Apple is a post pc company

[whitedragon101]

In the iPad 3 vide every time Tim cook said post pc I had a horrible sinking feeling. Especially when he showed 76% of revenue coming from "post PC devices."

The iPad 3 looks awesome and innovative, with high tech hardware and well designed software. I really hope they don't forget the Mac. Because the truth is an iPad is great fun and hugely useful but it can never replace a real PC.

Seeing just how amazing the iPad iPhoto app is makes me realise that when they really want to, apple can deliver. The new iPhoto app did everything you would expect and more and it did it with style. This makes me realise just how little effort they must have put into the primary interface (i.e mission control) for Lion. This is not just an app but the primary user interface for a device and not only was it not improved it was made worse. Apple have shown just what we love them for and what they are capable of, I just hope they direct some of that drive towards to Mac.

 

[jamojamo]

re: Never replacing computers - My Dad said the same thing about calculators and his trusty slide rule when calculators first came out.

Time marches on... for most people it probably can (and should) replace their computer.

 

[Zwhaler]

Tim Cook's stress on Apple success in the non computer markets might be a subtle implication that Apple is losing interest in such products as the Mac Pro, which there were rumors about last year. I hope that isn't true (that Apple is moving away from the pro market)

 

[Bernard SG]

This makes me realise just how little effort they must have put into the primary interface (i.e mission control) for Lion. This is not just an app but the primary user interface for a device and not only was it not improved it was made worse. Apple have shown just what we love them for and what they are capable of, I just hope they direct some of that drive towards to Mac.

That is your opinion. For my side, I've been a OS X user for 10 years and I never could get arsed to use Spaces and Expose, but since Lion it became just natural to use Mission Control. Granted, I'm not a supah-power user with heavy workflows, but guess what? I'm the typical Mac user and Apple totally got it right for me with Mission Control. So yes, they made some Pro-users feel disenfranchised in the process but they pulled out what's best for the large majority of their customers. That's actually a great step forward.

 

[whitedragon101]

Time marches on... for most people it probably can (and should) replace their computer.

I started to write a large paragraph of all the things you can do on a PC (and by that I mean Macintosh and Windows PC) that you can not do on an iPad and the things which the iPad does do but are still better on a PC. However, I think simply writing a list of almost everything under the sun is probably a waste of time.

That is your opinion. For my side, I've been a OS X user for 10 years and I never could get arsed to use Spaces and Expose, but since Lion it became just natural to use Mission Control. Granted, I'm not a supah-power user with heavy workflows, but guess what? I'm the typical Mac user and Apple totally got it right for me with Mission Control. So yes, they made some Pro-users feel disenfranchised in the process but they pulled out what's best for the large majority of their customers. That's actually a great step forward.

I think both comments here seem to point the way many of us feared things would go. i.e if a product is aimed at the average person it sells well. The trouble is the average person is not that bright and not able to deal with complexity. As George Carlin put it "just think how stupid the average person is and remember half the population are more stupid than that." Dumbing a product down may be commercially successful but very depressing and most importantly hugely disruptive to technology professionals. I think there is a middle way to retain the complex and powerful features that power users, developers and other assorted technophiles need while making it easy to use.

 

[chaosbunny]

I still can't figure out any possible usefulness of an iPad - for me, I'm sure it's great for others.

I can't do graphic design/illustrations/creative stuff on it. But there is Photoshop for iOS and Sketchbook etc. etc. you might say. Yes there is, but all of these apps are very limited, be it in size or features. For me there is no point spending hours drawing something on an iPad and maybe have a maximum size of 2000x2000 px when I want or need way more than that. Either a wacom tablet and a big screen or a sketchbook with real pencils are way better sollutions for me.

I can't play games on it. But there are tons of iOS games on the app store you might say. Yes there are, but none are entertaining for more than 5 minutes for me. If I want to play a video game, I like stuff like Starcraft 2 or Skyrim, stuff that doesn't exist for the iPad because it is not possible to play it on the iPad.

So what's left is a € 600,- device to browse on the couch, but I don't want or need to browse on the couch ...

I also don't see anything "futuristic" in the iPad. What's "futuristic" about a device that can't do the things I like doing with a computer?

This is just my personal opinion of the iPad, I'm sure for others it's a great toy or tool.

