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Originally Posted by petermillard
Another reason for the decline in PC sales/shipments could be that people are just hanging onto them longer - you need to be a pretty hard-core gamer to justify upgrading your PC annually these days
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Well, not necessarily hard-core gamers. Those tend to focus more on graphics cards and even the most difficult games don't really require the CPU power we currently have at our disposal. Mostly, you'd only see hardware enthusiasts upgrading frequently (I'm guilty of this).
Quote:
Originally Posted by petermillard
for most people's relatively modest usage most PCs are far and away more than 'good enough'.
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I know folks who are still using Pentium III's and those are too slow that it's hard to categorize them as being good enough. On the other hand, for people who have bought a PC in the past 4 years or so (with either Athlon 64 X2 or Core 2-based dual-core or higher CPU), there's not much reason to upgrade. At that point, we've reached a level of CPU performance that's more than fast enough for typical use. That's why netbooks and nettops became popular - they're good enough. Unless their PC breaks down or something, there's no reason for most folks to upgrade.
Quote:
Originally Posted by petermillard
So by that logic, if you already have a 'good enough' PC or laptop, why upgrade it just because it's a couple of years old? Why not try a tablet instead and see what the fuss is about?
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It's not like all PC owners are rushing out to buy tablets. While there are those who are buying iPad's because it's the latest trendy gadget, I think a lot of the people buying tablets are getting them for the balance of functionality and mobility they provide.
I've gotta say, though, Apple did very well on their first try (hmm, is it their first try with a tablet?). I've owned a couple of tablets before the iPad and all of them were darned heavy, bulky, expensive, ran hot and had short battery life.