“Pundits are declaring mobile the new PC. The number of mobile phones far outstrips the number of desktops. Mobile phones are available to people in the developing world who never had an opportunity to buy or even use a PC. With phones becoming smarter, there will be even less need for people to own PCs. Microsoft has dominated the PC-based world ever since it drove Apple close to extinction in the mid ’90s,” Saad Fazil writes for VentureBeat. “But with Apple’s strong footing in mobile, its recent release of a larger, tablet form factor, iPad, also based on its mobile iPhone OS, and more form factors likely on the way to challenge the traditional PC, we may be in for a rematch.”
MacDailyNews Take: Welcome, Saad. (There’s a reason why Bill Gates took his marbles and went home when he did; even he could see it coming.)
Fazil continues, “Several companies realize that the future lies in mobile. Google, with its obsession about mobile advertising and its foray into the mobile OS space with Android, is a good example. And Microsoft is certainly rethinking its strategy with Windows Phone. But while these and other players develop their mobile strategies, Apple has already built a huge lead, not only with its powerful iPhone operating system, but with the vast number and variety of applications available on that OS. The jury’s still out on whether Apple’s iPad will be the huge success many expect it to be. But even so, the app development community has so much faith in Apple’s ecosystem that we’ve seen startups and bigger companies racing to join a gold rush of app development for the platform. There are more than 150,000 apps available on iPhone and a lot more to come on iPad.”
MacDailyNews Note: There are currently 185,531 apps in Apple’s App Store as of publication. Oops, make that 185,532. Uh, 185,533… You get the idea. Note also that Fazil has underreported the number of apps in Apple’s App Store by approximately the total number of apps available for distant runner up: Google Android (although his “more than” serves as an out of sorts).
Fazil continues, “Now that Apple’s gained a solid foothold in the mobile market, there’s nothing to stop it from expanding its mobile OS and mobile devices — from smartphones and tablets to other, more computing-intensive devices — until it’s once again in a face-to-face fight with Microsoft for dominance of the computing market. And if it does, this time I believe it’ll win.”
MacDailyNews Take: BINGO!
Fazil explains “how Apple could use its lead in the mobile market to redefine the PC industry, and unlike Microsoft, which has gone mobile by stripping down its Windows operating system to create Windows Mobile, will move up the market, from smartphone to PC-like device, by growing its iPhone OS to support new kinds of functionality and devices” in the full article – highly recommended despite our assorted wiseassery above – here.
That’s the sweetness of proper object oriented design, abstraction and encapsulation.
NeXTSTEP has finally come of age and unknowingly been accepted by the masses .. it was about time that software development left the hands of those living in ivory towers eating cake…. everyone can now eat and enjoy the cake.
“The desktop computer industry is dead. Innovation has virtually ceased. Microsoft dominates with very little innovation. That’s over. Apple lost. The desktop market has entered the dark ages, and it’s going to be in the dark ages for the next 10 years, or certainly for the rest of this decade.” Steve Jobs
Didn’t Bill G say, “you can’t reinvent the operating system”.
I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there.
Meji,
The date on that quote is important: February 1996. Jobs was out of Apple at the time he said that.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.02/jobs_pr.html
BINGO says it all.
@MDN– It’s the “assorted wiseassery” that keeps us coming.
Apple already redefined, in fact created, the PC market. The Mac has always been leagues superior.
Those who do not know this right down into their bones are woefully out of touch with reality and history.
Apple has simply continued its vast superior command of computing into the mobile sphere.
Taking back?
How can you take back what was never yours in the first place? The entire planet is grateful to Microsoft for fending off the scourge of overpriced Windows wannabe proprietary computers for elitists made by MAC. Why do these uninformed writers try to rewrite history? And before you declare MAC some sort of winner in the mobile space don’t forget innovative Windows Phone 7 hasn’t been released yet. When that happens it’s buh-bye MAC.
Your potential. Our passion.™
The iPad has revolutionized portable computing. http://www.macdaddynews.com/?p=2412
Wiseassery?
I like it. I think I’ll add it to my lexicon.
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those who mock the past are condemned to repeat it
?
Microsoft is IBM of the late 80’s, miss guided… Google is the new Microsoft, they will try to do the same thing to Apple that Microsoft did way back in the day… This time Job’s is in charge & I don’t think Apple will take this with a spit of KY!!!
Nuff said, PEACE!
Apple opens the development to all and stops censoring and starts allowing interoptivity between applications, desktops have nothing to fear. It’s coming. Butright now it’s not nearly a replacement. I mean you cant even print. Sure it’s coming. But let’s not jump the gun with all the accolades and predictions of doom and gloom for the desktop.
