Support NeoGAF

[64bitmodels]

This isn't some pc gaming thread, I genuinely believe the personal computer is a phenomenal device that most people have just forgotten exists.
A big box you can load with any operating system, can be customized with any components, and can do a range of things from being used to talk to other people, to making fully fledged professional movies.
PCs made a lot of things obsolete. Who uses cel animation these days? Digital inking and digital art have rid us of pen and paper entirely. Most music cannot be made or mixed without a computer. Good luck making video games without a PC. Hell, who even orders pizza by phone when you can just load up a website, type in your address, and off it goes to your house.

I don't get how an invention as versatile and as beautiful as this has basically been thrown away for stripped down, less good versions of it. Laptops don't have the customization of PCs, and run far hotter, and phones don't even have a fraction of the software Windows offers. They have no tactile keyboard, no mouse, are slower in terms of hardware, and can't browse the web as well. Yet they're more popular in every aspect. Is portability really that much of a selling point? It's not like computers are hard or difficult to use, they're the same these days, except on PC it's better due to better input method, better software, faster hardware, etc. Phones have their place as decent PDAs that can call and text, but these days people don't even buy laptops anymore because of phones.

Maybe I'm salty because I only got my gaming PC this year, but it's honestly just kind of disappointing how the smartphone market has cannibalized the consumer PC market. All the innovations are found in phones these days. I'm excited for where phones will go next, don't get me wrong, but it feels like PCs have just been dumped and left in the dust because phones are sleeker and you can take them anywhere.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Portability/Convenience

 

[lifa-cobex]

Smart phones are easy to use. Even for the boomer gen.
Smart phones just started off as phones but slowly evolved to what they are today. They hooked in a wide scope of people in the beginning and slowly evolved the phones to what they are today. The people who upgraded as the years went on began to develop
more internet usage.
Now they aren't even smart phones. Making a call is just one part of this all encompassing device that does everything.

Boomers rejected computers. The amount of times I heard the phrase "I don't do computers".
It was a huge thing to learn if you ran into any problems and they weren't exactly interesting devices unless you had very specific interests that involved a comp. (Gaming, web surfing, programming etc)

It was a long while before I devolved an interest in computers. Even then it was because of gaming and porn.

 

[Deleted member 1159]

We didn’t. They coexist just fine.

 

[dr_octagon]

They make microchips from sand, wut?

 

[Catphish]

I fucking hate smartphones. If I were king, they'd be gone forever.

 

[StateofMajora]

They appeal to most people because it fills the void with constant attention ; camera, social media available at all times. So yeah, the appeal is the portability, but for the wrong reasons.

And then the other part of that is, for people who just browse/pay bills, sometimes they don't want a PC just for that anymore.

I really wish that we didn't have smartphones. Cell phones should have stopped at call and text, then you go home to use the computer. We don't need to be sucked in to bullshit all the time

Spoiler: ...

Or spied on everywhere we go

. I say that, but here I am on gaf on smartphone, lol. Still, I'd press that button to go back in an instant.

But you pretty much said it yourself, there's still a huge need for a home PC for a number of reasons. I don't think any PC enthusiast has ever dumped their PC for a smartphone.

 

[64bitmodels]

Despite this thread, I still feel that smartphones are a good invention for what they offer and what they accomplish. But they are nowhere near as good as a PC. I'm just miffed because they seem to have overtaken pcs and laptops and now everyone only uses them, leaving computers in the dust. It's crazy
I'm very enthusiastic for both markets, computers moreso. I'm not some boomer who hates smartphones.... I'm a teenage boomer who loves PCs!

 

[Wildebeest]

It was a strategy of the tech "visionaries" in the US to reach people with smartphones who never had access to a PC before. Those people will just think it is normal to try to use them for everything they can and whatever barriers they had to PC ownership before will still be there, but with less desire to cross them.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I fucking hate smartphones. If I were king, they'd be gone forever.

It's just a stepping stone in our evolution, friend.

The reason we dumped PCs OP, is so we can attach this technological innovation to our bodies and begin the process of reducing the disconnect between man and machine. You are already a cyborg.

 

[Catphish]

It's just a stepping stone in our evolution, friend.

Ultimately, I'm sure you're right. But right now, it seems a lot more like a massive fucking setback.

 

[Jennings]

Smartphones take selfies.

 

[Drew1440]

Even when desktop PCs we're common, most people used them for MySpace (replaced by various mobile social apps), music piracy (replaced by streaming) or AOL. Very few were used to their full potential.

 

[64bitmodels]

Smartphones take selfies.

