The rise and rise (and rise) of iOS; Apple poised to take over mainstream computing

[*LTD*]

So now you're saying that the post-PC era will never happen?

It already is.

It doesn't mean the immediate wholesale obliteration of PCs. Roles will shift in a big way and we'll see the traditional PC marginalized to more specific roles, while other form factors (guess which) will take on more roles, many of which were done by traditional PCs.

Post-PC doesn't mean "no PC." All it means is that the dog now has to live in the backyard instead of inside the house.

 

[chaosbunny]

Once everyone is in the Cloud, ...

So in the future, once everyone is in the cloud, if you upload your brain, does it get pushed back or do corporations just keep it since you don't need it, since you have your iBrain where it used to be?

 

[0098386]

Single task full screen IS the norm, like it or not.

So that's why Intel never bothered manufacturing multicore/hyperthreaded CPUs.

So now you're saying that the post-PC era will never happen?

I've been watching a lot of Louis Theroux of late, and I just caught the Milleniumists episode. LTD (and a few others) remind of those claiming "the end is nigh". It's quite funny to see people saying this in 1993, yet we're fine in 2011. PC gaming is dying, desktop PC's are dying, laptops are dying, the MP3 player is dying, etc.

 

[wovel]

Another troll post by *LTD*. Never in doubt. The last I checked Microsoft Windows owns 90%+ of "mainstream computing". With Windows 8 coming out that will pretty much seal the deal for the next 10 years.

They own 90% of market that is contracting for all major manufacturers but Apple...

Wow! With all those consumers relying on "the cloud" to get virtually anything done, it sounds like PCs (servers) will be even more important in the future than they are today!

I can't say how things will be in your time, but here in 2011, it's about 50/50 split between Microsoft and Linux server software running "the cloud" as we now know it. (We call it the Internet, presently.) In fact the (MacRumors) server I'm writing this on runs Linux!

What's the breakdown on OSs for servers in the future world you're writing from? Did Apple ever make any inroads into that market?

A server is a server, not a PC.. A PC is a personal computer. Try to keep up.

So that's why Intel never bothered manufacturing multicore/hyperthreaded CPUs.

I think windowed interfaces will be around for a while, but.. Full screen apps has no impact on the use of multicore/hyperthreaded CPUs, nor does it have any impact on multitasking. You might be surprised to learn that a single app could fully use all the CPUs, cores, and hyper threads in any system, if it wanted to/needed to. You might also be surprised to know that programs can still run in the background while another is full screen...

 

[localoid]

A server is a server, not a PC.. A PC is a personal computer. Try to keep up.

You apparently don't know what a PC (really) is. This might help.

 

[roadbloc]

Post-PC doesn't mean "no PC."

By definition it kinda does I'm afraid. Post meaning to be "after". If someone said they we are living in a post-religious world, that would mean that no-one practices a religion anymore and it is a thing of the past. Therefore, a post-PC world would be a world where no-one has a PC.

In other words, you've kinda backtracked. So you now admit that all this "Microsoft are betting the PC era will never end, haha what fools!" you've been posting is simply rubbis?. Now you're saying PC's are not going anywhere, the market will just fall a bit? Surely then, Microsoft have got it right this time, by making Windows 8 a tablet & PC OS?

Best replace your signature.

 

[wovel]

You apparently don't know what a PC (really) is. This might help.

I know exactly what a PC is. It is a personal computer. Linking a Wikipedia article proves your ignorance. When steve Jobs said post-PC world, he did not mean a world without servers. If anything, I would guess he sees servers as more important in the post-PC world.

P.S. Never try to prove your point by using Wikipedia as a source. I actually know what a PC is and a server. PC is an acronym that stands for something. That something is personal computer. That differentiates it from servers and mainframes.

P.P.S. At least read the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article you link next time..

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator. In contrast, the batch processing or time-sharing models allowed large expensive mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time. Large data processing systems require a full-time staff to operate efficiently.

