desktop pcs - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

• Review: Halt and Catch Fire adds sizzle to PC history

  AMC's new TV series harks back to the early days of PCs -- but drama, not desktops, takes center stage.

• Intel vs. ARM: Two titans' tangled fate

  Intel has barely made a dent in the mobile market, while ARM has been wildly successful. Does that spell doom for Intel -- or is ARM's triumph overblown?

• Top tech stories of 2013: Big Brother, wearables, and the struggles of aging tech giants

  Politics collided with the world of technology this year as stories about U.S. government spying stirred angst both among the country's citizens and foreign governments, and the flawed HeathCare.gov site got American health-care reform off to a rocky start. Meanwhile, the post-PC era put aging tech giants under pressure to reinvent themselves. Here in no particular order are IDG News Service's picks for the top 10 tech stories of the year.

• New Dell won't abandon the PC

  Dell officials vow that the company will continue making acquisitions and will remain committed to its struggling PC business once its $24.9 billion deal to go private is complete.

• Peak PC and Microsoft's dilemma

  Although a historic downturn in PC shipments has made headlines since April, "Peak PC" -- the moment when personal computers crested -- was two years ago. That could bode ill for Microsoft.

• Windows 8 is an enterprise 'non-starter' because IT sees no value in changes

  Windows 8 faces a number of hurdles in the enterprise, but the biggest reason it won't replace the current corporate champion, Windows 7, is simple: IT shops don't think it's worth the upgrade hassle.

• Microsoft must fight to remain influential, say analysts

  Stormed by a shift to tablets and smartphones, and threatened, even in its enterprise bastion, by new demands from workers, Microsoft may lose its place at the table reserved for major technology players, an analyst argued today.

• Windows Blue and Microsoft's continuous upgrade strategy

  Microsoft yesterday confirmed Windows "Blue," an upgrade to Windows 8, but analysts remained uneasy about how the faster release cadence that Blue represents will be digested by businesses.

• Opinion: iPad vs. PC - sometimes the accepted wisdom is right

  It's clear that hardware makers are experimenting far more with Windows devices than Apple is with the iPad. But that does that herald a revival of the PC?

• The lazy geek's guide to building a home media center

  Anything less than a DIY digital home entertainment project means making the most of Apple TV

• Microsoft's loan to Dell certain to trigger more OEM angst, say analysts

  Microsoft's $US2 billion loan to Dell, one of its largest computer-making partners, will have an impact on how other OEMs view their Windows ecosystem collaborator, according to analysts said today.

• Microsoft Word alternatives: Wordsmiths, rejoice!

  Microsoft Word is ubiquitous: It's the standard word processor in most places of business, and it often ends up installed on home PCs due to compatibility and familiarity. It isn't the only choice, however. Whether your main concern is price, complexity, specialized functionality, system footprint, or some combination of the above, you might have many reasons to look beyond Word.

• How desktop PCs got their groove back

  Is the desktop PC dead? Far from it.

• CES 2011: Lenovo announces IdeaCentre all-in-ones

  Lenovo's IdeaCentre All-in-One desktops have been revamped for 2011, offering up a host of new features, and functionality. There's something for everyone here, with 3D displays, multitouch, TV tuners and new processors from AMD and Intel.

• Why Apple’s iPhone Will 'Drown in a Sea of Androids'

  Google's Android mobile platform may still follow Apple's iPhone in the smartphone race, according to fresh Nielsen data released Monday, but that advantage may not last long.