Fair enough lolz. "need to take that selfie so I can post it to my Instagram cuz I'm a shallow asswipe who has no ambitions besides looking good on social media and fueling my narcissism!"
That's another issue I have with smartphones, the culture they facilitiate. Smartphones aren't responsible for the awful social media culture that we've gotten ourselves into these days, but they play a massive part in it with selfies and the massive integration with apps like snapchat, Twitter and instagram. Most people use social media on a phone, because they're essentially built for this kind of stuff.
Meanwhile PCs fuel DIY culture, gaming culture, programmer culture and all that nerdy shit that's fucking awesome. It's so much more fulfilling than most of the social media garbage

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Smartphones take selfies.

 

[eddie4]

I remember getting home after a day out, no cell phones, no constant social media interactions, dialing up and connecting to the internet to chat with people, browse through forums, etc. You used your time wisely because you wanted to get as much out of it for those few hours in the evening. Now it's just constant notifications in your face, no disconnect, no quality time. Just useless scrolling.

I used my PC to play games and still do. I prefer doing things on the PC. It's faster, has a bigger screen, more capable. Everyone calls on FaceTime, watsapp, viber.

The way I see it, we exchanged quality for quick and cheap entertainment in our palms. Kind of like masturbation.

 

[AJUMP23]

The Wheel is better and cooler.

 

[Rentahamster]

Smartphones are PCs. Just smaller.

They are the most personal of personal computers so far.

 

[WhatDidHeSay?]

You wet fart, we didn't!

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I remember getting home after a day out, no cell phones, no constant social media interactions, dialing up and connecting to the internet to chat with people, browse through forums, etc. You used your time wisely because you wanted to get as much out of it for those few hours in the evening. Now it's just constant notifications in your face, no disconnect, no quality time. Just useless scrolling.

I used my PC to play games and still do. I prefer doing things on the PC. It's faster, has a bigger screen, more capable. Everyone calls on FaceTime, watsapp, viber.

The way I see it, we exchanged quality for quick and cheap entertainment in our palms. Kind of like masturbation.

I can't even express how thankful I am to remember and experience life before the internet. I'm the last generation who will remember and appreciate the difference.

It's funny that at 35, the difference in that life experience alone compared to a 20-year-old's is so incredibly drastic.

 

[M1chl]

I don't understand how can anyone browse on web on that shit, even big phones are hopelessly small for any enjoyment, not the mention writing on forums.

 

[Kabelly]

Who orders pizza by phone? I do. But I also don't like paying for delivery and just drive myself.

 

[LaughingStock]

I can't carry my desktop in my pocket. Or in my backpack.

 

[lostinblue]

I genuinely believe the personal computer is a phenomenal device that most people have just forgotten exists.

Try telling anyone that they have to buy a computer every 2 years...

But that's what most people do with phones. Basically the trojan horse here is that you use it for everything and then you can't even have a conversation without google, travel without gps or youtube and can't divide a restaurant tab without a calculator. Also without posting everything you saw on a concert on Instagram it's as if you haven't truly lived, can't prove you were there can you?

I agree the dependence on phones is ridiculous. I like mine to last 5 years and not cost the same as a computer but the way the cookie crumbles is that people spend more on a company device than they do on a work appliance.

 

[thefool]

They fit it one hand.
I can see this transition with my dad. He used to hang around with a laptop and its was kinda awkward as a portable device when he just wanted to browse a couple of sites and listen to some music/podcast. Now he does all of that on a phone (plus he shitposts on twitter).
My mom is also gradually moving to more and more phone usage but she still goes to her pc to not lose habits and unlearn how to use it.

Fundamentally, pc's were probably too advanced for most people's needs.

 

[RoboFu]

Smart phones are just way more advanced PCs.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I can't easily take my PC with me when I leave the house. I still have a PC and it still has its uses, that won't change in my lifetime. Phones absolutely will become obsolete.

 

[Fbh]

But computers are still relevant.
They are still used a lot in professional environments. You bring up stuff like editing video, mixing music, making videogames....all of that is still primarily done on computers (at least on a professional level).
Office building aren't filled with desks that just have a smartphone on them.

Smartphones just absorbed the more casual PC market, the people who were using their PC's to check out social media, watch youtube videos and maybe write the occasional email. And they've done so by virtue of being convenient, portable, easy to use and incorporating features that aren't usually a part of PC's (like decent portable cameras).

 

[Mossybrew]

Smartphones just absorbed the more casual PC market, the people who were using their PC's to check out social media, watch youtube videos and maybe write the occasional email. And they've done so by virtue of being convenient, portable, easy to use and incorporating features that aren't usually a part of PC's (like decent portable cameras).

Yeah, pretty much this.

