David Chernicoff
It's alive and well
Hardware? Ho-hum
Christopher Dawson
Best Argument: It's alive and well
The moderater has delivered his final verdict.
Opening Statements
Hardware is what makes it possible
David Chernicoff: No matter how interesting software is, or how exciting the user experience becomes, without continued innovation in hardware technologies, software will begin to stagnate. Consumers demand, and vendors promise, impovements with each generation of product, and the only way to meet those continued demands is for the hardware to continually improve to exceed the demands of the next generation of software.Hardware and software existing in a symbiotic relationship, with each step, on either side, driving the other forward to build something bigger and better. Momentary ascendance of either side doesn’t mean that the other is in permanent descent. Regardless of the software technology, the underlying hardware is what makes it possible.
Every major consumer software advance has become possible because of the underlying hardware. The implicit competition between hardware and software brings out the best in innovation on both sides. And that is not going to change anytime soon.
Merely a matter of preference
Chris Dawson: As the world moves online, hardware has become nothing more than a religion. I tend to use Macs because I like the OS and the hardware takes the abuse I give it. On the other hand, I’m writing this on a PC in a web browser. I could just as easily dictate it on my Droid. Even in the enterprise, there is a general move to the cloud or cheap clusters of generic servers.
While there will always be a place for high-end hardware and pushing the performance envelope, the vast majority of what we do is now far more dependent on an Internet connection than on 8 cores of processing power or the latest version of Windows running on a Wintel system. How users access the web -- whether it be from a mobile device, a speedy Macbook, a Chromebook, or a DIY desktop -- has become a matter of preference.
Talkback
Of course it matters
As for phones, there are some pretty intense games on phones these days, which imposes a requirement on components.
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
So, you attempt to refute a claim showing where a change in hardware provided better performance...but your "reason" is because it provided a performance boost (i.e. better power handling).
And yes, power handling *is* a performance area. Otherwise, you wouldn't see laptop & tablet manufacturers doing all they can to minimize the power consumption of their chips & CPUs to make sure battery life lasts as long as possible...
Declined video game integrity, response time of monitors and need for power
This all-in-one world of PC's is finally coming to a reality. People like me who are two finger typist and have enjoyed playing games on their computers for years are coming to an end. Even an XBox 360 will be seeking further new technology with Crystal LED televisions in the near future to raise the bar and create a grandure revenue stream for the next, 'Next Generation'.
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
Apple moved from PowerPC because both Motorola and IBM failed them.
Intel processors have always been junk.
Does not matter for everyone
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
"I have a 2010 Macbook Air and it only has a 1.86Ghz dual core Intel"
Then perhaps you don't realize that there is certain hardware inside that particular device which makes that low-speed processor liveable.
Why would someone buy more than they "need"? Because it's faster, that's why. Sure, there's a law of diminishing returns that kicks in for the highest-end components (i.e. the fastest video cards, SSDs, and processors that no other company can match) but aside from that you usually get the speed you pay for (with the exception of Apple for obvious reasons, and if you're buying Apple, "need" is not a factor).
I'll use you as an example. Why on earth would you (or any other person who buys a computer to just surf the Internet and process Word documents) buy a 1100-dollar Macbook Air when PCs that cost 400 dollars can do the same thing?
The answer is, quite simply, the hardware. Does a better keyboard, better trackpad, better battery life, and a drive that makes the computer much more responsive to your commands translate into a better user experience? If it didn't, how could Apple even exist?
Plus, people usually don't run out and buy every single thing that comes out for the reason that it isn't much faster than the older stuff (you're only usually looking at a 10% increase in performance). For example, you don't have the latest 2011 Macbook Air- and it isn't all that faster than the one you have now.
But those 10% increases add up. So when you're looking at the 2015 Macbook models (assuming Apple sticks with Intel and everything's the same), you'll be looking at a much larger increase.
If it didn't, why replace old, still-living components?
My 1998-vintage ThinkPad 600E still does those jobs just as well as your MBA can. Yet I've effectively retired that machine from service because I needed something that does what it cannot at the hardware level. Just like my old smartphone- I want a device that responds faster when I tilt it and power it up so I've retired the old one (plus there are some things it simply can't run due to hard limitations).
So I don't think it's oversold because the more expensive stuff is nearly always better and it stays usable longer.
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
Hey! The vote button doesn't seem to work! I'm for Ho Hum!
RE: Hardware: Does it really matter anymore?
All for under $1000. A bargain compared to the 'Air'. Then again, If you have lots of cash, and you like to show off, why not go with the High Profile you can use as a mirror.