Kids don't want computers
Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 2:40AM Kids don’t want computers. That’s one of several striking data points from worse-than-expected figures showing the global PC market is in decline. Since young people tend to drive technology trends, poor back-to-school sales of PCs say more than a drop in overall sales alone. We already know PCs aren’t cool (are college freshmen more likely to show off their new iPads or their new Dells?), but it’s starting to look like they’re also not needed.
Shipments of PCs in the U.S. shrank during the most recent quarter by more than 12 percent, according to IDC, and by nearly 14 percent, according to Gartner Inc. Meanwhile, analysts at IHS iSuppli predict global PC shipments will contract this year for the first time since 2001. More at Wired.
Kids think email is out of date, so this is hardly surprising.
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Reader Comments (4)
Well they still want computers, they just call them smartphones and tablets now. That's why Windows 8 was created.
Not sure kids could do their homework on a smartphone or tablet, but on a Windows 8 tablet/hybrid? Definitely.
Of course they might have a Windows 8 hybrid and still want an iPad, in fact they probably will, so it won't be such a major shift initially.
Does *anyone* want a computer?
I don't.
I want to be able to speak with friends and family
I want to be able to get and share information
I want to watch films
And so on
Most people want the effects of the use of a tool, rather than a tool in its own right, which is why shifting form can make such a difference depending on intended use.
Agree with Neil here. Actually kids need more kind of services than a machine with some complicated OS.
When the day comes withtablets being able to make some of the heavy stuff PCs do, then PCs are totally doomed.
Rui tablets will be the PCs. Microsoft's job is to make sure they're running Windows, but they're up against a very established Apple and rapidly improving Google.