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  3. What Will You Do When There Are No More PCs?

What Will You Do When There Are No More PCs?

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  • D David1987

    It won't happen. At least not soon. All this mobile stuff is nice and all, but Real Work (and Real Games) continues to be done on PC's.

    L Offline
    L Offline
    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    Hah! What do you mean by 'soon'? I suggest you bookmark this post and read it to your kids (they really won't understand the 'never need more than 64k quote from Bill) in a few years

    MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

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    • R Roger Wright

      This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

      Will Rogers never met me.

      L Offline
      L Offline
      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #5

      Roger Wright wrote:

      What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

      Drink another Bundy and say fuck it.

      Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004

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      • R Roger Wright

        This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

        Will Rogers never met me.

        P Offline
        P Offline
        PIEBALDconsult
        wrote on last edited by
        #6

        I work on the server/backend, so I don't think I'd be affected were that to happen. It's just a matter of what to use to do the development. I could easily go back to using a dumb terminus connected to a mainframe or mini-computer. I'm also interested in thin/zero clients. The last time I was at the Microsoft Store (in Scottsdale) I took a look at a Win7 tablet. I found that I could get to the DOS prompt, use Edit to write a C# program, compile it with CSC, and run it :-D . The problem, of course, was that there wasn't really enough screen real estate for both the on-screen virtual keyboard and the Edit window. :sigh: To mis-quote Red October: "Developing on a tablet is possible, but not recommended". I expect that a separate keyboard could be attached, and if it could also be connected to a TV, that'd be pretty good.

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        • L Lost User

          Hah! What do you mean by 'soon'? I suggest you bookmark this post and read it to your kids (they really won't understand the 'never need more than 64k quote from Bill) in a few years

          MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

          D Offline
          D Offline
          David1987
          wrote on last edited by
          #7

          Uhm yea, that's not what I meant by soon :)

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • R Roger Wright

            This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

            Will Rogers never met me.

            T Offline
            T Offline
            TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
            wrote on last edited by
            #8

            Tablets are just the new format of PC. As such for real development, it will require the ability to attach a keyboard and monitor. Alternatively, PCs will still be around, but will be costly beasts that only developers will have need of. Then cross-platform development will be done, like it's being done now.

            If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
            You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun

            P 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • R Roger Wright

              This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

              Will Rogers never met me.

              R Offline
              R Offline
              Ravi Bhavnani
              wrote on last edited by
              #9

              I agree 100% with PIEBALDconsult. Like him, I work on an enterprise solution (that's connected to by desktops, tablets, smart phones and even electronic devices).  I couldn't imagine developing our product on anything but an adequately powered PC (or a Linux workstation if we were non-Microsoft).  We happen to use quad core Xeons with 8G RAM, a 100G SSD as a system disk, and a vanilla 2TB 7200rpm secondary disk.  All work is of course checked in to a TFS server.  All dev workstations are equipped with dual 1920x1200 panels. That being said, I agree that the client PC market is fast losing share to smaller footprint portable devices.  The age of the family computer is past.  But enterprises will continue to have a need for desktop devices, with their field personnel moving from laptops and netbooks to tablets or just smartphones. /ravi

              My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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              • R Roger Wright

                This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                Will Rogers never met me.

                B Offline
                B Offline
                Brady Kelly
                wrote on last edited by
                #10

                I'll still be coding web apps for consumption on whatever replaces PC's.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • R Roger Wright

                  This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                  Will Rogers never met me.

                  Mike HankeyM Offline
                  Mike HankeyM Offline
                  Mike Hankey
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #11

                  I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime.

                  A girl phoned me and said, 'Come on over. There's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home! Rodney Dangerfield

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                  • L Lost User

                    Hah! What do you mean by 'soon'? I suggest you bookmark this post and read it to your kids (they really won't understand the 'never need more than 64k quote from Bill) in a few years

                    MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

                    P Offline
                    P Offline
                    PIEBALDconsult
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #12

                    _Maxxx_ wrote:

                    'never need more than 64k

                    And there is no need for anyone to have a computer in their home. ::shrug::

                    B 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                      Tablets are just the new format of PC. As such for real development, it will require the ability to attach a keyboard and monitor. Alternatively, PCs will still be around, but will be costly beasts that only developers will have need of. Then cross-platform development will be done, like it's being done now.

                      If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
                      You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering” - Wernher von Braun

                      P Offline
                      P Offline
                      PIEBALDconsult
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #13

                      ahmed zahmed wrote:

                      new format of PC

                      Yes, a more personal Personal Computer.

                      X 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                        I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime.

                        A girl phoned me and said, 'Come on over. There's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home! Rodney Dangerfield

                        P Offline
                        P Offline
                        PIEBALDconsult
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #14

                        That can be arranged. :suss:

                        Mike HankeyM 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • R Roger Wright

                          This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                          Will Rogers never met me.

                          C Offline
                          C Offline
                          Chris Losinger
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #15

                          Roger Wright wrote:

                          It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long.

                          this doesn't follow. margins are slim because competition is fierce, and competition is fierce because there's a strong market for the product. and HP dropping out of a business isn't really surprising to me - they've been making crappy management decisions for a long time.

                          image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                          • P PIEBALDconsult

                            That can be arranged. :suss:

                            Mike HankeyM Offline
                            Mike HankeyM Offline
                            Mike Hankey
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #16

                            I got a cousin that knows someone that will make all the arrangements. bwaaahahahaha

                            A girl phoned me and said, 'Come on over. There's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home! Rodney Dangerfield

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • C Chris Losinger

                              Roger Wright wrote:

                              It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long.

