iPad Drives Apple to Third Place Among Global Portable Computer Manufacturers

[ogee]

How do they define the term 'portable computer' anyway?

If you accept that "A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format." and accept portable is something that is "able to be easily carried or moved" then the iPad is a portable computer by definition.

However, the problem isn't really a question of if the iPad is a computer or not, but more a question of how to group the computers they compare.

 

[JoEw]

costumers want an ipad over a netbook because as what jobs said the ipad does some key things better then a netbook. Email, Web, Music, Video. The best thing about the ipad is that it instantly turns on when you need it. Theres no waiting for it to turn on letting the hole os load then clicking on the firefox icon... then trying to get the wifi to work you get the idea

However the ipad should never be put in the same category of notebooks. When you need to run some serious time intensive applications you use a notebook or desktop.

Tablets will overtake netbooks. Netbooks are just crappier notebooks.

 

[newagemac]

Yah, i would put iPads in the MID (mobile internet device) class...

If it doent run a full OS it shouldnt be lumped with anything that does, because that makes all the difference. (full apps, no walled garden )



People are buying them instead of netbooks due to size and ease of use, so it would make more sense to see the data of how iPads are eating netbook sales...

How is iOS not a "full OS"? It is OS X, just a different flavor basically but all the underpinnings of the code that makes it OS X is there. And even smartphones are faster, more powerful, and can do more than many consumer computers from just 10 years ago. If I still own a computer from 10 years ago with a slower processor and less RAM than the iPad is that computer no longer considered a computer? I think it still is a computer. So yes I would call the iPad a portable computer.

 

[0098386]

If you accept that "A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format." and accept portable is something that is "able to be easily carried or moved" then the iPad is a portable computer by definition.

That definition encompasses the PSP and DS as well.

 

[ViViDboarder]

The iPad is a computer just like a netbook, desktop, or laptop.

Get over it...this is where everything mobile is coming to.

Everybody under the SUN wants to make an ipad clone...and all of them will fail...except for some of the android ones..

Umm... but they still make laptops and desktops. Your argument is moot.

The iPad is a different device. It really is a MID. As we move to more and more cloud based systems having a device that primarily works through the internet is great.

The thing is, there is a lot of hardware out there that uses standards like USB and RJ45. The cost and difficultly of writing custom apps to be approved at Apple's discretion as well as paying the expensive license to build custom hardware accessories to support only on one specific manufacturers hardware are reasons why I think the chances are slim to none that the iPad will REPLACE netbooks and laptops and desktops like you presume.

This is the same reason Apple will continue to sell MacBooks and will not be replacing it's USB ports with the 30pin connector.

One last point... People aren't making iPad "clones". There were a large number of tablet/pad devices announced at CES well before the iPad was announced.

 

[bkspero]

Fits on both function and price point

It really doesn't matter what Jobs, analysts, or anybody else want to classify the iPad as. The only thing that matters is how consumers see it and from the looks of it, they certainly are choosing an iPad over a low end notebook/netbook in ever increasing numbers. This chart just perfectly illustrates that fact.

It's obvious since the majority of what a netbook is used for is simple tasks like web browsing and email.

I used to have a netbook and it was torturous attempting to run something like Adobe CS on it. Never used it much other than web surfing and emailing which the iPad is far better at and more enjoyable doing on than a netbook.

Nowadays I like to use full powered desktop for real work, an ipad for around the house casual use (often on a couch or in bed), and a smartphone for mobile use away from home. Each one is best suited for its specific task.

I really don't see the point of a netbook anymore for the majority of people.

Agree that if netbooks are included (and they are) then iPad fits into this category as well. Similarly, the iPad fits on pricing, as its cost ranges from that of a low end Windows notebook for the basic model, to a pretty well outfitted i5 Windows desktop at the high end. It also overlaps with the new Mini.

Be interesting to see if the growth continues, or if this is a launch-bump. I don't see as clear advantage for the tablet form factor over the netbook as you do. I think that mobile uses have to be important, and the need for a case, and the need to protect the screen of the tablet during transport limits its functionality in a way that netbooks don't. Seeing someone at Starbucks take out their iPad, and a stand, and a keyboard is a hoot compared to pulling out a netbook.

