A Clear And Present Danger

Ray C. He ·  Top Commenter · Software engineer at Facebook
MG, please write a follow up article, perhaps in a year, entitled 'The Sum of All Fears'.
Reply · 25 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Saju Thomas ·  Top Commenter · Jersey City, New Jersey
and when Windows 8 comes out "Apocalypse Now"
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 3:16am

Matias Cooper ·  Top Commenter · ESCP Europe
And perhaps an apology for being that late in realizing this...
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 5:01am

Ross Phillips · Bolton
I do sometimes think tech-bloggers in general live in a bit of a bubble. I live in the UK and out of all the people I know only two have ipads (and they're both die-hard apple fans). Of the rest, guess how many own a PC and/or a laptop? I don't see this changing quite as quickly as some of the tech-bloggers would have us believe.
Reply · 26 ·  · September 2 at 1:09am
czp5057 (signed in using Yahoo)
same here. But if you ask those with a PC what's the next gadget they have in mind, it'll be a smartphone or a tablet.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:22am

Ryan Fraley ·  Top Commenter · 31 years old
I think iPad sales say there's some erosion of PC sales. The difference between the anecdotal evidence you cite and the anecdotal evidence MG Siegler cites is that the sales data backs up a definite erosion of the PC market caused by the iPad.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 1:22am

Mark Rogowsky ·  Top Commenter · Works at Blammo Products
Well wake up then. Apple is probably going to sell 100 million iPads next year.
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 1:33am
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Chris LaFontaine
The article started okay with a comparison of desktop/laptop versus tablet, but once again, burned down to a Microsoft versus Apple rant.

I have both PCs and Macs, an iPad2 and an Android smartphone - so I am neither a Mac or PC fanboi; each has their uses. There is no doubt that tablets have a bright future, they are convienant, but other than for web browsing, reading and checking e-mail, they are very limited right now. While they may be selling well, truth be told if you have a smartphone and laptop there is really little need for them right now. Anything the tablet gives me I can get from my other tools. In reality, and especially with the iPad, they are nothing more than large screen versions of smartphones. In my opinion, until tablets can mimic some of the functions effectively of a laptop/desktop, they will remain a no...See More
Reply · 23 ·  · September 2 at 2:07am

Conan Yuzna · Los Angeles, California
This is dead-on.

Had MG asked his fellow plane-goers using iPads whether they also owned some sort of laptop, he'd have certainly gone 6-6. Tablets are great secondary devices for specific usecases (including air travel), but until they get physical keyboards (or some revolutionary new input method emerges) they're simply not going to replace laptops for those who need to be productive.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 7:29am

Sam Moffatt · Software Engineer at EBay
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ipad+keyboard
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 9:29am

Allan Ramano · Kuwait City
Mimicking the functions of a laptop/desktop is exactly what the iPad is putting an end to. What MG is saying is that the personal computing (not enterprise computing) is evolving, and decades old habits of computing are actually changing to more intuitive, user friendly ways. I can only imagine not having to mess around with directories, disk drives, and every aspect of traditional PCs that we used to believed to be the norm for ever.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 9:55am
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Dan Beam · CSU Fullerton
I lost interest and started laughing at you after "if I weren’t a professional blogger" (the first sentence).
Reply · 9 ·  · September 2 at 1:01am

Ryan Fraley ·  Top Commenter · 31 years old
Sounds like someone needs to go back and read the entire article.
Reply · 14 ·  · September 2 at 1:19am

Jay Martin · Auburn University
Nah, people like this wouldn't learn anything - best to let him continue on his way...
Reply ·  · September 2 at 12:31pm

Dan Beam · CSU Fullerton
I read the "article", but an article implies it's part of a newspaper which in turn implies this is actual journalism. Most journalism would involve fact checking or research, but all this seems to be is biased opinion vomit onto a (seemingly personal) blog.

I'm a scientist, as are most people in the technology field. I like research, facts, and all other things based on empirical evidence. This article has little to no research other than a small sample (a plane he was on) and his personal desire to seek out everything that has a piece of fruit on it (apple/lemon/etc.).

For instance, if MG backed up some of his claims by citing Apple's earnings for the last quarter (http://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/fy11q3datasum.pdf) and put in his article that Apple sold +183% more iPads year-over-year, earned +$4 billion more from just these sales, and that Apple makes ~85% of it's money on devices alone (iPod/iPhone/iPhone/portables summed up), I'd be more interested (as there would be something concrete backing up his thoughts).

Given this data, it doesn't take a genius to know that devices are the way of the future. MG is entitled to his opinion as am I -- that I'm less likely to come back to TechCrunch each time I stumble upon one of these articles.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 10:36pm
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Testo Cualquiera (signed in using Hotmail)
"a professional blogger"... A professional blogger has objectivity. A professional blogger has credibility. A professional blogger does not needs to exclaim "Fanboy alert!" before to make their point. You are a professional troll doing what a professional troll is specialist: increase the number of pageviews.
Reply · 8 ·  · September 2 at 5:54am

Nicholas Boterf · Stanford, California
Every professional blogger has a point of view. At least M.G. is up front about it. And I am sorry, but I can't take seriously anybody who signs in with Hotmail.
Reply · 12 ·  · September 2 at 12:59pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
If that blogger has a bunch of technology-impaired f ckheads trolling him all the time like MG does, then maybe he does have to do a "fanboy alert" to tell them, yes I get it, STFU.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 2:53pm

Ramakanth Dorai ·  Top Commenter · SNS College of Technology
I'm wondering when iPad or a tablet will be a development machine.only reason I'm using macbook pro is for coding.
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 1:05am

Ramakanth Dorai ·  Top Commenter · SNS College of Technology
Hope so! the change is inevitable!
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:12am

Dave Wales · University of Canberra
Completely agree, until there are some decent tools to develop ANY platform properly there will be a need for pc's which i agree include macbooks as they are a personal computer.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:16am

Cherif Yaya · University of Pennsylvania
Coding by touching objects on the screen? hmm...That's real sci-fi we talking about.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:41am
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Jason Brian Chapa · E.W. Scripps
Still can't run Flash.
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 6:17am

Marvin Bernal · Ryerson University
The other tablets run Flash but how is that working out?
Reply · 10 ·  · September 2 at 12:10pm

Jason Brian Chapa · E.W. Scripps
Working out great. Their Flash performance is infinity percent better than the Flash performance on the giant iPod (oops I mean iPad).
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 12:12pm

Lewis Buckley
I have a desire hd, it has flash, it's the worst thing ever.
Reply · 12 ·  · September 2 at 12:18pm
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Dave Slater · Litigation Graphics Designer at IP Demons
I've had an iPad for a while now. For the first year or so, it was my go-to device for cruising the web, streaming and viewing my media, and playing games when I wasn't sitting at my PC doing real work. But then my company began integrating the iPad into my actual work functions, and that's when I started realizing what the iPad actually is. It's just a PC in a fancy new form factor.

I remember when I first used a PC. It was this amazingly fun device that allowed me to draw digital pictures in MS Paint, chat with old friends on AOL, and separate myself from the world playing "Tie Fighter" and "Wolfenstein".

And then someone told me I had to work on this thing.
...See More
Reply · 6 ·  · September 2 at 5:39am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Wolfenstein and DOOM are two of my very favorite iPad apps.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:50pm

Keith Jackson · Electronics at Target
"Tie Fighter"! Heck YEAH!
Reply ·  · September 7 at 10:03pm

Andrew Ryan ·  Top Commenter
I stopped at "iPad".
chained to their PC? lol yet your chained to the App Store with the iPad. If anon were to take out the AppStore the iOS dies, nobody can update or install new apps why? cause you can only get the from one place, derr.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 1:41am

Watts Martin · Santa Clara, California
It's really fascinating how people who write things like that are, like you, apparently completely unfamiliar with basic writing skills. I suspect this explains why people who write things like that are, like you seem to be, also completely unfamiliar with basic reading skills.
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 11:01am

Josh Van Hook
"Mr. Andrew, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 1:16pm

Matt Del Vecchio · Winona State University
andrew - what are you talking about? iPad users are not limited to the App Store. users are free to "install" any web app they like (remember those? little company called Google is into 'em, thinks they're the future). iPad users are also free to install any apps they like from Cydia. or build their own. derr..
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:53pm
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Gari Johnson
I agree with this completely. I started out with DOS (look it up) and was one of the first to promote the virtues of Windows back at V1. When others said that it was a fad and couldn't support real computing. Stayed with Windows right through Vista. I was one of the 1st to move to Palm (look it up) and later Windows based mobile devices because the mobility of a PDA (look it up) perfectly suited my needs at the time. And it still does and that's the point. I have now almost completely moved to Apple. iPod 1st, then iPhone V1 (now 4), then iMAC and then iPad2. 95% of both my personal AND professional computing is now done on the iPad. It's not perfect (I hate auto-correct) and I still can't work with a spreadsheet of any size and complexity (love iWorks but think MS Office is still the better option - Microsoft, bite the bullet and make Office - or at least Excel - available on iOS) but it suits my requirements perfectly 95% of the time and I no longer even travel for business with a laptop. I don't know if I'll be using an iPad, or even an Apple device in 10 years and I don't care. I will be using whatever device/platform makes most sense and delivers the best experience for my needs at the time. And that's the point too.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 9:10pm

