As mobile technologies like smartphones and tablets become ever more impressive, powerful, versatile and popular, with long-lasting batteries and high-res screens, it is reasonable to wonder if the desktop computer or even the laptop might soon go the way of the dodo. In fact, it is already possible to do almost everything on a mere mobile phone that you used to need a powerful and unwieldy PC for, including streaming, multi-tasking and gaming. Many of us will already know people – our mums, for instance – who have said goodbye to Windows, keyboards and mice because their iPhone will do just fine. Confirming the trend, there is no doubt that computer sales are generally on a downwards trajectory.
But there is life in the world of traditional computers yet, which is why you should keep Cairns computer repairer – Computerman IT in your contacts list. Mobile technology is great, but many people who have even fully and completely embraced it will still have something as old-fashioned as a desktop computer on their desk. The reasons are many, like the ease with which large and varied monitors can be plugged in, for instance. Connectivity in general is still much better in computers than mobile technology: think USBs, SD Card readers, and so on.
Larger, more stable devices with an advanced keyboard and a mouse are still preferred by many technology users, for instance designers and writers who find that even a laptop cannot keep up with their ergonomic needs. There is also the issue of content storage, with on-board memory still better in the larger technology than its tiny counterparts, and advanced users still having the need for something closer to their chests than ‘the cloud’.
No computer can compete with the usability of a modern mobile that fits in your jeans pocket, but that versatility comes with a downside – it’s easy to damage. Much less likely is that you will smash your PC on the bathroom floor or – worse still – drop it in the toilet. Some people also prefer desktop computers for their businesses over laptops, for two main reasons: PCs are less prone to overheating, and they’re less likely to be stolen.
Ease-of-use aside, the complex versatility of the tasks computers can perform is still head and shoulders above mobile devices. Ask an experienced PC user about the relatively simple task of cropping, reducing the resolution and emailing a photo, for instance, and whether they’d rather do that on a computer or an iPad.