The big unknown, I think, is non-traditional applications. Will there be a big adoption of a $500 home remote control device? Or wide adoption of portable internet television? Or something that I can't conceive of? If they take off, and if Apple can hold off Android better than they have in the phone marketplace, they could drive Windows market share down to 60 or 70%. That would be a big accomplishment.

 

[ViViDboarder]

...

Tablets will overtake netbooks. Netbooks are just crappier notebooks.

I think this is a very true statement. Netbooks really seemed appealing as lightweight portable computers. Now even the line between netbook and notebook is being blurred. 10" netbooks and 12" notebooks. Really? There's practically no difference.

Netbooks were the only choice other than notebooks for portable computing and that's why they were selling like hotcakes. Now that there are other options like fantastic smartphones, the iPad and other tablet devices we will be seeing a decline.

I think netbooks will continue to exist but it'll be a farm more niche market (for hackers or people like me that are looking for open standard hardware in a small package) or they'll just be called notebooks and have smaller screens.

As for netbooks being crappy notebooks... Yea. My EVO 4G is faster than my EeePC 900, has the same amount of RAM and storage and only has a 2X the diagonal screen size (I realize that this equates to 4x the area). (Less than 2X the linear resolution 1024x600 vs 800x480)

 

[Detlev_73]

The iPad is a great product. I decided to wait for the 3G version, and it's neat and all, but the honeymoon has passed. Not being able to get to some Flash sites is annoying; it would be nice if web designers recognized this trend and immediately converted sites to HTML5.

Now, having bought an iPhone 4, I'm VERY spoiled on the Retina Display; this is what should have gone into the iPad...perhaps next year.

 

[bossxii]

The sooner the netbooks die off the better for everyone, informed and the UNinformed. Don't really care what they are classified as, all I know is after buying my 32gig Wifi on launch day I listed it on CL this past weekend and got $600 out of it, not bad to pay the tax to rent an iPad for several months. Went back and found a 64gig 3G model for 700 via CL and couldn't be happier. The more apps that show up the more flexibility the iPad shows, best mobile computer I've purchased to date.

 

[*LTD*]

How so?

Meaning he can't f around with the insides, can't run crysis or WoW on it, and can't swap out videocards every second month in order to compete with the other kids in the basement on his street.

 

[Curtis62005]

I dont know. I wouldnt call the ipad a netbook yet. The next generation will probably become more of a netbook. I mean if my ipad is a netbook then my iPhone is also a netbook because my iphone does more/same as my ipad. (Does more if you dont have a 3g ipad). Thats my opinion.

 

[jayman99]

I think that it is great that Apple does very well in any new product category that they enter. It is only a matter of time for competitors to come on board and offer similar products, with similar and great functions, at a cheaper cost to consumers. It's called CHOICE. We will see what the future holds, but great job for now leading the industry, Apple!

 

[cult hero]

Now, having bought an iPhone 4, I'm VERY spoiled on the Retina Display; this is what should have gone into the iPad...perhaps next year.

Sure, if someone wanted to spend $2,000 on an iPad. That kind of pixel density comes at a cost.

 

[TheFro]

How is iOS not a "full OS"? It is OS X, just a different flavor basically but all the underpinnings of the code that makes it OS X is there. And even smartphones are faster, more powerful, and can do more than many consumer computers from just 10 years ago. If I still own a computer from 10 years ago with a slower processor and less RAM than the iPad is that computer no longer considered a computer? I think it still is a computer. So yes I would call the iPad a portable computer.

Its easy. I can not take photoshop or illustrator and install it on my iPad... i can however take those same apps and install them on my netbook... it will suck but i can still do it.... so there you go... the iOS is an OS, but it cant be compared to systems running ungimped versions of an OS.

Originally Posted by ogee
If you accept that "A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format." and accept portable is something that is "able to be easily carried or moved" then the iPad is a portable computer by definition.

My TI-89 fits that description.....

 

[spazzcat]

Umm... but they still make laptops and desktops. Your argument is moot.

The iPad is a different device. It really is a MID. As we move to more and more cloud based systems having a device that primarily works through the internet is great.