Iggy Pup ·  Top Commenter · Customer Book Purchasing Facilitator at GARRISON & GARRISON BOOKS
You're a crusty old fart with a stripper's name, but your comment is the most sensible one by far. My hat is off to you, sir, and if you lean forward, I'll tuck a few dollars into your g-string.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 5 at 11:25pm

Bryan Hauer
Possibly one of the funniest comments I've ever read. Hats off to you Iggy for making me chuckle.
Reply ·  · September 6 at 11:04pm

David Burton · London, United Kingdom
I'm still chained to the laptop because of the lack of comparable (or better) coding tools. But to say the iPad is the only one worth a damn ignores that unless you want the widest possible range of apps, some of the Android tablets are now very responsive, and better yet, some can provide a better typing experience thanks to having a keyboard option. On the old iMacs I didn't like the single button mouse - it wasn't enough buttons, it wasn't enough control. On the iPhone and iPad it's the same. Not enough hardware buttons. Just give me my back button, please!
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Quentin Calvez · INSA Lyon
Don't forget that the iPad also have the Keyboard option through bluetooth.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 2:27am

Mark Vaske ·  Top Commenter
David, though they are not full featured , there are coding apps available, and they can become much more full featured in a moments notice. Also don't forget that you can sync a keyboard with bluetooth as Quentin already mentioned. As for the button problem, I don't think thats real. I think the apps aren't as full featured as you want them to be yet, but with the touch interface, an abundance of buttons are possible and too many buttons can be a bad thing too. It's just a different style of input device...
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:51am

Matt Del Vecchio · Winona State University
david - iMac supported multiple-button mice; you just needed to plug one in.

and ipad supports physical keyboards perfectly. are you sure you've used one?
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:55pm
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hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
For many years, PC industry pundits said that if Apple ever made a $500 Mac, the other PC makers would be in trouble. Turns out they were right. Especially after the Intel Mac took the whole high-end market over the past 5 years and the $500 market was all over vendors had left. It is still amazing to think that Apple shipped 4 million more PC's last quarter than any other PC vendor, though. Next quarter it will be 10 million.

Ease of use = growth. If you make your product usable by more people, more people will be able to use it, and thus more people will buy it. Pretty simple. Now that there is competition in the PC industry, we are seeing the easier to use platforms do better than the ones that are harder to use.

And the people who are whining that iPad is "too easy to use" or that Windows is already "easy enough" are an ec...See More
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 2:29pm

Rahul Srinivas · News Editor at OnlyGizmos
My friend is not a blogger. All he does all day is post pictures of Facebook and tweet. Perfect candidate to be an iPad freak. But he hates it. I asked why. --> "No MS Office dude!" Me: *Facepalm* Now, an iPad costs twice as much as a decently spec'd notebook here in India. For someone who would need at least ONE basic PC functionality whilst doing normal ipad-ish things, he would HAVE to turn to a , well, PC. So why buy an iPad in the first place? - is his question. Also, his netbook can play Angry Birds. An iPad for most of us here in India is still a rich mans toy, a toy for someone who already has a laptop and can afford one. An iPad would never be a computing device of choice or priority here. It's capabilities (compared to a PC that costs half as much) is way too limited in its current Avatar. No value for money dood! Yep.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 5:20pm

Iggy Pup ·  Top Commenter · Customer Book Purchasing Facilitator at GARRISON & GARRISON BOOKS
iOS 5, due this month or the next, will untether the iPad. You won't need a desktop PC or laptop to sync or back up. I think that's the whole deal behind iCloud.
Reply ·  · September 5 at 11:22pm

Loughlin Gethins ·  Top Commenter · University College Cork
I disagree. I have an iPad that I use for college and I love it. It is so portable and it is always ready to use but let's not forget it's trade offs. This is by no means a perfect product, the best on the Market currently but it's a pain. For example this is the third time I have tried to write this comment. Why? Because the keyboard keeps randomly crashing and I clicked some dudes name down below which deleted everything I had written. This is common throughout the iPad when browsing the web, some scripts just don't play nice and that might improve but not by much. I have a powerful computer at home, sure I use it for gaming and writing essays and papers but it's primary use is web browsing. When I can use it I put down my iPad and use it because it is a better experience. This will never cross over to the iPad in my opinion. The iPad might take a massive piece of the laptop pie, in fact I think we are already seeing that but the PC is desktop computers and a tablet is not a replacement for a desktop computer. You need a desktop computer to run the thing for god sake :-p. The tablet form factor is not replacing the PC MG, it's taking a piece of the laptop pie and it won't replace the laptop either, the laptop is going to become a more targeted product for sure, used by specific people for specific reasons but everyone with an iPad will still own a desktop PC at home. The iPad does not have the ability to replace the PC.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:29am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Notebooks have always replaced desktops, and iPads have always replaced notebooks. What makes it confusing is there is a hand-me-down thing going on. Users who had a desktop and then bought a notebook are buying iPads and getting rid of the desktop. That looks like an iPad replacing a desktop, but it is really that the iPad replaced the notebook as the portable system, and the notebook replaced the desktop as the desk system.

It's always been like this. In 2001, I had a PowerBook G4 and Power Mac G4, a notebook and a desktop. I needed the desktop for music work, with high CPU requirements and PCI cards. Now, I do the same work with the same apps on a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is my "desktop system." It has more CPU power than quad-core Power Mac G5 I used to do Photoshop work on in 2005, and pro audio hardwar...See More
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:29pm

Jeff Wolfers
MG...

yep, MS is scared. Even the MS fanboys recognize that. The whole discussion around Win8 and whether MS should go full Metro, or dual mode is interesting. MS realizes its USP is compatibility with legacy Win Apps. There is no way they can catch iOS any time soon, so if they offer a Metro-only device it'll be too little too late. No they have to retain links to the past and use that user base and use cases as their lever to get into the tablet space. Sinofsky's challenge is to deliver something that works well because he'll only get one shot. I have my doubts, but wish him bon chance.

My personal use case... I jumped on the iPad day one, but have drifted back to the laptop over time. I write, build spreadsheets, etc and that's just too difficult without a proper keyboard and mouse. But for your average web surfacing, emailing, facebooking, game playing person I agree the WinTel laptop is history.

Jeff Wolfers
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:45am

Alex Moschopoulos (amportfolio)
I wouldn't call them "scared" as much as they're not sure how to please both sides. They want to keep their devoted Windows users happy, but somehow try to steal some of that iOS fire and have the "coolness".

We won't know how it fares until Windows 8 is released, but I still wonder if the "wrong direction" was in trying to put both ideas into one place? Like they should have done "metro" for phones, tablets, and maybe consumer devices, and then had the traditional Windows setup for power users. Who knows? Maybe launch day will hit and users can choose to have a totally "metro" experience, or a total "classic Windows" experience, or a mixture of both. That would seriously rock and make it phenomenal in my book. Choice is a wonderful thing.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:20am

Conan Yuzna · Los Angeles, California
I don't think it's an issue of "pleasing both sides" as much as giving themselves the best possible opportunity to have success in the tablet space.

MS had to take one of two approaches with their entry into tablets: Build up WP7 or scale down Windows 8. With the WP7 option, they would be essentially taking a smartphone platform that has minor marketplace traction and bringing it into one of the most monopolized markets in consumer technology. While it may have made for a completely competent product, it's not a recipe for success from a marketing perspective.

Scaled-back Windows 8 has the opportunity to be a much more compelling product. The first question that people looking into tablets ask is "can this replace my laptop?" A Windows 8 tablet would be the only product on the market for which the answer is "yes." Not on...See More
Reply ·  · September 2 at 7:47am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
There is another option: if you want to build a tablet computer, build the best tablet computer you can build. No marketing strategy. Then you decide what to put in based only on if it makes it a better product.

Right now, putting the old Windows into Microsoft's tablet is delaying the launch of that tablet by about 2 years. Is having the old Windows interface on an iPad really that compelling of a feature that it's worth a 2 year delay? Note that there are about 100 iPad apps that can bring up a Mac, Windows, Linux or other desktop via VNC if you want that, and doing it that way saves a ton of battery life. So if Microsoft really felt that having access to the old Windows is such a great feature, why not just ship a Windows CE tablet with a VNC app and a virtualized Windows in a cloud account?

Because Windows CE costs hardware makers $10 a device and Windows NT costs $40 per device. That is all. It is not about making better devices or a great marketing strategy or something. They just don't want the cost of Windows to drop by 75%.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 6:41pm

Waly Kerkeboom ·  Top Commenter · Verkoopklaar at Albert Heijn 1402
Another "Microsoft is going to die" article. Next.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:48am

Vivek Iyer ·  Top Commenter · 24 years old
Dual Mode OS never Wins.Lets Welcome Microsoft BOB 2.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Really, how would you know what does and doesn't win when there's really only been one winner?
Reply ·  · September 2 at 1:51am

Tim Goss · CTO at Northcode Inc
Think of it more as a different theme, it's all built on the same base, you just interact with it differently. That's the base you got with Windows 7, now they're executing on the next phase. Solid architecture first, now making it pretty.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 9:44am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
No, not "Dual Mode OS" … "dual mode devices." It's the interface we are talking about being dual, not the underlying operating system. iOS and Mac OS also have the same OS X core, but they each have their own user and app interfaces, and each only have one mode. It is dual mode devices that never do well because most users find single mode devices to already be too complex.

