IDC: Tablets Outselling Desktops and Notebooks Put Together in the UK

[R0H1T]

The computing world is very very different now than when you were an up and coming teenager.

It feels like I'm an old man already since technology & also the rest of the world is moving at a pace that makes me dizzy these days 😵

 

[lagokc]

Keep kidding yourself with that statement when 95% of users are content with only media consumption, browsing, email, and light activity. I'll also add: some productivity applications which are thought to require a desktop PC, don't anymore - there are some very creative uses for tablets and productivity. I've seen it in various workplaces.

Anyway - If you look at the usage pattern of up and coming teens these days they absolutely don't need a full fledged PC for what they want a computing device for. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise - some people MIGHT, but saying everyone is augmenting a desktop with a tablet is just ridiculous. Maybe 10 years ago when desktop PCs were mandatory for even basic browsing. That obviously isn't the case now. Like IDC said, don't let your old school pre-conceived notions fool you. The computing world is very very different now than when you were an up and coming teenager.

I honestly expect tablets and desktops to merge at some point. Tablets are almost to the point where they're fast enough for every application for most people but they're never going to be comfortable to type more than a few paragraphs on. The larger you make their screen the less portable they are.

With MHL you can have a phone/tablet so that you can bring it with you but also use it as a full computer or even HTPC when docked. We aren't quite there in terms of MHL support (it's got some bugs to work out), device support, phone hardware, and OS support but none of those things are that far off.

 

[Ken g6]

My ASUS Transformer is my new laptop. As well as my new tablet toy. And it was only $350. (The keyboard was free on sale.)

My old laptop was $1000 when I got it in 2005! And with a $20 32GB MicroSD card, the ASUS has more storage, more processing power, and the same screen resolution! About the only thing the ASUS lacks is actual screen size.

 

[Lepton87]

I bought a Nexus 7 when it launched, I used it very often at first, but that was because I still had my old core2duo 06 mac book Leopard laptop and I absolutely hated the OS, and I couldn't install Win7 on it and have all the drivers working so I preferred to lug my tablet with me instead. Now that I upgraded my laptop to i7 Quad Core IVY + 660M with a 1080p display I don't use my tablet almost at all.

 

[lagokc]

My ASUS Transformer is my new laptop. As well as my new tablet toy. And it was only $350. (The keyboard was free on sale.)

My old laptop was $1000 when I got it in 2005! And with a $20 32GB MicroSD card, the ASUS has more storage, more processing power, and the same screen resolution! About the only thing the ASUS lacks is actual screen size.

It doesn't have more processing power. A Tegra 2 is the equivalent of a Pentium II from 1998 at best. Desktop CPUs do a lot more per clock cycle than A9 ARM chips.

 

[werd]

well i know stuff like the surface pro is not really a tablet, but it looks like one, and is probably an indication how fast these things are going to get pretty soon at lower price points...and the sPro is definitely plenty fast

 

[blackened23]

well i know stuff like the surface pro is not really a tablet, but it looks like one, and is probably an indication how fast these things are going to get pretty soon at lower price points...and the sPro is definitely plenty fast

I personally think the Surface Pro is an awesome device, i'll go ahead and state that I love it. The main drawback, however, is that the battery life is far from ideal -- and most consumers tend to simplify things and ignore the capabilities of the surface pro (compared to an ipad, for example) and also point out the battery life deficiencies.

Anyway, hopefully people will come to realize that these convertible devices are far more powerful than the ipad - and I'm also hopeful that Haswell will address the battery life deficiencies of Ivy Bridge (in comparison to ARM SOCs). I do believe it (Haswell) will come close to 10 hours of battery life in ULV variants, and the Broadwell should improve upon that even more. If intel is being even close to truthful, intel should manage to beat ARM SOCs in efficiency in 2014 while obviously having far , far better performance. And with that being the case, I'm very much looking forward to the next iteration of Surface Pro devices. :thumbsup:

 

[SlowSpyder]

Keep in mind, I already have a desktop and a laptop. I've had them in one form or another for quite some time. I don't have a tablet yet. I think there are a lot of people like me that just haven't bought yet, and when we finally do that accounts for a lot of the sales. Its not that I don't still want better desktop components and laptops.

 

[Lonyo]

These sorts of numbers are stupid.
Which category has tablets that are also "laptops"?

MS apparently took 7.5% of the global tablet market, of which the majority was x86 tablets.
Are these PC sales, or tablet sales? Or both?

Also, you can get a tablet for £50 or so (super low end), a low end laptop is £200~£250. While £200~£250 isn't a massive amount, £50 really isn't a massive amount. That's basically a meal out as mentioned already. Is it surprising that people would buy more £50 tablets? Hell, I have two tablets myself, although one is an x86 tablet (Core i5), and no laptop.

Tablets outselling PCs is also meaningless unless it's impacting PC sales figures, which the article doesn't mention at all.
Taking marketshare is one thing, but when that's because the "market" has expanded, rather than being replaced, that's something else entirely.
Poor "story" with no thought put into it at all.

The other link in the story notes a 15% decline in PC sales and a 188% increase in tablet sales. Marketshare might be changing, but the market is way bigger than it was (like... double the size).