As long as there are computers from Apple that fulfill my needs I'll buy them. If not, well, I'd never have switched to xp or vista, but Windows7 is quite nice - and supported for 10 more years in case Windows8 turns out not to be worth it. I used to like Apple but now I don't really care anymore and I'm ready to switch if I have to.

 

[iClive]

My take on the "post PC" comments was that this included all Apple "devices", including the Macs.

 

[hendersonmyrose]

Especially when he showed 76% of revenue coming from "post PC devices."

 

[roadbloc]

Well I think this Post-PC stuff is a load of rubbish. The Tablet is just another form of PC, just like the Laptop or Desktop. If Apple really did think that this Post-PC stuff was actually going to happen, they wouldn't include the iPad in their PC sales figures.

 

[juanm]

My take on the "post PC" comments was that this included all Apple "devices", including the Macs.

IIRC, he said "iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad"

 

[KnightWRX]

re: Never replacing computers - My Dad said the same thing about calculators and his trusty slide rule when calculators first came out.

Time marches on... for most people it probably can (and should) replace their computer.

The iPad is a computer. It's just a different form factor of computer. Your dad's calculator wasn't replaced with another calculator, it was replaced by software on a computer.

Will the tablet form factor replace PCs ? I don't think so. It's awkward to work with in many scenarios. Will it supplement PCs for certain tasks ? Perhaps, it is good for some things where PCs are too bulky and phones too small.

Like Tim Cook said, the PC is a "another device". In the end, they are all different sized and shaped computers. The computer isn't going away, it's just getting a new casing (just like mainframes became minis that became micros, that split off into desktops and laptops and now PDAs/Smartphones/Tablets have entered the scene).

 

[camardelle]

I love my mobile devices, but I'd hate to think of a place without my desktop. I spend most of my time using that to do even basic tasks like email and websurfing. The mobile deivce is convenient, but.....

 

[Chupa Chupa]

He kept saying "Post PC," not "Post Mac." HA! I think "Post PC" is just marketing jargon b/c even the iPad is a computer. The need for 24"+ monitors, data chomping processors, and GPUs isn't going to fade into the sunset of time. What we think of a personal computer, i.e., a big box, is evolving, but computing is here to stay obviously.

 

[MonkeySee....]

Maybe we will eventually end up with a couple of terabyte box that looks like a Time Capsule. It will hold OSX and all you apps, Music, Video etc and we will just be carrying around the screen (iPad) to relay that info.

Long way off but it would be nice and the merge between iOS and OSX it may not be too far from the truth.

 

[KnightWRX]

Maybe we will eventually end up with a couple of terabyte box that looks like a Time Capsule. It will hold OSX and all you apps, Music, Video etc and we will just be carrying around the screen (iPad) to relay that info.

Long way off

Yeah, considering I had a terabyte box that looks like a time capsule that held all my data... back in 2006.

Long way off indeed.

but it would be nice and the merge between iOS and OSX it may not be too far from the truth.

They are already merged. They've been merged since day 1.

 

[iCole]

As long as people need traditional form pc's, there will be traditional pc's around. There are just more alternate options and those options happen to be very lucrative for Apple so they make a big deal out of it. Post-pc is just marketing. Besides, the sales of macs keeps rising every year despite iPads, iPhones, ...

 

[maflynn]

My laptop still does a ton more then what an iPad can do. I do find my iPad quite useful, but its a long way off to replacing an actual computer for a lot of tasks

 

[MonkeySee....]

Yeah, considering I had a terabyte box that looks like a time capsule that held all my data... back in 2006.

Long way off indeed.



They are already merged. They've been merged since day 1.

*facepalm*

Do you argue for the sake of arguing?

All Apple will have left are Mac Mini's. No screens attached or anything. Just a box. which will wirelessly/Bluetooth to your tv, ipad etc with ONE OS.

Yes. its a long way off.

 

[KnightWRX]

*facepalm*

Do you argue for the sake of arguing?

All Apple will have left are Mac Mini's. No screens attached or anything. Just a box. which will wirelessly/Bluetooth to your tv, ipad etc with ONE OS.

Yes. its a long way off.

