At what point do you think a phone/tablet will replace a desktop?

[ultimatebob]

I doubt that we'll ever see another Nexus phone or tablet with an SD slot in it. Google is pushing cloud storage just as hard as Apple is now.

If you really need it, get a Samsung phone or tablet.

 

[Red Storm]

Strangely enough, consider the current growth in cell phone size (those without an Apple icon on their backs). It's strange to me, but the fad of portability is getting replaced by a necessary increase in size, in order to accommodate more functionality. Honestly, I like that we are getting more use out of these devices, but it's still strange to me when, recalling the uber chic of the declining device size in the early 2000s (think: Will Ferrel SNL sketch with his fingernail-sized clamshell phone), to now, when I see the cutting edge user walking around with a waffle iron-like Galaxy Note on the side of their face.

The reason is perfectly logical. Phones were getting smaller and smaller back then because the highlight feature was communication, which does not benefit from a large screen. Only after three things took off did we start to a see a shift towards larger and larger phones: The web, apps, and video.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I hate this whole cloud thing, and it's going to get harder and harder to get away from it as once they do stop making PC/PC hardware we'll be very restricted in what we can do with our devices due to lack of expandability.

Having servers at home will be a thing of the past because the hardware will become extremly expensive and designed only for cloud hosts. It wont be standard PC hardware that you can just put Linux on but be proprietary for whatever cloud provider it's made for.

Considering the huge privacy issues with putting stuff on the cloud we're heading towards a disaster and totally wrong direction.

We need to decentralize the internet, not centralize it.

 

[sourceninja]

At some point I see format shifting becoming a reality. The 'phone' you carry is really just processing power and applications. It docks into devices and provides their essential storage/processing/etc.

Applications will detect the format of the device you are docked to (24 inch display, tv, larger tablet, etc) and adjust themselves to suit the input mode.

It just makes sense.

 

[PastTense]

Several of you talk about a small device you can dock when you are home. I personally don't think that is a good idea. Do you realize how often cell phones are lost, stolen, damaged each year? The consequences would be much more damaging to have our computer lost/stolen/damaged than a cell phone.

 

[lxskllr]

Several of you talk about a small device you can dock when you are home. I personally don't think that is a good idea. Do you realize how often cell phones are lost, stolen, damaged each year? The consequences would be much more damaging to have our computer lost/stolen/damaged than a cell phone.

People will just have to be more careful. Computers themselves are an unnecessary convenience, and people trade off security to use them. Encryption and backup will need to be routine. Insurance covers the rest.

 

[ch33zw1z]

For many users, it will be soon.

For some of us, not as soon. I could probably move to a tablet for most of my uses, but still need/want the desktop in my home serving my data. Not out on a web service somewhere waiting to be stolen. Then there's the fact that I'm too impatient to type of those little things sometimes...

 

[rh71]

When a tablet comes with a mechanical keyboard, an SD slot, 500GB+ drive, and a mouse, I'm all in.

I don't mind not having a mouse, but the keyboard and storage are just about required for me. Oh and it must be at least a 10" tablet. I have a Note 3 and I can't browse on that thing for more than 10 minutes at a time. Too frustrating.

 

[Kaido]

I hate this whole cloud thing, and it's going to get harder and harder to get away from it as once they do stop making PC/PC hardware we'll be very restricted in what we can do with our devices due to lack of expandability.

Having servers at home will be a thing of the past because the hardware will become extremly expensive and designed only for cloud hosts. It wont be standard PC hardware that you can just put Linux on but be proprietary for whatever cloud provider it's made for.

Considering the huge privacy issues with putting stuff on the cloud we're heading towards a disaster and totally wrong direction.

We need to decentralize the internet, not centralize it.

The cloud is great...when it works. I do the normal gamut of VPN, Terminal Server, RDP, VOIP, App Servers, etc. at work - it's all fine & dandy when things are playing nice, but when things hiccup, oh my gosh is it bad. That's one of my hesitations with smaller companies using stuff like GRID systems for 3D VDI...most of them aren't going to keep failover TS's with those $$$ GPU cards inside, so if it goes down, your very expensive DCC's are sitting around picking their noses while you fix it. I mean, just look at the panic & chaos when Gmail goes down, even if it's only for an hour or two...

