As the technology becomes more affordable and powerful, our PCs continue to evolve. But here is a question to consider: is the development of these PCs dictated by the consumers, or are the types of computers that come out on the market influencing us?
Think of it like a "chicken or the egg" question. It may seem like a useless philosophical point, but there is valid material here to explore. Why? Because if we, as consumer, are dictating the way the PCs develop, we'll always get the products we actually need. If, however, the manufacturers are creating products first and expecting the demand to follow, who knows where we'll end up?
It might seem like a strange question at first. One might expect all markets to follow the demands of the consumers. But the fact is that they don't always do this. Sometimes a company will try to generate more revenue by developing new products and then trying to generate some demand.
Consider, if you will, laptop PCs. As computers became more and more necessary in our daily lives, people wanted to have access to their machines wherever they went. One could argue that this was a matter of the market following the demand. Most manufacturers ran to fill that demand.
On the other hand, netbooks are a recent development in the computer world. Some have argued that they were created to fill the demand for a cheaper laptop. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Netbook PCs are also, in theory, filling the demand for an even more portable computer than a laptop.
Think about that for a minute. More portable than laptop PCs? Laptops were pretty mobile to begin with, and it was easy to have a full featured computer with you wherever you went. Was there really a demand for something smaller, something with a cramped keyboard and a lot less power? Did we demand this, or did they?
Why does this question matter? Because over the last few years netbook PCs have managed to secure a large chunk of the computer market. This makes an analysis of the industry very interesting. PC companies have been able to generate a lot of new revenue on a product that there may not have been any demand for in the first place. But once it's in place, it's hard to imagine that it happened any other way.
There are, of course, many developments in PCs that are a direct result of consumer demand, and these would be the hardcore gamers. They always seem to need a more powerful machine with better graphics, and many manufacturers rush to fill that need, too. Still, the question lingers: are we influencing PCs, or are they in control of us?
Think of it like a "chicken or the egg" question. It may seem like a useless philosophical point, but there is valid material here to explore. Why? Because if we, as consumer, are dictating the way the PCs develop, we'll always get the products we actually need. If, however, the manufacturers are creating products first and expecting the demand to follow, who knows where we'll end up?
It might seem like a strange question at first. One might expect all markets to follow the demands of the consumers. But the fact is that they don't always do this. Sometimes a company will try to generate more revenue by developing new products and then trying to generate some demand.
Consider, if you will, laptop PCs. As computers became more and more necessary in our daily lives, people wanted to have access to their machines wherever they went. One could argue that this was a matter of the market following the demand. Most manufacturers ran to fill that demand.
On the other hand, netbooks are a recent development in the computer world. Some have argued that they were created to fill the demand for a cheaper laptop. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Netbook PCs are also, in theory, filling the demand for an even more portable computer than a laptop.
Think about that for a minute. More portable than laptop PCs? Laptops were pretty mobile to begin with, and it was easy to have a full featured computer with you wherever you went. Was there really a demand for something smaller, something with a cramped keyboard and a lot less power? Did we demand this, or did they?
Why does this question matter? Because over the last few years netbook PCs have managed to secure a large chunk of the computer market. This makes an analysis of the industry very interesting. PC companies have been able to generate a lot of new revenue on a product that there may not have been any demand for in the first place. But once it's in place, it's hard to imagine that it happened any other way.
There are, of course, many developments in PCs that are a direct result of consumer demand, and these would be the hardcore gamers. They always seem to need a more powerful machine with better graphics, and many manufacturers rush to fill that need, too. Still, the question lingers: are we influencing PCs, or are they in control of us?
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