Before you start working, let’s first understand what computers will look like in 2017.

If you are an IT enthusiast, you must have noticed that in 2016, all kinds of computers have undergone great changes in design and performance. This may be due to the fact that PC sales have been stable in recent years. Under the pressure of competition, major manufacturers have begun to shift their attention to the deep cultivation of subdivided products. However, this trend will continue to flourish in 2017. We have already discovered this trend from the just-concluded CES 2017. What changes will happen to our computers in the new year? Let's guess together.

From the application point of view, the functional segmentation of personal computers will continue to deepen. Gaming laptops are gaming laptops, business laptops are business laptops, and thin and light laptops will be made more extreme. If you pursue high-end DIY computers with extreme performance and expanded personality, the number of products like the previous one-size-fits-all computers may decrease. However, the dedicated application classification will amplify consumers' desire to change and purchase computers. You should buy a computer based on what you want to do and what you need.

These specialized changes will bring better experience to users, and it is the improvement of computer performance and technology that is driving these ultimate experiences to become a reality. First, the 7th generation Intel® Core™ processors are on the market. Under the premise of improving performance, the area of ​​the CPU core continues to shrink. The development of various integrated circuits also makes the computer motherboard smaller and the heat dissipation lower, and the heat dissipation system becomes simpler and more practical. Computer designers have more room to display their talents and maximize the experience. At the same time, Optane storage technology will follow the launch of the 7th generation Intel® Core™ processors. By then, both notebooks and desktops will have visible performance improvements in speed.

In addition, the gradually mature VR technology is also driving consumer demand for new computers. In 2017, more VR content will be launched, and both games and videos will pose a huge challenge to the hardware of existing computers. The new seventh-generation Core smart processors are optimized for 4K and VR, and with the abundance of VR resources and equipment, if you want to get these novel experiences, you may really need to change to a computer that supports VR better.

Now that we have briefly discussed the major trends, let’s take a closer look at which computer changes will become popular in 2017.

Thin and light notebooks are further reduced in weight and their performance is further improved. With the launch of the new 7th generation Intel® Core™ processors, thin and light notebooks that emphasize portability, performance and ultra-long battery life will continue to set new standards for thinness and lightness. Samsung launched a modified Notebook 9 series thin and light notebook at CES, weighing only 799g. The entire body is made of high-end aluminum-magnesium alloy, which not only improves the texture but also takes thinness and lightness to the extreme.

However, the impression that "thin and light = low performance" will be completely overturned. On the one hand, consumers have a clearer understanding of computer use, and users who buy thin and light notebooks are looking for portability and long battery life; on the other hand, the 7th generation Intel® Core™ platform provides a battery life of 10 hours and a smaller reference design. At the same time, Intel has further optimized the video processing performance on the 7th generation Intel® Core™ processor and improved the CPU's computing efficiency. There are more thin and light and 2-in-1 computer products that emphasize portability and ease of use, covering all price ranges.

For users who pursue performance, the experience is constantly improving. Many new products have provided answers to the problems of computer peripheral feel and screen effects that were always criticized by players before. Theater lighting that creates atmosphere has become popular in gaming laptops of various brands, and more manufacturers have added mechanical keyboards with excellent feel to the game itself. At the same time, cooler high-resolution screens and OLED curved screens, which were originally only available on desktops, have also been installed on laptops.

On the other hand, gamers have a clearer understanding of their needs. Gaming laptops are designed for smooth performance, personalized needs, and better gaming experience. Mobile performance is only used in uncommon situations such as summer and winter vacations. Therefore, gaming laptops are enhanced with large screens, mechanical keyboards, and various performance supplement peripherals to achieve similar powerful performance to desktop computers.

Personalized gamers are also increasingly admiring the increasingly exaggerated designs of gaming laptops. Gaming laptops are putting more and more effort into their appearance, and various light effects and exaggerated heat dissipation hole designs are gradually becoming standard. Players' mentality is also getting better and better. Compared with the past when users wanted gaming laptops to take into account various usage scenarios, now more consumers just regard it as a gaming machine. This pure and clear purchasing demand allows manufacturers to focus on improving the gaming experience. In 2017, I believe that gaming laptops with powerful performance will continue to be popular and continue to grow rapidly.

It has to be said that after the decline of DIY, high-end customized desktops have gradually increased in volume, and last year they emerged and basically established a new set of gameplay. DIY is no longer a way for people to meet the necessary computer performance under limited budgets. What stands out is a purer culture. At present, China's DIY market is more oriented to high-end users and is gradually connecting with foreign countries. Various brands and studios that are good at playing, have craftsmanship, and understand users have begun to emerge.

MOD culture was just a fantasy for DIYers in the past, but now it has gradually entered the market. On well-known e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Tmall, there are many excellent MOD brands that have already sold their own products, and it is said that the sales are quite good. Of course, from some current MOD computers, we can still see the gap with foreign countries. I believe that after more outstanding hardware is launched in 2017, the situation will be relatively improved.

As a brand new computer experience, VR has become the latest breakthrough in computer sales that major manufacturers are optimistic about. Because VR has strict requirements on hardware performance, it often requires top-level processors and excellent graphics cards to achieve an image refresh rate of 130 frames that will not make people dizzy. If you want to experience the unique immersive feeling brought by VR, more people may have to buy a high-performance computer.

Major manufacturers have noticed this demand. Most high-end products have begun to be labeled with VR enable certification, and various VR-specific backpack computers have been launched one after another. Although it is very troublesome to have a thick wire connected to the back of the VR headset, and we do not encourage it, at this stage, in order to ensure the transmission of large amounts of information and provide VR users with realistic effects and seamless immersion, we have to accept its existence for the time being. Therefore, the appearance of backpack computers may set off a small climax in 2017. However, Intel has been actively promoting the WiGig standard, and may evolve into an excellent VR wireless headset in the near future.

Conclusion:

The slowdown in the growth of computer sales has led to the increasing maturity of consumer consumption concepts. In 2017, the segmented computer market stabilized the impetuousness brought by a package of high-performance computers. Consumers' understanding of their own needs and their familiarity with the key points of computer purchases mean that targeted replacement and upgrades will become an important breakthrough for the increase in computer market sales in the coming year. In the new year, we will also be able to see more excellent thin and light notebooks, gaming notebooks, business notebooks, and even high-end DIY customized models, or dedicated computers of various shapes appearing in the market. Faced with different and better experiences, fans who are also consumers, which one do you want to change to?

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