 

[localoid]

I know exactly what a PC is. It is a personal computer. Linking a Wikipedia article proves your ignorance. When steve Jobs said post-PC world, he did not mean a world without servers. If anything, I would guess he sees servers as more important in the post-PC world.

P.S. Never try to prove your point by using Wikipedia as a source. I actually know what a PC is and a server. PC is an acronym that stands for something. That something is personal computer. That differentiates it from servers and mainframes.

P.P.S. At least read the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article you link next time..

You think MacRumors is running on a mainframe? Amusing. Most servers on the Net today are PCs.

I sent you to Wikipedia because you needed something simple and easy to read.

You seem too new to the game to understand what a microcomputer/PC is...

I have 4k memory chips and 5" floppies that are probably older than you are.

A PC is a microcomputer. (If you have any idea of what that is.)

 

[rhett7660]

Computers will still be around. If you look at the general public, not all, but a good majority, what do most do with their computer at home. Games, surf the web, anser emails. That sounds about right correct. Then you have those who do photogrpahy, video, programming etc etc etc. But the list gets narrow and narrower as you get into the more specialized area's. I would hope you wouldn't want to render a 3D video scene that has 1200 pieces in it on your hand held device. Maybe in the future this might be the case but not right now. Or compile a complete program or it's parts etc on a hand held.

I can see a good majority of people not really needing a PC for their day to day work. Not those at their place of employement, those will still be computers, however it seems more and more are getting smaller and smaller, laptops seem to be on the rise. Again, depending on what arena you are talking about.

Comptuers will always be here. Some may be on your arm, held in your hand, laid on your lap or sitting on a desk. I just see more and more using the kind you hold rather then sitting or laying.

 

[Bernard SG]

Beyond iOS' massive success, let's not forget the tremendous growth of the Mac, lately.
If the current growth rates were maintained, within 5 years, 1 out of 5 PC's sold in the world would be Macs .

 

[mscriv]

Wow, all this arguing over semantics is truly funny.

Cool your jets folks. Computers are here to stay. But, like all human tools, they are evolving for varied and specific uses.

You know...

then... & now...

then... & now...

then... & now...

then... & now...

Allright now, tell your friend you're sorry, hug it out, and go back out to play.

 

[maclaptop]

Just _one_ article, written by _one_ person. Hmmm....

 

[*LTD*]

Just _one_ article, written by _one_ person. Hmmm....

I hardly think you need your hand held in order to understand the trends. This article should come as no surprise, since it's describing market realities already taking shape.

 

[kdarling]

What Jobs meant by "post PC"

When debating "post PC", we must first understand what Jobs was referring to. He explained it using this analogy:

Back when the country was mostly farms, trucks were the most important vehicle type. As more people left the farms and only had to carry other people, they could use cars instead of trucks. This was the "post truck" era.

In his analogy, PCs are the trucks and tablets are the cars. So trucks (PCs) will alway be needed to feed the car (tablet) users, but cars will be more popular. Therefore we must be in a post truck (post PC) era.

Of course, that analogy is interesting because, while cars have risen to a little over half of USA sales (less than half in Canada and other countries), people still buy trucks, vans and SUVs because their overall utility is so much higher than a regular car.

 

[*LTD*]

When debating "post PC", we must first understand what Jobs was referring to. He explained it using this analogy:

Back when the country was mostly farms, trucks were the most important vehicle type. As more people left the farms and only had to carry other people, they could use cars instead of trucks. This was the "post truck" era.

In his analogy, PCs are the trucks and tablets are the cars. So trucks (PCs) will alway be needed to feed the car (tablet) users, but cars will be more popular. Therefore we must be in a post truck (post PC) era.

Of course, that analogy is interesting because, while cars have risen to a little over half of USA sales (less than half in Canada and other countries), people still buy trucks, vans and SUVs because their overall utility is so much higher than a regular car.

