Is the PC becoming extinct and taking SL with it

[Sassy Romano]

When i'm mobile, I have my phone with me upon which I can do emails and SL text mode natively.  If I need a GUI client then I can use splashtop to display the screen of a laptop that runs at home.  The resolution of the phone is 1280 x 720 and I can view that laptop screen in full size.

Phone too small for prolonged use.  Of course so if i'm in a hotel or near a monitor (never far from those) then I can connect the phone to the tv or monitor.  Now I have a large 1280 x 720 screen.

Darn about the keyboard though?  Not really, I have a nice portable bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse (no of course I don't carry them with me all day but if i'm knowingly on a trip, it's viable).

In no way am I going to suggest that this is either a desktop or laptop replacement, it isn't but it is a very viable short term and very mobile solution that suits certain situations.  The point being that i'm able to be connected in a variety of methods from one very compact and portable device and often when i'm around the house, i'll just reply by email/splashtop or sl grid client instead of sitting at the PC and that's the difference.

I'd quite like a native SL gui client though, I suspect the phone would handle it just fine, certainly no worse that many laptops and given that the phone has a GeForce GPU and quad core CPU, probably better than plenty of laptops.  Won't know without a gui client though

It's just another tool though and what is most likely to happen is a shift in time spent on different, more mobile devices but don't consign phone to "too small, can't see, no keyboard".  All of these are easily addressed.

[Seven Overdrive]

I think eventually desktop PCs will only appeal to people who need them for professional use.   Everyone I know has ditched desktops for smaller, mobile alternatives.  

As far as SL is concerned, it becomes a question of how many people will be willing to go and shell out the money to have decent performance for an aging and outdated platform.  They will pay more for a powerful enough laptop or pay less to be tethered to desktop that doesn't allow them any mobility at all.  

It is also my opinion that Lindens are working on other projects for the mobile market because there is a lot of money to be made there and the investors need an exit strategy from SL.  SL can't remain profitable forever.  Each year that passes only makes that $300 per month price tag for a virtual canvas to create with look more ridiculous.  

Mobile computing is not the fad.  SL was the fad.  

[Ceka Cianci]

the ones ditching them were more than  likely the ones getting a computer for things you could do on a phone or ipad nowadays ..

the market grew because of the things you could do on the internet..

that's just one section of the computer market...there is just too much a computer can handle at the same time and do that you can't with those others yet..

the market may shrink some ..but until they make something better..it will always have a strong market..

 

 

 

 

[Paul Hexem]

I'll switch to a mobile device once they have dual 37" HD screens, a mouse, keyboard, 16 gigs of RAM, 3 TB hard drives, dual graphics cards packing 1.5 gigs of RAM each and 800+ Mhz core clocks, and 8 core, 5 GHz CPU's.

[Senobia Xenga]

I'll never trade a computer for a phone. Using my phone for Internet-related stuff doesn't even occur to me unless I'm out and need a phone number, address, etc.

[Ann Otoole]

Let's assume something happens to make bandwidth and data use null/doesn't matter.

Let'[s say wearable computing devices match or exceed PC capabilities..

Let's say games were overlayed in real time on city streets via direct eye nerve stimulation.

How would it be then?

[Paul Hexem]

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Ann Otoole wrote:

Let's assume something happens to make bandwidth and data use null/doesn't matter.

Let'[s say wearable computing devices match or exceed PC capabilities..

Let's say games were overlayed in real time on city streets via direct eye nerve stimulation.

How would it be then?

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That's beyond the whole PC / Mobile debate completely, that's technology so far ahead, PC's and phones don't matter. It'd be something else entirely.

[Bree Giffen]

I've used a smartphone for two years and I replaced it with a tablet for about a year and half now. A tablet is very useful but it doesn't replace the PC. How to best describe my usage? In the past, before smartphones, I would be in front of a computer about 5 out of 15 hours (a wild estimate) doing 100% of tasks that can normally be done on a computer. With a tablet/smartphone, I can spend 5 of 15 hours in front of a computer doing 100% of tasks on a computer and spend an additional 3 hours on a tablet doing only 30% of tasks that can be done on a computer. Only the 3 hours are spread out over the the 15 hours in small 5 minute increments (which is doing things like checking email, reading the forums, browsing ebay, etc.)

Of all the peope I observe and interact with in life, I've never seen anyone go to a phone only option. None. I see a lot of people with smartphones and using them for peripheral activities but when there's serious work and serious play to be done they do it on a PC.

[Cali Souther]

 

 

I have a phone, Ipod, Ipad and a PC.  Each does what it does well.

 

Everything evolves..  So, when they make a mobile device that can project a giant screen image and run all the programs we like to use – sure .. the “box” PC, as we know it will go away.

 

As someone said,  the sky has been falling on Second Life since I came here… and that was less than two years ago.  What do I say?  Nothing last forever.

 

I disagree that online interaction bring only shallow connections – that is up to the end user.  =)

 

This is, however, an interesting topic.  Watching trends, and predicting the future ~ good times!

[Drake1 Nightfire]

So, in the middle of the largest recession the world has seen, people somehow have found thousands of extra money to buy and pay the monthly fees for the latest phone?

