Engadget's editorial on the "post-PC" world

[Ryan1524]

What they are doing is utter brilliance in terms of marketing and business stratagem. And in typical Apple fashion, it was all done with one simple brilliant stroke. Steve Jobs is a genius. Whatever happens next to this man, this will be his legacy. He'll always be remembered as an innovator.

 

[Stirolak123]

It's very well known that Engadget is very Pro-Apple. And I'm not being critical just sharing an observation.

It's no secret a proclamation like this from Apple is self serving. Yet I do not disagree completely. I believe it applies best to those home users who no longer need a PC with the advent of the iPad. These folks didn't need computers to begin with, but it was the only choice.

iPads are already able to replace the novices computer, so in that sense, we're there already. Witness the huge number of threads that ask "which model MBP should I get?". These people only think they need a computer. For far less money they can play games and surf the web. The average activities of novices. For this a tablet is fine.

And ign is known to be very anti apple.

 

[JoeG4]

In the roughly 15 years I've been using Windows, I've never encountered any of those stupid problems you talk about. Odd, I know!

Seriously though, I use my Macs and love them, and one thing that really annoys me about the "Post-PC world" is that it's like a death to using your computer to create stuff. You have to wonder if Steve Jobs would ban Legos from the US if he could, so kids grow up learning to be consumers instead of creators.

Ironically, since the PowerMac G5 came out they seem to have forgot how to make stuff anyway. XD

 

[PCClone]

Just get her the first one, it should frustrate her as bad as windows due to all the crashes shell have when Trying to run graphic apps or multiple tabs in browsers.

No, that would require an Andread device. She has to to listen to my daughter bitch about her Galaxy phone on a daily basis.

 

[zenio]

My wife hardly ever used our Windows PC. It was too complicated and would freeze up, error out and just frustrate her. When we switched to the IMac, after a few minutes she was up and running and loves it, not because of specs (it is almost 4 years old), but because it is easy to use and just plain works.

I am a little concerned that when I get my iPad next week she will want to use it.

It's good to hear that you were "saved" from that wicked PC. I can't help but wonder why you would buy one in the first place. Perhaps it was the price that appealed, or that it was an impulse buy.

 

[urkel]

Agree, everyone has smartphones now. All touch-based. Computers are going to die, in personal terms. Business technology won't change much.

Computers arent going to die, they're going to evolve. And I say that because the iPad IS a computer.

 

[zenio]

I use my Macs and love them, and one thing that really annoys me about the "Post-PC world" is that it's like a death to using your computer to create stuff. You have to wonder if Steve Jobs would ban Legos from the US if he could, so kids grow up learning to be consumers instead of creators.

Ironically, since the PowerMac G5 came out they seem to have forgot how to make stuff anyway. XD

Kudo's for writing one of the best posts I've read in a long time. I feel the same way you do, precisely.

 

[neko girl]

You have to wonder if Steve Jobs would ban Legos from the US if he could, so kids grow up learning to be consumers instead of creators.

I volunteer at a place where iPads are used to supplement educational tools for elementary school kids. Watching the kids use them, it hits me (as it hits everyone who works there) that these kids are genuinely excited about doing things on the device that exercise their brains and teach them things. The introduction of these devices have had a measurable impact on how well they do, especially on tests they take later during the term. If something like an iPad pulls them away from a TV, where they have no choice over the content, I think it's a good thing.

You might not be interested in content creation stories related to the iPad (in relation to music, art, software), but there are plenty of them. Not even Apple is arguing that iPads replace PCs... Jobs is just saying that we seem to have made an evolutionary shift in how we interact with computers.

I don't think that's far off from fact.

 

[lilo777]

No, the main selling point is that it's The iPad (but Better).

The question for consumers isn't 'which tablet has the better specs'; it's 'which one is the iPad'. People get angry about this, it's pretty funny.

Better? How? Is not it all about the specs (like CPU, thickness etc.)? Obviously it is. And that is why XOOM beats iPad 2.

 

[blackNBUK]

Seriously though, I use my Macs and love them, and one thing that really annoys me about the "Post-PC world" is that it's like a death to using your computer to create stuff. You have to wonder if Steve Jobs would ban Legos from the US if he could, so kids grow up learning to be consumers instead of creators.

