The Post PC Era

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
the tablet is great. i would love one.

But they are NOT going to replace pc's anytime soon.
 

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
64
91
The stats were ipads vs PC's. That does not include the Kindle Fires and dozens of various Android tablets that were put out last year.

It's not 10:1. It's more like 2.5:1

What is your argument?

Please, meet logic:

It's a pretty safe bet that a lot of those 15 million iPad buyers also have computers.

So, no.

All you morons talking about the post pc era won't even acknowledge this point.

I'm going to go ahead state that ALL of those 15 million iPad buyers have computers.

Jesus christ, this is such a stupid thread.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
What is your argument?

My argument is that tablets are displacing PC sales. Not that they are replacing PC's. People are buying them instead of 2nd PC's and not replacing their primary PC's as often as they had in the past.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
:rolleyes:

The 'post pc era' is a stupid fucking buzzword. Tablets are great, I love mine, but they aren't going to replace PCs for a ton of different reasons. Tablets are complementary to pc's, not replacements. Sure, they will eat into pc sales because people will buy tablets instead of a second computer or earlier pc upgrade, but they will not replace actual computers.

Wooly eyed futurists have been making stupid claims about the end of the pc for years. It hasn't happened, and it isn't happening any time soon, because PCs are simple and cheap and easily hooked together. A $400 laptop is capable of much more than a $500 tablet, and much more capable than a terminal workstation with web apps.

Now, there are situations where a $500 tablet (sitting on the couch or traveling) or a terminal workstation (computer labs) are better fits than the $400 laptop, but that doesn't get past the fact that the cheap laptop is still a better purchase for an all around appliance. And it sure as fuck doesn't mean that people are suddenly going to throw away their computers or stop buying them.

If anyone is a fucking idiot in this thread, it's you. You're far too quick to jump on the bandwagon of 'futurists,' who are almost always wrong about the future.

Tone is way too hostile and unnecessary but I agree with your points. This is just my experience but tablets and phones compliment PCs further and I use my desktop more since I got all these gadgets. I value desktop way more than laptop now. But that could change once I play with all these Ultrabooks coming to market.
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
the point is not that people aren't going to dump their PC's, it's they aren't going to buy new ones as fast and will mostly buy the cheapest one they can.

IBM still sells mainframes, just not as much. there are still people who buy component or dedicated stereo systems, but not as much as before. mobility always beats specs

and most computer users don't know or care which version of windows they have and won't upgrade or buy a new computer just because MS shipped a new version.
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
My argument is that tablets are displacing PC sales. Not that they are replacing PC's. People are buying them instead of 2nd PC's and not replacing their primary PC's as often as they had in the past.

If someone has a PC... why would they buy another?

PCs have an astronomical lead in market saturation, that's all this is.
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
1,077
126
Tablets are limited in their current form. Will PC's eventually go away? Probably. In the next 2-3 years? Highly Doubtful. You can try to fool yourself that you are doing everything you would do on a laptop/pc, but if all you are doing is web browsing, reading magazines, playing little flash games and using your tablet as a TV remote, then you didn't need a PC anyway.

It's called having options. Tablets are still a long ways from replacing a PC.

Also, the numbers. Remember that tablets are fairly new in the mainstream and people are starting to buy them as they can afford them. You don't need to upgrade a PC every year and the average person doesn't buy a new one for 5-6 or more years if all they are doing is web browsing anyway. As someone else said, there hasn't been any real compelling reason to upgrade for some time. This skews the numbers.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
If someone has a PC... why would they buy another?

PCs have an astronomical lead in market saturation, that's all this is.

Another room...one for the kids...in place of a laptop ect...
 

Dominato3r

Diamond Member
Aug 15, 2008
5,109
1
0
Windows 8 will be the first tablet OS that will integrate with your home network like a regular computer unlike these android tablets and ipads - WITHOUT the use of software and shit.

Can't wait.
 
Last edited:

Dominato3r

Diamond Member
Aug 15, 2008
5,109
1
0
If someone has a PC... why would they buy another?

PCs have an astronomical lead in market saturation, that's all this is.

That's what everyone says. Our family thought one would be enough 10 years back... flash forward now and everyone (5 people) has a desktop and a laptop.
 