 

[kuroneko]

When a tablet comes with a mechanical keyboard, an SD slot, 500GB+ drive, and a mouse, I'm all in.

You are almost there you can have a tablet case with keyboard, can have SD and memory... but why would you want a mouse?

 

[Raduque]

I've replaced my desktop with a laptop. The desktop is too hot and noisy and uses too much power.

I have a Surface RT and a Note 3.

I use all 3 equally, the Note 3 is good for looking up info and playing games to pass a few minutes to an hour. The Surface RT works great as a web/email/youtube machine when I'm on the couch or in bed. I also have a BT keyboard and mouse for it, and they both work beautifully.

I could easily replace my laptop with a Surface w/Typecover for every day non-gaming use, though.

Playing with new (refurbished) RT right now and I can say we arent anywhere near having tablets replace desktops.

I just tried to download Chrome.
IE said the site was malicious and should not be visited.

No, it probably told you you can't run x86 apps on the RT.

[/quote]
The onscreen keyboard is not good for anything besides the occasional Youtube search. For any school work I'll need a case/keyboard, and those arent cheap.

Keeps trying to make me use MS stuff I dont want and dont have and dont like, such as their document cloud and picture cloud and movies and music and special app store. As well as the calendar and gimped Office and such. In fact the only thing it does really well is direct me to places I can spend more money.[/QUOTE]

The OSK is pretty damn good, actually, and far better than anything I've used on Android tablets. The Type cover with trackpad, backlighting and physical keys is only $130. That's not expensive.

As for everything in that last paragraph, well that's your fault for buying an RT and not a Pro. RTs are limited to what it comes with, and what you can get on the Microsoft Store.


Edit: I steer people away from Chromebooks, though. Those are terrible ideas, and nobody should buy one.

 

[sourceninja]

For many users, it will be soon.

For some of us, not as soon. I could probably move to a tablet for most of my uses, but still need/want the desktop in my home serving my data. Not out on a web service somewhere waiting to be stolen. Then there's the fact that I'm too impatient to type of those little things sometimes...

That's what cloud backup (with my own encryption key) would be for. The device is just a portable container and the important data is kept in the cloud for DR.

 

[Schfifty Five]

You are almost there you can have a tablet case with keyboard, can have SD and memory... but why would you want a mouse?

More accuracy than using your finger. Doesn't block your screen due to your finger/hand being in the field of view.

 

[Kaido]

You are almost there you can have a tablet case with keyboard, can have SD and memory... but why would you want a mouse?

Because it's super annoying using a touchscreen all the time. You have to lift your arm for anything that requires a click, rather than just flicking your wrist on a touchpad or mouse. It's an ergonomics issue. HP has an interesting new tablet out called the Slatebook, which is basically a 14" laptop running Android, which has a built-in (separate) touchpad:

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/slatebook/overview.html

And there are various add-on keyboards, 2-in-1 tablets, etc. that follow the same idea. The Android Transformer Pad is probably the best idea since it has a from-the-factory keyboard dock:

http://www.asus.com/us/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_Infinity_TF700T/

 

[Kaido]

Ahah, I found the thing I was looking for - the Asus PadFone:

http://www.asus.com/us/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_PadFone_X_US/

The phone docks into the tablet, so you get two devices. Now add a dock for a desktop setup, a laptop setup (keyboard), and a TV setup (player) and your phone is now the central hub of your life! Especially if you could tie that into a shared GPU in a VM session so you could actually do stuff like play Flash games or watch Youtube videos with no hiccups, a la Onlive.

 

[edro]

Tablets already have replaced desktops, just a small percentage.

As performance increases and docks become more mainstream, they will surely replace most desktops.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Tablets already have replaced desktops, just a small percentage.

As performance increases and docks become more mainstream, they will surely replace most desktops.

But it's not like software or OSes will just stay the same. They too, will continue to improve and require better hardware, which tablets probably won't have as good as desktop components.

 

[ch33zw1z]

That's what cloud backup (with my own encryption key) would be for. The device is just a portable container and the important data is kept in the cloud for DR.

Don't want it, don't need it. I'm definitely less trusting of others than some. If you're comfortable with cloud usage, totally cool for you.