That's ridiculous, Apple definitely do want people to create stuff on the iPad. A huge part of the first iPad keynote was dedicated to Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and a huge part of the second keynote was dedicated to iMovie and GarageBand. That's 5 Apps, all of which are used to create things. If Apple really saw the iPad as solely a means to get people to consume things why would they have put their resources into writing those Apps?

 

[Ryan1524]

In the roughly 15 years I've been using Windows, I've never encountered any of those stupid problems you talk about. Odd, I know!

Seriously though, I use my Macs and love them, and one thing that really annoys me about the "Post-PC world" is that it's like a death to using your computer to create stuff. You have to wonder if Steve Jobs would ban Legos from the US if he could, so kids grow up learning to be consumers instead of creators.

Ironically, since the PowerMac G5 came out they seem to have forgot how to make stuff anyway. XD

I don't think Post-PC will mean the death of PCs. They will still be around because there are things that you simply NEED a PC for. But it's about time that we have a method of interacting with the virtual world that is other than a keyboard and mouse or the occasional and highly specific wacom tablet. We're done being faster and/or bigger on the things we do with our current style of computing. Consider that we are now evolving towards doing MORE with our computers. More than text editing, building powerpoints, sketching CAD or building schematics. We're building these things into art, medicine, music, sports, defense, etc. We need new ways of interacting with them.

These Post-PC devices will not be a strictly consumer devices. There are highly creative things people can do more effectively on something more imaginative than a bunch of keys and a small puck you push around a desk. Tablets and larger touch surfaces (ie. Microsoft's) are going to become work benches for something completely different in the very near future.

Touch surface computing encourages a brand new way of working that, ironically, goes back thousands of years; drawing things in the sand with your hands, scribbling on a piece of paper, sketching/brainstorming on a black board, etc. It's highly collaborative without needing multiple terminals. The problem with the current style of collaborative work is that each participant is restricted by their workstations. Each must have a screen in front of them, and a kb and mouse/pad. Imagine if we can collaborate on the same bench/table/desk/blackboard, and being able to see each other as we speak. It's much more human.

 

[thelookingglass]

What they are doing is utter brilliance in terms of marketing and business stratagem. And in typical Apple fashion, it was all done with one simple brilliant stroke. Steve Jobs is a genius. Whatever happens next to this man, this will be his legacy. He'll always be remembered as an innovator.

To think that what Apple's done is mostly Steve Jobs's doing is a joke. They have an amazing team of marketing/retail gurus in addition to the brilliant engineers. The marketing/retail guys have been just as instrumental as the engineers in Apple's success over the years. We all heard Steve Jobs say the other day that the success of their post-PC products would not have been possible without their retail stores.

The reason the iPad 2 will be an even bigger success than the first one is largely because of clever marketing/sales and because consumers will be able to buy one just about anywhere (meaning major outlets like Best Buy, Walmart, etc., in addition to Apple stores).

 

[JoeG4]

Touch surface computing encourages a brand new way of working that, ironically, goes back thousands of years; drawing things in the sand with your hands, scribbling on a piece of paper, sketching/brainstorming on a black board, etc. It's highly collaborative without needing multiple terminals. The problem with the current style of collaborative work is that each participant is restricted by their workstations. Each must have a screen in front of them, and a kb and mouse/pad. Imagine if we can collaborate on the same bench/table/desk/blackboard, and being able to see each other as we speak. It's much more human.

I could happily agree with you there, but the iPad is a small, highly constrictive device with limited processing power and a very small screen for what it is. It can only tolerate running one, maybe two apps at the same time with next to no moving between them.

The MS tablet concept looks like a scaled up iPad, but I doubt that MS would be stupid enough to take something so big and make it a "ONE TASK AT A TIME!" machine like Apple has with the iPad. That alone will open doors.

