iPad Drives Apple to Perch Atop List of Top-Selling PC Manufacturers

[tommy060289]

Define personal computer.

A computer to me is a device that allows you to compute extensive calculations and increase work efficiency for tasks.

My computer is used mainly for typing and doing analysis alongside and running program's like solid works. Both require extensive screen space, plenty of fine control along with space to fit tasks from basic formatting to providing options for much more complex operations, and the engineering stuff requires a lot of power (yes I know the iPad will get more and more powerful but so do programs get more and more demanding)

All these tasks are much better suited to a large desktop (my 27" iMac has aided my final year project so much by being able to have word, excel and a web page open all alongside each other)

Performing any of these tasks on an iPad would be a nightmare. iPads are (as apple has always said) media consumption devices. At this they are perfect. I know because I'm typing on one now. The fact that I can pick it up and take it anywhere no problem at all on a screen big enough to consume most info that I'm likely to need on the go comfortably means its the perfect portable companion. I'm glad it destroyed the netbook, because I've never used a netbook that wasn't just a compromised crap laptop. Apple instead of just trying to. Rehash a laptop took the idea of how to make a small portable media consumption device and designed it frothe ground up to be ideal for that task.

The iPad is amazing at what it does. But it does not do what a computer is properly intended to do and to me it will never replace a proper computer. I think theyre brilliant, but if I was advising someone to get just one device I'd say get a proper computer, if they already have a desktop and need something more portable, an iPad is the perfect companion over a more expensive laptop unless the extra power is TRUELY needed.

[bushido]

so the iPod Touch is a PC too then?

[dashiel]

Originally Posted by dgree03

I think the confusion comes from the fact that the iPad even after it became "PC Free" is still far more limited than even the lowest laptop "category" (Netbooks)

Capability is a poor criteria for defining what a computer is. A car is far less capable than a 747 Jumbo Jet, but 90% of the world only want to get from point A to point B and have the option of carrying a few people or things, then all the capabilities of the 747 are useless, confusing, expensive and potentially dangerous.

An Apple ][ doesn’t come close to matching today’s iPod nano in capability. The Apple ][ literally defined the personal computer revolution and I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that would consider the nano a computer.

[AustinIllini]

Originally Posted by Skika

And there is no better PC(Personal Computer) than the iPad.
Deal with it.

I can think of three made by Apple alone.

[*LTD*]

Originally Posted by bushido

so the iPod Touch is a PC too then?

The iPad is not categorized based on its technical aspects, but rather how people are using it, and whether this consumer decision to use them in the manner they are is having an impact (negative) on PC sales.

Canalys and DispalySearch already recognize this point and have moved in a particular direction with it, based on substantial industry trends. The rest will follow, and in time the iPad-as-computer will become an accepted, mundane fact.

The perceived (by you) rightness or wrongness of this trend is really relevant.

[AustinIllini]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snrub

Yeah, doing this from my iPad is very cumbersome.

But there is no better PC than the iPad

[*LTD*]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snrub

Yeah, doing this from my iPad is very cumbersome.

It's actually pretty easy.

[linux2mac]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snrub

Yeah, doing this from my iPad is very cumbersome.

I didn't realize typing and copying/pasting image URLs on a touch screen was such a challenge.

You can use Apple's Bluetooth keyboard if that helps.

[ImNoSuperMan]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

But with Apple making the iPad "PC Free" by eliminating the need to sync to a computer via iTunes and increasing numbers of consumers relying on their iPads for everyday computer functionalities such as browsing, email and music, as well as a broad array of apps, lines between the two types of devices are becoming increasingly blurred.

I remember when jobs announced the iPad, I was more than a bit disappointed. I, like everyone else, wanted the full power of my MacBook but with multitouch. Now my 6yr old MacBook is dead and my 1st gen iPad is the only "PC" I have. It surprised me how well I could do with just the iPad. In fact so well that I've decided not to get another MacBook at all. Going to grab an iPad 3 instead. Maybe an iMac down the line for home someday. But the iPad 3 is definitely going to be my primary computer for the foreseeable future.

[griz]

Originally Posted by bushido

so the iPod Touch is a PC too then?

Yes. It's a computer and quite personal.
Just because it doesn't fit the traditional model doesn't change anything.

