The Demise of the Desktop? I think Not!

Over the past few months, the press has placed great stock in the rising usage of laptops, PDAs, and other computeresque(?) devices untethered to the desktop. Read these articles and you would be led to believe that the demise of the desktop computer is imminent. Soon there will be a world of people carrying PDAs and mini-computers, possibly even wearing machines on their very own clothes. No longer will computer users be held hostage by desks and offices; they will take their work everywhere.

This may be a great idea, but I think desktop computers still have a long life ahead. I may be wrong, but here are three arguments.

1. It is still cheaper to buy desktop computers than laptops. When you compare components and performance, desktop computers still bring more 'bang for the buck' than laptop devices. While this cost difference is diminishing, I do not see the costs of both devices being equal or near-equal anytime soon.

2. Regarding PDAs: Yes, it's great to surf the web from a cellular phone or a small cellular-connected unit. But, except for gathering stock quotes, brief news bits, sports scores, and other pieces of information, you really cannot do much surfing and multi-site research with those devices.

Oh sure, many people would like you to believe that the web is all business and that these devices bring just the needed 'meat' of the web to professionals. But let's be honest; the web's popularity did not begin to grow exponentially until pictures, and later animation, was introduced. Only when these items, as well as color and a full 640x480 screen are introduced to the wireless devices, will they make a huge impact on the way we surf the web. And, oh yeah, the price of wireless Internet connections must go down as well.

3. It can be hard for many people to work on a project unless they are sitting at a desk working on a computing device. Just the process of being seated in a chair next to a stationary unit can bring the idea to many people's minds that "OK, I'm sitting down. It's time to do some work."

Of course, this isn't always the case. Take writers, for instance. I cannot just sit down and immediately develop dozens of article ideas for MalekTips. I need to think of an idea, formulate an outlines (in my mind), and then type away a quick draft. Sitting at a desk hampers my creativity, so instead I am seated at my couch, drink in hand, watching a James Bond marathon. After watching a vicious fight with hockey uniform-wearing thugs and later focusing on the beauty of the Greek Isles (alright, true fans€ which movie is it?), I get an idea for an article. I'm not going to sit at a desk and work on a desktop; rather, I'll just flip open my laptop and start typing up the draft.

If you are working on a large status report, programming a new piece of software, handling the nuts and bolts of web development, or proposing a marketing plan, the above scenario may not be the best work environment for you. Instead, you may need to sit down at a desk in a calm atmosphere and just start plugging away.

Of course, to each his or her own. There are times when sitting at a desk in an office environment is appropriate for a particular job. Just as well, there are times when sitting on a couch or on an airplane is the perfect place for writing notes or handling common e-mail tasks. All I am saying is that there are times to use both types of devices. The desktop computer may lose its importance as wireless devices gain functionality and lessen in cost, but I do not believe the desktop computer will go away.