                              this doesn't follow. margins are slim because competition is fierce, and competition is fierce because there's a strong market for the product. and HP dropping out of a business isn't really surprising to me - they've been making crappy management decisions for a long time.

                              image processing toolkits | batch image processing

                              R Offline
                              R Offline
                              Roger Wright
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #17

                              It does follow, when you consider a company's ability to weather economic downturns, price wars, etc. With a margin of 10% - 15% you have some wiggle room. There are far more lucrative areas in which to invest capital, and there's little incentive to settle for such a low ROI. The fact that many people still want to buy PCs is not a good reason to keep making them, if you can't make a decent profit; let them eat tablets.

                              Will Rogers never met me.

                              C R 2 Replies Last reply
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                              • R Roger Wright

                                It does follow, when you consider a company's ability to weather economic downturns, price wars, etc. With a margin of 10% - 15% you have some wiggle room. There are far more lucrative areas in which to invest capital, and there's little incentive to settle for such a low ROI. The fact that many people still want to buy PCs is not a good reason to keep making them, if you can't make a decent profit; let them eat tablets.

                                Will Rogers never met me.

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                Chris Losinger
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #18

                                Roger Wright wrote:

                                The fact that many people still want to buy PCs is not a good reason to keep making them, if you can't make a decent profit

                                that's true. but it just means the least-efficient manufacturers will drop out of the PC market, not that the PC market itself will go away. there are hundreds of companies in Asia who will be very happy to fill the void that HP (or Dell, or whoever) leaves.

                                image processing toolkits | batch image processing

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • R Roger Wright

                                  This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                                  Will Rogers never met me.

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #19

                                  I must say I am a little concerned. My parents bought the IPAD2. Now their laptop is just sitting and collecting dust. However, I am a ASP.NET developer so I'm not too worried but it does look like the time will come when PCs or laptops will probably only be seen in businesses. I think this will come quicker than most think ! Isn't it fun being a developer ? I know at some point I'm going to end up driving a truck for a living. I'm not sure how but I'm convinced its going to happen ! HAHA !

                                  P M L 3 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • L Lost User

                                    I must say I am a little concerned. My parents bought the IPAD2. Now their laptop is just sitting and collecting dust. However, I am a ASP.NET developer so I'm not too worried but it does look like the time will come when PCs or laptops will probably only be seen in businesses. I think this will come quicker than most think ! Isn't it fun being a developer ? I know at some point I'm going to end up driving a truck for a living. I'm not sure how but I'm convinced its going to happen ! HAHA !

                                    P Offline
                                    P Offline
                                    PIEBALDconsult
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #20

                                    UBX wrote:

                                    driving a truck

                                    Not once the iTeleport app is released.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • R Roger Wright

                                      This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                                      Will Rogers never met me.

                                      H Offline
                                      H Offline
                                      Henry Minute
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #21

                                      Roger Wright wrote:

                                      The Wintel platform has had its day

                                      For domestic use I tend to agree apart from folks that like to code, build their own media-centre etc.. For business, however, I can't say that I agree. There would need to be sea changes in too many areas in order for that to happen. It will eventually, of course, but not in the short term.

                                      Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • R Roger Wright

                                        This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                                        Will Rogers never met me.

                                        C Offline
                                        C Offline
                                        Chris Maunder
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #22

                                        This totally depends on what you define as a PC. If you mean "a beige box with a monitor and keyboard" then yes, they will go, because they will be replaced by, finally, things with a little more style. However, I don't think it will be tablets that take over, since typing on them is painful and the screen simply isn't big enough. I'll still need a mouse or pointing device because I don't want to ruin my back constantly bending forward to touch a screen sitting an ergonomically sensible distance away. The components can go inside the screen, or the screen can be my TV, but when I'm in my office I don't want a 40" screen. I want a couple of 19" screens, or maybe a single 30" wide aspect screen, and I want to be able to swivel it around so I can show things to those across my desk, yet I don't want it on the wall because I'd go blind squinting. Maybe the keyboard can be integrated into the desk (annoying) or can be virtual using a Kinect style interface, but I'll get bruised fingers tapping my desk, not to mention carpal tunnel. So we're left with a screen on my desk plus a keyboard and pointing device. I'd say that probably still counts as a PC.

                                        cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

                                        M 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • R Roger Wright

                                          This article on cnn.com[^] discusses HP's decision to exit the PC business, and predicts that others will follow. The PC we all know and love/hate has been a marginal product line for at least a decade, and I'm surprised that any major manufacturer bothers with it still. It's not possible to operate a business that returns a margin of 2% - 5% and survive for very long. The Wintel platform has had its day, and it's been a good run of 30 years or so, but its era is winding down. The article doesn't make any predictions, but I think the end will come sooner rather than later; that's just the way paradigm shifts work. When it does, people won't be replacing their old PCs with new ones, but will instead be buying prepackaged, integrated tools that just do what they need them to do with a minimum of fuss. What are you doing to prepare for the sea change? Working on new skills, like mobile development, or cloud-based solutions? Are you working on one last killer app that will make you rich enough to retire? Or are you perfecting your burger flipping technique? What's it going to be, and at what point in the process do you plan to exit gracefully and begin your new career?

                                          Will Rogers never met me.

                                          D Offline
                                          D Offline
                                          Dan Mos
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #23

                                          I will go nuts. Cause the lap is reserved for girls :) Will not hold devices there, never ever :rolleyes:

                                          All the best, Dan

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