Do business desktop PCs have a future?

12.06.2009
With laptop shipments gaining momentum over the past few years the question arises: Are desktops on the verge of being banished from the enterprise?

Desktops remain the primary computers of "task workers," which includes clerks, accountants and others who are bound to their desks, and programmers, with laptops becoming the primary computers for many other enterprise employees.

Enterprise use of laptops has exploded as they become affordable and companies seek to provide greater mobility to workers while also increasing productivity. Laptops allow employees to telecommute or work on the road, and can make it easier for salespeople and executives to close deals. Laptops also reduce the need to buy separate monitors and other peripherals.

Laptop shipments increased by about 60 percent between 2006 and 2008, while desktop PC shipments flattened during the same period, according to Gartner. Toshiba sensed the laptop trend as early as 2001, when it stopped selling desktops and focused on selling mobile products and servers.

But that doesn't mean doom and gloom for desktops, said George Shiffler, principal analyst at Gartner Dataquest. There will be a core of desktop users, including programmers who need the speed of a desktop. Desktops will also remain a tool for task workers as companies look to secure data and reduce maintenance costs, analysts said.

"Why give a laptop to somebody working in a call center?" Shiffler asked. Such workers do not need laptops, which are more expensive and generally require more maintenance, or even a top-line desktop -- all they need is a basic desktop.