Topic: "Post-PC era"

[scottws]

I'm getting real tired of seeing this crap on technology blogs.  Hell, I even saw a CNN article use the term.  Last I checked, corporations still need to use PCs to get work done (or something like Remote Desktop Services/Citrix XenApp or VDI at least) and something tells me that these bloggers aren't typing up their "articles" on touch-screen tablet keyboards.  And though I know people who have iPads or other tablets, I have honestly never seen them used... ever.  My sister-in-law's boyfriend has an iPad and literally all he ever does with it is let my nephew play Angry Birds on it.  I'm around this guy almost every night for hours.  Even my sister-in-law reaches for her laptop rather than his tablet 100% of the time.

PC sales are slumping or growing more slowly than in the past.  But a lot of this could be attributed to diminishing returns.  Nothing has really pushed a PC for the last four or five years until more recently.  As long as the U.S. and global economy doesn't go into recession, I could see 2012-2013 being a big growth period for PCs as gamers look to get a new machine after finally being left in the dust and corporations continue to retire Windows XP.

[gpw11]

I have a few friends who use them fairly often.  But mostly for browsing while on the couch, watching videos, etc. All till fully own laptops (and definitely use them less), but obviously still need them and whatever PCs they have office-side in order to get work done.  I agree, tablets certainly haven't replaced anything, although they are more suited to certain activities.

[idolminds]

While riding the train on various trips I've seen my share of ipads/tablets. I think once someone was browsing the web, but the rest were Angry Birds, Scrabble, and watching movies.

[Cools!]

Well, I for one am glad that you can now activate an iPad without a PC... Post-PC era rules!

[Xessive]

The use of such vague and inaccurate terminology is a pathetic flaw in today's society.

I don't think we're anywhere neat a Post-PC era. At least not until we eliminate the Personal Computer as a concept, by moving on to something like nanotechnology.

I oppose the term "Post-PC era" as vehemently as I oppose the use of "organic" to describe farm-fresh or chemically untreated food. Organic food.. As opposed to what? Inorganic food? What were we eating, metal shavings?!

[W7RE]

I hate the word "green", when used to refer to something that does not harm the environment. It's a trendy catch-phrase to use to sell us shit, under the pretense that the manufacturer is only concerned with saving the environment, when really they're just trying to find the best way to sell you shit. If this week's thing is "green" products, they'll take an existing product that is already environmentally friendly, and slap a "green" label on it.

[Quemaqua]

I'm with ... well, everyone. I see people use tablets a lot because I'm in a cafe almost every day of my life now, but 85% of these people are also carrying a laptop with them. Tablets haven't replaced shit. And "green" marketing is annoying as hell. I'm very much an environmentalist myself, even, but this whole green movement is really just another way for the government and corporations to sell you shit you shouldn't be buying.

[ren]

While riding the train on various trips I've seen my share of ipads/tablets. I think once someone was browsing the web, but the rest were Angry Birds, Scrabble, and watching movies.

To be fair, that probably covers 99% of what people use their laptops for on train rides too.

[Pugnate]

haha ren

[idolminds]

heh, true.

[Quemaqua]

Actually, being a train commuter every day for 5 or 6 years, I don't think that's true at all. Most of the people I saw using their laptops were working, emailing, doing stuff with spreadsheets and word processors, whatever.

[idolminds]

I suppose it was a little different fro me since mine wasn't a commuter train full of people going to work.

[Quemaqua]

I think your original assessment is correct. People don't use tablets to do anything serious. Not generally. It's not convenient for that sort of thing. You aren't going to use a wireless keyboard with it the way I do with my iTouch because... then you're basically using a laptop, and the on-screen keyboards are bitched about by nearly everyone it seems like, so getting much done without a wireless keyboard seems like an issue. Tablets aren't work devices for the most part. They're for fun, maybe some reading and web browsing. I mean for most people. Obviously with all the stuff you can do, the options are huge, but I don't think most people use them for much other than fucking around.

[Cools!]

The best part is that you got porn where ever you need it.

[K-man]

Tablets are only going to become more prominent.

[Pugnate]

The best part is that you got porn where ever you need it.

Pornography: If you need it outside of the house, you are doing it wrong.

[Quemaqua]

Also, I spend nearly every day at a coffeehouse, and probably 80% of the people I see with tablets also bring a laptop and use both simultaneously. That should tell you something about their raw utility right there. The housewives come in and read a book or surf the web, but young working adults always have the laptop with them.

[ren]

Also, I spend nearly every day at a coffeehouse, and probably 80% of the people I see with tablets also bring a laptop and use both simultaneously. That should tell you something about their raw utility right there.

