PC obsolescence is obsolete

Re:PC obsolescence is obsolete by rodly on Tuesday August 21, 2012 @12:17PM (#4413360)

I don't think it's easy to see Microsoft profiting by leveraging its Xbox division to boost PC sales (Windows license sales). I can't find a source for this, but I doubt Microsoft made much money if at all on the Xbox 360. The money is in Xbox live subscriptions and taking a percentage from sales on the marketplace. This is similar to how Amazon sells its Kindle line at a negative profit but makes a killing in Prime memberships and eBook %'s.

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Re:PC obsolescence is obsolete by podperson on Tuesday August 21, 2012 @12:46PM (#4413491)

The irony here is that Microsoft cannibalized the PC gaming market to create the XBox market (and kill its one true enemy at the time: Sony). The result is -- arguably -- stagnation of the desktop PC market which was always -- I contend -- driven largely by gaming. The problem is that the desktop market made Microsoft money whereas consoles... not so much.

It seems to me that problem here isn't cannibalization -- if Microsoft hadn't done it, someone else (Sony?) would have -- but the "let's leverage our monopoly-driven money tree" mindset. XBox was dumped on the market at a loss, subsidized by Office/Windows and leveraged by Microsoft's dominance of desktop gaming, APIs, and developer mindshare.

Microsoft doesn't even try to play fair in new markets and eventually it had to bite them, and it did.

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Re:PC obsolescence is obsolete by theorique on Tuesday August 21, 2012 @02:38PM (#4414071)

the desktop PC market which was always -- I contend -- driven largely by gaming.

For the leading edge of the desktop PC market, definitely (advanced graphics cards, fastest possible processor, fastest possible RAM).

On the other hand, the broad center of the bell curve of the desktop PC market has been driven by office applications. These have never needed the high performance that the gamers demanded - users simply wanted something "good enough for Word, Excel PowerPoint, and email".

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Re:PC obsolescence is obsolete by icefox on Tuesday August 21, 2012 @10:35PM (#4415797)

The last half a decade I would say users are not as much driven by office applications, but by network applications, specifically the browser and email

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Re:PC obsolescence is obsolete by theorique on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @11:14AM (#4417746)

Good point - agreed.

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