"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote

| But why would you buy an all-in-one if you want
| a desktop? It's usually more money for less flexibility.
| []
| Yes, but some people are willing to pay it for the tidier appearance. My
| brother bought one (around Windows 8.1 time), and he's certainly no
| dummy - just not "into" computers like most of us are here.

I think it's not just an idea of tidier. People get
seduced by compact and sleek -- dumb or not.
But smaller usually means more expensive. A good
example is the competition to make the thinnest
laptop. People get excited over cutting off a couple
of mm, even though the laptop itself isn't made any
lighter.

The idea of a thin client was marketed around
2000. Really it's a dumb client. A small, compact
computer meant to go online for functionality.
But it was just more money for less computer.
I can see buying less for more money (laptop)
in order to get mobility. But buying a limited
desktop with little or no upgradability, for more
money, makes no sense. (Even the Apple fans
knew enough not to buy Cubes, even though they
fell for iMacs.