“How can you take back what was never yours in the first place?”
Look up the Apple II.
To be honest, when you start to hear the details about the original Mac, its no surprise it died a horrible death. The price was insane (much more that it needed to be to be profitable) and you needed to buy an even more expensive Lisa to code for the thing. Who’s genius/dick idea was that??
Even the tiny Macintosh SE I first played with as a kid, was several thousand dollars for a tiny b/w display. Crazy
I was thinking the same thing today. If they can fit Pages into the iPad, why not Quicken?
@ mike,
Apple was producing computers for the very high end back then.
Thank Jobs that Apple just produces computers for the high end now-a-days.
For those who comment about the inability to print from an iPad, you have not done your homework. There are several apps for that.
I have now been using my iPad for 6 days (arrived in the mail from a friend in the States on Monday) and I am very pleased with what I am able to do.
There are a few bits of genius of the design that should be mentioned – items I have not seen commented on in any review – 1) the Apple logo on the back is non-slip. If you hold the iPad in portrait or landscape and make sure even one finger is on the logo, you will find that it is much easier to hold.
2) The speakers are in the middle of the iPad (or thereabouts) intentionally. Then they are ported by a channel to the three speaker ports in the “bottom” of the iPad. Why? The entire back of the iPad becomes a vibration chamber. You actually experience music, movie sounds, app sounds through your hands. Now you are interacting with the iPad with three senses: Visual, Aural, and Touch. Pure genius!
Cheers from Downunder
Taking it back? They’ve got everything to gain at only 8 (EIGHT) percent… If you go down, you are screwed. Microsoft has 90 percent!!!! Woohoo Microsoft!
@Zune Tang
“Your potential. Our passion.” ????
Well, let’s see. May 2000, Apple’s Market Cap (price per share X # of shares) = $17 Billion dollars. April 16, 2010 = $224+ Billion dollars and climbing steadily.
May 2000, Microsoft Market Cap = $356 Billion dollars. [over a decade ago, M$ Market Cap was as high as $590 Billion dollars] April 16, 2010 = $269 Billion dollars.
I think Apple is doing quite well as far as its POTENTIAL. Seems like M$’s PASSION needs a little VIAGRA. Maybe things are starting to “peter” out up there in Redmond.
Some can just talk the talk, while others actually walk the walk.
@ZT
Not a very good effort today. Try again tomorrow.
How many more ways are there to promote the stupendous decision by Apple to become the world’s largest mobile device company. When will someone point out the risk Steve is taking when he embraces the pop culture instead of the stability of the serious market for computers.
@ Marco,
The new personal computer is the mobile device. You know, Marco, the device that uses a Mobile OS. You can’t count cash registers this time Marco. You can count mobile point of sale devices. You can count smart phones. You can count smart Digital Music Players but, Marco, the Zune is not a smart Digital Music Player.
Now, Apple is approaching 100,000 smart mobile devices in use. You know, Marco, the new personal computer. Read the article Marco. Microsoft has about 40,000 ‘new’ computers in use and Microsoft won’t be adding much to that total until the first quarter of next year.
Get that Marco. Your beloved Microsoft is behind and losing ground fast in the race to own the ‘new’ personal computer market. Read the damn article Marco.
@ It’s a stretch,
As a Windows Troll you probably wouldn’t know this, but, Apple just this week released the best, most powerful lineup of laptops in the industry. What’s more, all of them have a 10 hour battery life.
Apple makes lots of serious computers. But think about this. The old type of computer is only good for content creation now-a-days. It’s no longer what the average Joe needs anymore. Most PCs will no longer be needed. Most content creators use Macs. That will not change.
Apple may just win the war for the ‘Old personal computers an well as the war for the ‘New’ mobile personal computers.
It’s not a stretch.
Wow big Al
right on the money!!
Attn: MDN
Pleas iCal this thread so I can embarrass smart ass Big Al in a couple of years. Thank you.
Big Al: I’m not a troll. Apple thought so little of the minimal MBPs refresh that they barely mentioned them – a ripple in the mega waves of iPad ‘magic’.
“Only good for content creation”? What the hell were you doing with the things before the iPad era? You are right, though, about the ‘average Joe’ but now those tiny brain people have just what they need – an expensive toy to fall in love with.
In the meantime, those of us who depend on real computers will soon be sent to the world of Windows as our only choice and I can imagine nothing worse as the outcome of the transformation of my beloved Apple Inc. into a dumbed down gadget company.