PC milestone--notebooks outsell desktops

Who would have thunk it?

Saturday, June 4, 2005 by Tarkus | Discussion: Personal Computing

More notebooks than desktops were sold in the United States in May, according to a report released Friday--a milestone in PC sales history.

Analysts with research firm Current Analysis said laptop sales jumped to 53.3 percent of the total PC retail market in May 2005. Last year, notebooks made up 45.9 percent of the total PC retail market.

Occasionally, notebooks have outsold desktops, but those moments happen during a one-week period and are usually the result of extremely heavy promotions, Current Analysis said. May marks the first time notebooks have outsold desktops over the course of a full month, the firm said.
Mudflap
Reply #1 Saturday, June 4, 2005 1:12 PM
I'm not surprised.

I just bought a notebook instead of a desktop because notebook technologies are getting to the point where they can play games WELL. It's all in the video card. Nowadays you can get a decent video card in a notebook you pick up from BestBuy or CompUSA. There are even places online where you can buy barebones notebooks with the latest NVIDIA and ATI cards in them without breaking the bank.
47songs
Reply #2 Saturday, June 4, 2005 7:45 PM
I have two destops, one a PC, the other a Mac, but I spend most of my time with my laptop (a Dell). It's the convenience of transportability.

I believe the fact that wireless systems are setup in many companies, universities, airports, and now even restaurants, makes the laptop the most appealing electronic component on the face of the earth.
Corky_O
Reply #3 Saturday, June 4, 2005 8:36 PM
I have a fairly good desktop (HP at the beginning, but now upgraded to be something more home built), slowly building a new desktop to support Longhorn recommended system specifications, and just bought a Dell notebook.

The notebooks have become very easy to upgrade all parts including video and cpu, as well as instant access to RAM, HD, and Optical drive - very nice indeed. With PCIexpress boards now being used, the potential for high-end components on fewer wires is a substantial improvement with respect to the power use and heat build-up. The fairly competent user can now purchase a notebook with the expectation to be able to use it and upgrade it for quite a few years to come.

Of course, desktops will still be able to out-perform in many areas, but the gap is smaller than it once was - and portability is always a big plus.
Tarkus
Reply #4 Sunday, June 5, 2005 1:27 AM
Just built my first PC last year, so I still have the tweaking and upgrading bug. It's fun upgrading a certain part of your system and having it make such a huge difference. And my eye is already on the future with Longhorn and 64-bit support, not to mention PCIe, etc.

Notebooks are cool if you need the portability, but it's just not that big of a deal for me. If it was part of my job, that would be different.


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