The Television of the 1950s is far different than the smart TV of today. But they are still televisions.

Telephones used to have a rotary dial, plug into a wall and weigh 5 Lbs. Does that mean that your smartphone is no longer a telephone?

[dashiel]

Originally Posted by tommy060289

A computer to me is a device that allows you to compute extensive calculations and increase work efficiency for tasks.

Which the iPad does. So at least we agree here.

Originally Posted by tommy060289

My computer is used mainly for typing and doing analysis alongside and running program's like solid works. Both require extensive screen space, plenty of fine control along with space to fit tasks from basic formatting to providing options for much more complex operations, and the engineering stuff requires a lot of power (yes I know the iPad will get more and more powerful but so do programs get more and more demanding)

Key phrase “my computer is mainly used for” couldn’t agree more, you need a more powerful computer with more versatile input methods. I too couldn’t do my job without a large monitor (2 actually) a ton of RAM & hard drive space, but you and I are outliers. Most people don’t need that kind of horsepower to apply a narrow set of criteria to define a computer is myopic.

Just because a fireman needs a firetruck for their job doesn’t make a car any less a vehicle.

[dgree03]

Originally Posted by Peace

Tell me specifically what you can get done on an "early 2000's" iBook that can't be done with an iPad ?

And puhleezz. Lets leave the cd-rom out of the equation. Everybody knows that's so yesterday.

Code? Full Photoshop suite? Have 2 simultaneous windows open? Run multiple operating systems? Use Office suite? Share data between all programs? Manage the OS file system? Attach and photo to an email while being in my email program?

[jameslmoser]

I am not trying to start a flame ware here... but I am very curious what will happen when Microsoft releases Windows 8, a full blown true multitasking OS and a hardware partner actually makes a tablet that looks nice and perform reasonably well. Will the iPad still dominate the "tablet" market? Right now there really isn't a tablet with an OS that could really challenge the desktop or even notebook/laptop. The iPad is a media consumption device, like the ipod touch. Not much of a creation device. Other than a larger screen factor it is virtually the same thing, but you don't generally see people saying the iPod touch is a PC.

[ericinboston]

Originally Posted by Skika

Personal Computer=PC

And there is no better PC(Personal Computer) than the iPad.

Deal with it.

Although this whole "is an iPad a PC?" discussion is best for a live, person-to-person chat rather than a textual discussion board, my vote is the iPad is far from a PC...for a few reasons:

1)You are not free to install ANY software you wish...you must go through an Apple sanctioned service WHILE also registering your name/email to even get there in the first place.

2)Development on the iPad is again closed-looped...can only be done on a Mac...and gee...what is a Mac?

3)Until recently, the iPad wouldn't even turn on until connected to a PC.

4)Why must an iPad "sync" with anything?


All my above points show that the iPad is quite dependent on true PCs and is not very "open" to typical software development.


Nice device....but it ain't no PC. Maybe a Personal Device...but not a Personal Computer.

[mobi]

vmware Fusion on iPad...you know to run that old OSX 10.6...

[ABernardoJr]

Originally Posted by tommy060289

A computer to me is a device that allows you to compute extensive calculations and increase work efficiency for tasks.

My computer is used mainly for typing and doing analysis alongside and running program's like solid works. Both require extensive screen space, plenty of fine control along with space to fit tasks from basic formatting to providing options for much more complex operations, and the engineering stuff requires a lot of power (yes I know the iPad will get more and more powerful but so do programs get more and more demanding)

All these tasks are much better suited to a large desktop (my 27" iMac has aided my final year project so much by being able to have word, excel and a web page open all alongside each other)

Performing any of these tasks on an iPad would be a nightmare. iPads are (as apple has always said) media consumption devices. At this they are perfect. I know because I'm typing on one now. The fact that I can pick it up and take it anywhere no problem at all on a screen big enough to consume most info that I'm likely to need on the go comfortably means its the perfect portable companion. I'm glad it destroyed the netbook, because I've never used a netbook that wasn't just a compromised crap laptop. Apple instead of just trying to. Rehash a laptop took the idea of how to make a small portable media consumption device and designed it frothe ground up to be ideal for that task.

