Am I the only one finding it hilarious that non-hardware specific software is being blamed for the lack of hardware sales?
There are a couple of reasons why PC sales are declining:
1. Speed per CORE isn't dramatically improving and most users only really need 1 or 2 cores
2. Hardware is very expensive for top line components in comparison to 10 years ago
3. Every 2 years a new chip set comes out that requires you to replace your mobo (and possibly your ram) if you want to upgrade your CPU - in conjunction with that, a lot of software is getting bound to a machine - meaning that if you replace your motherboard you have to re-license your software - ex. Windows which turns a previously relatively cheap process (ex. replacing a cpu) into a very expensive process (replace cpu, mobo, ram, software).
4. Hardware intensive applications ex. games, some software; require top of the line hardware that requires you to spend $1500 - $3000 from scratch vs. $150 - $300 for a console - in my opinion that makes a PC undesirable. The word 'recession' has been hanging in the air since 2008.
I'm still using a 5 year old 2.2Ghz AMD quad core at home. I'm saving up for a new machine to last me a couple of years but the pricing is quite steep - about $5500. The only reason why I'm willing to justify that amount is because 1.it speeds up the rate at which I can do freelance/consultative work and directly affects my rates 2. I am a gamer 3. I sometimes need to work overtime from home. On a funny note; someone suggested I buy a car instead because its value would depreciate slower!
There are a couple of reasons why PC sales are declining: 1. Speed per CORE isn't dramatically improving and most users only really need 1 or 2 cores 2. Hardware is very expensive for top line components in comparison to 10 years ago 3. Every 2 years a new chip set comes out that requires you to replace your mobo (and possibly your ram) if you want to upgrade your CPU - in conjunction with that, a lot of software is getting bound to a machine - meaning that if you replace your motherboard you have to re-license your software - ex. Windows which turns a previously relatively cheap process (ex. replacing a cpu) into a very expensive process (replace cpu, mobo, ram, software). 4. Hardware intensive applications ex. games, some software; require top of the line hardware that requires you to spend $1500 - $3000 from scratch vs. $150 - $300 for a console - in my opinion that makes a PC undesirable. The word 'recession' has been hanging in the air since 2008.
I'm still using a 5 year old 2.2Ghz AMD quad core at home. I'm saving up for a new machine to last me a couple of years but the pricing is quite steep - about $5500. The only reason why I'm willing to justify that amount is because 1.it speeds up the rate at which I can do freelance/consultative work and directly affects my rates 2. I am a gamer 3. I sometimes need to work overtime from home. On a funny note; someone suggested I buy a car instead because its value would depreciate slower!