Desktop Replacement ! Why?

By I.J. Hudson

I’ll ask a simple question.  When’s the last time someone bragged about the new desktop computer they bought?  I’m thinking it was a while ago.

Here’s the simple truth that I’m sure someone else has already put forward.  Desktops are for production at the office: the new, the exciting, the forward-looking stuff is mobile - phones, tablets, etc.

I had a conversation with one of my bosses.  His windows desktops at home are four or five years old.  Should he buy an apple?  Or replace (cheaply) the newest windows version of what he has?

I suggested the iPad may be a bridge between the two worlds - between something larger than a phone and smaller than a laptop.  And the iPad is mobile, a new interface for many and a start toward the promise of really intuitive computing.  Surely, someone has said that before.  And for many, the phone may do what they need to do.  We don't really buy computers any more - we buy what they can do for us.

I think we all need to question what we really need.  Often work provides a laptop and BlackBerry.  Do we need our own laptop? Or is there that occasional opportunity to “play,” “experiment,” “go wild” or maybe the operative phrase is, “catch up.”

What do you think?   

Personally, I really don’t care about brand.  I care about utility and “what’s next.”

I want to buy what’s going to be useful, and hope I am smart enough to spot it – whether it’s for personal use or to make a business case for my company.