We have already seen dual mode devices fail to sell, and then when one mode was removed, the single mode versions sold very, very well:

* Windows PC's through v3.11 were dual mode DOS/Windows and very unpopular for 10 years; Windows PC's from 95 on were single mode Windows and immediately very, very popular, even becoming a pop culture phenomenon … you could finally go "DOS-free" and sales soared
...See More
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 4:49pm

Shannon Clarke
MG, I have an Acer Iconia running Honeycomb 3.1 and I love it over the iPad and iPad 2 in the house simply because of the versatility of the full USB port (mouse & keyboard support) and the customizable homescreen widgets. It's really a different experience from the iPad and better suited to working in environments without the internet. I've also seen the stress we went through setting up iTunes an getting paid app downloads since we don't live in US. Android Market is a breeze. Why do you and others give Android tablets so much hate but love the iPad unconditionally?
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 2:53am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
A stopped clock is right twice a day. An Acer Iconia is a better tablet than iPad for 0.01% of users. Doesn't change the fact that the consumer PC market is moving wholesale from Windows PC's to Apple iPads.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 6:46pm

Shannon Clarke
Are you trying to say that 99.99% of users don't use USB memory sticks or USB devices?

Also, I think bloggers have realised that making posts such as this increases pageviews and are link-bait. The iPad really isn't that much better experience-wise or technically. Honeycomb is actually way more attractive than iPad UI.....to each their own.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 10:43pm

Jay Craft · Morehouse College
Honeycomb is also way more "laggy" and has tens, if not hundreds of times fewer apps actually designed for a tablet-sized touch screen.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 3 at 8:15pm
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thayden70 (signed in using Yahoo)
Meh, the name of your updated article should be "Much Ado About Nothing"... I have absolutely no interest in tablets. When I am online I prefer interaction instead of just viewing. You interact via typing, e.g. adding a comment like I am doing now. It is too uncomfortable to type on a tablet. Tablets are also pricey. My next laptop will most likely be an ultrabook. As they have the long battery life, light weight, thinness of tablets but with a keyboard.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 2:10am

David Cooper ·  Top Commenter · Shanghai, China
I guess the title could be "Much Ado About Nothing for thayden70", but for HP, the largest PC manufacturer in the world, "the tablet effect is real" and the iPad does present "A Clear and Present Danger"
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 2:23am
thayden70 (signed in using Yahoo)
HP and other makers simply made a mistake by falling for the tablet hype. No way the tablet market was large enough to support so many versions. There was bound to be some casualties.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 3:26am

Nick Fleker Felker ·  Top Commenter
The tablet market is large enough to support them, but the consumer base called it the iPad market.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 5:42am
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Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Ok, now that you've completely admitted your bias, I understand why you write these ridiculous articles. What I don't understand is why you have to have a bias at all? I have an iPad, I use it for all of the same reasons you do. Each year, I'll probably upgrade it to the latest revision. One year, sometime in the future, there will be other choices and you can be sure they'll be running Windows.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:49am

Sprague Dawley ·  Top Commenter · New York, New York
MG identifies closely with Apple and their products. Microsoft competes with Apple, hence it competes with him. There is no end to the complexities of human psychology.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 7:18am

Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Wouldn't you find that, as a "journalist", you shouldn't be writing about things you are biased about one way or another? It's bad enough all the spin and bias we deal with in the comments sections of tech blogs, ya know?
Reply ·  · September 2 at 11:23am

Sprague Dawley ·  Top Commenter · New York, New York
Ah! But as Mike Arrington has reminded us recently, he does not consider TC bloggers to be journalists. And anyway, as Tim Armstrong has said, when it comes to journalistic standards TC is an "exception".
Reply ·  · September 2 at 12:12pm
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Erick Powers ·  Top Commenter
Everyone needs to get out of apples ass. tablets are a joke next to a laptop.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 10:01am

Erick Powers ·  Top Commenter
and the only real thing ipad presents a danger to is business. all these kids with their ipads get their parrents on board saying oh they are so awesome then you see businesses trying to use them in a pc server/linux server/iseries environment and well nothing will truly work. its stupid. check your email? laptops worked fine for that. hell my phone has done that for years.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 10:04am

Robert Elliott Simmons · Director, VIsual Effects and Motion Graphics at Illusive Media
Lemme guess you havent used for an extended period. Sure any device can do this or that, but it's the execution of this or that makes the iPad a winner.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:55pm

Brad Tiller ·  Top Commenter
HP doesn't seem to be laughing.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:27pm
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Adam Soutter ·  Top Commenter
I'm a PC user and as soon as that alleged high resolution iPad touches down I will be all over it.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:51am

David A Smith ·  Top Commenter · London, United Kingdom
A poor typing experience is not the only thing going against the iPad. There's the poor form factor (holding it while browsing doesn't cut it), the lack of Flash support, the inability to use it as a stand alone device, the inability to download non-app store programs etc etc etc. And it's not about work v play; this is 2011, I should be able to do both on a single device. Going from laptop to iPad is not emancipation on any level. If anything, it's voluntary imprisonment.

The iPad is not the future. Nor is any tablet for that matter. It's a nice idea. A cool new toy. But just not good enough. The future is not a step backward. When they release a tablet that I don't need to hold to keep upright (without attaching a stand) and that I don't need to type on because it perfectly understands the words coming out of my mouth, that'll be a start.

The future is a device agnostic to the other tech in my home and speaks to every other device automatically without forcing me to buy gadgets from the same company. The future is a computer I don't need to log in to because it recognises me and pulls up everything I need before I start using it. The future is a device that learns my habits and helps me save time by doing my most repetitive tasks for me (but also one that asks me first). The future is a device as complex or simple as I need it to be. The future is something better than what we currently have or where you believe we're currently headed.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:04am

Adrian Barnes · Laguna Niguel, California
I completely agree with the first paragraph. I disagree with the second.

It befuddles me to hear (especially from Siegler) that the form factor is on the iPad is better, I need reasons besides, "It's better". I am sure for some it is in fact better but the rest of the crowd just believes its better. In the article there is mention of how horrendous typing is, but what if that is what you want to do in your leisure? Doesn't sound better.

David, I disagree with your second paragraph, not because I think you're off track, but because we can't take into unforeseen into consideration - what the future has to offer. I do think the iPad and other tablets are the shiny new toys but if typing on the iPad became the biggest irritation to consumers then I would expect an out-of-the-box solution from Apple come next hardware release. Not the best example but I thought the Magic Trackpad was an incredibly dumb step in the wrong direction until I spent a couple days using a Mac Book Air; I was then convinced a trackpad (albeit one from Apple) could be made more convenient than a mouse. Before multi-touch there would have been no way to convince me that the trackpads would some day be better using a mouse.
Reply ·  · September 3 at 10:18pm

Brandon Price ·  Top Commenter · Missionary at Missionary
I totally agree with this. I'd much rather take my iPad around with me everywhere, but because I do a lot of writing, I can't. I love consumption on the iPad, but creation still leaves a bit to be desired. Because I'd love to not have a laptop with me, though, I've even considered buying the regular Mac wireless keyboard since the total amount of occupied space will still be much less than a laptop. There are still too many things that complicate the system instead of complement it, but that line is getting fainter and fainter.

I will say that screaming "Fanboy!" anytime someone talks about the iPad is getting a little weird now that so many people have them. There are millions and millions of recently-converted "fan boys" out there now, they just don't know that's what they're supposed to call themselves now. Poor souls don't realize how many people out there hate them simply because they like their new toy.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 6:08am

Sheena Allana ·  Top Commenter · UC Davis
You're missing the point entirely. The fanboys are the ones that claim Apple products are the best. In the end, it's just a matter of opinion. Some people prefer Windows or Android. None of these products are perfect. To say that any of them is perfect and 'the best' is ridiculous, and fanboyish.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 9:27am

Lee Lawrence · Woodberry down
I think your definition of a Fanboy is wrong, because in this world some things can be judged to be the best, maybe not for everyone, but for individuals, and if that number of individuals is the majority then you could sa for the majority of people! I'm not sure if Apple would say their products are perfect because why would they continue to develop and improve upon something thats perfect?
I think Fanboy is a derrogatory term used to bolster a poor argument when rational opinion cant win!
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:05pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Nobody is saying iPad is perfect. That is a strawman. What is being said is that iPad is a better PC for consumers than Windows PC's. That is totally non-controversial. Even if only for the touch interface, it would be true. Even if only for being 100% virus and malware free, that would be true. Even if only for the fact iPad is less than half the size of a Windows PC and has more than double the battery life, that would be true.

We are not talking about something that is even close. And we see it borne out in sales numbers: iPad sales have doubled year over year while Windows PC sales are down.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:42pm
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Jan Larsson · Stockholm, Sweden
The assymetry is starting to turn the tables.

First the iPad was no threat because a Laptop could do so much more tan the iPad. So other manufactirers felt no need to react.

