iPad is harbinger of 'uncomfortable' transition to post-PC, Jobs says

24

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 74
    bushman4bushman4 Posts: 858member
    PC not going anywhere soon. Eventually other devices may be as functional as a desktop PC, however that still remains to be seen. IPAD is a starter to the transition and it remains to be seen where it will take us.
  • Reply 22 of 74
    You know what? I don't want to do most of my computing or even "media consuming" on a small touch screen on my lap thank you very much. I also don't want to do all my computing with all a single application full screen all the time and having to essentially tab into other applications when multitasking. I don't want to give up the power of a desktop computer for a low powered device no matter how in it is and how much hyperbole is spewed because of it even if it's from the Steve himself. I don't want a walled garden app store to be my primary place to get apps.



    In my opinion iPhones and iPads are more like scooters and bikes and or a smart car if you must do a car analogy. Sure they get you around town but they aren't like regular cars or trucks for all purposes.



    The only way I can see it working is if they got a lot more powerful, you can dock them into an iMac shell and when it's docked the UI turns into a full OS X. Until then they would only suit my purposes as a satellite device for simple tasks and perhaps a game or two that fits the type of input it provides and mostly when I'm away from home.. and despite what they might have you believe not all games or apps are suited for that environment.



    I'm sorry to say it but if they do get rid of the apple personal computer they've gotten rid of me as a customer. Steve Jobs may be a genius but he isn't always right and the fact is more people are buying netbooks which he often maligns than they are iPads. It's not like he's a dictator that can shove things down my throat (speaking for myself). If I don't agree with a product roadmap I wont invest in it!
  • Reply 23 of 74
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    There is also the issue of screen size. Many people need a larger screen and a touch interface works less well on a large screen. I think maybe 95% of computer use can be done just as well on an iPad but I think a lot of people need something more than an iPad to do their work. I am sure the iPad will change the way many people work, however. Or rather, highly focussed single purpose apps will change the way many of us work. It certainly will be interesting to see how OSX and iPhone OS will merge over time. I certainly can imagine an OSX that looks and feels like iPhone OS but that can be operated with a mouse.



    I think that larger touchscreens can work as well or better than the iPad. A example of this is the massive multitouch display that is used on CNN.



    For those that need more power, like I said on these forums on earlier time, there will be desktop class hardware that'll be driven by a touchscreen. Eventually I think the iPad will replace the Macbook line.



    It should be interesting to see how the iPhone OS and the Mac OS merges. I think others may be fooling themselves if they think the PC as we know it will 've around forever; especially with Apple. They like to keep things simple. What would be the point of keeping around two separate OS's when you can put all your effort into one?
  • Reply 24 of 74
    stevetimstevetim Posts: 482member
    ipad is funner to use for web and email. This is why the ipad i bought is either in the hands of my wife or my kids ... and alas ... seldom in my hands.
  • Reply 25 of 74
    I also don't want to always have to use a touch screen even on a big screened computing device that I'd do my main computing on. I don't want to have to keep the screen within arms length all the time. In fact I keep my 27 inch iMac's screen just outside of arms length. Nor does having to always touch a screen to do pointing and clicking tasks sound appealing to me both from an ergonomics point of view and from a keeping the screen clean point of view.



    It may very well be that they are going to someday EOL the Mac OS in favor of the iPhone OS and that day they have lost me as well because using such a locked down OS as my primary OS doesn't appeal to me no matter how many people jump into that bandwagon... sorry. I don't want to have to jailbreak my OS every revision just to have an OS that isn't so locked down. I see the iPhone OS as more suited to an apple TV device than a macintosh to be honest.



    The day they either get rid of OS X or the Mac is the day I'm sorry to say I will be transitioning to systems that will welcome people like me with open arms. I doubt they are going to revise the iPhone OS to cater to people like me as their full time OS anytime soon.
  • Reply 26 of 74
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stonefree View Post


    I may eventually get the iPad and I think it's an interesting device but no way does it come even close to replacing my MBP.



    That isn't what it is made for. Why you would bring the two together is beyound me. It is no different than saying your iPhone will replace your pc.

    Quote:

    It's depressing how Apple has deprecated OS X



    That us non-sense!! Apple hasn't and never will come out with a new OS every year. More so where has it been said that OS/X is deprecated?



    Just because you personally don't like the lack of focus on OS/X at WWDC doesn't really mean anything. The whole point of WWDC is the promotion of what is new. No one cares about the OS powering the Apple 2 these days.

    Quote:

    - it's almost non existent at WWDC and I wouldn't be surprised if 10.7 is canceled.



    My god did Apple piss in your cornflakes this morning or what? There is little to indicate that they have even slowed down development of Mac OS/X. More importantly they haven't even gotten the knots out of 10.6.x yet.



    In anyevent please explain to us what is so missing from OS/X to justify this foul attitude?