That's excellent explanation, thank you. But do note that a lot of these current trucks aren't like your Dad's "truck." They aren't like they used to be. A lot of them ride more like cars, with full luxury options (a lot of which is actually standard.)

I don't think Jobs was really able to articulate the reality of situation as well as he might have, and you noticed this as well. We're getting into periodization, which is always a thorny subject. However, the changes can certainly be seen and felt. The market looks quite different from what we saw a few years ago. Priorities and strategies have shifted remarkably toward turning the mobile paradigm into a truly robust means not just of communication and media consumption, but into a lifestyle - a heretofore unknown and unexperienced intimacy between people and tech.

When folks ask what Post-PC means, here's what I tell them: Look at the industry pre-iPhone, that is, before June 2007. Now look at it today, June 2011. Post-PC. The differences between the two eras are palpable.

 

[mscriv]

LTD I think most people agree with you in principle, but the conflict comes about due to the way in which you seem to attribute this progress solely to Apple. I'm an Apple user and I love my Apple products, but Apple is not the only reason for this progress. Remember the Dick Tracy watch communicator? How about a Star Trek tricorder? Batman has too many gadgets for me to list just one. The point is that human imagination paired with technological development drives the evolution of our technical products and gadgets. We've always had a fascination with and drive toward making things smaller, faster, stronger, more efficient, more portable, more powerful, etc. etc..

Apple is doing a great job of making products that fit this need and desire. Android is doing well also. We wouldn't be where we are today in cell phone technology if not for companies like Nokia, Palm, RIM, and Kyocera. Apple never would have released an iPad if not for tablet model laptops that first introduced the possibility of having a touch/tablet experience with a personal computer.

Overall, you make some great points, but as an impartial observer I think people get annoyed/frustrated with your posts because instead of seeing Apple as a player who contributes to the progress of tech you put them on a pedestal as the creator/inventor and sole reason for the evolution of tech. We all know that's just not true because in the world of technology today no one company is responsible for all of the progress that occurs. It's more of a team effort over time. Someone tries something, another person builds on it, etc. etc..

 

[*LTD*]

LTD I think most people agree with you in principle, but the conflict comes about due to the way in which you seem to attribute this progress solely to Apple. I'm an Apple user and I love my Apple products, but Apple is not the only reason for this progress. Remember the Dick Tracy watch communicator? How about a Star Trek tricorder? Batman has too many gadgets for me to list just one. The point is that human imagination paired with technological development drives the evolution of our technical products and gadgets. We've always had a fascination with and drive toward making things smaller, faster, stronger, more efficient, more portable, more powerful, etc. etc..

Apple is doing a great job of making products that fit this need and desire. Android is doing well also. We wouldn't be where we are today in cell phone technology if not for companies like Nokia, Palm, RIM, and Kyocera. Apple never would have released an iPad if not for tablet model laptops that first introduced the possibility of having a touch/tablet experience with a personal computer.

Overall, you make some great points, but as an impartial observer I think people get annoyed/frustrated with your posts because instead of seeing Apple as a player who contributes to the progress of tech you put them on a pedestal as the creator/inventor and sole reason for the evolution of tech. We all know that's just not true because in the world of technology today no one company is responsible for all of the progress that occurs. It's more of a team effort over time. Someone tries something, another person builds on it, etc. etc..

I understand the complaints and the objections.

However, we are here today because of June 2007. And we are being pushed forward into this new phase mostly (but not exclusively) by one company. It just so happens to be one company that continues to draft the blueprint for the direction of consumer tech. The others follow this one company. Now, of course, everyone is contributing. There's money to be made. Apple opened up and created markets that are absolute gold mines. At some point everyone else was going to get on board, and thus we have a "team effort."

So, it seems we're back to the original complaints and objections. However, I stand by what I post without equivocation.

Ryan Kim pretty much nailed it:

http://gigaom.com/2011/06/29/the-iphone-effect-how-apples-phone-changed-everything/