If you’re a technical person who uses computers for your work, a weak PC market is a blessing.
There is absolutely no reason the general public should be using the traditional desktop computer. They should be using limited use devices tailored to the things that people want to do the most – prattle, get directions, browse the web, and buy stuff. They can use their smart phone or tablet for these. Such devices fit the technical commitment level of the general public, not demanding much in the way of learning or expertise.
Computers should be for computer people who are willing to make the investment that they require to use properly and effectively. The general public has consistently shown they do not have this capability, and only serve as drag on those technical.
As we move forward and the majority of the population is on phones and tablets those who have made the investment to use computers well will have a decided advantage in our increasingly technological world.
Interesting point of view. I wonder if the people growing up on smart-phones and tablets today will be unable to use productivity devices in the future, or whether tablets will become the new productivity device. My guess is that at some point in school, most students will need word processing and various other productivity tools, and will become acquainted with them that way.
I had a similar thought recently. People who are currently in their 20s and 30s had a unique privilege of growing up when fully-featured computers appeared in almost every household. A bored 13 year old kid getting a Pentium-166 desktop for Christmas is much more likely to start tinkering with the system, learn to program, hack, etc. than if his or her first computer was a walled garden iPad.
Now with the huge success of smartphones and tablets, it may well happen that most households of 2025 won't even have a computer suitable for anything but media consumption and "apps".
Comments
If you’re a technical person who uses computers for your work, a weak PC market is a blessing.
There is absolutely no reason the general public should be using the traditional desktop computer. They should be using limited use devices tailored to the things that people want to do the most – prattle, get directions, browse the web, and buy stuff. They can use their smart phone or tablet for these. Such devices fit the technical commitment level of the general public, not demanding much in the way of learning or expertise.
Computers should be for computer people who are willing to make the investment that they require to use properly and effectively. The general public has consistently shown they do not have this capability, and only serve as drag on those technical.
As we move forward and the majority of the population is on phones and tablets those who have made the investment to use computers well will have a decided advantage in our increasingly technological world.
Interesting point of view. I wonder if the people growing up on smart-phones and tablets today will be unable to use productivity devices in the future, or whether tablets will become the new productivity device. My guess is that at some point in school, most students will need word processing and various other productivity tools, and will become acquainted with them that way.
I had a similar thought recently. People who are currently in their 20s and 30s had a unique privilege of growing up when fully-featured computers appeared in almost every household. A bored 13 year old kid getting a Pentium-166 desktop for Christmas is much more likely to start tinkering with the system, learn to program, hack, etc. than if his or her first computer was a walled garden iPad. Now with the huge success of smartphones and tablets, it may well happen that most households of 2025 won't even have a computer suitable for anything but media consumption and "apps".