In the early days of publicly available computers, desktops were the only devices you needed ... or could afford. These were less crucial parts of people's lives and more like status symbols. However, as the years passed and technology improved, computers became more powerful and, more importantly, smaller. Gone are the days when computers needed hard drives the size of washing machines, and one could argue that so are the days you need desktops. If I'm being blunt, the average person doesn't need a desktop since most laptops have enough horsepower to perform tasks such as web browsing, streaming videos, and word processing.
Heck, I'm currently writing this article on a Lenovo Legion Pro 7. I could have bought a cheaper laptop without sacrificing the ability to perform my job, but I wanted a compromise between price and playing the latest computer games on the go. Granted, a laptop will never be as powerful as a desktop, but the average user doesn't need that much power to begin with. Plus, they can use a laptop dock to add extra monitors and peripherals for improved productivity and ergonomics. Laptops also have another indispensable advantage in the form of portability.
These computers are designed to fold up and slip into carrying cases, so you can take your work anywhere. Got an important presentation for your job? You could create the PowerPoint on a desktop, save it to a flash drive, and take the drive to your office. But if you have a laptop, you can tweak and improve your presentation during your commute. Assuming your laptop has a beefy battery, of course. And don't forget that since laptops take up less room than desktops, you have more room to decorate your workspace.
You need even less power than you think
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We know we just spent an entire slide on how laptops can do everything desktops do, but that was a bit of an exaggeration; technology has improved to the point where you don't even need a laptop. Sort of. Many computer manufacturers offer a special breed of laptop known as a notebook. These devices are even weaker than laptops, so while notebooks might struggle with many tasks, their batteries last longer since their comparatively anemic components require little electricity. Plus, while notebooks generally have fewer USB ports than standard laptops, you can always buy a laptop docking station for additional connection slots.
Admittedly, notebooks aren't suited to anything more strenuous than word processing, but that lack of power helps save you money (despite the RAM shortage driving up prices on laptops and desktops). For everything else, there's cloud computing. You can even stream games on a notebook if you have the right subscription service ... and don't mind input lag.
Technically speaking, you don't even need a notebook. Many tasks that once required a desktop (and later a laptop or notebook) you can now perform on a smartphone. You can't exactly code programs on Androids or iPhones, but that's more an interface problem than a processing one. Smartphones have more than enough power to stream videos, browse the internet, and even play games. Although don't expect graphical fidelity to remotely approach the capabilities of even the weakest gaming laptops.
Desktops still win when it comes to pure power
Throughout this article, we have discussed how the difference in power between desktops and laptops has shrunk considerably. However, this gulf still remains, and it will likely never disappear completely. While you can use a laptop to perform basic tasks such as word processing (or use a phone to browse the internet), desktops still have a huge advantage in resource-heavy tasks. Just look at video games.
While plenty of laptops provide solid gaming experiences, desktops generally deliver better graphics and higher framerates, especially when they have the proper GPU, CPU, and RAM. The same is true for any job that requires a ton of processing power. If you are a game developer or create CGI for movies or shows, you probably use (or should use) a desktop for those assignments. Desktops also have one final and inescapable advantage: You can upgrade them more readily.
Granted, you can replace some outdated components in laptops, but the most important ones, the CPU and GPU, are often soldered to the motherboard. And that's assuming you can even open the case. Desktop components, meanwhile, are basically designed to be removed and replaced, which lets desktop computers last longer. In a piecemeal, Ship of Theseus sort of way, at least. Just make sure you transfer your files to new HDDs and/or SSDs when replacing them.