Now the users are discovering what the IPad gives them that a laptop cannot do. It is so easy to bring along, sit in the sofa with. It is social like no laptop can ever be, you can produce an iPad and use it in many situations where using a laptop would just be considered rude. You can use it on the move, no need to find somewhere to sit.
...See More
Reply · 8 ·  · September 2 at 12:18pm

Michael A. Robson ·  Top Commenter · Shanghai, China
Manufacturers HAVE been reacting. They tried releasing copycats even before the iPad was released! Remember the HP Slate that MS used to 'pre-emt' the iPad!!?? The PC industry just sucks at UX, as they always have.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:43pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
PC nerds all think iPad does less than a PC, and they are right.

The typical consumer thinks iPad does more than a PC, and they are right.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 7:28pm
Ray C. He ·  Top Commenter · Software engineer at Facebook
MG, please write a follow up article, perhaps in a year, entitled 'The Sum of All Fears'.
Reply · 25 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Saju Thomas ·  Top Commenter · Jersey City, New Jersey
and when Windows 8 comes out "Apocalypse Now"
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 3:16am

Matias Cooper ·  Top Commenter · ESCP Europe
And perhaps an apology for being that late in realizing this...
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 5:01am

Ross Phillips · Bolton
I do sometimes think tech-bloggers in general live in a bit of a bubble. I live in the UK and out of all the people I know only two have ipads (and they're both die-hard apple fans). Of the rest, guess how many own a PC and/or a laptop? I don't see this changing quite as quickly as some of the tech-bloggers would have us believe.
Reply · 26 ·  · September 2 at 1:09am
czp5057 (signed in using Yahoo)
same here. But if you ask those with a PC what's the next gadget they have in mind, it'll be a smartphone or a tablet.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:22am

Ryan Fraley ·  Top Commenter · 31 years old
I think iPad sales say there's some erosion of PC sales. The difference between the anecdotal evidence you cite and the anecdotal evidence MG Siegler cites is that the sales data backs up a definite erosion of the PC market caused by the iPad.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 1:22am

Mark Rogowsky ·  Top Commenter · Works at Blammo Products
Well wake up then. Apple is probably going to sell 100 million iPads next year.
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 1:33am
View 19 more

Chris LaFontaine
The article started okay with a comparison of desktop/laptop versus tablet, but once again, burned down to a Microsoft versus Apple rant.

I have both PCs and Macs, an iPad2 and an Android smartphone - so I am neither a Mac or PC fanboi; each has their uses. There is no doubt that tablets have a bright future, they are convienant, but other than for web browsing, reading and checking e-mail, they are very limited right now. While they may be selling well, truth be told if you have a smartphone and laptop there is really little need for them right now. Anything the tablet gives me I can get from my other tools. In reality, and especially with the iPad, they are nothing more than large screen versions of smartphones. In my opinion, until tablets can mimic some of the functions effectively of a laptop/desktop, they will remain a no...See More
Reply · 23 ·  · September 2 at 2:07am

Conan Yuzna · Los Angeles, California
This is dead-on.

Had MG asked his fellow plane-goers using iPads whether they also owned some sort of laptop, he'd have certainly gone 6-6. Tablets are great secondary devices for specific usecases (including air travel), but until they get physical keyboards (or some revolutionary new input method emerges) they're simply not going to replace laptops for those who need to be productive.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 7:29am

Sam Moffatt · Software Engineer at EBay
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ipad+keyboard
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 9:29am

Allan Ramano · Kuwait City
Mimicking the functions of a laptop/desktop is exactly what the iPad is putting an end to. What MG is saying is that the personal computing (not enterprise computing) is evolving, and decades old habits of computing are actually changing to more intuitive, user friendly ways. I can only imagine not having to mess around with directories, disk drives, and every aspect of traditional PCs that we used to believed to be the norm for ever.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 9:55am
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Dan Beam · CSU Fullerton
I lost interest and started laughing at you after "if I weren’t a professional blogger" (the first sentence).
Reply · 9 ·  · September 2 at 1:01am

Ryan Fraley ·  Top Commenter · 31 years old
Sounds like someone needs to go back and read the entire article.
Reply · 14 ·  · September 2 at 1:19am

Jay Martin · Auburn University
Nah, people like this wouldn't learn anything - best to let him continue on his way...
Reply ·  · September 2 at 12:31pm

Dan Beam · CSU Fullerton
I read the "article", but an article implies it's part of a newspaper which in turn implies this is actual journalism. Most journalism would involve fact checking or research, but all this seems to be is biased opinion vomit onto a (seemingly personal) blog.

I'm a scientist, as are most people in the technology field. I like research, facts, and all other things based on empirical evidence. This article has little to no research other than a small sample (a plane he was on) and his personal desire to seek out everything that has a piece of fruit on it (apple/lemon/etc.).

For instance, if MG backed up some of his claims by citing Apple's earnings for the last quarter (http://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/fy11q3datasum.pdf) and put in his article that Apple sold +183% more iPads year-over-year, earned +$4 billion more from just these sales, and that Apple makes ~85% of it's money on devices alone (iPod/iPhone/iPhone/portables summed up), I'd be more interested (as there would be something concrete backing up his thoughts).

Given this data, it doesn't take a genius to know that devices are the way of the future. MG is entitled to his opinion as am I -- that I'm less likely to come back to TechCrunch each time I stumble upon one of these articles.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 10:36pm
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Testo Cualquiera (signed in using Hotmail)
"a professional blogger"... A professional blogger has objectivity. A professional blogger has credibility. A professional blogger does not needs to exclaim "Fanboy alert!" before to make their point. You are a professional troll doing what a professional troll is specialist: increase the number of pageviews.
Reply · 8 ·  · September 2 at 5:54am

Nicholas Boterf · Stanford, California
Every professional blogger has a point of view. At least M.G. is up front about it. And I am sorry, but I can't take seriously anybody who signs in with Hotmail.
Reply · 12 ·  · September 2 at 12:59pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
If that blogger has a bunch of technology-impaired f ckheads trolling him all the time like MG does, then maybe he does have to do a "fanboy alert" to tell them, yes I get it, STFU.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 2:53pm

Ramakanth Dorai ·  Top Commenter · SNS College of Technology
I'm wondering when iPad or a tablet will be a development machine.only reason I'm using macbook pro is for coding.
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 1:05am

Ramakanth Dorai ·  Top Commenter · SNS College of Technology
Hope so! the change is inevitable!
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:12am

Dave Wales · University of Canberra
Completely agree, until there are some decent tools to develop ANY platform properly there will be a need for pc's which i agree include macbooks as they are a personal computer.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:16am

Cherif Yaya · University of Pennsylvania
Coding by touching objects on the screen? hmm...That's real sci-fi we talking about.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:41am
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Jason Brian Chapa · E.W. Scripps
Still can't run Flash.
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 6:17am

Marvin Bernal · Ryerson University
The other tablets run Flash but how is that working out?
Reply · 10 ·  · September 2 at 12:10pm

Jason Brian Chapa · E.W. Scripps
Working out great. Their Flash performance is infinity percent better than the Flash performance on the giant iPod (oops I mean iPad).
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 12:12pm

Lewis Buckley
I have a desire hd, it has flash, it's the worst thing ever.
Reply · 12 ·  · September 2 at 12:18pm
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Dave Slater · Litigation Graphics Designer at IP Demons
I've had an iPad for a while now. For the first year or so, it was my go-to device for cruising the web, streaming and viewing my media, and playing games when I wasn't sitting at my PC doing real work. But then my company began integrating the iPad into my actual work functions, and that's when I started realizing what the iPad actually is. It's just a PC in a fancy new form factor.

I remember when I first used a PC. It was this amazingly fun device that allowed me to draw digital pictures in MS Paint, chat with old friends on AOL, and separate myself from the world playing "Tie Fighter" and "Wolfenstein".

And then someone told me I had to work on this thing.
...See More
Reply · 6 ·  · September 2 at 5:39am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Wolfenstein and DOOM are two of my very favorite iPad apps.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:50pm

Keith Jackson · Electronics at Target
"Tie Fighter"! Heck YEAH!
Reply ·  · September 7 at 10:03pm

Andrew Ryan ·  Top Commenter
I stopped at "iPad".
chained to their PC? lol yet your chained to the App Store with the iPad. If anon were to take out the AppStore the iOS dies, nobody can update or install new apps why? cause you can only get the from one place, derr.
Reply · 5 ·  · September 2 at 1:41am

Watts Martin · Santa Clara, California
It's really fascinating how people who write things like that are, like you, apparently completely unfamiliar with basic writing skills. I suspect this explains why people who write things like that are, like you seem to be, also completely unfamiliar with basic reading skills.
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 11:01am

Josh Van Hook
"Mr. Andrew, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Reply · 11 ·  · September 2 at 1:16pm

