Q&A: Why do they still bother with making desktop computers?
Enjoy today's featured easy-to-follow tech tip.
Rick's Daily Tech Tips Update for Thursday, December 5, 2024
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Monthly Tech Giveaway....
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Today’s featured tech tip…
Q&A: Why do they still bother with making desktop computers?
Question from Ben: Everyone I know that recently bought a computer ended up buying a laptop instead of a desktop computer.
Since no one is buying desktops anymore, why are they still bothering to make them?
Rick's answer: That's a great question, Ben. And there's a very simple answer...
Lots of desktop computers are actually still being purchased each and every day!
While it seems that everyone in your personal circle of friends and acquaintances has opted to buy a laptop, there are still plenty of desktop computers being purchased as well.
Although it's true that there are now a lot more laptops being sold than desktops, there are plenty enough desktop PCs being sold to justify their existence in the marketplace. And I fully expect that to be the case well into the future, for these reasons:
1 - Generally speaking, desktop computers offer more power than comparably-equipped laptops.
This is primarily due to the fact that laptops are necessarily more limited than desktops in regards to cooling capabilities and the amount of space available for housing internal components.
Therefore laptop components tend to be less powerful than their desktop counterparts that fall in the same class and price range.
That makes desktop computers better suited than laptops when higher levels of performance are desired.
2 - Desktop computers are far easier to customize and upgrade than laptops.
When you buy a laptop you're pretty much stuck with the hardware you purchased.
While you can often upgrade a laptop's RAM and/or replace its hard drive with an SSD, its virtually certain that you'll be stuck with the same CPU (and its supporting components) forever.
3 - Desktop computers are typically easier and more cost-effective to repair than laptops.
The motherboard and other components inside a typical desktop computer can usually be replaced (and even upgraded) when they fail, often for just a fraction of what you'd have to pay for a new computer.
However, if the motherboard in a laptop fails after the machine's warranty has expired it'll almost always be more cost-effective to replace the entire laptop than to have it repaired.
Also, just cracking open the case on a laptop often requires special tools and skills that most users simply don't possess.
3 - Desktop PCs are still quite popular in the corporate world.
Walk into most any large corporate office space and you'll notice that most of the computers on the desks are desktop machines, not laptops.
That's changing now with more people either working from home or taking their work home with them, but that change is happening slowly.
Bottom line: Desktop computers are still being sold in quantities that make it worth the manufacturers' whiles to continue making them. And I don't expect that to change any time soon.
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Picture of the Day...
“Backlighting”
Today’s POTD features a great example of how backlighting can create an amazing image (and the cure little squirrel doesn't seem to mind it either). I hope you like the photo.
Bonus tips from some the web’s best Tech sites...
Every day I hand-pick five of the best tips I found on my favorite tech sites and share them with you, my wonderful subscribers. Here is today’s selection:
• How to authorize your Mac for Apple Music
• Why you can't edit an iMessage (and does it mean the recipient read it?)
• How to cast to a Roku from your phone
• How to get Microsoft Edge to read web pages and documents out loud to you
• How to reclaim control of your email inbox
Today's post from 'Living (and loving) Life'...
Video: The brave men who built the Empire State Building
Today’s tech news headlines...
• Can we admit that AI search engines are just a bad idea?
• Chrome for Android has doubled its Speedometer score
• Microsoft: Tough hardware requirements for Windows 11 are 'non-negotiable'
• US shares tips to block hackers behind recent telecom breaches
• Apple just pushed a key smart home feature into 2025
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
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