No, I point out that your argument is off base. What you're describing has existed in the consumer world for quite some time now. Look up NAS boxes. Dime a dozen. That Apple doesn't make one doesn't mean "they're a long way off", only that Apple doesn't make one.

Do you argue for the sake of arguing ? You're wrong, just admit it and move on. No need to even reply, you've been corrected, let it stand like that.

----------

My laptop still does a ton more then what an iPad can do. I do find my iPad quite useful, but its a long way off to replacing an actual computer for a lot of tasks

The iPad is an actual computer. Maybe you meant "replacing a desktop/laptop".

----------

As long as people need traditional form pc's, there will be traditional pc's around. There are just more alternate options and those options happen to be very lucrative for Apple so they make a big deal out of it. Post-pc is just marketing. Besides, the sales of macs keeps rising every year despite iPads, iPhones, ...

Exactly, it's just another form factor that brings new options. Just like laptops, desktops, minis, mainframes before it. All computers, all different form factors bringing something new to the table. Tablets and Smartphones are the new form factor. They are not meant to replace or supplant, they are meant to complement.

 

[MonkeySee....]

No, I point out that your argument is off base. What you're describing has existed in the consumer world for quite some time now. Look up NAS boxes. Dime a dozen. That Apple doesn't make one doesn't mean "they're a long way off", only that Apple doesn't make one.

What? I don't give a **** who else makes them. My only concern is Apple.

Cheers

 

[roadbloc]

What? I don't give a **** who else makes them. My only concern is Apple.

Wow. Just... wow.

 

[rdowns]

Well I think this Post-PC stuff is a load of rubbish. The Tablet is just another form of PC, just like the Laptop or Desktop. If Apple really did think that this Post-PC stuff was actually going to happen, they wouldn't include the iPad in their PC sales figures.

They don't.

 

[east85]

If Apple had no future plans for Mac, why would they invest so much time in making their entire line of mobile devices sync with it so seamlessly in the upcoming OS X release? And even now with the Cloud?

Ask yourself, Why would they require that all their devices must be connected to an actual laptop or desktop to register with iTunes? They aren't independent devices, they are dependent devices. Apple especially creates an atmosphere on iOS that makes them very, very reliant.

I don't believe that anything was meant by it other than the following: Logically, it is marketing jargon against what we most often associate with the term "PC". There is a lot of hype going around the format right now, and believe me, eventually even the tablet will reach a growth climax and taper off normal rate like every other "new" product that has hit the market. The desktop/laptop interface isn't going anywhere. Case in point: When netbooks hit the market, 17" laptops didn't just up and vanish because the netbook had some positives on them, for the simple fact that they still fill a need from select consumers. If someone's buying, someone is going to be selling. Likewise, and more broadly speaking- laptops haven't killed desktops.

What Apple needs to do here is watch their performance and continue updating to keep competitive and innovative. As much as I love Apple products, the iPhone has lost traction in market share concerning OS dominance to Android at least in the United States over the years. Their cash cow right now is the iPad, so they need to make sure, as much as is possible, that customers stay happy with their products so they can keep that nice share that they have going.

 

[MonkeySee....]

Wow. Just... wow.

Do you have problem with what I posted about what I think is Apple's direction?

If you want to start another thread to discuss other manufacturers, fill your boots.

 

[KnightWRX]

What? I don't give a **** who else makes them. My only concern is Apple.

Cheers

You've been an Apple user since 2010 yet you now somehow ignore every thing else out there ?

You say you'd hope for something, and if someone else offers it but not Apple, you consider the feature "A long way off" while the rest of us get to use it everyday ?

Is there something I don't get ? Why so attached to having only Apple stuff ?

----------

Do you have problem with what I posted about what I think is Apple's direction?

If you want to start another thread to discuss other manufacturers, fill your boots.

The initial post I replied to made no mention of you talking about Apple's direction. In fact, it seemed like you were talking about the industry in general. Let me then reply in the context of Apple's direction :

"You'll never get what you're asking for. It's not a "long way off", it's never coming at all. If you want that kind of functionality, look elsewhere in the industry, NAS boxes are a dime a dozen and fill that role quite nicely. Apple is now 100% iCloud, they will never provide you with network attached storage that is local to your house, aside from the Time Capsule (and even that we could argue could very well morph into iCloud Time Capsule in the next few years.".