The thing is, there is a lot of hardware out there that uses standards like USB and RJ45. The cost and difficultly of writing custom apps to be approved at Apple's discretion as well as paying the expensive license to build custom hardware accessories to support only on one specific manufacturers hardware are reasons why I think the chances are slim to none that the iPad will REPLACE netbooks and laptops and desktops like you presume.

This is the same reason Apple will continue to sell MacBooks and will not be replacing it's USB ports with the 30pin connector.

One last point... People aren't making iPad "clones". There were a large number of tablet/pad devices announced at CES well before the iPad was announced.

And where are they? They been making tablets for years. Apples success has forced companies to re-think their slate/tablet plans.

 

[spazzcat]

Its easy. I can not take photoshop or illustrator and install it on my iPad... i can however take those same apps and install them on my netbook... it will suck but i can still do it.... so there you go... the iOS is an OS, but it cant be compared to systems running ungimped versions of an OS.



My TI-89 fits that description.....

You can't run photoshop natively on Linux, does that make it not a computer if its running Linux? Photoshop is a program, just because X program doesn't run on Y computer does not mean Y is not a computer.

Also, your TI-89 is a computer. A very specialized one, but a computer no less.

 

[TheFro]

You can't run photoshop natively on Linux, does that make it not a computer if its running Linux? Photoshop is a program, just because X program doesn't run on Y computer does not mean Y is not a computer.

You know, you're right. i didnt think of that. thanks for setting me straight.

 

[Full of Win]

If you accept that "A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format." and accept portable is something that is "able to be easily carried or moved" then the iPad is a portable computer by definition.

However, the problem isn't really a question of if the iPad is a computer or not, but more a question of how to group the computers they compare.

Using that definition then it could include an iPod Touch, iPhone, Graphing Calculator, and even Pen Computers. I guess the best answer here is that there is no simple answer. A portable computer is what you think it is. For some it is an iPhone w/ a BT keyboard. For others, its a 17 inch MacBook Pro connected to an external drive with eSATA.

 

[tod]

That definition encompasses the PSP and DS as well.

The speed, OS, and screen size of the iPad has the potential of enabling serious work. It might take some time for the right software to come along, and you might need a keyboard with it. But I agree that there is something about it that classes it with mobile computers, but not mobile game machines.

 

[ericinboston]

I think this sentence in the article already answered your question:

" if the iPad were to be categorized as a portable computer along with netbooks and notebooks"

No it didn't hence my post. The article is littered with ambiguities...as others here have basically said what I posted.

Poorly written article...and poor comparisons.

 

[macjiro]

In my mind the iPad is NOT a portable computer. A portable computing applicance? Yea, thats fine.

Yup. Off-course, i am amazed with the IPad but for what i want to do, i need a notebook. I want to run pro apps. I think this will come to tablets eventually. I think this is what MS will do with their Tablet launch and Win7. I'm in a wait/see mode with tablets.

 

[foiden]

I have to agree. The iPad is actually a pretty fantastic product. It doesn't do everything, but it certainly does a lot of the most common functions. It really is my preferred device for consumption. It actually makes my Macbook Pro 13 inch seem kind of bulky and unwieldy at times. A thought, a year ago, would've been preposterous.

But outside a few sites, I tend to grab my iPad first and such. Art programs? iPad. Check out other artist's contributions? iPad. Do general updates on my spreadsheets? iPad. Play various game apps. iPad.

So it's gone from a device in which I thought at first, wasn't really necessary, to something where I found some practical application for "Replacing regular music sheets for performance, encoding music sheets to ebook or PDF format". Then it eventually became my go-to device for consumption and various App software. The battery life also helps as it trounces my macbook pro for it. So more or less, it became a device that I use more than my laptop unless I want to work on making music, pay bills (and keep records of them), or create movies using the better software.

 

[NAG]

Also, your TI-89 is a computer. A very specialized one, but a computer no less.

Why it got banned from tests too.

 

[munstedt]

Yay!!!!!! This probably won't last very long with all the android tablets coming next year... But yay apple!!!!

 

[cult hero]

Typical apple fanboy fail. We could spend hours pointing out what an iPad can't do that a netbook can.

And I can point out the things a netbook can't do that an iPad can.

Why am I even getting sucked into this conversation though? This is going to be the typical two sides talking circles around one another and will devolve into something only slightly less retarded than the Mac Pro threads.