    Dave
  • Reply 27 of 74
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacFitzPro View Post


    My biggest worry (and I am a worry wart) is that post-PC will mean post-content creation.



    apple's design group uses all the tools that you use to create the work. don't think you need to start worrying just yet. when it is time for that transition, you will probably be able to do that.
  • Reply 28 of 74
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stevetim View Post


    ipad is funner to use for web and email. This is why the ipad i bought is either in the hands of my wife or my kids ... and alas ... seldom in my hands.



    Lest we forget, "funner" is not a real word.
  • Reply 29 of 74
    While I think we will see OSX gain features and be supported for at least a few more years to come, it is plain obvious to see that "iPhone OS" is a look at what path Apple is taking, and what's in store for Mac OS in the future.
  • Reply 30 of 74
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by David Dennis View Post


    There is nothing wrong with new choice and opportunity - that is what iPad brings.



    I just noticed this and I had to comment. Sure choice and opportunity are great. I don't begrudge people the choice of an iPad or other iPhone OS device. But if the doomsayers are correct and they are going to depreciate OS X and the Mac in favor of devices like the iPad it's taking away choices not adding choices. And it's not like they have people like me under their thumbs.. if push comes to shove I can choose another company to buy technology from. Although it's pretty easy I admit to jump to the conclusion the doomsayers have given the way apple has been acting and talking lately. Just the word transition to me evokes going one way and not looking back just like the transition to intel hardware or the transition to OS X from classic. Again they are not dictators and can't dictate to me what I need or want... Steve doesn't know better about what I need than I do.
  • Reply 31 of 74
    ihxoihxo Posts: 567member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stonefree View Post


    I may eventually get the iPad and I think it's an interesting device but no way does it come even close to replacing my MBP. It's depressing how Apple has deprecated OS X - it's almost non existent at WWDC and I wouldn't be surprised if 10.7 is canceled.



    iPads are not replacing Macs, just like 2 door coupes are not replacing sedans, and sedans are not replacing trucks.



    nvm reading more of your comments makes me think that I just wasted my time.
  • Reply 32 of 74
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    Where's my transformable keyboard for my iPad? I don't see anyone other than the the Optimus keyboard being truly a potential viable keyboard for the iPad. The only truly useful function for a $2,000 keyboard... to be able to change its keyboard on the fly with the iPad software integration.
  • Reply 33 of 74
    gmhutgmhut Posts: 242member
    Media consumers may move more towards tablets, but media producers need the power of a pro machine to author, edit, create for 3D, video, interactive, massive number crunching to compress all of the above to tiny mobile file sizes, and yes, still design for print, etc.



    Unless you are an illustrator who paints on a screen with a digital brush like a wacom tablet to mimic free-hand painting or drawing, a touch screen is useless for the intricacies of design. I can't imagine spending all day wearing out the joints and muscles in my whole arm pointing and swiping at a large screen, when a minor move of my wrist with a mouse or digital pen can cover the whole screen, corner to corner while resting comfortably on my desk as opposed to one holding an arm out to the point of muscle failure, like back in the day when corporal punishment was acceptable and teaches used to make kids stand with their arms stretched out as long as they could if they screwed up. Plus the great thing about a monitor vs. paper is you don't have to look around your own hand to see the image you're trying to create as you work. A touch screen is a step back in the evolution of design ergonomics in that respect.



    Plus, as our population ages, larger screens become more attractive. I wanted an iPad as an ereader for the screen size, but the weight was a no-go. I bought a nook instead. I love it. It does what I bought it for perfectly?small light weight way to read a bunch of stuff on one device without fighting the spine of a paper back or trying to figure out what to do with a book after I've read it.



    When the iPad or similar device of the same screen size is about half the weight and has large enough storage to hold all the music we've been collecting since digital music became popular, plus photos, videos, etc, then consumers may ditch their laptops for tablets. I have 36 gigs of music on my ipod classic, I can't see spending a minimum of 500 bucks on a device that only holds a fraction of the music I've invested in and then is maxed out with no room for anything else.
  • Reply 34 of 74
    mr. kmr. k Posts: 115member
    I think the consumer Mac is the only platform that has a shortened lifespan here. High-end, Professional machines will need to continue to exist for media production, but as Apple's consumer-friendly, "casual computer" (the iPad) grows, the traditional consumer computer like the MacBook will either die or be repurposed. The Professional (and "Prosumer") machines will probably remain for some time, and Mac OS will still be around, if somewhat more oriented at Pro users than before.
  • Reply 35 of 74
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    The man speaks the truth... and I shed a little tear for the next generation that's going miss out on a lot.



    When I first purchased a PC it was only for my work. I wasn't thinking that I wanted to learn how to create my own music loops, do multi-track recording, video editing, 3D animation, photo manipulation and create my own guitar and piano sheet music. Those things I discovered later and had the opportunity to learn because I had a multi-functional PC sitting on my desk.



