Apple becomes No. 3 global PC maker with 241% growth, if iPad is included - Page 3

Every definition of 'computer' I've seen has been arbitrary. Definitions of computer are generally self serving in order to make some point or other.

IMHO its obviously a computer, just one that looks as different from a desktop PC as the desktop does from a UNIVAC.

Processing power is evolving so processing power does have a say. If SW were constant then you’d be right but since OSes to apps to webpages become more complex to take advantage of the new HW the minimum requirements also increase.

As an example, netbooks are a subset of notebooks because of the Atom CPU that made this market possible. They were much slower than Intel’s other offerings but they were x86 compatible and used very little power in comparison without incurring the high cost of ULV chips. The SFF CULV CPU in any MBA costs more than most netbooks. This is why the MBA is classified as an ultra-light notebook and not a netbook.

Quit your patronizing crap. I understood the marketing position Apple took with the iPad before they even unveiled it. Marketing is what I do for a living.

The discussion is whether broad category PC sales numbers should include iPads in with Macs. That's it. That's the entire discussion. Which you did not even address in your diatribe.

My answer is no. My questions revolve around the stark differences between an iPad and every other device considered a PC. Like..the fact..that you need..another PC..to actually...use it.

My main gripe is with people ignoring that glaring point, for some odd reason. It can't be utterly discounted, yet some people think it can. That is simply arrogance, and ignorance.

Yet, I'd be happy to concede that the iPad should be included with PC numbers if the iPod touch is included as well. At least then it makes "sense"

I forgot about the DVD accessory, but the App Store clearly is a host computer.

I guess I don't know what happens when it crashes/locks up in the sense that I haven't experienced that. After a hart reset, are you saying it commonly comes up re-bricked and that having another PC remedies this? How common are these crashes that set an ipad back to square 1?

Which basic software updates do you mean specifically? The apps update through the app store, as I understand it, the only thing that need updating though another PC is OS updates, major or minor, which I dont believe are necessary for the device to function....ignoring the fact that I dont believe this is necessarily relevant to a broad PC category...

If that is the distinction that you choose to differentiate a computer from an accessory -- then without the simple reinstall drive, a MacBook Air would be an accessory device.



http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html

We all know the MBA is a computer.

So, the MBA gets:
-- initial OS from a reinstall drive
-- its OS updates from the Internet
-- its apps from the Internet via Mac App store
-- its content from the Internet and/or the iTunes store
-- its sync data from the Internet

When you think about it logically, how difficult would be for Apple to include an iOS reinstall drive with the iPad?

The infrastructure is already in place to do the same services for the iPad as for the MBA.

The iPad would have the option to get those services directly (as does the MBA) or through iTunes running on a local Mac/PC/Home Server -- because the services can be provided faster, staged through iTunes, than accessed directly, on demand, from the cloud.

So, we're talking the throw-away cost of an iOS reinstall drive as the differentiator.

I'll see your bet -- and raise you an iPad recharger/power supply that includes an AirportExpress, iTunes Music store and App store account (based on device ID), a MobileMe account based on deviceID.

Now, by your definition -- doesn't that make the iPad better qualified as a standalone device than the MBA.

Just because Apple hasn't done it, yet -- doesn't mean they won't!

Right but capabilities to run software can create many, many categories device in and of itself if you want to go that route.

From Smartphone, to tablet, to netbook, to laptop, to huge towers, these all have sets of current software that they can/cannot run....I just dont see a relevant place to place a line in the sand there.

1. Restore. A PC can restore itself, using physical media to reload the OS. The iPad cannot. It needs a PC to do this for it.

2. OS updates are never required. This simply follows the same major restriction as the above. Restoring and updating are the same here. They require a PC.

The more we spell it out, the more the discussion remains the same. When you don't need a PC to own an iPad, then iPad will graduate to becoming a PC itself. Feature list aside.

It just doesn't make sense to me in this way, it all seems to be trying to box in a PC as classic desktop computer, needing to fit into these parameters to be considered a personal computing device.

To me its as has been stated:

PC's
Desktop
Laptop
Tablet
Smart Phone

Maybe others as well, but these are all PC's, you can divide them up further into any sections that seem relevant but it makes no sense to me to remove a smartphone or tablet from a Personal Computer group.

Stand Alone PC? Sure call them that, I just dont see how it ceases to be a personal computer because its not stand alone.

Here's one way to differentiate:

Actual computers should have user accessible file systems and not require the use of 'actual' computers in order to be activated i.e. completely stand-alone computing devices.

My iPad (or any iDevice) has nothing of the sort, so should not be considered a fully-functioning/independent computer, but merely a media-consumption device/computer peripheral (in its current incarnation).

I would say, first of all, the "media tablet" category is entirely misrepresentative. The iPad is clearly not a "media tablet" based on any meaning of those words that approaches reality or common usage. And you can't base this categorization on "what most people use it for most of the time", even assuming most people use it strictly for "media consumption", which I doubt is the case. If you wish to apply that sort of categorization, then you have to classify most PCs as "media devices" since that's a good part of what most people are using those for as well, and you've muddled the definition of PC so much as to make it meaningless.

