The rise of mobile devices - you know, those contraptions that allow you to do practically anything in the palm of your hands - also spurred an interesting debate: are they all we need?

There's this one brilliantly produced GIF circulating on the Web - 'Evolution of the Desk', as it is titled - showing how apps have practically transformed an office desk from 1980 to the present, obliterating stuff like a calculator, dictionary, globe and telephone in favour of Excel, Wikipedia, Google Maps and Skype, respectively.

You get the point, right?

Matter of factly, smartphones - and even tablets - have done their part in running roughshod over other certain things, to some point practically leaving them for dead.

However, specific things, borne out of necessity, survive the test of time.

Two good examples are cameras and televisions. With mobile devices able to take snaps and stream shows/movies/videos/play games/anything else in between, why and when should we consider having these?

Speaking from experience, I asked my flatmates if it would be a good idea to have a TV subscription at home, to act as a stress reliever and an aid while relaxing.

It was a split vote: half said they were fine with it, while the other half declared, "what would we need a TV for if we can watch on our smartphones?"

Well, technology has indeed found a way to creep itself - cannibalise, in more brutal terms - into each other.

But make no mistake: TVs still provide that immersive viewing experience - no matter how robust or top-of-the-line a phone or tablet's display can be.

"There will always be a market for TVs," Sangin Ha, head of TV business at Samsung Gulf Electronics, told Khaleej Times. "[This is] due to the fact that TVs are the heart of the living room and experiencing content with TVs is difficult to replicate with other forms of screens."

Cameras, on the other hand, have arguably had a tougher time, thanks to smartphone makers trying to outwit each other with what they have on the snappers found on their devices.

Unless, of course, you're a professional (Canon, Nikon) or the extreme type (GoPro) - then there will be no replacement for those shooters; to hell how bulky they can be. Laptops, meanwhile, can make an argument that they're an exemption - and that's thanks to that thing called a keyboard. Try editing an image on Photoshop with pinpoint precision on a mobile.

"A laptop is a single device that can be used for both content consumption and creation. It gives the user more choice, freedom and flexibility," Raghav Koorichh, consumer category and brand manager for the UAE, Gulf and SELL at Dell, told Khaleej Times.

Our good old portable PC companions have to be wary of one thing though - and that's in the form category, especially with 2-in-1s (read: laptop plus tablet) gaining more popularity, thanks to the flexbility it brings to the table.

"The standard clamshell segment will continue to struggle and will pose a challenge as users will refrain from investing in one-size-fits-all laptops," Koorichh added.

In short, these categories have no substitutes. Sure, they may lag, but maybe it's just that thought that we're waiting for that next big thing. Companies have to innovate, unless they want to bite the dust (RIP, Kodak).

They're definitely far from kicking the bucket. Heck, they're not even under significant threat. Just go to Gitex Shopper to personally find out.

Oh, and by the way, that TV in our flat is still up in the air. Maybe finding (or failing) to find a good deal at the Dubai World Trade Centre would help settle that.

Source: Khaleej Times