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High-End IP Phones: More than Desk Candy?: Page 7 of 7

First off, there are benefits to having a real-time application like voice on a dedicated device, with a screen that's always available and can't be buried under other windows. There's also the issue of screen real estate, and not being able to make or receive calls or even check voicemail until your PC boots and you plug in your headset—and that's if everything comes up smoothly.
Another benefit of a hard phone is that it gives IT the ability to easily segregate voice traffic from data traffic—and from a compromised PC or the big, bad Internet. It also makes it possible to provide QOS.

All compelling arguments, and indeed, according to Dell'Oro Group, current and projected soft phone sales are and will continue to be a fraction of desk phone sales.

If soft phones appeal to you, note that most vendors will allow you to use a soft phone to control your hard phone—you get a richer environment, yet retain the ability to just pick up the phone when you have to. The best of both worlds.