Matt Del Vecchio · Winona State University
andrew - what are you talking about? iPad users are not limited to the App Store. users are free to "install" any web app they like (remember those? little company called Google is into 'em, thinks they're the future). iPad users are also free to install any apps they like from Cydia. or build their own. derr..
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:53pm
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Gari Johnson
I agree with this completely. I started out with DOS (look it up) and was one of the first to promote the virtues of Windows back at V1. When others said that it was a fad and couldn't support real computing. Stayed with Windows right through Vista. I was one of the 1st to move to Palm (look it up) and later Windows based mobile devices because the mobility of a PDA (look it up) perfectly suited my needs at the time. And it still does and that's the point. I have now almost completely moved to Apple. iPod 1st, then iPhone V1 (now 4), then iMAC and then iPad2. 95% of both my personal AND professional computing is now done on the iPad. It's not perfect (I hate auto-correct) and I still can't work with a spreadsheet of any size and complexity (love iWorks but think MS Office is still the better option - Microsoft, bite the bullet and make Office - or at least Excel - available on iOS) but it suits my requirements perfectly 95% of the time and I no longer even travel for business with a laptop. I don't know if I'll be using an iPad, or even an Apple device in 10 years and I don't care. I will be using whatever device/platform makes most sense and delivers the best experience for my needs at the time. And that's the point too.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 9:10pm

Iggy Pup ·  Top Commenter · Customer Book Purchasing Facilitator at GARRISON & GARRISON BOOKS
You're a crusty old fart with a stripper's name, but your comment is the most sensible one by far. My hat is off to you, sir, and if you lean forward, I'll tuck a few dollars into your g-string.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 5 at 11:25pm

Bryan Hauer
Possibly one of the funniest comments I've ever read. Hats off to you Iggy for making me chuckle.
Reply ·  · September 6 at 11:04pm

David Burton · London, United Kingdom
I'm still chained to the laptop because of the lack of comparable (or better) coding tools. But to say the iPad is the only one worth a damn ignores that unless you want the widest possible range of apps, some of the Android tablets are now very responsive, and better yet, some can provide a better typing experience thanks to having a keyboard option. On the old iMacs I didn't like the single button mouse - it wasn't enough buttons, it wasn't enough control. On the iPhone and iPad it's the same. Not enough hardware buttons. Just give me my back button, please!
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Quentin Calvez · INSA Lyon
Don't forget that the iPad also have the Keyboard option through bluetooth.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 2:27am

Mark Vaske ·  Top Commenter
David, though they are not full featured , there are coding apps available, and they can become much more full featured in a moments notice. Also don't forget that you can sync a keyboard with bluetooth as Quentin already mentioned. As for the button problem, I don't think thats real. I think the apps aren't as full featured as you want them to be yet, but with the touch interface, an abundance of buttons are possible and too many buttons can be a bad thing too. It's just a different style of input device...
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:51am

Matt Del Vecchio · Winona State University
david - iMac supported multiple-button mice; you just needed to plug one in.

and ipad supports physical keyboards perfectly. are you sure you've used one?
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 1:55pm
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hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
For many years, PC industry pundits said that if Apple ever made a $500 Mac, the other PC makers would be in trouble. Turns out they were right. Especially after the Intel Mac took the whole high-end market over the past 5 years and the $500 market was all over vendors had left. It is still amazing to think that Apple shipped 4 million more PC's last quarter than any other PC vendor, though. Next quarter it will be 10 million.

Ease of use = growth. If you make your product usable by more people, more people will be able to use it, and thus more people will buy it. Pretty simple. Now that there is competition in the PC industry, we are seeing the easier to use platforms do better than the ones that are harder to use.

And the people who are whining that iPad is "too easy to use" or that Windows is already "easy enough" are an ec...See More
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 2:29pm

Rahul Srinivas · News Editor at OnlyGizmos
My friend is not a blogger. All he does all day is post pictures of Facebook and tweet. Perfect candidate to be an iPad freak. But he hates it. I asked why. --> "No MS Office dude!" Me: *Facepalm* Now, an iPad costs twice as much as a decently spec'd notebook here in India. For someone who would need at least ONE basic PC functionality whilst doing normal ipad-ish things, he would HAVE to turn to a , well, PC. So why buy an iPad in the first place? - is his question. Also, his netbook can play Angry Birds. An iPad for most of us here in India is still a rich mans toy, a toy for someone who already has a laptop and can afford one. An iPad would never be a computing device of choice or priority here. It's capabilities (compared to a PC that costs half as much) is way too limited in its current Avatar. No value for money dood! Yep.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 5:20pm

Iggy Pup ·  Top Commenter · Customer Book Purchasing Facilitator at GARRISON & GARRISON BOOKS
iOS 5, due this month or the next, will untether the iPad. You won't need a desktop PC or laptop to sync or back up. I think that's the whole deal behind iCloud.
Reply ·  · September 5 at 11:22pm

Loughlin Gethins ·  Top Commenter · University College Cork
I disagree. I have an iPad that I use for college and I love it. It is so portable and it is always ready to use but let's not forget it's trade offs. This is by no means a perfect product, the best on the Market currently but it's a pain. For example this is the third time I have tried to write this comment. Why? Because the keyboard keeps randomly crashing and I clicked some dudes name down below which deleted everything I had written. This is common throughout the iPad when browsing the web, some scripts just don't play nice and that might improve but not by much. I have a powerful computer at home, sure I use it for gaming and writing essays and papers but it's primary use is web browsing. When I can use it I put down my iPad and use it because it is a better experience. This will never cross over to the iPad in my opinion. The iPad might take a massive piece of the laptop pie, in fact I think we are already seeing that but the PC is desktop computers and a tablet is not a replacement for a desktop computer. You need a desktop computer to run the thing for god sake :-p. The tablet form factor is not replacing the PC MG, it's taking a piece of the laptop pie and it won't replace the laptop either, the laptop is going to become a more targeted product for sure, used by specific people for specific reasons but everyone with an iPad will still own a desktop PC at home. The iPad does not have the ability to replace the PC.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:29am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Notebooks have always replaced desktops, and iPads have always replaced notebooks. What makes it confusing is there is a hand-me-down thing going on. Users who had a desktop and then bought a notebook are buying iPads and getting rid of the desktop. That looks like an iPad replacing a desktop, but it is really that the iPad replaced the notebook as the portable system, and the notebook replaced the desktop as the desk system.

It's always been like this. In 2001, I had a PowerBook G4 and Power Mac G4, a notebook and a desktop. I needed the desktop for music work, with high CPU requirements and PCI cards. Now, I do the same work with the same apps on a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is my "desktop system." It has more CPU power than quad-core Power Mac G5 I used to do Photoshop work on in 2005, and pro audio hardwar...See More
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:29pm

Jeff Wolfers
MG...

yep, MS is scared. Even the MS fanboys recognize that. The whole discussion around Win8 and whether MS should go full Metro, or dual mode is interesting. MS realizes its USP is compatibility with legacy Win Apps. There is no way they can catch iOS any time soon, so if they offer a Metro-only device it'll be too little too late. No they have to retain links to the past and use that user base and use cases as their lever to get into the tablet space. Sinofsky's challenge is to deliver something that works well because he'll only get one shot. I have my doubts, but wish him bon chance.

My personal use case... I jumped on the iPad day one, but have drifted back to the laptop over time. I write, build spreadsheets, etc and that's just too difficult without a proper keyboard and mouse. But for your average web surfacing, emailing, facebooking, game playing person I agree the WinTel laptop is history.

Jeff Wolfers
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:45am

Alex Moschopoulos (amportfolio)
I wouldn't call them "scared" as much as they're not sure how to please both sides. They want to keep their devoted Windows users happy, but somehow try to steal some of that iOS fire and have the "coolness".

We won't know how it fares until Windows 8 is released, but I still wonder if the "wrong direction" was in trying to put both ideas into one place? Like they should have done "metro" for phones, tablets, and maybe consumer devices, and then had the traditional Windows setup for power users. Who knows? Maybe launch day will hit and users can choose to have a totally "metro" experience, or a total "classic Windows" experience, or a mixture of both. That would seriously rock and make it phenomenal in my book. Choice is a wonderful thing.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:20am

Conan Yuzna · Los Angeles, California
I don't think it's an issue of "pleasing both sides" as much as giving themselves the best possible opportunity to have success in the tablet space.

MS had to take one of two approaches with their entry into tablets: Build up WP7 or scale down Windows 8. With the WP7 option, they would be essentially taking a smartphone platform that has minor marketplace traction and bringing it into one of the most monopolized markets in consumer technology. While it may have made for a completely competent product, it's not a recipe for success from a marketing perspective.

Scaled-back Windows 8 has the opportunity to be a much more compelling product. The first question that people looking into tablets ask is "can this replace my laptop?" A Windows 8 tablet would be the only product on the market for which the answer is "yes." Not on...See More
Reply ·  · September 2 at 7:47am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
There is another option: if you want to build a tablet computer, build the best tablet computer you can build. No marketing strategy. Then you decide what to put in based only on if it makes it a better product.

Right now, putting the old Windows into Microsoft's tablet is delaying the launch of that tablet by about 2 years. Is having the old Windows interface on an iPad really that compelling of a feature that it's worth a 2 year delay? Note that there are about 100 iPad apps that can bring up a Mac, Windows, Linux or other desktop via VNC if you want that, and doing it that way saves a ton of battery life. So if Microsoft really felt that having access to the old Windows is such a great feature, why not just ship a Windows CE tablet with a VNC app and a virtualized Windows in a cloud account?