    Having a PC is analogous to having a shed full of power tools. Sure it's a waste of space and money for most people when all they really need is a hammer... but sometimes one wakes up and just feels like making a bird house.



    Then again, maybe that's just me.
  • Reply 36 of 74
    cycomikocycomiko Posts: 716member
    So, the iPad is going to bring about the death of all personal computers, iMacs, Mac Mini, HP, Dell, Asus, Acer?



    lol
  • Reply 37 of 74
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post


    The man speaks the truth... and I shed a little tear for the next generation that's going miss out on a lot.



    When I first purchased a PC it was only for my work. I wasn't thinking that I wanted to learn how to create my own music loops, do multi-track recording, video editing, 3D animation, photo manipulation and create my own guitar and piano sheet music. Those things I discovered later and had the opportunity to learn because I had a multi-functional PC sitting on my desk.



    Having a PC is analogous to having a shed full of power tools. Sure it's a waste of space and money for most people when all they really need is a hammer... but sometimes one wakes up and just feels like making a bird house.



    Then again, maybe that's just me.



    What makes you think that this will be lost suddenly on an Apple computer? It suprised me the lack of imagination some people, on this thread, lack. Look ahead. Apple will not make iPads as their only computer and features will not be lost but rather rearranged. The OS will mature and progress past what it is now. It will be a natural evolution. We don't know yet where Apple is headed.



    I wish others would stop thinking about what is now and think about what could be. Clearly the iPad is not meant as your sole computer today considering it needs to be connected to iTunes just to be used. Think different.
  • Reply 38 of 74
    superbasssuperbass Posts: 688member
    I would say, at best, the iPad with have the same effect on the computer industry as the Microwave has had on the cooking appliance industry.
  • Reply 39 of 74
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cycomiko View Post


    So, the iPad is going to bring about the death of all personal computers, iMacs, Mac Mini, HP, Dell, Asus, Acer?



    lol



    Regarding the iPad as a replacement for laptops and desktops. I watched this industry for a long time. I started with my own wire-wrapped 6502 microcomputer. I talked to Steve Wozniak once about buying an Apple I without memory because I already had the chips. I owned several of the old brown, wedge shaped Apple II?s and I designed hardware and software for them.



    What I have noticed over all this time is the development of incremental form factors. We started with desktops (stationary) computers, portable computers (yes, I had one of the original Compaq suitcases with MSDOS Version 1), and now we have sub-laptops like tablets and even sub-tablets.



    During all this time, the power of the stationary computers found its way into the smaller form factors. The power of the stationary computers continued to increase. We saw a change in the mix of systems people bought, but in all this time, all the form factors persisted and all continue to be bought.



    Will any of them go away? Will we see the demise of desktops? I think not. Here?s something else I noticed: As the power of the stationary computers increased, some software genius always thought up something that needed that power. And enough people needed it that these systems continued to be sold. I see no reason to believe that general trend will change.



    I believe this increase in power in stationary computers will continue. I think new applications will continue. I think that the migration of this power from larger to smaller form factors will continue.



    Will the iPad replace laptops? I think not. What I?m seeing is computational power being taken to places where computational power was never taken before. We read about the Mercedes dealers, but let me ask you: Would you take your laptop spelunking with you? Probably not. Would you take an iPad? Maybe. What would you do with it? I don?t know. Let someone else figure that out. Maybe with the right equipment it could track it?s location and always know how to get back out. (Hey, it could be a 10 hour flashlight...)



    Would you take your laptop scuba diving? I think not. Would you take your iPad? Maybe. What would you do with all that computational power under water? I don?t know, but now you can think about taking it. I don?t see the iPad replacing the next largest form factor. I see the iPad opening computational opportunities we haven?t even thought about yet.



    So, will all these form factors live happily forever after? I don?t know about the happy part, but coexist? Yes, I think so.
  • Reply 40 of 74
    What Mr. K says.



    The iPad will eat the lunch of the take-anywhere casual use laptop IMHO.



    In business, Road Warriors doing email and presentations do not need to create content in the way professionals do in the media industry.



    We could see a clamshell iPad version replace the Air, reducing the platform count for Apple, just as the iMac and Mini have what is basically a quasi laptop motherboard inside (or it did at first).



    The transition is helped by MobileMe and cloud services and/or personal/home servers, bringing back to life the powerful deskside. If I had the £, I would be considering a powerful MacPro to VNC into. When we get the next gen wireless able to blast multiple streams of HD content out, this gets easier.



    So "casual" and consuming mobile is A4 based (iPhone soon?, iPad, iClam*), pro-creative mobile and home desktop is i5/i7 based (MBP, iMac, Mini), with pro desktop throbbing away with 12/18/24 Xeon and up.







    * (tm)
Sign In or Register to comment.