ohio_grad_06
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Why the Computer Repair Business is Dead
- Thread starter Ultraman
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lsi
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at first thought I think this is ridiculous because I do "computer repair" (according to my business license) and we're doing just fine. But then when I think about it- I do very little repairing computers these days. Most of what I do is networking, upgrades, replacement, application support, messaging, etc.
MikeLierman
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Wanted to chime in and say, the market is definitely not dead. On our Google AdWords, 50-70% of clicks and views are on computers. The other percentage are on smartphones. Probably cause a Google search on a smartphone is more convenient.
skdmaster
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My take on this is the computer repair business is fading because parts are more reliable, cheaper systems, and other factors. Your business need to evolve from being a repair business to a consultant business. You need to be able to meet with a client and go over their needs and pains, evaluate what works best to save them money/make them more efficient as well as make yourself money. You have to adapt and change your business to change with the market.
Magic Miguel
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You just have to evolve with the game. Right now I would say that's moving towards managed services for businesses as opposed to servicing home users. 5-10 years down the line, some people are saying the cloud will take away the need for those who service the small businesses. It's all about evolving with the times, resistance is futile and the sooner you start diversifying yourself the better.
ohio_grad_06
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Maybe, maybe not. Lot of small business owners don't feel comfortable with putting data in the cloud.
Magic Miguel
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I feel ya, I don't personally believe the cloud will take away everything we do but if you look at what Microsoft is trying to do with Azure, Amazon AWS, Google Compute, you can kinda see where it's all heading. Microsoft cutting partners out and going direct to our clients.
ohio_grad_06
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Yes a lot of companies seem to be trying to do that which I don't agree with considering that tech guys introduced them to many of those clients I would guess.
Wheelie
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10 years full time doing break/fix as a one man operation out of my house and I am still seeing steady work. I am in a major US metro area, located on the right side of town, have well over 2,000 customers, and I get quite a bit of repeat business. I mainly support small businesses (less than 10 employees) and high end residential customers. I have quite a bit of drop-off/pick up traffic at my home and that has not appeared to hurt my business.
The fear I have (regarding the decline of our business) is that the smart phone and tablet could eventually replace the PC. I started a thread about 3 years ago on this topic. Since then PC sales (and profits) have steadily declined, Intel has made a major shift to focusing on the mobile market, and all the other mobile software and hardware manufacturers are growing. PC market declining - mobile market growing. That speaks very loudly about the future.
The only thing (in my mind) that is preventing this "market take-over" from being reality is a little more CPU power, a full-sized keyboard, full-sized mouse, and a full-sized LCD display. I think there will be a day that you will walk into your home, set down your phone on your desk and your 24" monitor, mouse & keyboard will recognize it and will work just like a PC. My phone already has 14 Mbps/4 Mbps (down/up) broadband in my house so my home already doesn't need a cable broadband Internet feed - who'd a thunk that 7 years ago?
I honestly believe we are not far from all that happening. It will certainly take a more robust Android-type OS to handle it - and I assure you Google is not sitting around twiddling thumbs right now. Nor are the cell tower providers, cell tower equipment makers, and cell phone hardware/software innovators. They are all constantly on the move growing and innovating their products in this direction and their stock prices reflect that. We are only 6 years and change since the release of the iPhone and look where we are today with the smart phone. It's pretty darn incredible that they have made such a huge dent in the PC market. I think that trend will continue to play out but I do not yet fully understand how that will impact me personally.
The fear I have (regarding the decline of our business) is that the smart phone and tablet could eventually replace the PC. I started a thread about 3 years ago on this topic. Since then PC sales (and profits) have steadily declined, Intel has made a major shift to focusing on the mobile market, and all the other mobile software and hardware manufacturers are growing. PC market declining - mobile market growing. That speaks very loudly about the future.
The only thing (in my mind) that is preventing this "market take-over" from being reality is a little more CPU power, a full-sized keyboard, full-sized mouse, and a full-sized LCD display. I think there will be a day that you will walk into your home, set down your phone on your desk and your 24" monitor, mouse & keyboard will recognize it and will work just like a PC. My phone already has 14 Mbps/4 Mbps (down/up) broadband in my house so my home already doesn't need a cable broadband Internet feed - who'd a thunk that 7 years ago?
I honestly believe we are not far from all that happening. It will certainly take a more robust Android-type OS to handle it - and I assure you Google is not sitting around twiddling thumbs right now. Nor are the cell tower providers, cell tower equipment makers, and cell phone hardware/software innovators. They are all constantly on the move growing and innovating their products in this direction and their stock prices reflect that. We are only 6 years and change since the release of the iPhone and look where we are today with the smart phone. It's pretty darn incredible that they have made such a huge dent in the PC market. I think that trend will continue to play out but I do not yet fully understand how that will impact me personally.
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NYJimbo
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Yup, this just happened....
Customer came in for a virus clean about 2 months ago. All went well. I installed MSSE, MBAM and ABP and everything was fine. A couple weeks later his "tech" friend who works at Staples told him to remove MSSE and MBAM and put in BullDog. He asked me about it and I told him if he did that he would be responsible if anything went wrong, I do not recommend customers to install stuff like that themselves and if he has problems with it he should call his "tech" friend.
So he tries to uninstall MSSE and cant do it, so he calls his "tech" friend and they setup some kind of remote login and the "tech" proceeds to screw everything up. The guy (my customer) now realizes he screwed up so he takes it to his friend who tries to get it fixed at Staples
He tells the guy its fixed, gives it back to him but now his printer doesn't work, it does not detect USB sticks, the audio doesn't work, etc.
So the guy calls me, tells me the whole story and asks me if I can fix whatever they did. I tell him I can backup his data, reload the O/S and reload his data for $129. He says "No, just fix whatever they did to screw it up". I tell him this is the only way I can fix someone elses screw ups.
The customer will drop off the computer tomorrow morning.
altrenda
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It wasn't that long ago that small business owners were afraid to keep their important records and files on a computer instead of a filing cabinet.
Nothing is forever and people change. Have to change with them.
ohio_grad_06
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Maybe, but this might be different, in that the paper files, as well as the computer were in their physical possession. The cloud, you don't know who has access to your data.
Xander
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ohio_grad_06
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Lol at that pic. On the other hand, things may not be as bad as people think. With Windows 8 coming out, I remember stressing a little how much things would change, cloud, etc etc. Then I realize I'm still busy as ever.
Wheelie
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We know the NSA can (and thus the FBI, the IRS, and the CIA can get it too). Not to mention whoever the host is (Carbonite, etc).
gunslinger
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Truecrypt volume inside another encrypted volume on a NAS bricked into the wall. Just a thought.
I'm thinking we may be very busy with windows 8, it is much more complicated to do basic tech things like boot to usb, etc. So the average pizza tech could screw it up easier and drum up alot of business for legit techs. I've already started getting login password issues with it and virus removals.
ohio_grad_06
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Yes, also noticed though, I've had very few people call with it, occasionally some, but most have been content to have their Windows 7 and even Vista machines fixed. But as Windows 8/9 get more user friendly, might see more.
My prediction is: Computer repair will never be dead! Now , it will evolve and so must our business. But as long as there is a human designing software and hardware we are always going to be in demand. I'm so busy I cant keep up and 90% of my customers are residential.
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