The iPad is amazing at what it does. But it does not do what a computer is properly intended to do and to me it will never replace a proper computer. I think theyre brilliant, but if I was advising someone to get just one device I'd say get a proper computer, if they already have a desktop and need something more portable, an iPad is the perfect companion over a more expensive laptop unless the extra power is TRUELY needed.

The flaw in your logic is that you seem to see only that definition of a "computer" that fits the tasks you use it for, and this isn't what many people see a "computer" as, nor should they. "Computers" don't need to be as sophisticated as those at levels above it in order to be considered a "computer." "Super-computer" products are arguably far more capable than the consumer's "computer", but this does not make neither super-computers nor consumer computers any less of a computer. If you want to advise someone to get something with more "computing power" than the iPad, then that's a valid argument, but to say that the iPad isn't compatible with the definition of a "computer" is somewhat myopic and arbitrary. The iPad may not be the best choice for many intensive computing/tasks, but consumer computers may not be the best choice for intensive, hour/day-long computations that super-computers tackle. The fact that we're speaking of "personal" computers just qualifies the iPad even further as a computing device that is considerably personal.

[Mad-B-One]

Originally Posted by bushido

so the iPod Touch is a PC too then?

Not only that - your digital watch is, your iPod Nano, name it: It has a circuit board in the widest sense, it is a computer. Now, that is the technical sense. Here, the literal, technical sense is - reading the context - not what is meant. I know, you all want to troll a little but to stay in the realm of the article, a computer is an end-user device for daily use to browse the interenet or do your paper/home work on it. There indeed the line becomes blurry. The iPad can indeed be used for most of that. The reason it is still excluded to some extend is what you actually can do without bending over backwards. For me, I will not work for 8h a day compfortably on a 9.7" screen. I prefer 19" and up, if possible (like at work and my home PC) with a second monitor. I like a keyboard which does not take about half of my screen away and gives me active feetback when I'm typing and is eronomically more than a glass sceen. I know that I can use a bluetooth keyboad for the iPad, but since everything else is touch based (menues), it is still a back and forth making it not pheasable for text editing going beyond a simple input. For class notes or meetings though, I prefer the iPad. As I say, there is a blur - my iPad replaced my netbook for that reason. Even if you extend it to an HD monitor, it will still miss screen real estate for multitasking next to each other etc. As much as we like to see the iPad as the "new PC," it isn't and as long as many of us don't want to give up the compfort of multiple programs accessable in the foreground, it will not. It will help or facilitate a paradigm shift in personal computing. Many people do not need more than an iPad in their life if all they need is internet browsing and email plus a ebook reader.

[voonyx]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/d...sonal+computer

Sounds like a PC to me. Apple probably paid every website out there to redefine the word though right?

[mutantteenager]

Originally Posted by adcx64

ought to make steve smile!

He's dead you know?

[linux2mac]

Originally Posted by jameslmoser

I am not trying to start a flame ware here... but I am very curious what will happen when Microsoft releases Windows 8, a full blown true multitasking OS and a hardware partner actually makes a tablet that looks nice and perform reasonably well.

That's a great question. I knew Ballmer had something up his sleeve when he warned "We're Coming Full Guns."

I can't wait to see that tablet with the clunky fan.

"And then there's the fan. Yes, this tablet has a fan, and it's almost always running."

[Ryth]

Originally Posted by tommy060289

A computer to me is a device that allows you to compute extensive calculations and increase work efficiency for tasks.

My computer is used mainly for typing and doing analysis alongside and running program's like solid works. Both require extensive screen space, plenty of fine control along with space to fit tasks from basic formatting to providing options for much more complex operations, and the engineering stuff requires a lot of power (yes I know the iPad will get more and more powerful but so do programs get more and more demanding)

All these tasks are much better suited to a large desktop (my 27" iMac has aided my final year project so much by being able to have word, excel and a web page open all alongside each other)

Performing any of these tasks on an iPad would be a nightmare. iPads are (as apple has always said) media consumption devices. At this they are perfect. I know because I'm typing on one now. The fact that I can pick it up and take it anywhere no problem at all on a screen big enough to consume most info that I'm likely to need on the go comfortably means its the perfect portable companion. I'm glad it destroyed the netbook, because I've never used a netbook that wasn't just a compromised crap laptop. Apple instead of just trying to. Rehash a laptop took the idea of how to make a small portable media consumption device and designed it frothe ground up to be ideal for that task.