80% of people find that tablets do something better than laptops to the point where both are worth carrying? That also tells me a lot about the shortcomings of laptops.

[Cobra951]

Actually, it tells me a lot about the power of market trends.  What is it that a tablet can do that a laptop can't?  You don't have to unfold one to use it.  That's it.

[Quemaqua]

Come on, Ren, that's silly and you know it. People buy tablets because they're shiny, new, everybody has one, they're status symbols, whatever. But they keep the laptops because of the greater utility. There are very few things that can be done "better" on a tablet than on a laptop. I'm not trying to condemn them as useless technology or whatever. I get the appeal. I have an iTouch and I use it basically as a tiny tablet, and I use it almost constantly, but I think a big part of that is the size factor. Regardless, I think arguing that a tablet does most basic computing tasks "better" is a pretty big stretch.

[scottws]

I do see a future where the idea of a desktop PC is only for things like 3D design or other resource-intensive tasks.  For most other uses I could see having something similar to but more evolved than the Asus Transformer or Motorola Atrix.  It would be a smartphone that you could carry everywhere plus have a larger touchscreen it could slide into to become a tablet and also have a dock it could plug into that could have other attachable peripherals like a keyboard and mouse.  It could even have a laptop-style dock instead of a desktop-style one with a touchpad or trackball instead of a mouse.  Then it would be everything in (mostly) one device.

But we are still years from that point.  Smartphones right now have decent processors, but there just isn't enough support for the software that consumers and businesses use most for this idea to start to take off just yet.  Though I suppose at least in business we can get real close by using a Citrix ICA or Remote Desktop Services client on the smartphones to connect to Windows servers that do have the requisite software and all of this technology already exists, including the Citrix and RDS clients for smartphones.  But do any current smartphones have the ability to work on a wired LAN with or without a dock?  That could be a barrier.  Wi-Fi is an option, but I just don't see businesses running a majority of their client base on Wi-Fi due to the congestion, reliability, and security issues.

In any case, whatever the future of computing might look like, we are definitely not currently in a post-PC era like the tech blogs sites are claiming.

Edit:  And I agree with what Que and Cobra said.  The current tablet trend/fad/whatever is mostly due to the power of Apple's marketing.  Think about it.  If some PC or smartphone vendor came out with the iPad (called something else, of course, but otherwise the same), would the current idea of a tablet be as pervasive as it is today?  Obviously, it is not possible to state with any true certainty, but I would think they would be shrugged off just as other previous tablets had been.

Tons of bloggers have written stories speculating why non iPads aren't selling.  My take isn't that Apple somehow nails it while vendors using Android Gingerbread or WebOS (or those OSes themselves) are missing, it is that tablets aren't really that useful and iPads are selling simply because of the Apple aura and the fact that they have become status symbols in a way.

What are a tablet's advantages over a laptop?  Greater portability.  Little to no boot-up time.  I'm out of ideas after this, but maybe less clicks/presses to launch a web browser or Angry Birds?  That's really it.  Currently, you cannot legitimately argue that tablets even remotely have greater utility than a laptop.  Even for most use cases.  Laptop advantages far outweigh the miniscule advantages tablets have.  The biggest advantage tablets have is portability, but if you have something like a MacBook Air or ultraportable PC, that asset is not as big a factor.

[ren]

Come on, Ren, that's silly and you know it. People buy tablets because they're shiny, new, everybody has one, they're status symbols, whatever. But they keep the laptops because of the greater utility. There are very few things that can be done "better" on a tablet than on a laptop. I'm not trying to condemn them as useless technology or whatever. I get the appeal. I have an iTouch and I use it basically as a tiny tablet, and I use it almost constantly, but I think a big part of that is the size factor. Regardless, I think arguing that a tablet does most basic computing tasks "better" is a pretty big stretch.

I did put it in a silly way but I still stand by the gist. Tablet computers offer an interface which people seem to prefer over a mouse and keyboard. Nothing will beat a keyboard and mouse for content production but a lot of what people do on their personal computers is consume media and tablets are made for that. I'd bet that come Windows 8, the line between tablets and laptop will blur quite a bit.

[Cobra951]

Content production, email/Facebook, registrations, etc (any typing), and if you like your screen to be clean and scratch-free.

The only way those advantages will go away is if new operating systems deliberately nerf the old, established input methods.  I don't put that past some outfits.  Let's hope that's not how the line gets blurred in the future.

[Cools!]