Because Windows CE costs hardware makers $10 a device and Windows NT costs $40 per device. That is all. It is not about making better devices or a great marketing strategy or something. They just don't want the cost of Windows to drop by 75%.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 6:41pm

Waly Kerkeboom ·  Top Commenter · Verkoopklaar at Albert Heijn 1402
Another "Microsoft is going to die" article. Next.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:48am

Vivek Iyer ·  Top Commenter · 24 years old
Dual Mode OS never Wins.Lets Welcome Microsoft BOB 2.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 1:10am

Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Really, how would you know what does and doesn't win when there's really only been one winner?
Reply ·  · September 2 at 1:51am

Tim Goss · CTO at Northcode Inc
Think of it more as a different theme, it's all built on the same base, you just interact with it differently. That's the base you got with Windows 7, now they're executing on the next phase. Solid architecture first, now making it pretty.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 9:44am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
No, not "Dual Mode OS" … "dual mode devices." It's the interface we are talking about being dual, not the underlying operating system. iOS and Mac OS also have the same OS X core, but they each have their own user and app interfaces, and each only have one mode. It is dual mode devices that never do well because most users find single mode devices to already be too complex.

We have already seen dual mode devices fail to sell, and then when one mode was removed, the single mode versions sold very, very well:

* Windows PC's through v3.11 were dual mode DOS/Windows and very unpopular for 10 years; Windows PC's from 95 on were single mode Windows and immediately very, very popular, even becoming a pop culture phenomenon … you could finally go "DOS-free" and sales soared
...See More
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 4:49pm

Shannon Clarke
MG, I have an Acer Iconia running Honeycomb 3.1 and I love it over the iPad and iPad 2 in the house simply because of the versatility of the full USB port (mouse & keyboard support) and the customizable homescreen widgets. It's really a different experience from the iPad and better suited to working in environments without the internet. I've also seen the stress we went through setting up iTunes an getting paid app downloads since we don't live in US. Android Market is a breeze. Why do you and others give Android tablets so much hate but love the iPad unconditionally?
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 2:53am
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
A stopped clock is right twice a day. An Acer Iconia is a better tablet than iPad for 0.01% of users. Doesn't change the fact that the consumer PC market is moving wholesale from Windows PC's to Apple iPads.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 6:46pm

Shannon Clarke
Are you trying to say that 99.99% of users don't use USB memory sticks or USB devices?

Also, I think bloggers have realised that making posts such as this increases pageviews and are link-bait. The iPad really isn't that much better experience-wise or technically. Honeycomb is actually way more attractive than iPad UI.....to each their own.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 10:43pm

Jay Craft · Morehouse College
Honeycomb is also way more "laggy" and has tens, if not hundreds of times fewer apps actually designed for a tablet-sized touch screen.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 3 at 8:15pm
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thayden70 (signed in using Yahoo)
Meh, the name of your updated article should be "Much Ado About Nothing"... I have absolutely no interest in tablets. When I am online I prefer interaction instead of just viewing. You interact via typing, e.g. adding a comment like I am doing now. It is too uncomfortable to type on a tablet. Tablets are also pricey. My next laptop will most likely be an ultrabook. As they have the long battery life, light weight, thinness of tablets but with a keyboard.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 2:10am

David Cooper ·  Top Commenter · Shanghai, China
I guess the title could be "Much Ado About Nothing for thayden70", but for HP, the largest PC manufacturer in the world, "the tablet effect is real" and the iPad does present "A Clear and Present Danger"
Reply · 7 ·  · September 2 at 2:23am
thayden70 (signed in using Yahoo)
HP and other makers simply made a mistake by falling for the tablet hype. No way the tablet market was large enough to support so many versions. There was bound to be some casualties.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 3:26am

Nick Fleker Felker ·  Top Commenter
The tablet market is large enough to support them, but the consumer base called it the iPad market.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 5:42am
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Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Ok, now that you've completely admitted your bias, I understand why you write these ridiculous articles. What I don't understand is why you have to have a bias at all? I have an iPad, I use it for all of the same reasons you do. Each year, I'll probably upgrade it to the latest revision. One year, sometime in the future, there will be other choices and you can be sure they'll be running Windows.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:49am

Sprague Dawley ·  Top Commenter · New York, New York
MG identifies closely with Apple and their products. Microsoft competes with Apple, hence it competes with him. There is no end to the complexities of human psychology.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 7:18am

Justin Hassler ·  Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Wouldn't you find that, as a "journalist", you shouldn't be writing about things you are biased about one way or another? It's bad enough all the spin and bias we deal with in the comments sections of tech blogs, ya know?
Reply ·  · September 2 at 11:23am

Sprague Dawley ·  Top Commenter · New York, New York
Ah! But as Mike Arrington has reminded us recently, he does not consider TC bloggers to be journalists. And anyway, as Tim Armstrong has said, when it comes to journalistic standards TC is an "exception".
Reply ·  · September 2 at 12:12pm
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Erick Powers ·  Top Commenter
Everyone needs to get out of apples ass. tablets are a joke next to a laptop.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 10:01am

Erick Powers ·  Top Commenter
and the only real thing ipad presents a danger to is business. all these kids with their ipads get their parrents on board saying oh they are so awesome then you see businesses trying to use them in a pc server/linux server/iseries environment and well nothing will truly work. its stupid. check your email? laptops worked fine for that. hell my phone has done that for years.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 10:04am

Robert Elliott Simmons · Director, VIsual Effects and Motion Graphics at Illusive Media
Lemme guess you havent used for an extended period. Sure any device can do this or that, but it's the execution of this or that makes the iPad a winner.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:55pm

Brad Tiller ·  Top Commenter
HP doesn't seem to be laughing.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:27pm
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Adam Soutter ·  Top Commenter
I'm a PC user and as soon as that alleged high resolution iPad touches down I will be all over it.
Reply · 2 ·  · September 2 at 1:51am

David A Smith ·  Top Commenter · London, United Kingdom
A poor typing experience is not the only thing going against the iPad. There's the poor form factor (holding it while browsing doesn't cut it), the lack of Flash support, the inability to use it as a stand alone device, the inability to download non-app store programs etc etc etc. And it's not about work v play; this is 2011, I should be able to do both on a single device. Going from laptop to iPad is not emancipation on any level. If anything, it's voluntary imprisonment.

The iPad is not the future. Nor is any tablet for that matter. It's a nice idea. A cool new toy. But just not good enough. The future is not a step backward. When they release a tablet that I don't need to hold to keep upright (without attaching a stand) and that I don't need to type on because it perfectly understands the words coming out of my mouth, that'll be a start.

The future is a device agnostic to the other tech in my home and speaks to every other device automatically without forcing me to buy gadgets from the same company. The future is a computer I don't need to log in to because it recognises me and pulls up everything I need before I start using it. The future is a device that learns my habits and helps me save time by doing my most repetitive tasks for me (but also one that asks me first). The future is a device as complex or simple as I need it to be. The future is something better than what we currently have or where you believe we're currently headed.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 5:04am

Adrian Barnes · Laguna Niguel, California
I completely agree with the first paragraph. I disagree with the second.

It befuddles me to hear (especially from Siegler) that the form factor is on the iPad is better, I need reasons besides, "It's better". I am sure for some it is in fact better but the rest of the crowd just believes its better. In the article there is mention of how horrendous typing is, but what if that is what you want to do in your leisure? Doesn't sound better.

David, I disagree with your second paragraph, not because I think you're off track, but because we can't take into unforeseen into consideration - what the future has to offer. I do think the iPad and other tablets are the shiny new toys but if typing on the iPad became the biggest irritation to consumers then I would expect an out-of-the-box solution from Apple come next hardware release. Not the best example but I thought the Magic Trackpad was an incredibly dumb step in the wrong direction until I spent a couple days using a Mac Book Air; I was then convinced a trackpad (albeit one from Apple) could be made more convenient than a mouse. Before multi-touch there would have been no way to convince me that the trackpads would some day be better using a mouse.
Reply ·  · September 3 at 10:18pm

Brandon Price ·  Top Commenter · Missionary at Missionary
I totally agree with this. I'd much rather take my iPad around with me everywhere, but because I do a lot of writing, I can't. I love consumption on the iPad, but creation still leaves a bit to be desired. Because I'd love to not have a laptop with me, though, I've even considered buying the regular Mac wireless keyboard since the total amount of occupied space will still be much less than a laptop. There are still too many things that complicate the system instead of complement it, but that line is getting fainter and fainter.

I will say that screaming "Fanboy!" anytime someone talks about the iPad is getting a little weird now that so many people have them. There are millions and millions of recently-converted "fan boys" out there now, they just don't know that's what they're supposed to call themselves now. Poor souls don't realize how many people out there hate them simply because they like their new toy.
Reply · 1 ·  · September 2 at 6:08am

Sheena Allana ·  Top Commenter · UC Davis
You're missing the point entirely. The fanboys are the ones that claim Apple products are the best. In the end, it's just a matter of opinion. Some people prefer Windows or Android. None of these products are perfect. To say that any of them is perfect and 'the best' is ridiculous, and fanboyish.
Reply · 3 ·  · September 2 at 9:27am

Lee Lawrence · Woodberry down
I think your definition of a Fanboy is wrong, because in this world some things can be judged to be the best, maybe not for everyone, but for individuals, and if that number of individuals is the majority then you could sa for the majority of people! I'm not sure if Apple would say their products are perfect because why would they continue to develop and improve upon something thats perfect?
I think Fanboy is a derrogatory term used to bolster a poor argument when rational opinion cant win!
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:05pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
Nobody is saying iPad is perfect. That is a strawman. What is being said is that iPad is a better PC for consumers than Windows PC's. That is totally non-controversial. Even if only for the touch interface, it would be true. Even if only for being 100% virus and malware free, that would be true. Even if only for the fact iPad is less than half the size of a Windows PC and has more than double the battery life, that would be true.