The iPad certainly is a "personal computer" in the sense that it's a general purpose computing device designed primarily for personal use. An iPhone also fits this definition to some extent, but it simply makes sense to classify it in a separate "smartphone" category, which is clearly a distinct category of device. An iPod Touch also fits the above definition of "personal computer", but it's better classified as a "personal digital assistant", which is also a distinctly recognized device category.

The question is, what makes the most sense in terms of categorization. I have no problem with a separate "tablet" category, but that should include all tablets -- iPads, Galaxy Tabs, Windows tablets, etc. -- based on form factor and user interaction methods, and not on some sketchy categorization based on the type of operating system it runs. From the user perspective, the whole, "needs to sometimes connect to a 'full computer'," is meaningless and irrelevant. Yes, it's some sort of characteristic of some devices, but it doesn't define what those devices do and how users interact with them. Simply because Apple has designed its mobile devices to require the user to connect to iTunes to activate doesn't create a separate device category on that basis.

Either the category should be "tablets", including all tablets/slates/whatever, or it should be classified as a "personal computer". It really doesn't make any sense at all to classify Windows tablets and iPads/Android tablets in separate categories; they primarily serve the same functions for users. But, ultimately, the whole computing device category thing is becoming somewhat meaningless, or at least utterly confused. (As evidenced by this entire debate.) The "personal computer market" made sense as a category when most computing devices where desktops and laptops. "Smartphones" makes some sense as a device category based on special functionality, although, even that is becoming somewhat blurred: consider an iPod Touch running VOIP software. And the lines of demarcation and functionality will continue to become less and less distinct as time goes on.

But, maybe the most important question, since these categories are discussed mainly by financial analysts, is what meaning do they have for investors. In that context, I'm not really sure how meaningful it is, unless you view "media tablets" as the future, and "personal computers" as the past, in which case, being the leading "personal computer" maker isn't necessarily a good thing.

You gotta love the geeky mudslinging over classifications that only geeks care about, as if it's significant or important. Now hear this: it doesn't really matter to anyone but geeks. Apple just proved how little anybody else cares how these devices are classified, they care about whether they work. It's high time for even the geeks to take notice, since that's the real significance of the iPad.

Ahh... and there you have it!

The grocer puts fruits, berries, vegetables, legumes, fungi, etc. in the produce section -- and lets the users decide which best meet their needs.

So, iPhones, iPads, Laptops, Desktops, Servers, Micros, Minis, Mainframes are all in the computer section.

Some are just more personal than others.

P.S. I don't think any device that cannot directly connect to the Internet (without cables, accessories, or tethering) to be a Personal Computer... Oh yeah... it must have a floppy drive too

Sounds like you think about syncing a lot. But I don't know why you have that syncing feeling...

I have synced my iPad once in maybe the last six months. That was to get this last iOS update. Once I had the initial songs and photos and movies I wanted on the iPad, I was good to go.

You can recharge it without syncing it. You can get new apps, and updates for old apps without syncing it. You can get mail. You can sync your calendar, bookmarks and addresses without syncing it. You can share and move files over the air without syncing it.

The ONLY thing requiring tethering to my Mac is an iOS update, and I find that a good thing: since it does a check, makes a backup, archives the apps bought through the iPad and vice versa, makes sure the download is smooth and uninterrupted, then installs and optimises. Rather refreshing, actually.

How often does one update the OS on a netbook or Android tablet anyway? Probably never. I'd want to retire a crappy plastic netbook or tablet in about six months anyway. But, as I would never buy one for my personal computing, I guess Apple gets to count one more non-computer sale (829-dollar, 64GB, 3G model).

Sent from McDonalds on my iPad.

Whatever. If we use your loose definition, then every product Apple sells with a power cord or battery could be called a "PC". Should that be that case? I dunno. If no iPod touch on the list, then why iPad? Spell that argument out in clear terms (it can't be done).

For me, it comes down to this:

I can buy a Mac, any Mac, and never need another PC of any kind. Ever.

I can buy an iPad, and I still need a PC of some kind from day one.

That is significant, and cannot be overlooked. PCs do not require other PCs in order to function.

I think you need to pick a tone and stick with it. it's pretty off-putting to be belittling people for being too invested in the topic and simultaneously kind of flipping out in the same thread.

Not true by any means.
I bought an iPad as an "extra" device, not in place of a netbook/UL or other notebook.

I have a friend (works for Best Buy) who says in his opinion most buyers are looking for it as an entertainment device (ebooks, video, games, etc..) or as a light weight alternative to an existing device.

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See, this is an intentional distortion of reality. That's not the ONLY thing... That's not even ONE thing.

Turning into an iPad instead of brick, requires tethering.
Backing up any and all of your content/purchases/settings/OS, requires tethering.
Resorting the software in the event of total system failure, requires tethering.

Fully functioning is ENTIRELY in the eye of the beholder.

No you need a stand alone pc.

And touch not being on there was simply a mistake, as I've already stated previously in the thread I think it also is a personal computer.

When you get down to it (and after reading a lot of these entries), the term in this case is a marketing term.

From that perspective, the iPad is not.
Some point the marketing definition will / may change.