I can think of a few other advantages and uses:

Lack of maintenance: No complicated configurations, no virus scanners, no trouble shooting (well, for the most part), etc. Apple and other manufactures have a simple model to solve problems: you go and buy a new device. Backup is handled by whatever computer you use to sync your device with so transitioning from one device to another is relatively easy.

Quick access: People leave their tablets in the living room, kitchen, etc. so whenever they need to search something online, check prices, play a game, follow a recipe, etc. it's right there in front of them. Sure laptops can do that too, but laptops are still mostly associated with "work" and or often too expensive and big to just leave around for someone to knock over, etc.

Not as valuable: You have your important stuff on your desktop or laptop, people treat tablets more for casual stuff and are less likely to store important content on them. And because you can sync, there's an automatic backup (well at least with iPads, I'm not sure about other devices). So there's less fear associated with a tablet breaking or being lost.

Application Store: The general public is used to making purchases at stores. Buying something on a tablet is easy (for the most part), you don't have to visit different websites, all with different registration and purchase systems. Instead, you remember a single username and password and you are good to go. Updates are handled through the same system as well.

---

I'd say that for the general public, a tablet can do almost everything they need and they are a great way for someone to get into computers without much hassle (speaking from my own experience with my mom).

I'm sure that many people buy tablets for the novelty/status/games/whatever, but I think they have a lot value for "pro" users as well. For example, you can use them as controllers for audio and video applications instead of buying expensive physical hardware. Photographers use them now as portable portfolios. Event organizers use them instead of a stack of papers for keeping track of schedules. Etc.

[K-man]

I can say this with certainty:  My father, who is computer illiterate and has absolutely no dealings with them in any way, would have a greater chance of being able to navigate and be able to use a tablet than a laptop.  They are ultra-streamlined computers.  Much less intimidating to the uninitiated.  I've seen it firsthand.

It's not a stretch to imagine school/college textbooks or tech manuals on iPad.  The potential utility for these devices is huge, it has yet to be fully realized.  I could definitely see tablets phasing out low end netbooks/laptops, for sure.  I mean we're as close as we've ever been to having a legitimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in our hands.  How can that be a bad thing?

[scottws]

I never said it was a bad thing.  This thread is more about the frustration I experience reading technology blogs that all seem to have the idea that the current tablets have basically replaced the PC.  It's just completely false.

It really makes me think that Apple is subsidizing the articles to create the illusion that now you need an iPad.  How else can they be so off-base?  If there is another explanation, I certainly can't think what it might be.

[Cools!]

That wouldn't be anything new. It's up to you to make up your mind.

[ren]

I wouldn't go as far as saying we're in a Post-PC era but it is the first time where the PC is not the exclusive go-to device for computing which is a little bit noteworthy.

[scottws]

That wouldn't be anything new. It's up to you to make up your mind.

LOL!  If you can't tell by the comments I make about tablets, my mind is already made up! 

[Cools!]

I know.

[Quemaqua]

That's my take as well. It's not like I don't see potential, I just don't think it's been realized yet, and I think it's going to be a good long while before that potential is not only realized but actually overtakes a PC. Sure, all the uses people said here are valid ones, and some of them cool, but none of them even remotely phases out a computer. So you can take books to school and bring a portfolio somewhere. That's great, but it doesn't replace a PC for most of the shit you have to do.

[Cools!]

Right, and just to clarify, I didn't imply that tablets are going to replace laptop and desktops.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, I didn't think you did. I see valid reasons for owning both, and I despite my dislike of Apple, I do like my iTouch. The advantage of using that to type stuff up when I leave the house? That and a bluetooth keyboard will last me all day at a charge. Laptop dies in like 2 hours. I don't know how iPads are, but I assume the battery life is a lot better than a laptop... so that could be a very useful thing in the right circumstances.

[K-man]

I think eventually it will be realistic to own a desktop and tablet rather than a desktop and laptop.  At the very least I think it will be equally as beneficial.

[scottws]

Cooler heads prevail.  Although that guy sort of bases his argument that smartphones and tablets are PCs too.  But even if you consider tablets and smartphones non-PCs, we still aren't in a post-PC era.

[Cobra951]

So, until someone comes up with something better than a full-sized keyboard and a full-sized monitor, it is not a Post-PC Era.

Good read.  I agree completely with what he said, and how he said it.

[sirean_syan]

Thought this was appropriate

[Xessive]

Haha exactly!!

[Xessive]

Post PC My Ass

[scottws]

That article is a nice writeup on exactly how I feel about the situation, though I wish he would have tried to opine on why the iPad was crushing the sales of other tablets.  I've already stated my theory on that.