operating system.

That was in the good old days before the internet surfaced.

We used to calculate the handicaps on the golf course computer.
 
Camper6 said:
A desktop computer generally is that which is not a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. So a desktop could be an all-in-one that just looks like a large monitor with a keyboard and mouse attached, or any size of stand-alone computer with a monitor/keyboard/mouse attached. It doesn't matter whether the thing sits on the desk, next to it, or under it.

Quoted:
"To me, the primary concern of running an older OS from Microsoft would be security, since they are always sending out security patches for the current OS (Windows 10). If you are not using that computer on the internet, it shouldn't matter."

I am using the computer on the internet. I really don't care if it's not secure. There's nothing there to steal. I don't do online banking anymore. I learned my lesson. I don't have any anti virus software .

"When a discussion about this particular area comes up, there are folks who will tell you they never use anti-virus and similar software, and have never had a problem. That can certainly be true, so I tend to suggest that we think of such software as much like car insurance. Many people are paying their insurance premiums and have never had an accident. Many (maybe all?) states have a law requiring drivers to have car insurance, so that is certainly different from using anti-virus type software. But the concept of why we need it remains the same."

Unless you buy software that picks up the virus or whatever before it gets installed, the software is useless. If the virus software is not up to date what's the point of fixing it after it has been installed on your system.

In fact I started a thread on it that inquired about how many virus incidents have you had in your lifetime of computing. I was surprised. It was a rare occurrence. I have only had one bad one in about 30 years. I took home one of those 2 1/4 disks from our golf course computer.
When I put it in my computer it wiped out the operating system.

That wasn't fatal however, because I just reinstalled the operating system.

That was in the good old days before the internet surfaced.

We used to calculate the handicaps on the golf course computer.
Click to expand...

"This post is very short, and folks reading it can certainly question much of what I have said, and be correct. If I were to discuss this in detail, it would be LENGHTY, and I doubt that anyone would want to read through it any more than I would care to write all of that. So please, when reading this, just take what you need and leave the rest. I just briefly skimmed what the subject matter for consideration is rather than covering all the holes that could be discussed."

We had long threads on this topic before Tony.

Here is an example of what I have mentioned in recent posts - misunderstandings. I was talking about the length my post to cover all aspects of what I brushed over. You replied about long threads. What I said was that I didn't want to write a long and detailed post to cover everything that could be argued. I said nothing about the length of the thread.

An example of such an occurrence would be:

"When a discussion about this particular area comes up, there are folks who will tell you they never use anti-virus and similar software, and have never had a problem. That can certainly be true, so I tend to suggest that we think of such software as much like car insurance. Many people are paying their insurance premiums and have never had an accident. Many (maybe all?) states have a law requiring drivers to have car insurance, so that is certainly different from using anti-virus type software. But the concept of why we need it remains the same."

Unless you buy software that picks up the virus or whatever before it gets installed, the software is useless. If the virus software is not up to date what's the point of fixing it after it has been installed on your system.

If I had written a much longer post to cover all aspects of that particular area, I would most certainly have covered that. So I am not saying that I disagree or that I think your wrong, but instead that I wanted to keep my post relatively short and therefore would not have covered all the possibilities.

You do bring up good points all around, so I "liked" your post. :)

Tony
 
I have a laptop but also a very old desktop. I remember having to 'dial up' and there was an ethernet connection but it doesn't have the modern fittings for a USB connection etc so I only use it to play DVD's and the pictures are of a good quality.
The tower has a floppy disc insert. o_O Anyone with me on this . I feel alone.:giggle:
 

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I have a desktop computer and I like it a lot and I use it just as often as I use my phone for computer things. I have about a 27 inch screen and Windows 10 so I'm all set. So to me a desktop computer is not obsolete but I think it is valued by many and I can see that in the replies in this thread too.
 
Ruthanne said:
I have a desktop computer and I like it a lot and I use it just as often as I use my phone for computer things. I have about a 27 inch screen and Windows 10 so I'm all set. So to me a desktop computer is not obsolete but I think it is valued by many and I can see that in the replies in this thread too.
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Yes, I can see that too. My wife likes a big monitor on a desktop system, while I prefer just a laptop. I have a Dell XPS 15, which has a 15" monitor and similar power to a desktop except that it uses low power parts for obvious reasons (battery life).

My wife can sit at her computer for hours on Facebook and she likes to play games such as Sudoku and various pattern matching type games. She also designs quilting embroidery on hers, writes the design to a USB flash drive and then uses it on her Babylock sewing machine.

In contrast, I like to sit in my recliner and visit this forum and communicate via email with some musician friends. So for me, a laptop is fine.

Tony
 
That is a good looking tower treacle, you can't
do much with it because of it's age unless you
put all new components inside.

Unless you feel like an adventure, just keep using
it for your pictures.

Mike.
 


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