The desktop PC - there's life in the old dog yet

It’s been said time and time again that the desktop is dying. Some say the demise is inevitable; others believe the PC market is simply changing with other form factors like tablets, smartphones and all-in-ones picking up the slack in recent years.
While there are elements of truth in both of those views, for me there’s life in the old dog yet. I still think the desktop will make another revival.
The reason for my optimism is threefold – first, the UK’s performance system builders out there aren’t exactly feeling the heat. Sure, online competition is rife between them, but PC gaming specialists like Chillblast are still selling plenty of custom rigs, as are distributors like Target Components, despite analysts like IDC and GfK reporting an overall year-on-year drop in desktop sales.
Secondly, the breadth of innovation coming out of Computex this year has been staggering. From fresh form factors like the PC in a plug to ASUS/In Win’s dazzlingly cool hydraulic transforming tower, Intel Skylake and curved G-Sync monitors to mention a few, we were spoilt.
And those only scratch the surface – check out our show review and product focus in the PCR July 2015 digital edition for more. Let’s not forget Microsoft and AMD’s big announcements from E3 either.
Thirdly, there’s been plenty of talk recently of the desktop as a home’s central hub. Users are returning to their main PC for the more important tasks, then using a tablet or notebook for secondary actions like checking emails and playing games.
As more smaller devices emerge and home automation increases in prominence (just when will it hit the mainstream? We take a look in our latest issue), users may need a central device to facilitate that.
That’s why for me the desktop isn’t dying – it’s just changing. To get ahead, make sure you read our in-depth analysis piece, our big interview with Lenovo, growing alternative brands like Terra and our desktop selling advice.

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