I loved having my Iphone. There are still things about it that I miss compared to my Blackberry. Thankfully I still use it for music and games. One component I didn't like that much is the same thing I don't particularly like about the Ipad. No keyboard and no way to connect to one. I think tablets that allow you to hook to keyboards and allow other external components to be connected will be very sought after. I myself saw the Ipads lack of connectivity as a flaw that needed improvement.
"...declining hand dexerity and a general coordination that is in decline...."
Oh, yeah? I'll bet I can type faster than any wet-behind-the-ears puppy I know. With my toes, even.
A real reason for keeping desktop PCs is that they are easily upgraded, and, I would venture, more reliable and less expensive (over their equipment lifetimes, when upgraded properly).
Of course, a lot of puppies only know about throwing out and buying new.
The PC will still remain a major player, considering the fact the "baby boomers" who are going into retirement need means by which to communicate with the world. This older population have declining hand dexerity and a general coordination that is in decline to handle the touch screen applications of the tablets.
Also, many offices that deal with graphics and large data like mine need large software applications that has a bigger memory. I was infact dissuaded by my IT manager from buying the tablet because of the memory requirement I need at all times. Yes, another must for me is stablility of PC's performance. I guess i belong to that target market.
For sometimes now we have been trying to compare the tablet(IPAD) with PC and LAPTOP and the major conclusion has been that IPad has come to stay but can not bench laptops. But then looking in to the fact that if more features are added to Ipad, it may come close to over taking laptops.Laptops might become something that may not be generally in use by everybody as it is today, probably an equipment for some set of people due to the nature of their profession.
I agree with Bolaji, if the future eventually becomes what isuppli says, then Laptop market will greatly be affected.
Thanks but I think PC will still remain for many generations since there are large software applications that needs a bigger memory and a stable machine performance.
I totally agree with you. In current scenario PC's are must for computational intensive processes. May be in near future we will be getting tablets with same computational capability as PC's. Emergance of Cloud computing is one more factor which will determine the fate of PC's. If we are able to use cloud's to implement computational intensive processes then I think it will hinder the growth of PC's.
Carry them to a business meeting, give them to staff for inventory control or integrate them as part of a quality audit/ ethical audit system, they make excellent data gathering work kit or provide valuable information sources for quality audit staff, in the form of pictures or textual instruction.
But give them to a PCB/electronics design engineer or a toolmaker to assist in designing their products and you are likely to meet a sticky end. Even with Apple's latest addition of dual processing cores and gaming capability, the Apple Ipad2 tablets are still too underpowered to perform certain computationally intensive tasks, without causing a depletion of the battery life. Then there is the issue of screen size, even a 10 inch screen is not adequate in 'most' design situations.
I say 'most', because I was speaking to a chinese kitchen designer the other day, and he needed a system to show kitchens & bathrooms to prospective customers, currently he is running about with the equivalent of 6-7 reams of A4 paper in his bag, more interestingly he is not particularly computer literate (he cannot use a PC, but he has an Android tablet!!), plus he is unwilling to carry a portable computer about with him, in case it is stolen.
As such, we can possibly conclude that the tablets will start to open new market areas that have traditionally been closed to portable or desktop systems, but at the same time there will be a significant impact on the low end portable market, specifically because people were using portable computers because nothing else was available, so I would expect this group to migrate over to tablets, but remain loyal to their desktop systems.
However having said that, I suspect apple is 'upto' something and planning to target the low end desktop market as well, specifically because they have now added the option of additional monitors to the Ipad2 ,why else would you need large monitor support?, it is not as if you can carry the monitor about with your Ipad device.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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