preschool molotov: The Case for Desktops: A Defense of a Not-so-Outmoded Technology

By Jennifer Tylbon

Desktops This past holiday season, indeed the past several years, saw no shortage of state-of-the-art tablet-style computers, including Microsoft?s Surface, Apple?s iPad Mini and Amazon?s Kindle Fire HD 8.9. These dainty-looking tablets are revolutionizing how we view computers, the viability of working on the move, and even how we define our ?workspace.? Thanks to these slick, sleek touchscreens, those of us who were once bound to cubicles and bleak office spaces can more or less work anywhere we have access to the Internet. None of this is new information, nor is this article going to spend more space detailing the perks and quirks of the latest and greatest technologies. Truth be told, this will hearken back to practically archaic technology: the good ol? trusty desktop computer.

Many of you likely still own a desktop computer, though depending on your hobbies, it may be out of date or mildly neglected. With so many compact, hand-held options available, why would anyone bother with bulky, hardwired desktop units? Thus, herein is presented the case for the desktop computer. Before you turn the page, understand that tablet-style computers like the iPad and Surface are fantastic, and this is in no way meant to discourage the purchase, use or propagation of the technology. It is simply a plea and defense for keeping a trusty computer brick safely tucked away in your office, and for good reason.

Upgradeability

It has happened to everyone ? you finally commit to upgrading your phone, laptop or other electronic item, and head to the store. You put down your hard-earned money and walk away with a bright, new, gleaming piece of technological wonder. Three days later, the same company announces the release of a brighter, newer, more gleaming model. There are few things more frustrating than realizing you upgraded too early, and an ounce of patience might have prevented your new purchase from being outdated a mere two weeks after its procurement.

For many pieces of modern computing equipment, ?upgrading? means buying a whole new unit and tossing the old one in the cardboard donation bin outside the electronics store. This is not the case for desktop computers, sometimes referred to as towers. Most desktop computers can be upgraded modularly. If you want more storage space, you simply install a new hard drive. If you?d like faster processing or thinking speeds, switch out the processor and perhaps the motherboard. This is easiest to do with custom-built towers, but it can also be done with factory-built units like Dell or HP. There?s no need to junk the whole thing just because something newer is available. Desktop computers can be upgraded in stages and still stay up to date.

Storage & Back-up Space

Mostly due to space issues and public demand that tablets be unbearably thin, tablet computers don?t often boast a lot of internal storage space. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and iPad both come with 16GB of space, which translates to about 4,000 songs or 8 feature-length films. Microsoft?s Surface comes with either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, and while substantially more than the Kindle Fire or iPad Mini, it still can?t hold a candle to the desktop?s ability to contain drives that can hold several terabytes of data (one terabyte is equal to 1,024 gigabytes)

for a relatively low increase in cost, depending on brand of both the drive and manufacturer of the tower itself.

To be fair, the Surface and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 both accept external storage methods via a built-in USB port, so those same figures can be purchased as an external hard drive; however, the iPad does not offer that option. Your only source for extra storage is to make use of either Apple?s iCloud or some other third-party cloud storage, like Amazon or DropBox.

It is always recommended to have systems backed up in a variety of ways to protect against data loss. Desktop units make terrific back-up storage spaces, especially when it comes to important documents like annual taxes, family pictures, and a lifetime of acquired and collected music. While external hard drives also work for this, desktop computers give the added benefit of immediate access to this info if your tablet computer is out of commission for any reason.

Losability

While that is a completely made-up word and a scary-sounding defense for owning a desktop, it has some validity. As technology gets smaller and more mobile, it also gets easier and easier to misplace, forget or, unfortunately, have stolen.

Laptops, tablets, external hard drives and even phones certainly have a tendency to be left behind. And if not the technology itself, certainly their various assortments of chargers are forever where they don?t belong. According to the Huffington Post, cell phone and laptop power cords now rank highest in items left behind in hotel rooms. The desktop, for as much as its size and lack of portability is often a turn-off, pretty much sits where you set it up and stays there, plugged in. You are surely confident about where you left it.

Owning a desktop and keeping up with it means that while you launch the search parties for your missing tablet, you can still compute as needed.

Ease of Repair

If you have ever dropped your phone, you understand the sheer terror and weird illusion of time slowing down so you can witness every moment of its descent in vivid detail, convinced the whole time that the screen is going to shatter this time. The horror factor of this phenomenon increases tenfold when you drop a tablet. A shattered screen is a veritable death sentence to most modern computing devices, as the great majority of them are touchscreen technology. Of course, that is not the only thing that can break or malfunction. When something goes awry with a tablet, it must be taken in for repairs, which, if even possible, can be costly and time consuming.

While no technology is breakdown proof, desktops are typically sturdier and less prone to jarring damage inherent in computers marketed to travel. While tablets are designed to take the impacts, motion and mild falls, repeated action certainly takes its toll on the components. Desktops, as previously mentioned, are stationary for the greater part of their existence. They are certainly subject to their own issues, such as overheating and dust, but even these problems are often easier to address and prevent then repairs to tablets and laptops.

Microsoft Surface According to a representative at Geek Squad, desktop towers, on average, take less time to repair given their referenced modular design. Replacement parts are easier to acquire and swap out, are cheaper in many cases than tablets? miniature counterparts, and tend to last longer. Even when compared to laptops, which are tremendously less complicated than tablets, desktop repairs save time. When necessary, almost all tablets must be repaired by the manufacturer, particularly true for Apple and Amazon products.

Repairing technology may be an inevitable part of owning it, but desktops have an edge here in that the worst part may just be getting the thing to your preferred computer repair center.

In conclusion, desktops are not the newest, most impressive elements being designed. If it?s been a while since you last powered up that poor desktop tucked away in the back corner of your office, it might be time to give it a go again. If you can?t remember the last time you upgraded its antivirus programs (yes, you still need those), it?s likely time to give your tower a good cleaning. Unless you intend to invest a hefty amount in custom tower systems built with an edge for gaming, graphics processing and processing speeds, it likely will not look nearly as cool or modern as any of your tablet-style options. But looks aren?t everything, and reliability will always reign supreme.