“We are looking at the forest instead of the trees when it comes to the current tablet wars between Apple, Google’s Android platforms like Motorola Xoom and Samsung’s Galaxy and Research in Motion’s soon-to-ship PlayBook,” Eric Jackson writes for Forbes.
“Apple doesn’t look at their businesses through separate product groups.,” Jackson writes. “They don’t have an iPhone strategy conceived of by people who never talk to the iPad corporate strategy people. Take a step back and look at the forest: Apple is following a Post-PC Strategy.”
Jackson writes, “So what is their Post-PC Strategy? It is an iOS strategy. They want to be the dominant operating system through your life – at home and on the move. That sounds a little geeky but it means that they want you to be so delighted with your experience on the iPhone’s operating system that you want that same experience on your tablet. After you are satisfied with that experience, you start to wonder why you are still using a PC versus a Mac or MacBook Air as your ‘desktop computer.’ And then that will extend to your television.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: When we wrote the following a lot of people laughed: As we have always said, even as many short-sightedly waved (and continue to wave) the white flag, the war is not over. And, yes, we shall prevail… No company is invincible. Not even Microsoft. – MacDailyNews Take, January 10, 2005
Who’s laughing now?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]
Always keep in mind that iOS is a stripped down subset of OS X that includes features unique to the device platform it is used on. Apple has a platform that they are building the future on. Therefore, all of their devices and services have no issues working together with each other.
The world’s most respected OS!
The Wintards say that iOS is weak. Not even a half an OS compared to running Windows on a tablet. The Wintards claim that you can’t do ANYTHING with iOS. So Microsoft’s strategy is to have full desktop Windows OS running on everything. I’m not sure if that strategy will fly, but that’s what the Wintards want. Although, I’m not sure if that’s what consumers want.
I’m kind of surprised that Apple doesn’t try to port OSX desktop to ARM and run the full OSX on tablets. A quad-core ARM chip might be able to do it but it will boost the memory requirements considerably and shorten battery life.
PC people want everything, including the kitchen sink. The great Bertrand Serlet illustrated the restraint Apple have when he said it can take years, YEARS, for Apple to approve an API for internal use, then years more for it to be made available to developers.
As the old adage goes “perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but there is nothing left to take away.”
And by “post-PC,” I hope he means “post-Windows-PC,” and NOT “post-personal-computers.” Personal computing is what started Apple, and it will continue to thrive at Apple. You can’t get more personal with your computing than with iPad. Macs grow more popular every year, steadily growing into the portion controlled by Windows. And the smaller devices (iPhone and iPod touch and whatever the future brings) will be considered “personal computers” going forward.
So it’s not really “post-PC.” It’s the movement away from personal computing dominated by Microsoft.
Even Steve Jobs said that in the future most people won’t have a big stand alone computer. Computers will be like trucks compared to cars (cars being tablet like devices). Most people have cars and some people have trucks for heavy lifting. In the future most people will have iPads or something like it and a few will have stand alone computers, probably multimedia professionals and maybe a few gamers if PC gaming still exists.
Just because PC means personal computer that doesn’t mean the iPad is a PC when talking about post PC. The intention of that phrase “post-PC” is the current idea of a PC (desktop computer or laptop) will not be around as much in the future. Eventually most people won’t have a PC, they’ll have a tablet or smart device. No one knows how far in the future but I’d say no more then 50 and no less then 10 years from now.
Once Apple makes it so you can use your iPad without needing a PC (for activation, updates, syncing etc) that’s probably when the shift will accelerate.
…”No one knows how far in the future but I’d say no more then 50 and no less then 10 years from now.”
That’s way too far in the future. Apple has set everything up to completely eliminate Mac OS X and move desktop computing to multi-touch, screen-driven iOS on the desktop (mouse is going to the museum). Lion will most likely be the final cat and I wouldn’t be surprised if in five years, migration to iOS is complete across the line. If they continue to ship server software (and hardware), that will be about the only machine coming with the old Mac OS X.
A lot of people were predicting desktop computers would become mostly extinct, due to the rise of laptop computers. Well, Apple still sells a lot of iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro, and there is no shortage of large LCD displays for the “other” platform. Why? Because there is value in having a BIG screen, just as there is value in mobility.
You cannot efficiently and effectively interact with a large-screen computer using a “multi-touch” and “screen-driven” interface. The keyboard and mouse (or equivalent) interface has been popular for so long because it is very usable. The users hands and arms stay mostly stationary and in a resting (restful) position, while providing access to the entire screen with small movements. Whatever replaces the keyboard/mouse will need to be equally efficient and effective.
I predict that the iPad will go to two screen sizes at either the 3rd or 4th generation. One will be slightly smaller (at the current pixel resolution) and one will be slightly larger (at maybe 1600×1200 resolution). However, I do not think Apple will ever use the iPad’s touch-screen interface on a device with a screen larger than about 12 inches. To be usable, the DEVICE needs to move to accommodate the user (not the user’s body moving to accommodate a stationary device), and the user meeds to be able to easily (with relatively small movement) touch any location part of the screen (no bending forward and stretching with arms and hands held in awkward positions).
Also, you are using the term “iOS” to mean a touch-based interface. That mode of thinking is out-dated. Going forward, “iOS” will be the CORE of the OS that powers Apple’s computing devices. Apple will design a different user interface for each different device.