We are not talking about something that is even close. And we see it borne out in sales numbers: iPad sales have doubled year over year while Windows PC sales are down.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 5:42pm
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Jan Larsson · Stockholm, Sweden
The assymetry is starting to turn the tables.

First the iPad was no threat because a Laptop could do so much more tan the iPad. So other manufactirers felt no need to react.

Now the users are discovering what the IPad gives them that a laptop cannot do. It is so easy to bring along, sit in the sofa with. It is social like no laptop can ever be, you can produce an iPad and use it in many situations where using a laptop would just be considered rude. You can use it on the move, no need to find somewhere to sit.
...See More
Reply · 8 ·  · September 2 at 12:18pm

Michael A. Robson ·  Top Commenter · Shanghai, China
Manufacturers HAVE been reacting. They tried releasing copycats even before the iPad was released! Remember the HP Slate that MS used to 'pre-emt' the iPad!!?? The PC industry just sucks at UX, as they always have.
Reply ·  · September 2 at 4:43pm
hamranhansenhansen ·  Top Commenter (signed in using Yahoo)
PC nerds all think iPad does less than a PC, and they are right.

The typical consumer thinks iPad does more than a PC, and they are right.
Reply · 4 ·  · September 2 at 7:28pm
Jerome Paradis · Buyosphere'de Co-Founder & CTO
I wouldn't bet that Microsoft's tablet strategy with Windows 8 is doomed. At first I was thinking they're crazy and haven't learned anything. But with Samsung latest Win 7 tablet, I'm not so sure... The battery life seems getting better at 8 hours. The hardware seems really good. The only problem remaining might be price, which is a big one, I'll admit, but it should improve.
Microsoft might very well deliver on the promise of the best of both worlds with Windows 8: a tablet for casual use that's easy to use touch-wise with fingers that can transform in a real laptop by connecting a keyboard and mouse for productive professional work. And you can plug in any USB peripheral for other stuff usually meant for a PC.

So, you could really get a single hardware that replaces both the PC and a tablet that excels at both scenarios. We'll just have to see if they deliver on that promise. We all know they've tried this "convertible" approach for a decade or so but maybe the time has come? In any case, I've changed mind and I think it's probably a wise move for them to take a different path than others. It might just work.

On the other hand, maybe that's why Apple did what they did with Lion? They perhaps see that the iPad isn't the "end all discussions" device? They might very well come with a convertible approach too in the near future. Microsoft just may be first to the game this time around.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 06:58

Tim Goss · Northcode Inc'da CTO
Please read Mark Russinovich's explanation of WinMin and then think for a while (think hard, not just "blogger hard") about how WinMin and Metro might be used to target PC alternative devices without any sign of Windows Classic. With WinMin, Microsoft isn't going to be tied to PC hardware by anything except their own historic investment. Windows Phone is a little taste of the WinMin investment in action. It might be a hectic pace, but it's not a "scramble" if you have a vision for transitioning away from the monolithic kernel that systems before Windows 7 required. What would happen if Metro worked on Intel based Apple hardware and people suddenly had access to millions of apps and developers didn't have to give up 30% of their sales?
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 07:08

Naval Gilles ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · Nyack High School
Oh MG, the Ipad is not the only tablet on the market, the tablet market will be just like the Smart phone market. Apple will lose the market share war. No the tablet is not the ipod market, its stupid to say they are the same. A few years from now Apple will lose the market share war to either android or windows tablets.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 07:19

Larry Erwin · Proclivity Systems'te Product Manager and Client Operations
I told my NYC friends a month ago that unless you're a power user (i.e., programmer, trader, lawyer, accountant, etc.), by 2015, you will never power up a desktop or a laptop...ever!

Consumer behavior is rapidly changing. Simply observe how Gen I interacts with machines...haptic and time shifted). For better or for worse, the the PC is a dead man walking and quickly after that, so will the laptop (stet power users).
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:06

Alex Ionut · Bacau, Romania
Used my iPad 2 today to video talk on skype with my sister who is in Vienna, Austria and I am in Romania. It's better with just doing this then a PC. Nevermind other things, but what I want to say is that iPad gives that thing witch is :"it just works". I do have a Dell laptop, I still use it for coding and other stuff but...the iPad gives you that feeling...
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:04

Sriram Srinivasan · National Institute of Technology, Trichy
"Computing on an ipad"? Err, what computing? Are you running a prime number detection algorithm? Or running some distributed computing code like map-reduce? Or, are you thinking checking email or twitter or fb is "computing"? Or even editing a file on MS-word?
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:19

Matt Del Vecchio · Winona State University
yes, those things are computing. look it up.

but if thats not good enough for you, ask the FAA or the NFL what they're doing with them in enterprise.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 14:10

Stuart Schram
Sorry, I don't respect the crystal-ball gazings of a douche who goes on a vacation only to spend hours of his day on an iPad. You might be in touch with your insular circle of fellow losers, but thankfully most people aren't like that.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 08:55

Alan Crooks · Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Correct, because he and everyone else should spend their holidays doing some acceptable to you.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 10:58

Rowan Pope · Adelaide, South Australia
The iPad can do a lot, even now. Many powerful remote ssh, vnc, rdp options. The app Good Reader has excellent fileanagent with folders, zipping and unzipping, emailing attachments, annotating PDF's, multitasking tabs, simultaneous multi-file downloads in te background, and so on. Crazy powerful. iCab and other excellent browsers exist enabling power user options, and browser ID spoofing so you can access real web pages when shitty site designers force you to the mobile version. (like this page... I'm on my iPhone now, I click the desktop version link at the base of the page and it rediverts back to the mobile version) Anyway...

Regarding programming, have a play with Numbers on the iPad. It's incredible what they've done with its software keyboard, quite unique. There are buttons for date ranges, times, formulas, check boxes, ...Devamını Gör
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 15:09
hamranhansenhansen ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu(Yahoo'yu kullanarak oturum açtı)
There are a lot of iPad apps that essentially turn the iPad into an input device for the Mac. There are specialized keyboards (although I haven't seen one with HTML tags, that is a great idea) and there are things like AC-7 Core, which is an audio mixer interface that sends MIDI over Wi-Fi to a Mac running Logic or Pro Tools and so on. And Adobe has an iPad app that lets you control Photoshop on the Mac from your iPad.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 19:37
t_manifest(Yahoo'yu kullanarak oturum açtı)
Talk is cheap, that's all one needs to know to not succeed at anything.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 08:06

Carson Suggs · Central AZ
Nearly a year and a half since the iPad came out and people are still whining about Flash. The arguments aren't new, they're tired. There isn't a single mobile device that can run Flash well WITHOUT draining battery life. The iPad would not have such strong battery life if Flash were playable on the device.

Besides, ¿how many people complained when it was found that the original iPhone couldn't run Flash?

The "giant iPod" cracks are boring, like most Apple haters. Another great piece, MG. You make TechCrunch readable.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 15:13
davesmall(Yahoo'yu kullanarak oturum açtı)
One of your best articles MG. You've pretty much nailed it.

Microsoft's central mission is to protect and extend the Windows and Office franchise(s).

That won't lead them to the same place where Apple is heading. Apple wants to make interacting with technology easier and more convenient. Microsoft wants to make it 'familiar' to Windows users.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 14:24

Dany Pelletier ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · FaceFlow'da Founder - Fondateur
I think you forget the gaming market. I'm pretty sure that over 70% (i don't know, but I'm pretty sure we can estimate a high %) of people will always want to have a powerful big monitor laptop or PC in order to run top graphics game and not little simple games with small screens like on a smartphone, tablet etc. With just that fact, PC"s and laptop will remain used for other stuff as well for a longgg time.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 18:10

Pleasant L Lindsey
If I had written this article I would have inserted iPod Touch instead of iPad, but that will more than likely change with the next generation of iPads.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 17:06

James Devonport Wood ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · PageHub'da çalışıyor
I think it will boil down to ultrabooks and tablets, anything but those bloody disgusting iPad cases with a built in keyboard, what is the point?
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 17:03

Jim Heising
I think I use my iPad more than my iPhone anymore...
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 14:19

Jonah Ungacta · Honolulu, Hawaii
MG, can you honestly say you wouldn't be more in love with your MacBook Air if it could also magically transform into an iPad2? Where's the fault in that? Sounds genius all the way around to me.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 19:07

Nick Berry · Seattle, Washington
It's iPad XOR Laptop.
http://datagenetics.com/blog/november72010/index.html
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 21:51

Steven Jon Smith · Reading, England
MG, this is a wonderful article and raises from very valid and well perceived observations and truths.

