Remember the minicomputer?
Once upon a time, back in the 1970s, the minicomputer became wildly popular as a new kind of business technology tool that was much more nimble and portable than the old mainframe monsters. The new giants of that age — Massachusetts companies like Digital Equipment Corp., Wang Laboratories Inc. and Data General Corp. — helped turn Route 128 into America’s Technology Highway.
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All of this in a span of about 50 years. Imagine what the next 50 years will bring.
What's funny is that those old mainframe monsters are alive and doing very well still. No, you don't see them is people's living rooms, but any business that needs a dependable and reliable system has a mainframe running their business.
That depends on what you mean by mainframes. True mainframes still exist, but they're relatively rare. More common are networked servers running Linux or Windows Server. They're more like juiced up PC's than mainframes.
While a laptop has replaced a desktop for me, I have not yet seen a tablet or smart phone that I can use to write documents, make spreadsheets, or make powerpoints. I suspect that will come with time, but there's still something more satisfying for my aging eyes and fingers about a larger screen and full-sized keyboard.
Not extinct, but a much less important part of the market. Most people don't need the power or expandability of a desktop machine.
All other computer designs, from tablets to laptops, are limited when it comes to upgrading. No plug-in cards, no memory expansion, no premium audio and video facilities, little choice of storage facilities, relatively few input and output ports, and any peripherals are added external clutter. A desktop gives you all of that in a single case.