> A couple of years ago I also thought desktop-Linux will completely replace Windows.
I don't understand how you could have ever thought that.
> Truth of the matter is desktops still represent the largest market of devices consumers are buying and at least 90% of them run Windows. This whole post-PC notion is crappy and doesn't hold water - tables and smartphones are complementary products to desktops, and won't replace desktops until you'll be able to attach to them a 21 inch monitor, a keyboard and a mouse/trackball.
There's a contingent of desktop users who just can't let go. The idea of things changing is a scary thought. Tablets are exploding in sales because they're fulfilling the ultimate goal of accessible computing. The maintenance hell of PCs, tying people to a desk, will be viewed as a fluke in an industry that was in its technological infancy, the same way we no longer hand-crank automobiles to start them.
You talk about connecting to a 21-inch monitor and using a keyboard and mouse as if people WANT to do that. People today are using game consoles and touchscreens. If they want to see something on a big screen, they'll plug their mobile devices into their giant HDTVs, or they'll use their Apple TV or their game console. With the exception of Blizzard, PC gaming already died and went to consoles and mobile devices, and it's not as if PCs are going to let users watch YouTube videos, send email, or read books better than an iPad will.
Mobile devices are the futuristic vision of appliance computing that everyone has envisioned for decades. That leaves PCs as something leftover for power users. Steve Jobs gave a quote about desktop PCs, comparing them to pickup trucks. Most people won't need them, but they'll still be around for those who do.
but suppose the average user wants to write a long note on facebook (cause real non-techy people do not use email, anymore). They will also plug a keyboard. Now, you are back to have a big screen (tv, monitor) and a computing unit (pc, post-pc-device), and external input device.
You have a PC, again, except the tower casing is small enough and can be used independently.
I don't understand how you could have ever thought that.
> Truth of the matter is desktops still represent the largest market of devices consumers are buying and at least 90% of them run Windows. This whole post-PC notion is crappy and doesn't hold water - tables and smartphones are complementary products to desktops, and won't replace desktops until you'll be able to attach to them a 21 inch monitor, a keyboard and a mouse/trackball.
There's a contingent of desktop users who just can't let go. The idea of things changing is a scary thought. Tablets are exploding in sales because they're fulfilling the ultimate goal of accessible computing. The maintenance hell of PCs, tying people to a desk, will be viewed as a fluke in an industry that was in its technological infancy, the same way we no longer hand-crank automobiles to start them.
You talk about connecting to a 21-inch monitor and using a keyboard and mouse as if people WANT to do that. People today are using game consoles and touchscreens. If they want to see something on a big screen, they'll plug their mobile devices into their giant HDTVs, or they'll use their Apple TV or their game console. With the exception of Blizzard, PC gaming already died and went to consoles and mobile devices, and it's not as if PCs are going to let users watch YouTube videos, send email, or read books better than an iPad will.
Mobile devices are the futuristic vision of appliance computing that everyone has envisioned for decades. That leaves PCs as something leftover for power users. Steve Jobs gave a quote about desktop PCs, comparing them to pickup trucks. Most people won't need them, but they'll still be around for those who do.