The fact that the PC is dying is something we have been seeing for many years with most business men and women beginning to use smartphones to do many of the tasks they would have otherwise used a PC for. The rise of tablet computing I believe has just accelerated this process.

However your statement about the iPad, does give me a feeling of your relentless want for Apple products. I have a tablet, I would say it is amazing, it's obviously not an iPad. I have used the iPads and I just felt they weren't that special. I have an Asus Transformer and I am using it now to write this. I must say now-a-days there are a few tablets which give the iPad a decent run for it's money.
Yanıtla ·  · 03 Eylül, 01:25

Will Jones ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu
I have an iPad and browsing the web is still easier on a laptop. All the iPad is good for is video while commuting and displaying chord charts and sheet music when I'm playing on stage.

It's certainly not the best way to 'experience' the web.
Yanıtla ·  · 03 Eylül, 07:20

Wasswa Somhairle · Kampala, Uganda
MG clearly lives in his own(apple) world. I am in a huge hall with a Wi-Fi hotspot and the next guy has a PC, damn even the next six guys, Hell everyone has a PC. Looks like the PC is alive and breathing fire. I take a risk and ask one fellow typing gleefully probably chatting on facebook. " Hey do you have an ipad?". I what? Forget it. PCs and Microsoft continue to kick ass here.
Yanıtla ·  · 03 Eylül, 16:13

Sean Casey
Good article man! Very well written! Hear, Hear!
Yanıtla ·  · 03 Eylül, 22:01

Vadim Berman ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu
So the majority of people you saw in an airport used iPads (or tablets in general, or Kindle). What about their homes and offices, did you visit them as well and saw them using iPads there? Did all the people using Palm Pilots 10 years ago ditch their PCs, too? Casual computing and entertainment for bored travelers is very different from editing and managing tons of documents, personal mail, editing graphics, coding, and gazillions of other tasks which require concentration and normal traditional keyboard and big screen.
Yanıtla ·  · 04 Eylül, 16:59

Peter Lorent
Spot on. And it will happen fast.
Yanıtla ·  · 04 Eylül, 08:38

Rob O'Daniel · Odessa, Texas
iPad & Droid tablets are fun, over-hyped, consumptive gizmos, but little more. Yes, yes, you may be able to doodle a picture or noodle around with some music, but mostly, that's still consumption-oriented play.

Antiquated as it may be, you usually need a keyboard to get real work done. Did you actually hack this blog post out via the on-screen keyboard? And if so, how many hours did that take? I've seen people attempt to take notes on iPads and it's an inefficient and relatively unproductive experience.
Yanıtla ·  · 07 Eylül, 06:49

Jonah Ungacta · Honolulu, Hawaii
MG, do you have a follow up to this in light of what was just demoed at Microsoft's build conference? John Gruber, Andy Inhatko and @JSnell have all given their take. What's yours?
Yanıtla ·  · 14 Eylül, 22:09
Tundey Akinsanya ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · George Mason
Here's one thing I have noticed when arguing about Apple/iPad/windows with Apple fanboys: they very quickly start listing all the great features of the iPad. My brother-in-law is one of them, so we've had this same discussion over and over. Sadly what Apple fanboys try to forget is that no reasonable person is going to say the iPad isn't great. It's Apple and it's shitty policies that people rail against. My wife recently asked me to buy her an iPod and all I could think about was "now I've gotta have that shitty iTunes on my laptop". That's all I could think about. Is there any technical reason why iPods have to be tethered to iTunes? Is there any technical reason why over-the-air activation isn't allowed for iPad (the so-called post-PC device that requires a PC to activate)? Is there a technical reason why Apple won't allow multiple app stores? Is there any reason why Apple is so opaque about their approval process for their app store? Is there a technical reason why Apple tried to make jailbreaking a federal crime? These are policies that Apple has steadfastly refused to change and that are holding back even more non-fanboys from switching. At least that's what's holding me back. $599 for the iPad? No big deal. Not having control over what I can do with my device? Impossible!
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 06:37

John S. Wilson ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · Emory
iPad won't have to be tethered to anything in iOS 5. All activation, troubleshooting, and everything in between for all iOS devices will take place on the devices themselves. And every tech company has their way of doing things. To act as though your PS3 or Xbox doesn't have their respective stores and policies is disingenuous at best.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 07:44

Tundey Akinsanya ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · George Mason
A new iPad (as of today) can't be activated without iTunes, correct? iOS 5 isn't here yet (at least not for the masses). My problem with that is why wasn't OTA activation built into the iPad (a post-PC device) since the original version?

XBox doesn't have an exclusive app store. Sure it's way more convenient to buy stuff off the Microsoft store but they don't stop you from downloading from a 3rd party, burning it on a DVD and playing it. Again my problem isn't that Apple has their policies for their app store, it's that they don't allow any other app store. For no technical reason. Don't know much about PS3 so I can't comment on that.

So yes all companies have their ways of doing thing but Apple's seem particularly restrictive.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 08:42

John S. Wilson ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · Emory
That's true. I mentioned won't have to be in iOS 5 because you're right, it's not here yet. Wasn't trying to say you're wrong. I was saying they are rectifying that. As far as the app store, it makes no sense for Apple to open it up so you can buy apps from competing stores. Right now, the app store and iTunes is revenue neutral, Apple says. So if they opened it up to competition they'd probably lose money. That doesn't make good business sense.

And with over 450,000 apps in the store I don't know what else there could be to offer to consumers anyway. Additionally, if devs don't want to submit to the app store they can make an HTML 5 web app as the Financial Times has done.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:03
Diğer 1 gönderiyi gör

Stephen Jones · T-Gate LLC'da Sr. Web Developer
There's no better way to underscore your point that consumers aren't looking for "PCs in another form factor" than to ask, what happened to the "netbook" market? It was the hottest thing a year or two ago, destined to revive the PC market. All the top PC players invested in it. What happened? The iPad happened.

Now, I definitely don't think the iPad will be the only tablet game in town but the netbook niche of "casual computing" will be handled quite nicely by tablets (for surfing, consuming) and adding an outboard keyboard for heavier texting/emaiing/writing.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:54

George M Taylor · Edinburgh, United Kingdom
As someone with professional requirements for a laptop/PC/"truck" I see a future where I have to fork out a lot more because the law of economics raises the price of something that goes from being main stream and mass-produced to niche.
Love my iPad but I fear it's going to cost me more than I realised in the long term.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:21

Tom Geary ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu
I'm sure that one day, a tablet will replace my laptop. I'll have one work-supplied tablet which I'll use all the time. I'll be able to dock my tablet at work, and use my two displays, my nice keyboard and mouse. And then at home I'll either dock it to my home display, or carry it to the bog and read the news while having a dump. I will also want to connect it via HDMI to my home theater so my kids can watch Dinosaur Train or Fireman Sam from netflix. I'll then buy another the same (or less powerful) for my wife.

One day that will happen, and it will be awesome. but that day is not here. And if apple are the enabler, then all those peripherals and connectors will cost a lot of money, which will piss everyone off, and cause apple to turn into microsoft of days of yore.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 12:21

David Weintraub
If you're only issue on the iPad is typing, get an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a Belkin FlipBlade stand. This gives you the keyboard you need for massive typing. I'm a developer and a technical analyst. I need my Mac to program, but when I travel, I find I can leave my MacBook Pro at home. I can take notes with my iPad and keyboard, work on documentation, and, I don't even have to take the setup out to show the TSA agent in the security line.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 12:29

Nate Dudek · Middletown, Connecticut
The biggest thing I disagree with in this post: "Microsoft’s problem is that the public isn’t stupid."

Yes they are.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 10:33

Jonathan Badeen ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu · Cramster'de Mobile Engineer
Agreed. For that very reason I think Windows 8 will get a lot of people. They'll also get a ton of business users.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 12:28

Daniel Kessler
All this means is that Windows and Mac will fail miserably, and Linux will take over the desktop.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 09:39
hamranhansenhansen ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu(Yahoo'yu kullanarak oturum açtı)
No, the Mac is fine, because it does not compete with the iPad. The Mac is a high-end computer, $999 and up. The Mac has over 90% of that market. iPad is killing the $500 computer systems, which is where almost all of the Windows and Linux systems are. Since the iPad launched, Mac sales are up, iPad sales are up (of course) and every other PC is down.

Also, the Mac is the iPad's development system. If you want to write an iPad app, you hook a Mac onto the iPad via USB. So the more iPads that are sold, the more developers buy Macs. And the Mac is essential in pro video, pro audio, pro graphics … these systems will not be replaced with iPads the way that may Windows PC business systems are getting replaced with iPads. Sure, iPads are being added to those workflows, but replacing a Photoshop Mac with hundreds of AppleScripts and terabytes of disk space? Not for a while. Replacing a system that runs Outlook all day is much easier.
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 19:21

Daniel Kessler
I'm not saying that Linux is competing with tablets/ipad. I'm saying that it will beat Mac and Windows (the desktop OS)
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 20:39

mad@greyarea.com(Hotmail'i kullanarak oturum açtı)
Here you answer...for the iPhone for now. http://twitter.com/#!/SmartKeyboard
Yanıtla ·  · 02 Eylül, 11:41

Eduardo Fenili ·  Üst Düzey Yorumcu
*shrug*