Will the day come when traditional PCs are no longer available, and Copilot+ PCs then become the only choice?
This is a question that I often ponder, and with a certain amount of trepidation, I might add. While our politicians seem unable to learn from history, it’s to history I turn when seeking a possible answer.
Dumb TVs vs Smart TVs
If history has taught us anything, it’s that newer technology usually supplants older technology within a relatively short period of time. There are numerous examples, but dumb TVs versus smart TVs stand out for me. Here in Australia, new dumb TVs disappeared completely within 12 months of the first smart TVs hitting the shelves.
At that time, streaming services were limited, and the smart TVs were nowhere near as smart as they are today. However, the demise of the dumb TVs had nothing to do with consumer demand; manufacturers simply stopped producing them in favor of the new technology, end of story.
I have little doubt that PCs will eventually head the same way. As much as many users would prefer to stick with a traditional PC (including myself), I don’t believe that customer demand will influence the manufacturers’ decision one iota, and as the case has been on numerous previous occasions, the newer technology will almost certainly eventually win out.
BOTTOM LINE:
Despite my misgivings, I do hold out hope that manufacturers will continue to produce both traditional PCs and Copilot+ PCs. Perhaps the pricing structure might influence manufacturers’ decisions in this regard, with traditional PCs representing the entry-level/lower-cost range, and Copilot+ PCs representing the higher-end/more expensive range.
What are your thoughts? Would you prefer to stick with a traditional PC or move on to a Copilot+ PC? Let us know via the comments.
Wishing you all a very Merry and safe Christmas.
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Well, I have probably spent over 40 hours in the past month or two looking at new computers. I started with Lenovo as that is what I have used for over 30 years, but the comments on various models indicate a declining quality in components in the 600-1200$ range. I do not want an Apple product, though I use an iPad. When I look for recommendations of various units that have what I want, there is just too many negative comments. Plus too many companies have switched to “C” charging which eliminates one USB and some only have one USB-C. I am currently narrowing my choices to either an ASUS or Acer. Both seem to have up-to-date Wifi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 or 5.3. Most are now using the same midlevel memory chips and really cheap CPUs. And the battery life has been horrible, some as little as 5 hours. Any suggestions?
Hey Vince,
I’m a fan of Asus laptops myself but opinions will differ. You really can’t go wrong with either an Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU plus 16 GB RAM. The trouble with battery life is, despite manufacturer’s claims, one can never be certain until after one has purchased.
Sounds as though you are doing the right thing though mate, keep checking user reviews before committing, they are often a good guide.
Vince,
I am using an Asus laptop that I bought at the beginning of 2014. Yes, almost 12 years old. Back then, I paid almost $1800 for it. It is part of the Republic Of Gamers (ROG) lineup, a G750, and has been a daily use beast from day one. No, I am NOT a gamer, but wanted a quality laptop that would last, and it certainly has. Between myself, my wife and daughter we purchased 4 Asus laptops, not counting the EEEPC Netbook which was the first Asus product we bought. My wife used a mainstream ($700) Asus A73 laptop for about 8 years, but it started showing signs of wear from the daily grind that we were afraid the HDD of Video were getting ready to fail. We got her an Asus TUF series ($1800) to replace it as her daily driver in 2020 and it’s performed well. About a year after hers, my daughter also bought an Asus TUF laptop ($1300).
You’ll notice that none of the laptops were cheap, and that’s because we spend up front to make sure it lasts. We also have had a couple of business grade Dell Vostro laptops and a couple of cheap Dell laptops (gifts from Time Warner Cable). The experience with Dell has also been good, but again, we invested in quality. Along that line, every manufacturer make a range of products, from entry level, to expensive. Stay away from low end of every brand, because they aren’t built the same as the higher end stuff. Tat includes Asus and Dell, which I love. Dell Inspiron is trash. Lenovo and Acer also make good stuff, if you stay away from the cheap stuff.
Read the ratings, and spend , nay invest, what you can.
Last year I bought a Dell from Costco but when DH had to get a newer one this year (because Turbo Tax wouldn’t support Win10, grrrr) and his was getting older, I bought an Acer. Since he is not a power user, he if fine with it, but neither of us likes to use a laptop. Enuf said — when PCs go, I will go too!
I want a simple traditional pc with a blue ray drive ,no copilot or cloud
From what I’ve read Copilot isn’t faring well for M$. Users aren’t embracing the feature in droves like M$ projected.
M$ recently announced the company is scaling back on its sales projections (up to 50%) for that very reason. That’s what arrogance gets them for trying to strong arm their customers into adopting features a plurality of users don’t want. They even had the audacity to force Copilot on smart tv owners with no way to uninstall until a backlash from tv owners forced them backtrack.
I’ll stick with the two traditional PCs I have now until they die, or try to keep them going via refurbishing.
And seasons greetings to you Jim. I too prefer to stick with a traditional PC. and uninstall all co-pilot apps whenever possible. Totally dislike being forced, having MS shove down my throat, their vision of what everyone must have/use. Love using Windows, but certain items are removed/dismantled, Mindblower!
I totally agree tht the new “stuff” will replace the current. Remember typewriters and 8-tracks? I also agree that most newer concepts are beneficial. However, I do not like being forced to accept things I do not want and may not ever use. I just purchased a new Dell for my husbands Christmas gift. I could not believe that none come with DVD/CD capability and computer speakers.. We have speakers but have to purchase a seperate DVD/CD plug in so he can copy and write one from another. What’s a computer oldie like me to do? Take classes?
Love your column. Learned a lot.
Well I’ve learned a few things today reading through the comments.
Laptops no longer come with DVD/CD reader. !!!! WTH! How do I play music?
So I’ve made do with just this simple phone for two years while my little cheap HP got around to dying which it still hasn’t really done but using command prompts to use the keyboard is not ideal. All I use it for now is loading photos from my camera just to keep the history one form mostly.
I do use the mobile phone mostly for quick photos but can’t load them onto the laptop.
I can still do a simple backup where I just update 3 files that are mostly used, downloads, photos and ‘word’. It’s a book I’m writing. That’s the only writing I do on the PC now.
I have a tablet for other writing but none of them have internet because there’s none in this house.
I’m planning on getting starlink soonish but need a new laptop before then or at the same time.
But what I didn’t learn while reading the comments is what exactly Copilot is.
Is it AI? If so I don’t want it. Everything I have now is Android (better the devil you know, situation) so may as well stick to it.
So thinking of another HP midrange. This one dying now is 6-7yrs old and was a throw out special for $500 so can’t beat that.
But this AI really gets under my skin. It’s so much crap the whole thing is a complete waste of time n effort. I don’t want to spend my precious online time wading thru AI crap just to find the occasional real true story. So far it’s easy enough to work out one from the other but that will change.
I struggle with the concept of living in a world where there is no difference between real and fake.
Maybe my age is showing really badly nowadays but I am still alive n kicking and paying tax.
So why can’t I live in a real world?
Hey Clissa,
Yep, you are definitely showing your age. 🙂
Music is played mainly via online services, such as Spotify, these days. That said, I must be showing my age too.
Yes, Copilot is an AI assistant. It doesn’t matter these days what platform one chooses – Windows, IOS, Android – AI plays a role in all and, unfortunately, AI’s influence is only going to increase.
I empathize with your situation, sometimes “progress” takes a backward step.