Re: Haswell the ghost
Lol, needs will swell to fit wants. Do I NEED a computer with a SSD for a main drive? Well, having used a computer with one for a while, I'd say yes. And I want one as well.
PC makers got their teeth kicked in because they FAILED to design compelling new products -> they choose to believe marketing, like MS did, and got nailed for it. Look at Windows 8...people don't like it, but that didn't stop MS from declaring it the new messiah of the PC world; same with many of these laptops / desktops -> their configurations are terrible (low amounts of RAM, integrated GPUs, mechanical HDs or tiny SSDs (on some models), etc.
PC makers want to know what people want? http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey. There you go. That's from Steam, popular gaming service, which tells you what people are running (software / hardware wise), as well as trends in the industry. Take a look at System RAM, for instance: 8 GB = 24.49%, 12 GB or higher = 10.08%. What does that tell you? Over a third of the PCs out there, who run Steam, are using 8GB or more of RAM. Does your starting lineup on your frontpage spec in a minimum of 8 GB of RAM? No? Well, obviously you aren't targeting these folks. Primary screen resolution? 1080P appears to be the popular choice. Most popular hard drive space? 250 GB to 499 GB = 33.60%, which, if you are tech savy, tells you something: they aren't using 500 GB HDs (in all probability), but possibly 256GB SSDs. Video cards? Nvidia is leading the pack, followed by AMD, with Intel in a distant third. Most popular OS? Windows 7, 64-bit edition. Interpret the rest yourselves.
So yes, PC / OEM manufacturers are getting nailed for hideous price costs for machines like the above (probably closer to $4K for a machine configured with top of the line kit), when their size should give them leverage to work the prices down so the bulk costs work out for both them and the consumer.