Did you get your invite?
If you haven’t caught wind of Apple’s rumoured unveiling of the yet-to-be-named iPad 2 tablet on Wednesday, then surely you’ve noticed the swirl of headlines leading up to it:
"It’s the death of the PC!" ...Again.
I own an iPad. In fact, it was the first and only Apple product I ever purchased for myself – even pre-ordered it to boot. Why? Well it had nothing to do with the buzz swarming around us now. Some of the same industry pundits hyping the rise of the tablet category today had very different headlines a year ago:
"It’s the death of the tablet!" ...Again.
With the debate raging, I became an iPad early adopter for one reason: I wanted to decide for myself what impact the tablet would have in my life, and on the future of personal computing. A delighted nine months and a multi-billion dollar app industry later, I’m not surprised at the fanfare ahead of version 2.0. And even with dozens of gorgeous entrants launching into the tablet marketplace this year, nor am I convinced of the PC’s inevitable demise, either.
The evolution of the PC has been one defined in cycles – often brutally competitive contests which have routinely tested the resilience of the platform, and the inventiveness of its creators. As a result, the PC market has long been efficient in its ability to adopt and scale new technologies that we have demanded over the past two decades: The mouse. The graphical user interface. The plug 'n' play ease of household appliances. The portability and connectivity of cell phones. And, of late, the touch interfaces and downloadable apps of tablets.
Interestingly, Apple is responsible and revered for introducing many of the disruptive innovations I just mentioned. But the fact remains: the PC adapts. “The very things that were expected to kill the PC have only made it stronger,” states Linley Gwennap, prominent Silicon Valley analyst, in his latest editorial. Because of this, consumers and businesses around the world now buy one million PCs per day, with over one billion of them connected online.
For now, my PC is still my preferred device for all things creative and productive. My iPad is a delightful device for consuming media and conducting simple touch-based transactions. Delightful, but not irreplaceable.
Time will tell how our usages, preferences, and purchases will change. Remember, the tablet phenomenon, not the iPad, represents just another cycle of competitive innovation that will benefit us all. And it will no doubt leave its evolutionary mark, not a headstone, on your future PC.
Readers, what do you think? What's your read on the future of personal computing? As always, your comments and insights are welcomed below!
