quote:

One apparent winner in the age of Covid-19 — along with grocery delivery services, streaming apps and video-calling services — is the good old personal computer, judging by usage gains in recent weeks.

The coronavirus has changed daily life for people all over the world, and that includes the use of technology. When people are mostly staying in, there’s less need for travel-oriented services like mobile-friendly Airbnb, Google Maps or Uber. And if people are staying home they can take advantage of larger screens and keyboards that allow for faster text input.

That’s good news for companies that make PC hardware, software and peripherals, which were suppressed by the rise of mobile devices like Apple’s iPhone and competitors running Google’s Android operating system.

“Customers are using Windows PCs to stay productive, connect and learn in this time. In fact, over 4 trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 a month, a 75% increase year on year,” Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer, wrote in a blog post on Monday. Windows had nearly 87% share of the PC operating system market in April, according to NetMarketShare, and in March Microsoft said it had reached 1 billion active Windows 10 devices.

After Windows, the second most popular PC operating system is Apple’s MacOS, with about 10% share in April. In the quarter that ended on March 28, the Mac active installed base hit a record high, Luca Maestri, Apple’s finance chief, told analysts on a conference call on Thursday. The company expects Mac revenue growth to accelerate in the current quarter, Maestri said. (On Monday Apple announced a new MacBook Pro laptop with an improved keyboard.)

Sales of notebook PCs and PC accessories jumped in the first two weeks of March, according to the NPD Group, and PC sales grew some 53% during the week of April 18, a company spokesperson told CNBC in an email on April 27.

“PCs have grown by at least 30% each of the last five weeks,” the spokesperson wrote. “Chromebook sales have been up over 100% for each of those weeks. Windows sales up 36% last week and 45% for the last five weeks.” IDC estimated that PC shipments were down about 10% in the first quarter because of lower supply.

The resurgence of the personal computer is not necessarily coming at the expense of mobile devices, although people are generally less mobile than usual in places where officials have directed people to stay home.

The New York Times found that Apptopia and SimilarWeb data from January through March showed spikes in the use of websites like Facebook and Netflix, and less pronounced usage increases for those apps.

Last month Facebook announced two product updates that make it easier to use some of its most popular services from a desktop or laptop computer. It announced the availability of MacOS and Windows clients for its Messenger chat app, and it made Instagram direct messages available on the web.

The new golden age of the PC may not last long, however. Governments are still deciding when people can return to offices, schools and other facilities.

Cough Drop The Beat posted:

I voted Goku.

Cough Drop The Beat posted:

I voted Goku.

Cough Drop The Beat posted:

I voted Goku.

Cough Drop The Beat posted:

I voted Goku.

Cough Drop The Beat posted:

Dell_Zincht posted:

I'm posting

ON THE INTERNET

dee eight posted:

The internet is loving amazing and a PC (Ppersonal Computer) is your key to the internet.

I am not exaggerating one little bit when I tell you I played a game of chess, in REAL TIME!, with a person half way around the world from me!

Big Beef City posted:

I wonder how many different color codes that dude went through to find the shade of purple that was JUST right to dial in to his rig to express his personality until he found the right one

dee eight posted:

The internet is loving amazing and a PC (Ppersonal Computer) is your key to the internet.

I am not exaggerating one little bit when I tell you I played a game of chess, in REAL TIME!, with a person half way around the world from me!

Mozi posted:

i play 1.h3

Devils Affricate posted:

everyone post your rig

FuriousGeorge posted:

technology ftw!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H2_fQ8xWCM

Devils Affricate posted:

everyone post your rig

Synthetic Dreams posted:

I whip out my Ono-Sendai Cyberspace VII and now I'm in the cyberspace. I can go anywhere and be anyone. I can browse your computers, and by golly, some of you are some very naughty men!!

Big Beef City posted:

you'd think people would place the notes facing in so the people who worked for Apple and were closes to Mr. Jobs would read the messages rather than their personal appeals to vanity.
What would drive apple users specifically to do something like that

Inept posted:

It's me, the apple store worker talking to steve jobs. Talking to his keynote and pretending he can hear me

Big Beef City posted:

you'd think people would place the notes facing in so the people who worked for Apple and were closes to Mr. Jobs would read the messages rather than their personal appeals to vanity.
What would drive apple users specifically to do something like that