Still, you're talking about using sticks to draw in the sand. Object interactivity plays a huge role in it, and even then you will be sorta limited because there are still going to be people that spend a lot of time drawing and can't do it at a large flat table in front of a bunch of people. Although.. they might be able to *shrug*

I will agree that the future of computers does not necessarily entail keyboards and mice, but I don't believe the iPad is completely there yet. To be honest, I think it's the modern equivalent of a 286 or the original Macintosh. It can do things that are cool, but in 10-20 years we'll be laughing at its capabilities. 😉

That is, I hope! Notice the problem is you're talking about work environments and commercial environments. My qualm with the iPad is it's geared entirely at "CONSUMERS". Notice the big difference there?

I agree though, there are many places where a keyboard and mouse get in the way - it's still somewhat laughable to say we've reached the point that a computer is unnecessary to create quality material though.

 

[Ryan1524]

To think that what Apple's done is mostly Steve Jobs's doing is a joke. They have an amazing team of marketing/retail gurus in addition to the brilliant engineers. The marketing/retail guys have been just as instrumental as the engineers in Apple's success over the years. We all heard Steve Jobs say the other day that the success of their post-PC products would not have been possible without their retail stores.

The reason the iPad 2 will be an even bigger success than the first one is largely because of clever marketing/sales and because consumers will be able to buy one just about anywhere (meaning major outlets like Best Buy, Walmart, etc., in addition to Apple stores).

Nobody's going to deny that he has the backing of an excellent marketing team and business experts behind him. But given the same caliber of team which any company are fully capable of assembling, there must be something about this particular leader that propels this particular company forward. The chemistry they somehow managed to have at Apple is near-perfect for what they are trying to achieve.

Similar to how people talk about Jack Welch when they talk about GE's period under his rule. There's a reason these people are the leaders.

 

[Ryan1524]

I could happily agree with you there, but the iPad is a small, highly constrictive device with limited processing power and a very small screen for what it is. It can only tolerate running one, maybe two apps at the same time with next to no moving between them.

The MS tablet concept looks like a scaled up iPad, but I doubt that MS would be stupid enough to take something so big and make it a "ONE TASK AT A TIME!" machine like Apple has with the iPad. That alone will open doors.

Still, you're talking about using sticks to draw in the sand. Object interactivity plays a huge role in it, and even then you will be sorta limited because there are still going to be people that spend a lot of time drawing and can't do it at a large flat table in front of a bunch of people. Although.. they might be able to *shrug*

I will agree that the future of computers does not necessarily entail keyboards and mice, but I don't believe the iPad is completely there yet. To be honest, I think it's the modern equivalent of a 286 or the original Macintosh. It can do things that are cool, but in 10-20 years we'll be laughing at its capabilities. 😉

That is, I hope! Notice the problem is you're talking about work environments and commercial environments. My qualm with the iPad is it's geared entirely at "CONSUMERS". Notice the big difference there?

I agree though, there are many places where a keyboard and mouse get in the way - it's still somewhat laughable to say we've reached the point that a computer is unnecessary to create quality material though.

It's a start. I'm sure for enterprise uses, a much larger scale, literally, of an iPad/Surface computing model will need to be implemented. But it's brilliant that we're shifting into this realm now. PCs started with the Macintosh. Who would've imagined in 1983 that 30 years later these things are all networked with the kind of processing power they have.

I don't understand why people harp on the idea that iOS is not multitasking. Multitasking is as necessarily defined by its functionality, and not necessarily by how many 'apps' in its true definition you are capable of running. Let's say you have some sort of virtual workbench on which 4-5 people can interface and throw inputs in. It's technically ONE app running, but it's doing a multitude of things at once, taking input and processing ideas from multiple sources at the same time. Is this not multitasking?

Drawing on the surface is one aspect. But imagine the possibility; gesture interfaces can allow people to manipulate 3D objects, one person can be typing. Someone else can be manipulating other variables, etc.

As for the iPad being a consumer device, yes. At the moment it IS marketed as such. But I'm working in a heavily corporate environment, and there has been many occasions I wished I have an iPad-like device to replace my laptop and notepad. It's only a matter of having the right people build the right apps, and iPad can be as much an enterprise device as it is a consumer sensation. That's the beauty of software.

 

[master-ceo]

You can't develop apps on iPhones and iPads. Until then, PC (win/mac) in the game for years to come. Go figure that 2 of my favorite iOS apps are iDOS and BASIC.

