The AI PC Episode: The Real Cost of Waiting
Almost every machine you can buy today is technically an “AI PC.” Which is exactly why the label can’t tell you what to buy. This episode skips the hype and asks the question IT leaders are actually wrestling with: why now, and what happens if you wait? Because two things just landed on the same calendar — the end of Windows 10 support, and an AI-driven memory shortage pushing hardware prices up every quarter — and together they’re quietly taking the refresh decision out of your hands.
In this episode:
Why “AI PC” has stopped being a useful filter — and what to look at instead
The hidden tax you’re already paying on the machines that still turn on
How Windows 10’s end of support and the memory squeeze changed the math on waiting
A practical way to make the refresh call: match the machine to the workload, not the org chart
Featuring Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data at Softchoice, a World Wide Technology Company, and Brandon Boone of Dell Technologies’ Client Solutions Group.
This episode is brought to you by Dell Technologies.
Explore Dell’s AI PC lineup — Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max — and find the right fit for your fleet at softchoice.com/technology-partners/dell
#AIPC #ITLeadership #DeviceRefresh #Windows11 #MidMarketIT #EndUserComputing #TheCatalyst
Show Notes & Resources
Referenced in this episode:
Windows 10 end of support (October 14, 2025) — Microsoft: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-support-has-ended-on-october-14-2025
The global memory shortage and its impact on device costs — IDC: idc.com/resource-center/blog/global-memory-shortage-crisis
DRAM prices and the AI memory squeeze — IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/dram-shortage
AI-capable PCs to surpass half of global shipments in 2026 — Counterpoint Research: counterpointresearch.com/en/reports/ai-advanced-pcs-to-surpass-half-of-global-shipments-in-2026
The productivity cost of aging PCs — Intel research (PCs 4+ years old lose ~21 hours per year)
Dell’s AI PC portfolio — Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max: dell.com/en-us/blog/dell-transforms-ai-pc-portfolio-for-anywhere-productivity
Workplace lifecycle services — Softchoice: softchoice.com/solutions/modern-workplace/managed-services/lifecycle-services
Guests:
Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data, Softchoice — linkedin.com/in/ivo-van-selst-4579a96
Brandon Boone, Dell Technologies, Client Solutions Group — dell.com
Key moments:
Cold open — the hidden tax: the laptop nobody complains about
Act One — what an AI PC actually is, and why the label misleads
Act Two — the false economy of deferring a refresh
Act Three — Windows 10, the memory squeeze, and losing control of your timeline
Act Four — match, don’t guess: segmenting your fleet by workload
The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.
In this episode:
Why “AI PC” has stopped being a useful filter — and what to look at instead
The hidden tax you’re already paying on the machines that still turn on
How Windows 10’s end of support and the memory squeeze changed the math on waiting
A practical way to make the refresh call: match the machine to the workload, not the org chart
Featuring Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data at Softchoice, a World Wide Technology Company, and Brandon Boone of Dell Technologies’ Client Solutions Group.
This episode is brought to you by Dell Technologies.
Explore Dell’s AI PC lineup — Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max — and find the right fit for your fleet at softchoice.com/technology-partners/dell
#AIPC #ITLeadership #DeviceRefresh #Windows11 #MidMarketIT #EndUserComputing #TheCatalyst
Show Notes & Resources
Referenced in this episode:
Windows 10 end of support (October 14, 2025) — Microsoft: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-support-has-ended-on-october-14-2025
The global memory shortage and its impact on device costs — IDC: idc.com/resource-center/blog/global-memory-shortage-crisis
DRAM prices and the AI memory squeeze — IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/dram-shortage
AI-capable PCs to surpass half of global shipments in 2026 — Counterpoint Research: counterpointresearch.com/en/reports/ai-advanced-pcs-to-surpass-half-of-global-shipments-in-2026
The productivity cost of aging PCs — Intel research (PCs 4+ years old lose ~21 hours per year)
Dell’s AI PC portfolio — Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max: dell.com/en-us/blog/dell-transforms-ai-pc-portfolio-for-anywhere-productivity
Workplace lifecycle services — Softchoice: softchoice.com/solutions/modern-workplace/managed-services/lifecycle-services
Guests:
Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data, Softchoice — linkedin.com/in/ivo-van-selst-4579a96
Brandon Boone, Dell Technologies, Client Solutions Group — dell.com
Key moments:
Cold open — the hidden tax: the laptop nobody complains about
Act One — what an AI PC actually is, and why the label misleads
Act Two — the false economy of deferring a refresh
Act Three — Windows 10, the memory squeeze, and losing control of your timeline
Act Four — match, don’t guess: segmenting your fleet by workload
The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.
Loading content...
Read the full transcript
Matterfact has every podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: 700K+ channels, 120M+ episodes.
The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.
Matterfact turns the conversations your coverage is already having into a searchable, citable record — across every episode, not just this one.