PC Industry – Twiddled thumbs.

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The PC industry continues to ignore the solution to its woes.

• The Computex show passed virtually unnoticed last week as exhibitors on many stands spent a lot of time twiddling their thumbs.
• Only stands which demonstrated virtual reality or were related to smartphones saw any real interest.
• Most commentators have used this as another sign of an industry in the grip of terminal decline but I think a lot of this is self-inflicted.
• I have long argued (in vain so far) that if the PC industry would address the 2 in 1 segment properly, it could trigger a product cycle that would kick the PC market back to growth at least for a few years.
• This opportunity is rooted in my belief that the laptop form factor is obsolete and can be replaced with something that offers a more productive and ergonomic experience that is better for your health.
• There is no longer any reason for the keyboard to be physically attached to the screen but the industry is so used to this form factor that seems incapable of moving on.
• With the keyboard separate from the screen and a portable mouse, a tablet PC has the capability to become a portable desktop giving the user a desktop quality experience wherever he is.
• The one caveat is when the user has no surface upon which to position the device and is forced to use it on his lap.
• In this orientation, the tablet PC offers a poor experience but I believe that this use case is a minority of the time spent using a portable computer.
• I think that the average computer buyer these days is a content creator as most of the email / web browsing crowd have long since migrated to smartphones and tablets.
• This means that a keyboard, mouse and probably Office are important to that user which I think creates an opportunity for the PC industry to offer something better than a laptop.
• A good example of how badly the PC industry misunderstands this issue is the specification of most laptops where the screen can be detached.
• In almost every single product (Surface Book included) the keyboard stops working the minute the screen is detached.
• This makes no sense whatsoever as it obviates the one use case (portable desktop) that the product really excels at.
• This is a very simple and cheap problem to correct and the fact that no one has done it clearly points to how short-sighted the industry has become.
• I think the biggest problem with this proposition is marketing.
• Users have been using laptops for 40 years and they are so ingrained into their psyche that it is almost impossible for them to contemplate that there could be a better solution.
• Consequently, users need to educated that there is something better on offer and how it would benefit them.
• Unfortunately, I don’t think that much of the PC industry has realised that there is an opportunity and even Intel and Microsoft are struggling to send a clear message.
• If they can get it right, then there is a big product cycle to be had as laptops are replaced with tablet PCs which would push the industry back to growth albeit for a few years only.
• In the absence of this cycle, the PC market is likely to continue drifting downwards until all the content consumers have left the platform and at that point it should stabilise.
• I don’t think that the PC is dead as iOS and Android are awful platforms for content creation, but the PC industry has to start moving with the times.
• Microsoft, Samsung and Lenovo are the ones I would look at for an upswing in the PC segment although I suspect that a rising tide would lift all boats.