Washington
- Apple this week announced some minor upgrades to its Mac Pro desktop
computer, which it says will be followed by a major overhaul of its high-end
Mac.
It's been four years since Apple announced any sort of update
for the computer, leading some to worry that the company - which famously
worked to usher in a "post-PC" era - was letting mobile overshadow
the humble desktop.
But as Apple's announcement proves, we may not see desktops
die completely, even in an era when mobile devices are our most-used gadgets.
What may happen, however, is that desktop computers take on a new form?
Judging by what companies have been trying lately to keep
excitement alive in desktops, consumers may see the companies shift from affordable
computers that can work in every home to higher-end, more specialised machines.
There's no denying desktops have been on the decline. Sales
growth for computers, particularly desktops, has been sliding since 2012,
according to consulting firm IDC. A recent study showed that Android overtook
Windows as the world's most-used operating system overall.
A similar thing happened with Apple in 2012 when its mobile
operating system, iOS, was logged as getting more usage than Apple's desktop
operating system as consumers turned more to their iPhones, iPads and iPods.
Basically, desktops have seen their main functions eroded by
an army of new devices. Need a big keyboard on which to type? There's a cheap laptop,
or a Bluetooth keyboard for that. Want to stream an online movie? You can do
that straight from your TV.
But the truth is that we may never go truly
"post-PC" - or post-Mac, as the flurry of breathless articles over
Apple's plans for the Mac Pro indicated.
There's always going to be things for which we need a
computer. In fact, Deloitte last year claimed in a study that even the youngest
of millennials, those ages 18 to 24, are still relying on desktops and laptops
a lot for specific tasks, including shopping, banking, watching video and
creating text and image files.
On top of that, companies are working to create desktops
that fit into a world where mobile devices are increasingly doing most of the
heavy lifting.
For Apple, part of the solution seems to be making the Mac
Pro more customisable and therefore more flexible when it comes to fitting
people's needs. It's also more closely marrying the mobile and desktop
experiences.
Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software
engineering, said that the company is working on making the iPad Pro work
better with the desktop as a way to convince people that they still need both
devices.
Best of mobile technology
Microsoft appears to be dealing with PC shifts by taking the
best of mobile technology and bringing it to the desktop, often in big,
beautiful fashion. The Surface Studio, a 28-inch touch screen desktop computer
that's also $3,000, lets you use a stylus as well as a dial that Microsoft
designed just for this touch screen.
Samsung is trying to make your desk completely mobile-based.
The company this month showed off a desktop mode for its upcoming Galaxy S8
phones, which lets you plug your phone into a $150 dock and use it with a
monitor, keyboard and mouse for a more desktop-like experience.
It's the kind of product that, in theory, that could kill
the desktop as a widespread device. But it will take some time for mobile
solutions like this to take off because they're still a little bit rough around
the edges, said Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa.
"The reality of putting your small device onto your
large screen is that you have to adjust screen size and applications to fit.
Those little subtle changes are hectic, and it's not realistic to use
them," she said.
So, judging by how the desktop market has evolved over the
past several years - and where it's headed - the upshot seems to be that you'll
probably be spending more for a desktop, but possibly using it for fewer
things.
Kitagawa said that, in her opinion, desktops will settle at
around the $800, $1 000 range for consumers who don't want the high-end
machines that you'd see in a professional setting, but want the power for
gaming, video and photo editing or other hobbies.
"That's going to be the sweet spot," she said.
WASHINGTON
POST