Domaining in a Post-PC World

[A D]

The inevitable is upon us: the world is swiftly shifting from PCs to smartphones and tablets. This isn’t a mere anecdote anymore; IT consulting firm IDC estimates that by 2016, shipments of ‘smart’ mobile devices will top 2 billion, even as PC shipments stagnate to less than 800M. Another report by Pew and Nielsen says [...]

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[Vincent]

Thank God I got myself an iphone. Now, I'm with the crowd. Now, I just have to make more transactions through this phone. The internet is great. With all the apps and maps, who can live without them smart phones?

Adam, I noticed this. Now, dnforum.com takes longer to load with iphone, and a lot of time freezes. But with my Android, it's usually faster.

 

[grcorp]

I got my first iPad yesterday, and I can agree with this... the PC will remain, but be second fiddle to tablets and such, IMO.

This has already been the case for smartphone users in the case of email, as I very rarely send or receive emails on my PC. 100% of my emails are read on my blackberry first.

 

[dcristo]

Couldn't be assed reading the article, but I don't think tablets/smartphones will ever replace the desktop computer. They will always be limited in certain ways to pose a real threat IMO.

 

[Bill F.]

The main thrust of the article is that people will limit themselves to their apps. In my opinion, those would be the same people who limit themselves to Facebook or email. Domains are missing those people already, and I don't see much change. There are only so many apps one can have on their smart phone before it gets cumbersome. Also, the vast majority of searches for information on the net cannot be met by an app in your possession. I simply cannot see people having an app for every question they might come up with.
Conversely, I don't see people downloading an app for every website that provides them with an answer. If I search for "how to chase a squirrel out of my attic," is there an app for that? (SquirrelAway.com?) Even if there were, would I want it? Why?
Even for the standard searches.. say recipes. I can see people downloading recipe apps, but I won't be one of them. Why should I limit myself to the recipes on one app/website when there are tons of great websites and even small blogs with the recipe I really want?

The apps I use are for sites I visit regularly, such as DNF and Godaddy. Before those apps came about, there was no way a domainer could come between me and either of these websites. They were bookmarked (and incidentally, why didn't anyone claim bookmarking would kill domains?), or I would just type them in. And that's where type-in comes in. Typo domainers are screwed.
Tablet, ereaders, smart phones, desktops.... they're all good for domains. Anything that brings more online people who click ads and spend money. Obviously, some domains will have to be especially developed with mobile in mind. All websites will have to, if you want to optimize conversions.
But I see zero threat from apps. None at all unless you are a typo domainer.

 

[DN BROKER]

Lets bump this thread in 10 years.

 

[katherine]

Couldn't be assed reading the article, but I don't think tablets/smartphones will ever replace the desktop computer. They will always be limited in certain ways to pose a real threat IMO.

I think the desktop is far from dead. But laptops might now be an endangered species.
The rise of mobile Internet means more diversity, different navigation trends.
The problem with tablets and smartphones is the keyboard. Tablets are good for surfing, but I can't be productive.

 

[dcristo]

Diversity is a good thing. Tablets and smartphones serve a purpose but they're by no means a replacement.

In fact if you look at the video gaming market, PC games are making a resurgence (although a lot of sales are digital now), The old desktop is far from dead and like everything you just have to adapt to the changes.

 

[sashas]

Diversity is a good thing, it's not a threat at all. Tablets and smartphones serve a purpose but they're by no means a replacement.

In fact if you look at the video gaming market, PC games are making a resurgence (although a lot of sales are digital now), The old desktop is far from dead and like everything you just have to adapt to the changes.

To call the desktop 'dead' would be a gross exaggeration. Fact remains that the desktop is still the most powerful, easy to use consumer computing device available today. I just spent $1500 on a new rig with a quad core processor, 16GB of RAM and a powerful video card, and I'm blown away by the speed of the device every time I use it.

But it's obvious that desktop sales will decline. Not everyone works with computers the way I do. Not everyone wants to play Skyrim on his PC either.

Us desktop users might be in the minority in some time.

What I really don't see a lot of use for are laptops. They're now stuck between powerful desktops and underpowered, more portable tablets. I don't see them surviving too long in this position

 

[dcristo]

Yeah I can see laptops taking a hit. I think the Chromebook has been an epic fail. It was meant to be released in Australia during Q4 of 2011 and I've heard nothing about it's release and I think sales in the US have been really bad. It's not really a laptop as such but seen as an alternative to netbooks.

 

[katherine]

Us desktop users might be in the minority in some time.

You can live without a desktop computer:

As long as you don't type a lot, and can do without a real keyboard
As long as you don't mind scrolling more
As long as you don't need to print anything
As long as you don't need to read or burn a DVD
As long as you don't need to plug external hardware like a scanner or an overhead projector
As long as you don't play games
As long as you don't use CPU-intensive applications

But now one desktop PC in the household can be enough when there used to be two or three.
IMO desktop will remain popular in corporate environments.

 

[sashas]

You can live without a desktop computer:

As long as you don't type a lot, and can do without a real keyboard

Not everyone needs to type a lot. This is why my Facebook feed is filled with idiots who use OMG and LOL and 'u' instead of 'you'

As long as you don't mind scrolling more

Tablets are actually pretty good for browsing. The scrolling is very intuitive and even 'fun'

As long as you don't need to print anything

You can hook up a tablet to a printer via wi-fi

As long as you don't need to read or burn a DVD

DVDs have gone the way of the Dodo. This is why the Macbook Air doesn't have an optical drive.
Funny thing, the DVD drive on my computer stopped working because I hadn't used it even once in the past 2 years. I haven't really missed it.

As long as you don't need to plug external hardware like a scanner or an overhead projector

This relates to a very small group of people. Even then, I'm sure there are wireless solutions to this problem.

As long as you don't play games

Not everyone wants to play Skyrim. Most people are perfectly happy with Angry Birds

As long as you don't use CPU-intensive applications

THIS is exactly where computers will be sorely needed. For anything that requires involvement, computers are still the way to go.

The way I see it, for the average consumer (this doesn't include people like you and I who work online), desktops will be something to be used only when writing research papers, doing some hard-core video editing, etc. For everyday consumption, tablets are more than up to the task.

But now one desktop PC in the household can be enough when there used to be two or three.
IMO desktop will remain popular in corporate environments.[/QUOTE]