May 15, 2013

The Cloud Is Killing The PC, And Giving It New Life

By Pete Knight

The Cloud Is Killing The PC

For several months we have been hearing about the imminent demise of the Personal Computer. After all, new computer sales dipped 14% last year, so surely the industry must be doomed, Doomed, DOOMED!

The personal computer industry has certainly slumped, but these are dynamic companies. It is probably unwise to write them off because of a slump. Looking at the reasons for the slump is instructive. Some believe that the market is being lost to mobile and cloud applications. This school of thought holds that the newer, smaller, and faster technology has rendered the PC obsolete.

No Reason To Upgrade In Today’s Economy

One of the most popular theories is that the personal computer industry is slumping because the rest of the economy is slumping. There is certainly merit to this assumption. In some ways, the personal computer industry has made itself redundant. Gamers, professional video editors, and computer scientists want and need the latest and fastest machines. The average computer user wants to check email, update their social media, input sales data or other spreadsheet type application at work, and maybe play a few hands of solitaire while the boss is looking the other way.

Unfortunately for computer manufacturers, five year old processors are more than able to do the job. In the past, new computer sales were driven by the need to upgrade hardware to keep up with the newest applications. The “Killer App” phenomena has always been a driver of technology sales. The current Killer App is the Cloud, and for now, the Cloud does not need a new personal computer to be useful.

Mobile and Cloud

Part of the wonder of Cloud computing is that most of the actual computing, processing and storage, takes place “in the Cloud”. This means the end user enjoys better and more up to date services without the need to continually upgrade hardware. This is bad news for companies which depend upon sales of new computers.

Another factor thought to be eating away at traditional PC’s is the rise of touchscreen mobile devices. Touching and swiping seem to be a more elegant way to interface than being tied to an old fashioned, clunky keyboard and mouse. Mobile devices are also a terrific way to interface with Cloud applications- their small size and relatively limited storage often require an Internet Cloud connection for maximum usefulness.

Is Bill Gates dream of a Windows PC on every desk top in the world becoming a thing of the past? Probably not. Although sales are slumping, the personal computer will remain an important tool for work, entertainment, and communication. Granted, most of the things that are done on a desktop personal computer can also be done on an inexpensive smartphone. As slick as a touch screen seems, for many important applications, the PC can be a more efficient interface.

By Pete Knight

Pete Knight

Nagaraj Kuppuswamy

Next-Generation Threats: Securing Multi-Cloud Environment

Next-Generation Threats Using cloud services from multiple cloud service providers is the fundamental tenet of [...]
Read more

Maximize Workforce Efficiency: Top HR Data Analytics Platforms

HR Data Analytics Platforms In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, human resources (HR) departments are not [...]
Read more
Sushil Kumar

Generative AI and Cloud Computing: The Greatest Infusion

Generative AI The fusion of cloud computing, app modernization, and artificial intelligence (AI) drives digital [...]
Read more
Jeremy Smillie

Securing the Future: Insights from DevSecOps Expert, Jeremy Smillie

Welcome to another insightful discussion on CloudTweaks. Today, we have the privilege of delving into [...]
Read more
Daniel Barber

Q&A Daniel Barber – 2024 AI + Data Privacy Predictions

2024 AI + Data Privacy Predictions In a recent interview with CloudTweaks, Daniel Barber, Co-Founder [...]
Read more
Steve Prentice

Episode 21: Building a better backup – getting the whole organization to play better in the sandbox

Building a better backup – getting the whole organization to play better in the sandbox [...]
Read more

SPONSOR PARTNER

Explore top-tier education with exclusive savings on online courses from MIT, Oxford, and Harvard through our e-learning sponsor. Elevate your career with world-class knowledge. Start now!
© 2024 CloudTweaks. All rights reserved.