 

[64bitmodels]

not the mention writing on forums.

i wrote the entirety of my post on a phone...
don't weep for me, as i am already dead

 

[Crayon]

For the average person? What's the difference? It's a smaller more energy efficient pc with an os that's not a diaper fire. Does it need to be x86? For why?

 

[64bitmodels]

For the average person? What's the difference? It's a smaller more energy efficient pc with an os that's not a diaper fire. Does it need to be x86? For why?

i don't think it needs to be x86 and i'm part of the group who believes ARM is the future (if we can swap it around like we can with x86 CPUS)
i never even thought those were issues with phones

 

[slade]

You could make a case for the laptop but as for a standard PC, a phone's apps does things just as well without as much hassle.

For example, just in terms of media, all the shows I bought from Google would only play at 480p resolution on my PC. Try them from my phone and cast them, they would play at full resolution. Having just come back to PC 4 years ago, I was actually surprised at just how crappy some of my multimedia experiences were.

 

[Dural]

I'm at a desk on a pc all day at work, I don't want to go home and do the same thing. I use my tablet and phone when I'm home, more comfortable to use on the couch.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I'm at a desk on a pc all day at work, I don't want to go home and do the same thing. I use my tablet and phone when I'm home, more comfortable to use on the couch.

this is pretty much how I feel. I'm on a PC for work, why in the fuck would I want to be on a PC during my free time?

can't wrap my head around the fact that some people spend all day working on a PC, only to spend their after work time and weekends in front of a PC.

 

[teezzy]

I can't carry my desktop in my pocket. Or in my backpack.

Pussy

 

[Tams]

 

[HL3.exe]

We didn't drop PC's. But the tech did change after the late 00's when we hit a curb with CPU speeds, and we pivoted to low clock multicore with smaller die.

For those who don't know, single thread speeds are still one of the most reliable ways to speed up software, especially games that are more dependent on input reactivity and determinate systems.

So the focus on providing hardware for lower clock smartphones, changed the game in a lot of ways.

 

[Artoris]

Don't like smartphones, one of my pc still runs XP

 

[Scotracer]

I have a gaming PC, a Macbook pro and my phone.

Since my gaming PC is tied to my home office, it's the last of the 3 options I use for normal "life" stuff. Why? Because I want to do what I want/need to do, where I am or where's comfortable. I can do >99% of stuff from my sofa or the garden with my phone/laptop.

I start with my phone, if the website/thing I'm doing is too cumbersome with that, I move to the laptop. In the extremely rare case I need more screen real-estate or need a lot of computing power for that thing, I'll move to my desktop.

For anything non-gaming, I'd say it's 80% phone, 20% MBP, ~0% PC. It's just not necessary, and forces me to go to my office, which I'd rather not for admin stuff because it feels like work.

PC's have mostly been replaced for non-intensive jobs, and quite rightly.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Don't like smartphones, one of my pc still runs XP

Please don’t connect that to the internet my man or keep anything important on it.

 

[saturnalian]

Edit, wrong quote

 

[Artoris]

Please don’t connect that to the internet my man or keep anything important on it.

It's not connected to the internet, I use it to play older games

 

[jufonuk]

Despite this thread, I still feel that smartphones are a good invention for what they offer and what they accomplish. But they are nowhere near as good as a PC. I'm just miffed because they seem to have overtaken pcs and laptops and now everyone only uses them, leaving computers in the dust. It's crazy
I'm very enthusiastic for both markets, computers moreso. I'm not some boomer who hates smartphones.... I'm a teenage boomer who loves PCs!

PC personal computer. Therefore. Smart phones are a type of PC just a PPC
A portable personal computer

 

[winjer]

Smartphones are personal computers, but in a very small form factor.
Whether it's a Desktop, a Laptop of a Smartphone, they all have advantages and disadvantages over each other.

 

[Artoris]

Smartphones are personal computers, but in a very small form factor.
Whether it's a Desktop, a Laptop of a Smartphone, they all have advantages and disadvantages over each other.

It's a phone and a computer, and I prefer to keep the two concepts separate

 

[nemiroff]

I'm on a PC for work, why in the fuck would I want to be on a PC during my free time?

I'm using a phone for work, why in the fuck would I want to be on a phone during my free time?
I look at a screen for work, why in the fuck would I want to look at a screen during my free time?
I walk at work, why in the fuck would I want to walk during my free time?
I breathe air at work, why in the fuck would I want to breathe air during my free time?

Yeah I don't get the "PC at work and at home = the same thing!" thingy.....

 

[winjer]

It's a phone and a computer, and I prefer to keep the two concepts separate

Phone calls is the least anyone is doing with smartphones today.
They are computing devices for personal use.

 

[dr_octagon]

64bitmodels what is a reverse groomer and why are you tagged as such?