News 2015 marks the PC market's annus horribilis

Outside of the odd steam machine appearing, it seems the approach is to do nothing and hope the market gets better.

I'm not sure why pc component oems along with system integrators aren't getting together and running massive marketing campaigns against consoles, trying to convert a few peasants to the master race. Gaming is about the only market where component sales will happen with any regularity.

Home and office software doesn't need massive or continuously new hardware to work and professional power users will only upgrade when it makes financial sense. Which I assume is what they have always done.

Operating systems seem to be getting lighter and faster so banking on new windows selling pcs seems silly. Especially when Microsoft are trading W10 for data instead of money.

 

So what's Apple doing right that Microsoft and their OEM partners aren't?
Probably a long list of things but would be interesting to read peoples opinions.

 

Apple is pretty price competitive in Desktop space. There 5k screen is gorgeous helps as well. The cheapest 5k screen you could go and buy would be around £1k mark. Its the same panel thats in the Dell screen in teardowns. ( Not a big surprise as both Apple and Dell use the same manufacture)

Novatechs pricing for a top end skylake system with a 980ti is a joke. Nearly £2k for a system Its Alienware pricing without the brand. You can buy a very similar spec 3xs system on scan same gpu same cpu for £1680.

You could build it yourself for even less.

All the OEMs are expecting others to do there jobs for them. Or Windows 10 to be the big game changer.

4k gaming should be the big mover but i cant see it happening personally as the entry costs to 4k are very high.

 

1) Utterly gorgeous screens. Be it on Laptops or Desktops Apples usually have lovely screens compared to other OEM computers. Which gives them a huge wow factor on the shop floor.

2) Great aesthetic design. Macs look nice, they're gorgeous and unassuming all at the same time. None of this black box with red lights nonsense, glass and brushed aluminium looks good in any setting. They also make all the plastic used on other machines look tacky.

3) User friendliness. Except the for the Mac Pro and Mini everything Apple sells is an all in one, you buy it, you plug it in and it goes. They have people in their stores who will show you face to face how to do pretty much everything from turning the machine on to syncing devices.

4) Consistency, Microsoft can't even keep the naming of it's Operating Systems consistent, Apple has been selling OS X since 2001, El Capitan looks and feels like a prettier version of Cheetah. Compare To Xp, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 in the same space of time and the dreaded Metro/Not Metro UI. Same thing with Ipods/tablets, they look and feel consistent to use across devices.

5) Marketing marketing marketing. Whether it's the cult of personality Mr Jobs created around himself, the own brand stores, the simple adverts or loudly proclaiming how easy everything is to use Apple market like no other computer company. The PC space is a mess by comparison with OEMs trying to outdo each other and Microsoft kind of flailing in a different direction every three years.

 

And add to the above:

6) Good gateway drugs: everybody has an iPhone, which naturally leads to an iPad. Hence the next logical step is a MacBook or iMac. All plays nice together, all consistent in look and feel. Apple computers are no more reliable than PCs, but the iPhone and iPad are solid pieces of kit and so Apple computers are seen to be.

 

Say no to Apple kids!

 

Give your money to who for a all in one system since we are on that topic?

 

Marketing, branding and exclusivity through higher prices.

LMAO. So true!

 

MSI do gaming all in one's.

 

as a long term pc enthusiast who keeps up with new hardware i must say i'm not surprised in the least - hardware is at a dead end of old tech renamed and everyone i know that has asked me for advice or bought a new device has gone for a laptop/tablet/convertable (usually an atom or i3) as they get their media through their tv with some smart dongle/box so just use pc for emails and websites.

can't say i blame them, i watch all my media on my tv through a shield box whether downloaded or streamed, plus my g3258/750ti based pc can play any console ports of AAA games fine - until current consoles reach their end of life or VR gaming becomes affordable i can't see a need to upgrade.

 

So do Alienware Ed. Do you mean all in one as in with a monitor too yes? OK so they don't then

I wasn't expecting to be buying a new PC in 2015 having spent a fortune on one in 2014. However, 2014 PC started to fail and replacement parts were not offered via RMA. I deliberately sent my motherboard back to MSI in Holland because Ebuyer told me they did not have any in stock.

Then I learned that MSI keep replacement parts for about ten minutes, and too could not replace my board. So in a bit of a huff I sold off all of the parts from my 2014 rig and downsized to one of those new Alienwares. I swapped my SLI Titan Blacks for a Fury X (sold then bought) and now I have just added the second Fury X.

At least Alienware keep replacement parts in stock and if I ever need them they are only a phone call away from turning up next day.

So 2015 was quite an expensive year for me and computer stuff. Wish I'd never gone 4k in the first place...

 

i used to shun the idea of having a mac and was a keen pc supporter. Bought a 5K imac back in November and have absolutely no regrets and no interest in going back to windows.

 

I was like that, until bought a MacBook Pro on student pricing in mid-2011. The thing still eats anything I throw at it. I put in an SSD shortly after buying (say around late 2011) and upped the RAM to 16GB last year. Last week, I had them put in a new battery and I'm back to 7+ hours of solid power usage (Lightroom, heavy browsing, movies etc) whilst unplugged. Safe to say I'm a convert. Nobody does a better hardware+software combo out there, period. Of course, that 2011-2012 period was a great time to be buying, because hardware has pretty handily outpaced all but the most awfully-written software since then.

For desktops/gaming, you're tied to Windows, but even there I'm toying with the idea of my next rig dual-booting hackintosh...

 

But does it run Crysis?...

I definitely like the hardware design, but since I'm a modder and upgrader of things, I'm married to the PC. And I quite like Windows 10. And I prefer Windows Mobile over Android or iOS, so I guess I won't be switching anytime soon.

 

For the record, yes they can.