Is the desktop era over?
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 26 July 2011, 00:15 IST
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Bangalore: With the rising popularity of tablet computers PCs are threatened to lose their demand in near future. The computer makers are trying to make their PCs more like iPads, as iPads are stealing all the sales. Desktops may soon be waning off as the market is exploding with new technology iPads, with killer looks, great feel and features. According to IHS iSuppli, an industry researcher, around 300 million tablets are expected to ship by 2015, not far behind, 479 PCs expected to be made. It's estimated that around 50 million tablets are to be sold this year and that could double to 100 million next year whereas the PC shipments grew just more than 2 percent in the second quarter worldwide, what research firms IDC and Gartner, had not expected. The popularity of tablet computers was one of the main reasons behind it. It's not only the iPad tablets that threaten PCs, but they are also competing with phone makers such as Motorola, which will soon launch their own tablets. So PC makers are coming up with tablet-like devices that come with a keyboard, which the iPads lacks. They are also trying to combine the tablet's signature touch-screen with the ability to run heavy-duty Windows programs for photo editing and design. A number of laptops are coming up with tablet like feel and looks. For example, the Dell Inspiron Duo is a iPad like laptop with a screen that can be flipped around to face outward when the lid is closed and when folded that way, it works like a tablet. Windows laptop of Lenovo Group has a screen that can be detached from the keyboard to function as an Android tablet. Another Windows laptop of Acer Iconia has two touch-sensitive screens and no keyboard, which is similar to a laptop. The virtual keyboard comes out on the lower screen while typing, when not in use Web pages flows from top screen to the bottom one. PC makers experimented on reviving the designs, but they are not that successful. The earlier generation tablet PCs didn't hold a place in the market, as they were far too expensive and too heavy for comfortable use in tablet mode. But now the prices are falling all over. And while Google's Android is making mobile devices cheaper and competition tougher, it's expected that compact formats and larger screens at lower prices will keep desktops shining. The PC makers have to wait for a new software that might distract the consumers from the iPads. The laptop- tablet hybrids will not turn out as that important change, as the advent of new system will.

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