While I agree with those that talk about the iPad need to have an existing pc, what about the new Android / RIM devices coming out?
They don't.

Definition change?

Flipping out? Hardly. Mind your own frigging business, or contribute to the conversation. Don't quote 4 posts just to tell me how to post. I'm well within control, thanks.

In terms of what the user can do with it, which is all the user cares about, it's simply not a relevant distinction.

For example, suppose your "personal computer", a "traditional" desktop computer, is set to boot over the network, say over your home network. Does that mean it suddenly isn't a personal computer any longer because of the way it's configured? Suppose Apple, at Noon today, removed the requirement to connect an iPad to iTunes to activate it, and provided some sort of "restore stick" (as menitoned, I think, by Dick Applebaum) that would allow you to reload and update the OS. Would that suddenly turn the iPad, with no other changes, into a "personal computer"?

When you look at the distinction in terms of what it really means, it turns out to be quite trivial.

Call it whatever you want. I'm not comfortable giving the name PC to an iPod or iPad, any more than I would call an external hard drive a PC.

Like a laptop or netbook?

Right, that's what my parents did. Between their phone and ipads, they quite literally have no use for any other personal computing device - beyond the aforementioned tethering.

But what does that say? When a smartphone and ipad have taken responsibility for nearly every single function that their previous personal computers took care of?

My guess is the current requirement is going to influence PC users who get an iPad to replace PC with a Mac next time around simply because they fall in love with Apple quality. If no mothership required many won't even buy another 'real' computer. As I say just a guess since I have no idea whatsoever since as you say it could be done now.

It's not trivial at all, because Apple is not about to do that at noon today, or within even the next few years.

If they did that, then yes I would say they are PCs because they don't require iTunes installed on a PC to function. It's not trivial at all, it's the difference between needing a f'ing Mac, or not needing one. That. Is. Not. A. Trivial. Distinction.

This is what I believe as well.

The PC isn't done changing either. This whole thing is just based on a perception of what the original PC was for years, it doesn't mean that it'swhat they need to be in order to be a PC for the rest of time.

I agree!

This: "Is it a PC?" argument was being made, mid last year, that the iPad wasn't a PC because it didn't run a "Proper OS".

That argument was crap then just as this argument is crap now.

It's kind of interesting that the OS category showing the fastest growth is these "Improper OSes" -- iOS, Android, et al.


Then there is the story about the harried mother standing in an ice cream store with a screaming infant -- "Bwaa, I want Vanilla!". The store was out of vanilla.

The mother was able to pacify the unruly child by telling him that he could have "pink vanilla".

The definition of a PC does not include the fact that it needs to operate out of the box, that is just your definition.

How a device is set up / activated or updated does not define what it is.
What defines what it is, is what it does.

When I buy a coffee maker it does not come with coffee I have to buy coffee to make the device useful and serve its purpose. Even without the coffee, it is still a coffee maker.

I a PC that is fault, i.e. needs repair not a PC? It needs fixing, yet it is still a PC.

Is the iPhone not an iPhone until it is activated? The device is still a phone, it might not work until it is activated, but it is still a phone.

Is a PC with no OS or software installed on it not a PC, if I wipe my HD in my Mac does that make it not a PC.

Just because an iPad needs to be activated before it is useful does not mean it is not a PC.

It's not hard to understand.

That's why they could be classified as a stand alone PC, which for some reason you just completely refuse to accept as a possible NON-TRIVAL DISTINCTION within the world of personal computers.

Then so should Netbooks and Tablet PC that run Windows.

So the iPad can be called a PC if Apple issues an iOS update this year that doesn't require it to be tethered to a computer for initial activation and updates? If this update was installed on the original iPad, is it suddenly a PC?

The point is.. the term PC is not what you think it means. It is not the configuration or capability of the device. It is the function. There are smartphones in the market that does not require activation and can get OTA OS updates without being tether to a PC. Personally, I think if someone limit their definition of a PC to the traditional desktop/laptop computers then they are still living in the 90s and need to move on.

Well anyone can make up any criteria they like if it makes them happy. Many could equally be arguing in a few years when iPads dominate and PCs users want to feel inclusive that they can't join the club ... because they can't work by multi-gestures! Then Windows 8 will claim it can as it will be using the new Kinetics interface and Monkey Boy will be demoing painting in Photoshop while gyrating and sweating.

This isn't scientific classification here folks it's nomenclature

Just so every one knows your laptop or desktop was probably 'activated by another computer, it just happened at the factory before you got it. (the OS was probably not installed via the optical drive)

That is a good question.
My mom tried my iPad (elderly) - liked her notebook better.
Me - I replaced my netbook with a UL - tried the iPad and found the functionality far below what I needed.
I treat the iPad as an accessory - like my kindle

This is the crux of the discussion here. I say it has little to do with function. If it were only function that mattered, this wouldn't even be a discussion.

How is it living in the 90s to think it's utterly ridiculous to call an iMac and an iPad the same category of "PC" when one depends on the other to function?

The same posters still can’t see that a device can be defined in multiple ways depending on the source PoV. We need to have a Taxonomy of Consumer Electronics.