All in one PCs - Buy them or not?

You may not expect an honest answer from a System Integrator like me for the above Question. But let me try  my hand in giving you an unbiased buying guide.

All-in-one PCs.

       

Apple introduced the concept of All-in-one PCs where the computer monitor is build directly to the computer there-by making the PC a clutter-free, elegant and easy to use device. Initial designs were based on a CRT monitor making them bulky. However they looked neat and had very less cable around them. When LCD Monitors and wireless input devices like Keyboards and Mice came around, they looked Chic.

         

But All-in-ones were synonymous to Apple's Mac than the PCs. The cult fan base of Apple adopted to the All-in-one design than the PC users did. PCs were looked upon as more flexible and cheap devices than the Apple's iMac by its users. The need for flexibility was a key factor for PCs as you can build it with a set of hardware and later you can upgrade it to a different configuration there is need and money. It also generated jobs in the market as you need Engineers like me to advise and upgrade the PCs. This further helped the penetration of the PCs as the service industry preferred the flexible PCs than the sleeker all-in-ones.

Now since the hardware prices have dropped and users look to productivity than flexibility (smartphones are everywhere), PC manufacturers like HP, Dell, Sony etc., are introducing products for this segment of the market. Let us see what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Products in general so that you will know whether to go for it when you think of buying one.

Advantages

1. Sleek. - They don't occupy much space
2. Easy to setup. - You don't need someone to connect the Components.
3. They have everything that makes you productive, connect with people, entertain, etc., - Built-in Webcam, Wi-fi, card readers, Speakers, etc., 
4. Clutter free. - Less wires around them.

Disadvantages

1. Less flexible - A fried up Motherboard(mobo) can leave your PC unusable.
2. Proprietary design - The mobo, Optical drives, Extension cards, LCDs cannot be replaced with component from other vendors.
3. Services can be costly.
4. Up-gradations are impossible. 
5. Costlier than the Desktops.

Here are some links for Various Products available in the Market 

HP - HP's All-in-one and Touchsmart

Dell - Dell Inspiron One,   Dell Vostro

Lenovo - Lenovo IdeaCentre,   Lenovo Value line C series

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Will meet you after a small break...

iPad Killer from Google?

Apple, though it didn't invent the Slate, has created a market for the Slates with its iPad. The sales estimates are 50 million iPads by 2013. Now everyone in the IT industry want a piece of this pie and it is not surprising to see Google in this game which has put its hand in anything and everything in technology.

Google is planning to introduce it own Slate with its most successful Android OS. Android has already been acclaimed for its features and is starting to gain preference from users over the iPhone. It can multi-task unlike the iPhone and is an open source Operating System therefore has more flexibility  in terms of Application development. This makes the availability of more 3rd Party Applications for Android in the market. 

It also supports Flash and Java which is the platform formost of the Applications for the Web and the Smartphones. Google, which is already associated with Amazon, can also provide a wide range of Books and ebook formats to the Users than what iPad can give its Users today. This kind of a flexibility and options are not available on the iPad and that is an opportunity for Google to gain the Market.

On the other hand, other competitors for Apple like HP, Toshiba are preparing their Slates with Microsoft's Windows 7 on them. A tech review site has already reviewed HP's Slate with a leaked piece and the result is not a happy news for Microsoft or HP. Though the HP's new iPad alternate have device and application flexibility, it could not perform task quicker than iPad and the battery life is only half of iPad's.

The reason behind this is that iPad uses its proprietary iPhone OS which Apple had refined with its iPhone. Another reason why iPad is successful is it works more like a smartphone than a computer. And this is known to be the reason to why Google has now planned to design its own Slate around Android, a smartphone OS than it Chrome OS.

With its support to Opensource, Flash and Java, Google's slate would be a delight to the Users and Adobe. Apple has banned applications that use flash from its iPad App store citing security issues. Even flash contents  on the websites are not displayed on this new device from Apple. While all this is happening between Apple and Adobe, it is the Users who are affected who unable to the view content on the web and use some wonderful applications that are available that are available online.

So Google's Slate with its Android has all the possibilities of capturing the market that Apple had generated, provided Apple does not change its approach with its openness towards the Users and its applications. Either way that is a good news for the Users. Isn't it?

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"Microsoft is working more on security than Apple and Adobe" - A Professional Hacker

Do you think that Microsoft produces softwares which are less secure and Getting an Apple MacBook Pro can improve productivity because it is not attacked by a virus and it is more secure? Time to change. Read what a hacker has to say about Security Practices in Microsoft and Apple.

According to Marc Maiffret who used to be a professional hacker since his teenage and now a Chief Security Architect at Fireeye -an Anti-malware firm is engaged in finding Security holes in Microsoft products.


According to him, "Microsoft has the best practices when it comes to Software security. Though they are not the best, they are doing much better than what others like Apple and Adobe are doing. Microsoft has some best models in auditing and securing the codes. Now Apple and Adobe are catching up but they still see security in the marketing perspective than a technical issue."


He further added that "Apple tries to position its products in the market as the safest but whenever their product is put up in a Hacking Contest, a new security flaw is found in Apple products every 10 minutes. If they have taken security a serious thing, they wouldn't have claimed that their product is more secure than Microsoft's. And Apple users are much ignorant about these issues. The reason we don't see much virus or attacks on Apple is that their market share is much less than that of Microsoft."


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