Well I can’t afford a replacement for my busted computer, so here I am on my fuckin phone.
r/frugal and r/minimalism have joined the chat
We need those on Lemmy
Phone replaced my general internet browsing, but not my gaming or other PC-specific things I use my computer for.
I generally consume on my phone and produce on my computer. Phones are still mostly horrible for producing anything with a slight complexity.
This is the case for me. Code, serious research, writing music, long posting, blogs, making videos, working on any kind of maker stuff (pcbs, cad/3d print, etc), all pc/laptop
Browsing lemmy/youtube/blogs/reading/etc? Phone or ereader for the last one.
It helps me track mindless consumption, at least. I don’t have ad free youtube on my computers and I much prefer to browse sites like lemmy on mobile apps so I can see when I’ve gone a bit too hard on consuming over creating
I also think this is part of why the internet sucks now. The corporatization is the bigger reason by far but at least some part of it is a huge part of users (globally mobile users overtook desktop in 2016 and it continues to climb, ~ 64% of Internet users globally are mobile and that number is as high as 75% in some countries like Africa and 95% of users being on mobile devices at least some of the time). It leads to a much larger user base but a userbase that is passively consuming. Even commenting has been reduced to reactions and likes
Same here
They have replaced phone, camera, music player for me.
I still have a computer and laptop at home and at work. They will not be replaced because good luck trying to write code on a phone or tablet.
They will not be replaced because good luck trying to write code on a phone or tablet.
With Linux phones coming up I can see that happening with a docking station to connect your phone to a monitor and keyboard.
Those have existed for years. I remember selling them at Verizon, and I left that job over ten years ago.
I’m typing this on a laptop. But I’m old.
I see from my own behavior that more and more stuff is done on my cell phone and less stuff on a PC. I think eventually everything will be merged into a single device. But I wouldn’t bet on the form factor yet. Whether it will be AR/VR headsets or a form of tablet or a tech yet to amaze us - IDK.
A guy from work (millennial) has smartphone, tablet, and gaming consoles, but no computers at home. He works in IT tech support, and is really good, but the only computer he uses is the one at work. WTF.
I suspect that from time to time, he does need things only a proper computer can do, but he simply uses the work computer.
Still have both smartphone and pc (mostly for gaming). I think in the future we will have only a smartphone that will dock to screens (or maybe glasses) and will be connected to cloud computing for intensive purposes.
Nah. We still have the family computer that connects to the internet.
The family is pretty much just me and my dog though.
family computer
me and my dog
On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.
Are you really the human? Or the dog pretending to be the human? 🧐
I personally try to reverse smartphone usage. Got myself a dumbphone and try to use a computer for everything else. The reasoning behind this is, I want it to be a conscious decision to do internet things at a defined physical place, instead of mindlessly using the smartphone everywhere. This should encourage me to reconnect to the world around me.
I’m still in a transition phase though.
For me not at all, they have totally differnet use cases.
At home the only purpose is of the phone is to be an alarm clock, 2FA machine and maybe for a bit of media consumption while on the toilet. Asides from it’s main purpose is urgent mobile communication and being a music player.
But I really don’t see why anyone would want to use a phone when there is a computer with a big screen and proper mouse/keyboard inputs available.
I wish my laptop could replace my smartphone. Only reason I have one is those pesky things that need an Android or IOS device.
Phones… are computers.
They just have a different set of input and output. Phones will never fully replace desktops and no, they won’t merge into one thing. (Microsoft tried this to some extent with windows 8. The thing is, for some things kbm is the best method and for others, cell phones tap and swipe are.)
This could technically be possible with AR glasses. You’d still want to pair them with a wireless keyboard and maybe a mouse for efficiency. I don’t know what’s the state of that though.
Most AR systems aren’t going to be comfortable enough for, say, data entry jobs, mind. VR has come along way (anyone remember virtual boy?) but it does get taxing.
Depending on implementation, it’s also going to potentially have problems with shitty display quality, power/battery life, heat, etc.
You could also use a portable projector for a display. A smart phone is optimized for being a smart phone, though, and a desktop workstation is optimized for that.
Where AR tech is going to be useful is more for things like overlaying directions or providing virtual signage, or stuff. But that’s going to require some new form of UX design that’s optimized for that.
Also, for the record, the google glass headset sucked. Its display was like staring at whatever people did for power point slides in the 80’s. (I’m not that old, someone else is gonna have to chime in.)
Some genuinely mind boggling innovations in UX and AI (not to mention battery) would have to happen to make it even close. There is just way too much that is too awkward to do on a smaller screen or without a proper kbm + the posture of sitting at a desk. You never really see anyone actually using those sci fi handheld devices. They always just kind of magically pull up whatever information is needed without us seeing whatever inputs were required to get there.
Only sort of related: But I always find it funny when I see some older sci fi able to imagine some technology way ahead of it’s time, but fail to think through the implications of how humans will actually interact with it. That’s the part you actually have some info and intuition on even without the technology. If I lived in the 60s I might not have been able to tell you whether we’d ever be able to fit the computers that take up rooms into the palms of our hands, but if you showed me a handheld computer and asked me to suspend my disbelief about the technical wizardry behind it, I could probably tell you whether or not I think someone would actually use something in that way because technology changes, but people don’t. Until we go trans humanist we still have the limits of two hands, 10 fingers, etc.
One funny example of this for me is the pad from Star Trek TNG. There are actually two relevant pieces of technology here:
- A portable computer that can presumably at least display and edit information.
- A ship wide computer that can do all sorts of complicated tasks, has artificial intelligence, a voice interface, and can be accessed via terminals, including personal ones around the ship.
Despite this, they couldn’t put two and two together and imagine that the pads might be connected through the ship’s computer. When crew members want to send information they have on the pads, instead of just sending data through the computer to the other person’s pad/terminal… THEY GIVE THE PHYSICAL PAD TO THE OTHER PERSON LIKE ITS A PIECE OF PAPER!
I haven’t owned a PC in years.
I have one at work that I use for work things, and if I ever need to print something and bring it home.