You say "I to have noticed many people stop using PC's and use phones for every thing" Are you in their houses all day? How could you possibly know that they have stopped using PCs? 

I really don't see how a phone, which can not utilize SL to its fullest, will ever replace a PC. It is not possible to even come close to the storage, power or program capabilities that a PC has with a phone.

That's like saying that a phone that has a camera will kill off Nikon and Cannon. Sorry, i use my phone to make calls and text occasionally. My 10MP camera for pictures and my HD video camera for movies. oh yeah.. and my PC for everything else.

My wife has a laptop she uses for SL, and my PC for Word, Excel, music and movies.

Can you stream music to SL from a phone while inworld on a text based viewer? Doubt it, how much music can a phone store? Why even bother to use a text viewer? SL is all about the images.

So, to answer your question. No, the PC is not becoming extinct.

[Brenda Connolly]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have no plans of abandoning my desktop. I just had a new one custom built and it will be serving me till the day I die hopefully, with the necessary upgrades. I can't stand mobile devices. I have a smart phone and I hate it, it's smarter than I am. I don't know how you guys deal with those tiny screens, more than 5 minutes looking at it gives me a migraine. I can't imagine trying to play a game on one.

 

I've never been one who needs to be "connected" 24/7, my job doesn't require it thankfully. I like to travel a lot, so the phone is there in case I need to look something up in a pinch, but it gets used 99.9% of the time as a phone.  I enjoy not wearing the electronic leash.

[Boudicca Littlebird]

All my children have, they are grown up now, but they have all given up the PC, and are glued to their phones, seems a lot of their friends have done the same.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

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Boudicca Littlebird wrote:

All my children have, they are grown up now, but they have all given up the PC, and are glued to their phones, seems a lot of their friends have done the same.

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Unless you are Mrs Duggar, i wouldn't say your kids would count as "many."

How old are they? under 25? Do they never use a PC at all?

[Sassy Romano]

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Drake1 Nightfire wrote:

So, in the middle of the largest recession the world has seen, people somehow have found thousands of extra money to buy and pay the monthly fees for the latest phone?

You say "I to have noticed many people stop using PC's and use phones for every thing" Are you in their houses all day? How could you possibly know that they have stopped using PCs? 

I really don't see how a phone, which can not utilize SL to its fullest, will ever replace a PC. It is not possible to even come close to the storage, power or program capabilities that a PC has with a phone.

That's like saying that a phone that has a camera will kill off Nikon and Cannon. Sorry, i use my phone to make calls and text occasionally. My 10MP camera for pictures and my HD video camera for movies. oh yeah.. and my PC for everything else.

My wife has a laptop she uses for SL, and my PC for Word, Excel, music and movies.

Can you stream music to SL from a phone while inworld on a text based viewer? Doubt it, how much music can a phone store? Why even bother to use a text viewer? SL is all about the images.

So, to answer your question. No, the PC is not becoming extinct.

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Well... yes you can stream both ways from a phone, how much can it hold?  how big is a memory card or the hard disk that you can attach to some phones?

Why bother to use a text viewer?  Communication!  SL isn't all about the images to everyone so it's a case of using an appropriate tool for the purpose at the most suitable time.  Can I carry my desktop PC with me on the train? no

As for cameras and phones, have you seen the Nokia Pureview 808?  Its 41MP puts that 10MP sensor to shame on basic numbers but that's not the point, it's not a replacement but the idea with it is that you can pick which part of the sensor you want to view so if you only wanted to carry one small device, there it is and you would get effective zoom from it by choosing an appropriate part of the sensor.  Again, it's not a replacement but it's about mobility.  You would expect to always have this device with you whereas you probably don't carry around your DSLR and HD video camera, everywhere you go?

Performance wise, there are phones today that will outperform an old PC and yes it goes without saying that a high specification PC will win, it's not exactly a difficult thing to prove but performance is coming to mobile platforms and there are plenty of people who are still playing SL with very old laptops.  It would be interesting to see a good native mobile client on a device using a TV as an output.

So while your post brought out "power, storage and program capabilities", the mobile platform beats that shiny new PC with "mobility, connectivity and convenience" but it's not a contest any more than trying to pit a race car against a golf cart just use whatever is most suitable at the time.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

Lets see if i can get the timeline correct:

Oh no, Flexiprims will kill SL!

Oh No, TPVs will kill SL!

Oh no, Griefers will kill SL!

Oh no, Copybots will kill SL!

Oh no, Sculpties will kill SL!

Oh no, TPVs will kill SL! again.

Oh no, Ursula (Zindra) will kill SL!

Oh no, Xstreet closing will kill SL!

Oh no, Teen grid closing will kill SL!

Oh no, Mesh will kill SL!

Oh no, The Marketplace will kill SL!

Oh no, Cellphones will kill SL?

SL is still here.

 

ETA: Facebook is currently at $40.29 USD  per share.

[Sassy Romano]

I don't think that order is correct

I wouldn't have ever said that any of those would kill SL anyway.  People adapt, the ones who generally say those things are the ones resistant to change.

Change happens, adapt or die.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

i wasnt trying to reply to you. but the OP is certainly on the "SL i dying" bandwagon.

[Boudicca Littlebird]

Well I have started to move my products to other grids, if that's what you mean, I am wondering if you can see the wood for the trees.