But again, no mention of a "pure" tablet vs x86 tablet split.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I personally think the Surface Pro is an awesome device, i'll go ahead and state that I love it. The main drawback, however, is that the battery life is far from ideal -- and most consumers tend to simplify things and ignore the capabilities of the surface pro (compared to an ipad, for example) and also point out the battery life deficiencies.

I've used both, and can honestly tell I've preferred the earlier RT version. It's lighter, more durable, no fan and battery life is much better. Most importantly, it goes to from standby much quicker. As a mobile device, it's far more practical. And it came with Office out of the box, no need to buy subscriptions ! Yes, it's a bit slower and in certain apps, you notice that. Design was right though. Both feature a full-size USB port, most important (unlike iPad).

 

[cytg111]

That's my thought too. PCs and notebooks are a more mature market where people are purchasing only to replace one that is too old or broken. Tablets are the new cheap toy. Of COURSE they're gonna sell in huge numbers.

+1, and that is what our whole industry is about, enabling people .. people is getting enabled by smartphones, tablets and other form factors .. and its great !!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

? I thought more single end users custom built PCs

 

[BoberFett]

The format is popular for a reason, it isn't like the motivation for buying a tablet is suddenly going to go away and people are going to say to themselves "gee I wish I had bought a desktop instead."

This forum and its PC-centric old-skool mindset reminds me of the guys in the 80's who swore no mobile-phone was ever going to replace the quality and desirability of a land-line telephone.

Keep the blinders on fellas, the world is going to pass you by regardless whether or not you want to acknowledge it, let alone join in. The internet is just a fad too. Snail mail FTW.

Meh. I use my tablet all the time, but it's a decidedly inferior device to my PC. If I want to lie in bed and check Facebook or watch a movie (I still haven't moved my old TV to the bedroom) the tablet is fine. But if I want to actually want to compose an email or play a game I'll get up and go to the PC.

If tablets take over, that's just a case of the average consumer having low standards.

 

[blackened23]

I've used both, and can honestly tell I've preferred the earlier RT version. It's lighter, more durable, no fan and battery life is much better. Most importantly, it goes to from standby much quicker. As a mobile device, it's far more practical. And it came with Office out of the box, no need to buy subscriptions ! Yes, it's a bit slower and in certain apps, you notice that. Design was right though. Both feature a full-size USB port, most important (unlike iPad).

The problem being, Windows RT is rather worthless compared to iOS. Okay, battery life is okay? What of ebooks? Software ecosystem? Applications?

Windows RT was DOA. I can't see it having any type of future because it really hasn't improved at all in that respect, I don't see this ever changing. I'd honestly rather have an android tablet than RT, and I already dislike android (for tablet use) compared to iOS;.

 

[lagokc]

So is DirectX coming to Windows RT? If so things are about to get weird...

 

[SiliconWars]

I'd imagine OpenGL is about to become the new standard.


Maybe.

 

[zebrax2]

I think tablets are already replacing laptops on some markets. Before if someone want access to the net, watch videos on the go, play games, etc. (casual users) there's really nothing you could give them aside from a laptop that would satisfy that need but with the advent of tablets suddenly you have access to a device that would satisfy that need while being lighter, smaller and most of the time cheaper.

 

[paulcheung]

What you're posting is a contrarian view because a lot of posters here have pretty much always said that better multicore scaling is definitely missing across a spectrum of programs(including but not just limited to games) but do they actually need such performance levels ~ that part is debatable.

Perhaps some of the others can chip in here

What I notice these days. the software that most commonly used are browse, office work and online banking. these programs don't really need more than dual core processors and their speed is more likely to be limited by the connection speed, human input or the server limitations. other than the CAD software and gaming I don't really see the need for higher performance software or hardware.
Cheers.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Like IDC said, don't let your old school pre-conceived notions fool you - The computing world is very very different now than when you were an up and coming teenager.

I remember having a 386DX-40 during my later years in high school and off into college. I was teaching myself C++ and x86 ASM in HS. That's what I was using a computer for.

Nowadays, kids just want to YouTube.

 

[Vic Vega]

These numbers don't mean much.

Most people have a functioning desktop already and most people don't replace them often.

Tablets on the other hand are new tech, most people don't have one and since they have a functioning desktop they will "take a chance" on a tablet. This is the sort of analysis you aren't seeing on AnandTech or pretty much anywhere else because they're trying to drive the market.

If the desktop computer and tablet were both brand new, today and consumers had neither do you really think tablets would outsell them? Don't count on it.

 

[Vic Vega]

For the record I have an Asus Transformer Infinity and it's a great device.

 

[UaVaj]

aside max eye candy gaming. tablet handles everything else from surfing web, to email, to desktop publishing better.

if not for gaming. would take a tablet over pc any day of the week, twice on weekends.

 

[Dinkydau]

Tablets have nothing to do with what you would buy a new desktop for. Definitely the second option

 

[Vic Vega]

aside max eye candy gaming. tablet handles everything else from surfing web, to email, to desktop publishing better.

if not for gaming. would take a tablet over pc any day of the week, twice on weekends.

It's obvious you don't do any real work yet.

 

[UaVaj]

you bolded email. does emailing need that much compute?
as for desktop publishing - was thinking in term of basic publishing (ms office suite).

of course if you need i7-3930k or titan. tablet not gonna cut it. for everything else. tablet is plenty.