The iPad is amazing at what it does. But it does not do what a computer is properly intended to do and to me it will never replace a proper computer. I think theyre brilliant, but if I was advising someone to get just one device I'd say get a proper computer, if they already have a desktop and need something more portable, an iPad is the perfect companion over a more expensive laptop unless the extra power is TRUELY needed.

To me, what you are describing is a WORK COMPUTER which is needed to do higher end computing and graphic design taks, programming tasks, etc.

What the iPad falls under to me is a PERSONAL COMPUTER...which is what an everyday person has at home. Most use their personal computer for getting on the internet, checking/replying to emails, social media, watching videos, listening to music, watching movies, playing mid level games.

Of course there are home power users and home HC game players that need a more powerful machine.

There are obviously the managers and higher ups that could get by with an iPad because they aren't really doing much work other then managerial things which the iPad handles just fine.

Now mind you, everyday more companies are hiring programmers to make Apps specific to their business for the iPad which then blurs the line more between work machines and tablets.

[ABernardoJr]

Originally Posted by ericinboston

Although this whole "is an iPad a PC?" discussion is best for a live, person-to-person chat rather than a textual discussion board, my vote is the iPad is far from a PC...for a few reasons:

1)You are not free to install ANY software you wish...you must go through an Apple sanctioned service WHILE also registering your name/email to even get there in the first place.

2)Development on the iPad is again closed-looped...can only be done on a Mac...and gee...what is a Mac?

3)Until recently, the iPad wouldn't even turn on until connected to a PC.

4)Why must an iPad "sync" with anything?


All my above points show that the iPad is quite dependent on true PCs and is not very "open" to typical software development.


Nice device....but it ain't no PC. Maybe a Personal Device...but not a Personal Computer.

Again, you're arbitrarily determining points that define a PC. Is there some sort of checklist of compatibilities and requirements that must be met in order for something to qualify? Or is it just that those things are what *you* think constitute a PC?

I'm not saying the iPad is the most capable PC out there, as a matter of fact I've wondered in the past how much could be done on one. But its technology, capabilities and the work it's used for have evolved and so it has become a PC. Maybe it's hard for some to accept that but as others have said, as it keeps evolving it'll become even more difficult to deny as a PC (regardless of how it may match up with the previous perception of a "PC").

[danr_97070]

Originally Posted by jamesryanbell

I don't want to agree, but if I'm honest with myself, I have to.

iPad is a stand alone personal computer. Period.

"stand alone" as in can't print without some lame-o app? IMHO, until Apple
really supports printing from the iPad, they have a way to go.

I was able to get AirPrint working to an old (15+ year-old) HP laser printer
attached to an Ubuntu box with Bonjour running. Works like a champ...

When I went to the Apple Store and discussed it with one of the sales people
and asked "When is Apple going to support printing?" he came up with this
lame excuse:

"The iPad isn't a computer; it's a 'mobile device' like the iPhone. We don't
support printing from 'mobile devices'..."

Sounds like BS to me especially since I have it reliably working from my iPad
and iPhone with a very old printer.

To your point: It's not a 'personal computer'; it's a 'mobile device'. Straight
from the mouth of the idiot at the Apple Store.

[mutantteenager]

Originally Posted by Andronicus

In the words of Sam Cooke, "a change is gonna come…"

I'm sure this is exactly what Sam Cooke was thinking when singing that song...

[firewood]

Originally Posted by FrankieTDouglas

Which industry are you referring to? Because the people who need Mac Pros, certainly won't be able to replace what those systems do with these little tablet toys.

And the people who need IBM Z-series mainframes and Cray ASCII supercomputers won't be able to replace what they do with these little MacBook Pro toys.

However mainframes became what was purchased by a only a tiny percentage of computer buyers decades ago. Many computer buyers have moved on, and continue to move on to newer smaller personal computing products. Laptops have become more popular than desktop PCs. iPads are around 20% now, and might get to half of the market in a couple years of stuff people buy to do typical personal computing tasks. The desktop tower PC is slowly going the way of the big room-sized mainframes. They won't go away. They'll just become a much smaller segment of the larger market for computing products. Yet they are all still computers. Even an Apple II.