Dominato3r

Diamond Member
Aug 15, 2008
5,109
1
0

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
Can you even use an iPad without a computer? Don't you have to connect it, install and run iTunes, and then set the device up first?
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
This thread finally has me convinced that the future is Apple. I've told my sysadmins to collect all of the PCs. We'll be giving everyone iPads tomorrow. That shouldn't be a problem, should it? With all those apps on the App Store, I'm sure we'll find something to replace Great Plains. I just found something called BudgetTracker, think that'll work?
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
This thread finally has me convinced that the future is Apple. I've told my sysadmins to collect all of the PCs. We'll be giving everyone iPads tomorrow. That shouldn't be a problem, should it? With all those apps on the App Store, I'm sure we'll find something to replace Great Plains. I just found something called BudgetTracker, think that'll work?

Pssh, we just swapped out our PDC for an iPad 2. Talk about power savings...
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
If Ford sells 1.5 million trucks
Toyota sells 1 million Camry's
Honda sells 1 million Accords
Chevy sells 800k Malibus
Nissan sells 500k Altimas

Are we in the post mid-size sedan era?

this, totally. no one buys sedans or needs them anymore.

I seen it on the streets.
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
we're looking at citrix and running virtual windows clients but the price is insane. i calculated that it's cheaper to buy imac's.

and i used my ipad to connect to a test vmware view xp instance and it was so so. OK for on the road but not for normal work. yes you can run great plains like that but not very well

most of great plains is on the server end so in theory MS can make a lite client just to read/write data and it would be OK. but if you travel a lot then it's a lot easier reading email on the plane with an ipad compared to a laptop. and you can do some lite work with iworks
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
I never figured OP to be this kind of dude

preview
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,938
34,093
136
I wish Apple made a car. It would get uber mileage and be easy to drive. Of course, you wouldn't be ble to see through the scratched up windshield and you would never, ever find your car in the lot.
 

Dominato3r

Diamond Member
Aug 15, 2008
5,109
1
0
Can you even use an iPad without a computer? Don't you have to connect it, install and run iTunes, and then set the device up first?

I think all idevices require you to register with through iTunes on a computer expect for the latest iPhone where you can do that through initial setup.
 

Griffinhart

Golden Member
Dec 7, 2004
1,130
1
76
I have to agree with those that think the idea that we are in a "post-PC era" is a bit silly. While I'm sure there are some people that only have tablets, I personally don't know any. Tablets are still a suplimental device for the vast majority of users.

I think too many fall into the trap of looking at softening PC sales and growing tablet sales and make a correlation between the two.

For around 30 years the PC market has had two massive advantages:
Adoption rate is the first. Over the years PC's went from being that thing geeks and nerds use to the item every home needed at least one of.
The second was obsolescence. For decades, processor speeds doubled every couple of years ensuring that people needed to replace their PC's sooner rather than later.

Fast forward to 2011. PC's have finally reached the level of appliances. Just about everyone has one and while processors are still getting faster, they aren't surpassing previous models by the same margins. The results are a fairly mature and saturated market with little need to replace existing units as fast.

Even as a gamer, I tend to only upgrade my Processor about every two and a half to three years now instead of every 12 months as I did previously. my two and a half year old i7 processor I paid $290 for still allows me to play BF3 at maximum settings. For non gamers, there is even less reason to upgrade.

Due to these reasons, I firmly believe that current PC sales would look remarkably similar today even if tablets never happened.

Today, Tablets are enjoying that adoption phase of the market. There is still plenty of room for growth as the market isn't yet saturated. I do feel that they will plateau a lot sooner than PC's did.

Of all modern computing devices, I think phones will maintain the strongest numbers overall. By their nature, they suffer the most wear and tear and the sales model really promotes phone replacement by subsidizing all or a large chunk of the cost. These factors prevent the phone market from ever truly getting saturated.
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
I think all idevices require you to register with through iTunes on a computer expect for the latest iPhone where you can do that through initial setup.


anything with iOS 5 you don't need a computer. turn on, set up wifi, activate and start using

only thing you need a computer for is to store itunes bought movie content since apple won't let you download it anytime you want. only once

and if you want to store a lot of photos on the ipad then a computer is helpful but not required