For example, Apple TV uses “iOS” with an interface designed for a small simple remote control. iPhone and iPod touch use “iOS” with a touch interface for very small screens. iPad uses “iOS” with a somewhat different touch interface. Therefore, in two or three years, or whenever Mac OS X Lion ends its run, it is probable that a future “iOS” will be at the core of the new OS for Macs. BUT, the GUI will NOT be touch-based nor involve leaving fingerprints all over a 27-inch iMac screen. It will be an interface that Apple believes is best suited for “desktop” computing, and will probably involve a keyboard and mouse equivalent (at least in the near term).
The next thing we eventually might see that displaces the desktop computer paradigm will be a big-ass table, done right — by Apple:)
Try doing fine-tuned Photoshop work with your finger.
The mouse is going nowhere.
“wars between Apple, Google’s Android platforms like Motorola Xoom and Samsung’s Galaxy and Research in Motion’s ”
I don’t get it, why pople still saying that “Apple is in war with other tablets” or “apple’s competitor”?????
NO BODY BESIDES APPLE MAKES iPads!!!!! Apple is not at war and apple is not in competition with any other companies.
The Xoom does competes with the Galaxy or the Asus because they do have the same OS, same Application store, Same hardware, etc. It is not the same a “iPad” than “others” cathegory.
Microsoft Windows is the most disrespected tart of a OS. All flavors…
Bingo
Let me add that it looks like apple is moving to the cloud. The iOS is very small and I bet that apple is getting ready to have the only true clous OS and services.
Yessss. Apple strategy already has at least three very successful hardware devices: iPod touch, iPad, and the iPhone. And the AppleTV is only two or three baby steps away from becoming a full-fledged member of the iDevices universe.
That’s also why the Apple app store had $1.7 billion in sales compared to the Android store’s $102 million in sales in 2010. That is really astounding given Android’s numerical growth.
It’s fine that there’s a second OS out there for all of the cheapskates and tinkerers and thick-headed Apple haters. Just like “switchers” (which seems like a quaint term these days), they’ll either wake up to the concept of total cost of ownership/time is important/life is more important than porn apps — or they won’t.
Say what? “life is more important than porn apps”?
I did not get that memo.
within a few years the need for a stand alone PC or laptop will be gone!
We will be able to do whatever is needed on future ipads, which will come in a variety of sizes. IPads will be thinner and lighter so that you could use a 20 inch ipad (for example) in your lap on a desk or drafting table or in a dock with or without an external keyboard.
This will be apparent by iPad 5. Their will be a few lingering desktop laptop makers for those who are too freaked out by this changing paradigm. (windows may dominate the dinosauer computer market) :).
Welcome to the future of iPad.
Graphics and other heavy duty apps will be much better and more user friendly on the future iPad.
OSX and iOS will blend and more as needed.
It’s quite a thrill to watch this paradigm shift play out especially where Apple had come from in the 90’s. I believe this has always been Steve Jobs vision but the eureka moment for Steve came when they were working with the touch interface for a tablet in 05 then backed off the tablet to design the IPhone. At thaty moment Steve realized that the technology was there to move beyond the desktop to a hand held device with very few compromises. Leave old technology behind like Flash, hard drives and disc drives and you have an elegant user friendly device that will rule the world. Everything Apple is working on now plays off of this post-pc Apple revolution. Like Steve said, the competition is still looking at the IPad as specs and speeds instead of the bigger picture. I realize now that all these box and phone makers are a lot further behind than anyone can conceptually percieve. I am looking forward to the NC Data Center coming online very soon putting the final piece in the puzzle.
“I’m a PC” – “I’m a MAC”
Not very many under 65 think of PC as a generic acronym for personal computer.
HAHAHAHAH! but i agree though
Jackson’s a waste of time. He’s the idiot that said Apple was generating $1.3B at its four Chinese Apple Stores. He never took the time to read Apple’s financials!
You can have my MacPro when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.
MDN take:- ‘we shall prevail.”
Surely not goods words to use when you remember the 1984 representation of Big Blue…?
Besides, it’s just plain arrogant.
I see the post-PC era as being characterised by the way in which we use computing devices. My vision, is that we are moving toward a time when we have range of devices that have different characteristics making each suitable for particular tasks, and most importantly are all connected so that our information is everywhere we want it to be.
We are part of the way there in our house. We have an iMac for tasks where the big screen is really important. We each have laptops that are with us whenever we care to carry them; one of these will be swapped for an iPad when it gets delivered. We have iPod Touch and phones which are always with us wherever we are. We have a Mini that hosts the music collection and other entertainment software. We have a network connection into the hifi so we can stream music etc. into a decent sound system. Most important all this is networked and many services and data are easily shared, some of it transparently. MobileMe assists with this.
We are not fully there yet; there are improvements that could be made with individual components, including to MobileMe and some parts of the whole environment, such as the satellite box/pvr are still stuck in the TV age.
We look forward to the time that computing devices and our data are everywhere we want them to be.
And what a great piece of business. In the PC era, we bought a computer that everyone shared. In the post-PC era, we have several devices, some shared, some personal plus a range of services, some of which have subscription fees.