All-in-Ones took 2011 by storm, and they're coming for your desktop tower PC next.
The tower desktop is finished.
It had a long run, and has survived all kinds of threats--laptops,
gaming consoles, netbooks, countless pundits like myself proclaiming its
end. But seriously this time: it’s done. And ironically, the tower
desktop got put down by a PC that actually sits on top of your desk.
Out With The Old
In 2011, all-in-one desktops went from being a novelty to becoming a
palatable product category that served up a strong value and great
performance in a compact case. So here’s my prediction for 2012, and the
next few years: All-in-ones will be everywhere.
You'll still find a few towers haunting store shelves. And they may
even seem like a good deal--say, $400 for a 1TB hard drive, 4GB of RAM,
and some middle of the road CPU from AMD or Intel. Pair that with your
monitors and an existing set of keyboard and mice, and you’ll have a
perfectly serviceable PC.
And also a relic of a bygone age.
Some of us need to tinker inside of our machines: Gamers like myself
will still need giant cases for our graphics cards and liquid-cooled
CPUs. Professionals will need workstations, and businesses will need
machines that can be upgraded or repaired en masse. Drab black boxes
will remain a mainstay in the corporate environment--for a little while
longer, anyway.
But all-in-ones are the future. The average consumer just wants
something that works, and works well--and it never hurts if it looks
good or takes up a minimum amount of space. All-in-ones hit every single
point with aplomb.
In With the New
Intel and AMD have helped speed up the shift toward all-in-ones by
producing smaller, faster processors that cut down on power consumption
while ramping up performance. The coming year will be no different, with Intel’s Ivy Bridge and AMD’s Piledriver paving the way for ever-thinner, ever-sleeker machines that don’t compromise on performance.
Lenovo's IdeaCentre A720 folds down flat to make it easier to use its touchscreen.And
then there’s touch. With Windows 7, you can shun touch completely and
get along quite nicely. Even Windows 8 will allow you to stick with the
traditional Windows desktop.
But more and more applications are being developed with touch in mind, and Windows 8 will be an Everywhere OS--application developers who don’t ship finger-friendly wares will suffer.
But even if you do hate the thought of tapping away at your PC's
screen, how does a massive, gorgeous display sound? Or getting rid of
the rats nest of cables under your desk, and tidying up a bit? Or having
a PC that’s actually worth showing off--a fairly priced workhorse
that’s a joy to turn on, that feels a little bit like the oft-promised
future?
All-in-ones can offer all of that.
But don’t take my word for it. Outside of the usual suspects that litter the Performance desktops category,
you’d be hard pressed to find a manufacturer trying to show off a
boring box in a sea of shiny, touchable tablets and smartphones.
I’ve said this time and time again: I love my desktop, a work in
progress I’ve been tinkering with and upgrading for years. But most
users just need a machine to host their photos, stream their movies, and
play the occasional video game. All-in-Ones fit the bill, and do so in
style. They’re here to stay, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
By Nate Ralph, PCWorld
By Nate Ralph, PCWorld
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