 

[trssho]

Agree mostly, but I think we have a long, long way to go before the past 20 years of tech become obsolete.

Modern computing technology is mostly obsolete after 5 years.

 

[maflynn]

Great read and I tend to agree with most of the article.

This quote really defines where apple is moving towards

it will be a debate about the quality of the experience. Apple is not just eschewing the spec conversation in favor of a different conversation -- it's rendering those former conversations useless.

I think most consumers other then nerds and techy types don't want to deal with specs. Basically, when I help a friend or family member buy a computer. They care less of what the CPU is and more on "will it do the work I need it too"

Intel and the other PC makers helped usher in this believe it or not. Go to the Dell site and build. Does anyone really know what a core i5 650 or how different it would be to a core i5 760 or even the core i5 2300?

We're at a point in the computer age that for the most part specs mean less and user experience is what its all about. Apple gets this and by avoiding the pissing contest that most computer makers are involved in. They can focus on what helps the consumer.

 

[bruinsrme]

It is a fallacy since with all of the Apple products listed a PC is required in order to sync.
Anybody else see the irony in claiming to be in a post-PC world yet needing one.

Apple can shift to some sort of cloud sync.

This will provide another revenue stream, $ per gig of storage and then turn around and charge for up and download transfer by the Meg.

 

[Shivetya]

the iPad leads simply because of some of Apple's own developed Apps. That is a lead they won't hold forever, especially if the store maintains its draconian app requirements/restrictions.

In other words, they took the lead but damn sure in hell look like they are trying everything to give it up. The Android tablet market is just spinning up and the major players are starting to come out and play. This means that soon there will be similar apps for them. With enough of them trying there are bound to be some real good winners amongst them. What will kill the Android market surer than anything if apps become manufacturer specific, as in, if you don't have THIS tablet you can't run X

 

[maflynn]

the iPad leads simply because of some of Apple's own developed Apps. That is a lead they won't hold forever, especially if the store maintains its draconian app requirements/restrictions.

You cannot attribute apple's success with the iPad because they developed some apps for the iPad prior to launch, yet they all were failures.

Just look at the tablet releases prior the iPad. They were all windows based and already had apps available.

No apple's lead won't last forever, but that doesn't mean it will sink into anonymity. Just look at the iPhone. iOS is no longer the dominant OS for smart phones. Android is, but that dosen't mean apple is selling less iPhones. Just that many manufacturers are making multiple phones. The same thing will happen in the tablet sector as well.

The iPad will continue to be the measuring stick to which all tablets will be measured with and as long as apple continues to innovate it will be a success.

 

[whooleytoo]

Yes, but not in the traditional sense. Apple will use improved specifications to explain to users how the already great experience is enhanced. I understand your point, but Apple's prerogative is to create a consumer mindset that doesn't feel obligated to base purchasing decisions on raw numbers, but rather to choose which device provides the best experience.

Apple is creating a wonderfully immersive software platform to sell hardware. They don't want people to care what that hardware is. Whereas other companies want you to buy their hardware based on feeds and speeds.

Which is why I wouldn't call Apple a hardware company, more a 'solutions' company. Mac & OSX. iPod & iTunes & iTMS. iPhone/iPad & iTunes & App Store. They don't sell you components, they want to design and control the entire experience.

Far from a new strategy, I think it's going back to their roots. The original Mac was a closed box, almost impossible to upgrade; and shipped with most of the apps you could need on it. It was to be a home appliance like any other - in a day and age when your typical PC was a ugly, difficult to use box - where you wouldn't care about how it works and just focus on what you want to do with it.

In that sense, the iPad is like the 'spiritual successor' of the original Mac. 🙂

However, a lot of people aren't going to buy into this, and I don't blame them. They'll see it as Apple shirking from a losing fight; enabling them to go with machines with lower specs and yet retain the same price, thus keeping their margins high. "Forget about cruise control, GPS and air-con. You want a car that makes you look & feel good" - Apple could be seen like a dodgy used car salesman. I think the comic strips will have a field day with this. 😉

 

[Fubar1977]

Better? How? Is not it all about the specs (like CPU, thickness etc.)? Obviously it is. And that is why XOOM beats iPad 2.

