The computer audio paradigm is till in flux on several fronts.
The introduction of one-box units is slowly rolling out. IMO, this is the future. Although many audiophiles and early adopters are willing to have computers and hard drive units in their listening rooms, I don't believe the majority of electronics consumers are willing to adopt this configuration. One-box servers are the answer, and they are still in their infancy.
Down loadable *high resolution* audio is also in it's infancy. When this matures, server based front ends will become more popular and will be adopted by the large consumer audio manufacturers, which will provide parts and platforms for the high end audio manufacturers to work their magic.
Music ownership is a big impediment that many aren't quite grasping. Consider that you buy a music file, and your storage drive crashes. Consider that your back-up also crashes, and that you don't have the access to more downloads of the file because you've already used your allotment. Consider also that Apple maintains control of downloaded music files. You don't really own the file. Rather, your acquisition of the file is more akin to a lease.
With CDs, once you've purchased the disc, you own it forever, and given proper care and storage, it will be there for decades to come. You can loan it to a friend. You can sell a used CD if you've grown tired of it. You can purchase used copies of CDs. On the other hand, you can't legally loan your music files, nor can you purchase or sell used music files.
Nothing's perfect, but I'm one who dislikes giving up control of what I purchase, and thus far purchasing down loaded music files means giving up a fair amount of control over what can be done with the file.
I have no doubt music files and servers are the future, but there are many kinks that need to be worked out before I give up CDs.
