Should I buy a thumb PC, mini-desktop or tablet to replace my old PC?

Suman Nayyar needs to replace his seven-year-old Windows XP PC and isn't sure what to get, but there are certainly plenty of alternatives

Can a thumb PC or mini-desktop replace my seven-year-old Windows XP PC? Or, as desktops are on the way out, could I get away with using an iPad and iPhone? Basically, I do email, social media, web-surfing and photos. Suman Nayyar

At this early stage, I wouldn't recommend a "USB PC" such as the Intel Compute Stick as a desktop replacement: a mini-desktop such as the Acer Revo One is more capable and much better value. The larger question is whether you can replace a PC with a tablet.