Microsoft's next Surface hardware could pave the way for a modular all in one PC - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/26/17904860/microsoft-surface-hardware-modular-processor-upgrade-cartridge-studio-pc The CPU, GPU and RAM are all in that cartridge, meaning the Display and PSU are literally just a shell. Super cool idea, plus the picture above reminded me of the iMac G4 for some reason.

I know this never took off with phones, but I love the idea of modular hardware.

So, a proprietary module system? I really don't understand the appeal in these Computer hardware is already modular and follows standards DIMM for RAM M.2 or SATA for drives Sockets for CPUs PCI for GPUs Instead of making hardware that can't be opened up, I'd prefer to see is manufacturers improving the user experience of these standard connectors

So basically exactly what computers have been for decades, except fancy looking and overpriced

Consumers are intimidated by opening up a PC and connecting ribbons. This way you can advertise upgrades to users without them having to buy an entirely new system.

hardware isn't so simple to make modular when you have to contend with a smaller form factor where all the parts are sandwiched to fit into a half inch thick slab

Most of the traditonal connectors don't really work though for ultra compact PC's though. Theirs never really been a way to add a component that uses PCIE to a laptop, my work has to use enclosures with thunderbolt just to get some SDI outputs for a Macbook.

We're even moving more towards that, as M.2 can be used for SATA, USB, or PCIe. Waiting for the day my mobo is just a pcb covered in M.2 slots with a processor socket and some DIMM slots.

Yeah, I don't buy for one second that you need a proprietary connectors to achieve a small form factor The only reason companies do this now is to mark up the price of hardware upgrades (or prevent them entirely) While Microsoft has the excuse of trying to improve the UX, again, I think this could be achieved while still using standard connectors

aren't desktops kinda, like, modular already?

...which nVidia no longer offers GPUs in.

The Surface products so far have been a fucking joke in terms of reliability so I'm not having particularly high hopes for this

Really? They have been getting really positive reviews. I'm a bit biased as I use one as my primary but I can also swear by it.

It's true, MS has literally no form of hardware diagnostics. If your Surface is fucked, you get a replacement. Doesn't matter which part of it is fucked, you're getting a refurb replacement. But if you win the QC lottery, they're really nice machines. The only problem with my SB2 is some odd USB mouse behavior which is probably the mouse's fault.

Early SP4's were such a shitshow early on if you got a working one or not, but they at least fixed that. SP3's were awful and never got better.

Dumbing down computer building to this level is probably the only way to get non-prebuilt PCs into the mainstream. Integrating/eliminating power connectors and making accessible cases will only help so much when the vast majority of all computer users equates even popping the side of the case to brain surgery.

It's meant to be an idiot-proof solution that literally anyone can use without having to learn any new skills. People like us aren't the intended audience for these AIO systems anyway, and it's still a step up from the completely un-upgradeable products where you have to throw away a perfectly good display if you want to upgrade to a more powerful model.

Yeah or you could just desolder the pins you twats

Say you know nothing about computer hardware and buy a Surface Studio as an all in one PC for your home internet uses. 4 years down the line, you need an upgrade for whatever reason. What's easier/cheaper? $3000 for an entire new PC including the big fucking display and psu $2000 for the computer component cartridge that you can slide into your PC chassis for an instant and in-place upgrade

People like simplicity over quality or price most of the time. I work at a vape shop, and while, yes, enthusiasts will buy the big mods and the rda's and build their own coils and get better value and flavor and all that jazz, a majority of people like the all-in-one devices where all you have to do is change a pod. Same deal applies with most markets.

When I first read Surface I thought it was the laptop/tablet line and though it was pretty cool, a modular mobile device. But it is actually for a desktop device? What's the point? Aren't desktops kinda like modular already?

Machines like the iMac aren't modular in the traditional sense.

Modular with already modular components to begin with? Modception

I sort of see the appeal of having a desktop that is basically just a fat monitor if it's just as flexible as a regular desktop.