Robert Mitchell, Computerworld, September 26, 2005:
New workstation-class laptops are starting to gain acceptance in areas such as software development and computer-aided design. At Alias, Dell Precision M60 mobile workstations offer both performance and mobility. The machines support up to 2GB of RAM, a 128MB graphics card and a 15.4-in., 1,600-by-1,400-pixel UXGA screen that offers a wide viewing angle.
My MacBook Pro from late 2008 has a graphics card twice as powerful as that Dell M60. That says a lot about how quickly laptops are advancing. Desktops are so easily expandable and upgradeable because it’s easier to get inside of them. That is, perhaps, one of the main reasons people pick desktops over a laptop, if they ever do; they last longer.
As I was saying, my MacBook Pro is from late 2008. It costs me $2,100 with tax. It has a 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 RAM, and a 250GB 5,400 RPM hard drive. Compare that with the dell mentioned above.
Yes, it’s clearly better, has an incredible unibody design, the specs are better, it has longer battery life, etcetera. But, is it really that much better after almost 4 years? No. Not at all.
Let’s compare two desktops, almost 4 years apart like the M60 and the MacBook Pro, the HP xw8200 and Apple’s 24-inch iMac.
The HP comes with an Intel Xeon 3.06 Ghz processor with a 2MB cache, an NVIDIA Quatro with 128MB of GDDR2 RAM, 512MB of DDR2 RAM (2x256MB), and an 80GB 7,200 RPM hard drive for $1,675.
The iMac comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 Ghz processor with a 6MB cache, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 with 512MB of GDDR3, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB hard drive for $1,799.
Almost 4 years apart, would you call that a big improvement? I would. But the laptops? Not nearly as dramatic. With the iMac, you’re getting an all-in-one computer with a 24 inch display, almost twice the processor speed nearly 6x the hard drive space, 4x the RAM, and 2x the graphics power after 4 years.
With the laptop, you’re getting the same size display, twice the processor speed, the same amount of RAM, 4x the hard drive space, and 2x the graphics power.
Sure, that’s great, but the desktop, facts wise, is better. Laptops are more expensive for less powerful specs.
I know there are some of you who say “But laptops are smaller and it takes manufacturers longer to make those parts smaller,” and that’s true, and it’s also proving my point.
Desktops are the front line. Everyone made a huge deal out of the MacBook Pros getting i5 and i7 processors, but desktops had had them for more than 6 months.
Again, desktops are also easily upgradable. The Mac Pro is perhaps the finest example of this. You can upgrade your HDD space, your RAM, your graphics card, and even your processor (if you know what you’re doing). Until laptops can have their graphics cards and processor upgradable, I don’t think desktops are going to go away.
Another smaller reason why desktops won’t go away: Gamers. Yes, gamers. I’m one of them, and you’ve probably been one of them. We need powerful machines, that’s just how it works. Desktops happen to be more powerful machines, so we use them. Sometimes we can deck out a 17 inch laptop, but it doesn’t perform nearly as well as the machine in our cave. Manufacturers love us and the game publishers, and we love them for providing us with rigs.
Charles Jade, The Apple Blog, November 5, 2010:
The question then becomes whether other desktop product lines might be in danger of discontinuation,
People have been talking about the desktop vanishing for more than 5 years. In those 5 years, mobile computing has advanced dramatically. The iPhone, the iPad, Android, etcetera. It’s going to be another five years.
or if Apple might move away from the space altogether.
I don’t own an Apple desktop, but I think moving away from that space would be a bad move. Having that option for those who need or want desktops is always good.
Assorted Slices is an editorial-based publication covering Apple Inc. and similar topics.
