The Post PC Era

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RampantAndroid

RampantAndroid

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2004
6,591
3
81
rh71 said:
As I said in another thread, my desktop remains the main machine in the house... the ipad and smartphone are just quickie-lookup things while in the living room... or in bed with netflix. They're just too annoying to use.

I typed this post on my keyboard in like 20 seconds. On an ipad, it would take close to a minute. Hell half the time I choose not to reply to posts while on an ipad.

Laptops are a no-go for me either... sits next to my desktop, just for work work.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call the ipad annoying to use, content consumption works great. Content creation such as posting however, is only something masochists should undertake. Or people with a Bluetooth keyboard (which I have but rarely use.)
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,762
13,863
126
www.anyf.ca
vi edit said:
PC's have been disposable for years. The advent of sub $400 computers has made it easier to just buy a new one every 3 or 4 years rather than update them.
Click to expand...

Well I meant more in the fact that they have no interchangeable parts. Like if the concept of being able to buy a motherboard, cpu, ram etc goes away, all the computers we buy will basically be like toasters. It stops working, you throw it away and buy a new one.
 
B

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
Red Squirrel said:
Well I meant more in the fact that they have no interchangeable parts. Like if the concept of being able to buy a motherboard, cpu, ram etc goes away, all the computers we buy will basically be like toasters. It stops working, you throw it away and buy a new one.
Click to expand...

Can I tell you a secret?

I think that's the way it should be.

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. I'll have to turn in my geek card.

Oh...
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,762
13,863
126
www.anyf.ca
bearxor said:
Can I tell you a secret?

I think that's the way it should be.

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. I'll have to turn in my geek card.

Oh...
Click to expand...

That's a terrible way for it to be. It encourages mass pollution, and costs more for consumers. But sadly companies like Apple believe that's how it should be as well by using nothing but proprietary parts in everything they make and making nothing interchangeable. Even their data ports are non standard.
 
Geekbabe

Geekbabe

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 16, 1999
32,229
2,539
126
www.theshoppinqueen.com
rh71 said:
As I said in another thread, my desktop remains the main machine in the house... the ipad and smartphone are just quickie-lookup things while in the living room... or in bed with netflix. They're just too annoying to use.

I typed this post on my keyboard in like 20 seconds. On an ipad, it would take close to a minute. Hell half the time I choose not to reply to posts while on an ipad.

Laptops are a no-go for me either... sits next to my desktop, just for work work. I use radmin to remote into it from my desktop so I can use its keyboard/mouse/monitor. :D
Click to expand...

Typing? I dictated this post on my iPad 3 in about 10 seconds :) I really like almost hands-free computing. :)
 
B

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
Red Squirrel said:
That's a terrible way for it to be. It encourages mass pollution, and costs more for consumers. But sadly companies like Apple believe that's how it should be as well by using nothing but proprietary parts in everything they make and making nothing interchangeable. Even their data ports are non standard.
Click to expand...

It just depends on your point of view. IMO, computers are tools, meant to do a job. They're an appliance, not a "computer". My days of tinkering with computers has been long over by now. I just want to sit down, take the 10 minutes I need to do what I wanted to do and get up. I honestly don't care what the "computer" looks like or does. In a decade, I would hope that most people's computers are simply a dumb terminal streaming a desktop of a virtual computer in the cloud.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,762
13,863
126
www.anyf.ca
bearxor said:
It just depends on your point of view. IMO, computers are tools, meant to do a job. They're an appliance, not a "computer". My days of tinkering with computers has been long over by now. I just want to sit down, take the 10 minutes I need to do what I wanted to do and get up. I honestly don't care what the "computer" looks like or does. In a decade, I would hope that most people's computers are simply a dumb terminal streaming a desktop of a virtual computer in the cloud.
Click to expand...

And that's my fear, I really hope that's not what it comes to be. Some people like me like to have more control over their data and the way their computer works. Sadly we are a big minority and things arn't looking good.
 
Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,235
136
Geekbabe said:
Typing? I dictated this post on my iPad 3 in about 10 seconds :) I really like almost hands-free computing. :)
Click to expand...

How did you do your smileys and punctuation? It doesn't work like that on my iPhone 4 with hacked Siri support (which includes dictation).
 
R

randomrogue

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2011
5,449
0
0
If you were able to do that in 10 seconds hands free that's about twice what the average person types. A bit more really.
 
B

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
Red Squirrel said:
And that's my fear, I really hope that's not what it comes to be. Some people like me like to have more control over their data and the way their computer works. Sadly we are a big minority and things arn't looking good.
Click to expand...

There will still be what we consider traditional computers, but they will be specialized. This is the whole thing behind the truck analogy. Computers will be (are) trucks. You buy them because you have something in paticular for them in mind. Content creation, high-end gaming, engineering and design, whatever.

No one, I think, would ever say that the traditional computer is going away any time soon, just that it will becoming a significantly shrinking market in the consumer space because tablets are better suited for the vast majority of these users needs.
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
rh71 said:
As I said in another thread, my desktop remains the main machine in the house... the ipad and smartphone are just quickie-lookup things while in the living room... or in bed with netflix. They're just too annoying to use.

I typed this post on my keyboard in like 20 seconds. On an ipad, it would take close to a minute. Hell half the time I choose not to reply to posts while on an ipad.
Click to expand...

I hear you. Half the time I'm browsing AT from my bed on my HTPC, and even though I have a decent remote keyboard, I still sometimes get up out of bed and go to my main machine to reply to posts.

I cannot even imagine trying to reply to posts with a "virtual keyboard".
 
Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,235
136
VirtualLarry said:
I hear you. Half the time I'm browsing AT from my bed on my HTPC, and even though I have a decent remote keyboard, I still sometimes get up out of bed and go to my main machine to reply to posts.

I cannot even imagine trying to reply to posts with a "virtual keyboard".
Click to expand...

You'd probably be floored by some of the torturous long posts I've written with my iPhone 4...full of manually-entered BBCode too.

I don't know why I do that to myself.
 
rh71

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Geekbabe said:
Typing? I dictated this post on my iPad 3 in about 10 seconds :) I really like almost hands-free computing. :)
Click to expand...

I have dictation for swype on my android too, but talking my thoughts, especially when someone else is in the room is a no-go.
 
V

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
PC is not going away

Ipad/Tablets are a fad that will settle down once people realize it's just a smaller/less powerful computer with a touch screen.

I know countless people that bought these things and hardly ever use them...but they "think" they are cool and all.

More power to Apple!!

You will never catch me with one of their products though.....
 
Anubis

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
i have 4 running computers in my house that get used daily. 6 total if you count the ones i rarley turn on and are used for emergency/debugging work

i have a tablet i dont use
and a smartphone i use to make phonecalss

post PC era my ass
 
A

Apple Of Sodom

Golden Member
Oct 7, 2007
1,808
0
0
Who cares? They perform different functions. Apple also sold more iPhones than Ford did vehicles. Are we in the post-vehicle time?

I am constantly ordering workstations from Dell for offices. iPads have their place - they are for play, not for work.

My kids also have iPads. Guess what? They use them about as much as the use their computer. They use iPads for movies and games. They use computers for browsing, shopping, games and homework.

I recently had a meeting at work and the salesman had an iPad to take notes on. It was painful watching him try to do it as he was writing them with his finger. It would have taken him much less time to type it or to even write it down on paper. The iPad is cool...but many people see it as a solution and then try to find problems for it to solve.

iPads fall in the same category as Nintendo DS, PS vita, etc.
 
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