CNET Says All In One Desktops may replace standard Desktops

[sushi]

Apple has definitely affected the industry. The improvements in technology as well.

And iMac, or similar PC, has enough power for most folks. Face it, the computer is becoming a commodity home electronic device.

Sure there are exceptions, but the average user's needs such as e-mail, web browsing, simple text and spreadsheet type documents, listening to music, etc., are easily handled by an all in one design.

These days it's almost cheaper to purchase a new iMac every year and sell the old one than to purchase a top end system that you hope lasts for 5 or more years. Plus the new computers will come with updated technology where the top end system becomes outdated over time.

Right now laptops, including netbooks, seem to be the hottest selling models. Most consumers don't need top end systems to do what they want/need to do.

 

[diemos]

sounds about right.

 

[steve2112]

1) Buying a new computer with everything built-in to gain up to date features the old model didn't have?

2) Wanting to keep using a perfectly good display to save on cost?

That sounds like the EXACT needs of a typical consumer who just wants an integrated system out of the box but doesn't want to have to pay for an integrated display too when they can keep they're existing one!

This is my problem with the AIO setups. I like my monitor, it fits my desk really well. In my case, (for iMacs, anyway) the 20" display is a bit too small, and a 24" is too big for my desk, so I have a nice 22" display. Plus, my monitor is better quality than the displays in the iMacs. I'd like to keep it when I get a new machine. I also prefer my mouse and keyboard, and don't really want the ones included with a machine cluttering up things.

I can see how they are becoming more popular. Most consumers like the idea of only having one box to deal with, and having fewer cables to deal with. I think Apple may have played a small role in popularizing AIO systems, but I think the real factors were when the likes of HP, Dell, and Sony starting making them, and made them look attractive. The HP models look good, and the Sony models look a lot like an iMac. Seeing these models on display at the local store probably helped quite a bit. Also, the prices finally falling on them made them more attractive.

 

[sushi]

Most consumers like the idea of only having one box to deal with, and having fewer cables to deal with.

I think that this is a key factor.

I remember the early days of high end stereo equipment where you had all kinds of wires connecting your components such as your receiver, tuner, amp, tape deck, phonograph, etc. Now most use some sort of simple desktop AIO radio/stereo player.

Computers are going the same route it seems.

 

[neiltc13]

Whoa, so much iMac chatter - does this mean you all missed last week's news?

The survey showed that people who buy Dell's XPS One 24 are more satisfied than 20-inch iMac buyers and even more satisfied than 24-inch iMac buyers.

I think this proves without any doubt that there really is a second manufacturer going for it (and doing a better job than Apple). Their AIO product line is much more diverse than Apple's.

 

[netdog]

Even before the iMac, Apple was pushing all in ones. Does anyone remember the classic all in ones, or perhaps the LC/Performa/PowerMac lines of all in ones?

Apple's influence spreads more than the last 12 years.

Or perhaps the original Mac in 1984 and the Lisa before it?

Don't forget the old Compaq computers too, and the Radio Shack TRS-80.

The idea that this started with the iMac is just plain wrong.

 

[sushi]

The idea that this started with the iMac is just plain wrong.

Agree.

While the iMac took it to a new level, the original Mac and others were AIO designs long before the iMac.

 

[Pika]

As a power user, i still need towers for render and do heavy stuffs.

 

[steve2112]

As a power user, i still need towers for render and do heavy stuffs.

I'm not even a power user, and I need a tower. Ok, maybe not need, but I want one. I like my monitor much better than the displays on the iMacs.

 

[followme]

I see the industry moving in two directions... "consumers" and "power users."

Consumers will start buying all-in-one "laptop desktops." I call them "laptop desktops" because they will get smaller and more compact and begin to use more and more laptop parts instead of desktop parts. They will begin to come with wireless functionality built in, and they will be portable so they can be moved from one room to the next if necessary.

The only people who will buy upgradeable desktops will be the power users, the big-time 3D gamers, the video editors, the guys who need a power house and want the customization.