I`ll happily watch the sales figures prove you wrong. 😉

 

[anthonymoody]

Agree mostly, but I think we have a long, long way to go before the past 20 years of tech become obsolete.

Methinks you're neither a very good student of history nor predictor of the future. The PC-based paradigm as we all think of it, particularly prior to last year when the iPad was introduced, is already obsolete for the vast majority of people on earth. The funny thing is, it already was, we just didn't have another choice like the iPad to make us see this.

It is a fallacy since with all of the Apple products listed a PC is required in order to sync.
Anybody else see the irony in claiming to be in a post-PC world yet needing one.

Did you even read the article in the link? Don't be so literal, it insults you.

Not sure I'm convinced. The consumer electronics market is pretty much saturated now - there are few people out there without any computer, and many of us have several (desktop/laptop/smartphone/tablet).

This means much of the effort will go towards getting existing users to upgrade. How are Apple going to make iPad 2 users upgrade to the iPad 3, or the iPad 4 to the iPad 5, based on the 'experience'? I think as soon as Apple need us to upgrade again, and they've upped the specs, they'll be back talking to us about ppi, GHz and GB.

Ummm 6 billion people on earth. 15 million iPads sold to date, 100mm iPhones sold to date. Unless my math skills escape me I'm pretty sure there's quite a bit more room for growth in these markets.

Just think about the worldwide installed based of PCs. It's something like 100 quinjillion. That's a lot of old crappy hardware just begging to be replaced.

Computers arent going to die, they're going to evolve. And I say that because the iPad IS a computer.

Yup. I posted a lot of comments like this a year ago when the iPad was introduced. People were so reductivist about it ("It's nothing more than a big iPod touch!") they just missed the forest for the trees. It's amazing how stuck some people are, looking in the rear view mirror rather than forward.

Better? How? Is not it all about the specs (like CPU, thickness etc.)? Obviously it is. And that is why XOOM beats iPad 2.

Just. Wow. 🙄
Have you used a Xoom? I have. Android is a perpetually unfinished product (as is the Xoom by the way!) whose overall experience is way trumped by that offered by iOS. Just scroll a webpage. If you can say with a straight face that it's as pleasurable as on an iPad, then this conversation is over.

Repeat after me.

Specs >< user experience.

User experience >>>> specs. Every. Single. Time.

Listen there is no doubt that android hardware makers will ultimately flood the market with 3.0 and higher versions. They will of course have to slash prices to better compete with Apple. A classic race to the bottom as it was with PC hardware sales. That doesn't make the android tablets better.

Btw, google is extremely lucky that Apple didn't do the deal with Verizon a year ago before android sales started to really roll...remember, a lot of consumers didn't have a real choice (most people simply will not switch carriers). Now they do. When the next two year contract cycle is flushed, how much you want to bet that iOS will win back a LOT of android share?

I volunteer at a place where iPads are used to supplement educational tools for elementary school kids. Watching the kids use them, it hits me (as it hits everyone who works there) that these kids are genuinely excited about doing things on the device that exercise their brains and teach them things. The introduction of these devices have had a measurable impact on how well they do, especially on tests they take later during the term. If something like an iPad pulls them away from a TV, where they have no choice over the content, I think it's a good thing.

You might not be interested in content creation stories related to the iPad (in relation to music, art, software), but there are plenty of them. Not even Apple is arguing that iPads replace PCs... Jobs is just saying that we seem to have made an evolutionary shift in how we interact with computers.

I don't think that's far off from fact.

Well said.

 

[Small White Car]

It is a fallacy since with all of the Apple products listed a PC is required in order to sync.
Anybody else see the irony in claiming to be in a post-PC world yet needing one.

Many families with 2 kids (as one example) will soon change from owning 4 laptops + 1 deskop to owning 1 desktop + 4 iPads.

That represents an EXTREME reduction in personal computer sales.

If you don't see that as "post-PC" then I don't know how else to convince you. "Post" doesn't mean they'll be extinct. It just means that Windows machines and Macs will soon be more like dishwashers. Everyone will have one, but you don't care all that much about it and you'd be crazy to ever own two at once.

I can't think of a better term than 'Post-PC.'