Mobile News

James Kendrick
Home / News & Blogs / Mobile News

What is Post-PC? I’m thinking mobile OS vs. desktop OS

By | February 26, 2012, 4:58am PST

Summary: What does Post-PC really mean, and why does the term get under folks’ skin?

My test to leave the laptop/desktop behind for an extended period is going well so far. I haven’t missed having a real laptop or a desktop for work even a little bit. Many following this experiment are missing the point of the attempt by getting caught up in the terminology. Perhaps I was mistaken in terming this a “Post-PC experiment” which has lots of folks ignoring what I am trying to do and instead concentrating on what the definition is for “PC”, and in some cases even for a “laptop”.

See related:

Walking the walk — the Great Post-PC Experiment

The Great Post-PC Experiment — Day 1 Notes

Using the term Post-PC has a simple connotation for me, and that’s the premise behind my test. A more accurate explanation for what I consider a Post-PC scenario concerns the OS, not the hardware. I believe a Post-PC device is one which uses a mobile OS, not a full OS written for a desktop. In simple terms a Post-PC device is any running Android, iOS, or any other purely mobile OS. Anything running Windows or Mac OS X is of the old-school PC variety.

The point I am trying to address with my test is whether a mobile device of any ilk, running a mobile OS, can be used for extended periods without compromise. That’s all I am trying to do, and the whole purpose of my test. I am not trying to declare the death of the PC, either laptop or desktop, or that the tablet is the next major hardware format. It’s not, and the desktop OS isn’t going anywhere either for a while.

No, I’m testing whether the mobile OS has evolved to the point that makes it possible for me, not anyone else, to leave the device running a full desktop OS behind for business trips, and just bring the mobile OS along. That’s the sole purpose of my test, and it’s a valid one for me. The less I have to bring on trips the better I like it, but only if it doesn’t compromise the professional job that I do.

This simple definition of Post-PC is going to get stretched to the limits by Windows on Arm (WOA), as that’s a purely mobile OS based on a full desktop OS. I guess we’ll have to address that once it gets released and we see how it works in the field.

I suspect some folks get perturbed at the use of the term “Post-PC” since it was coined by the late Steve Jobs. That’s not fair as I feel it is a genuine term for what I describe — the evolution of the mobile OS to the point that devices previously considered incapable of being someone’s primary computer can now do so. That’s not a reach, it’s already working fine for me so far.

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

More from “Mobile News”

Topics

Desktop OS, Mobile, Operating System, Laptop Computer, Post-PC, Operating Systems, Desktops, Software, Hardware, James Kendrick

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long.

Disclosure

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has no affiliations or relationships that need to be disclosed.

Biography

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' writing has appeared in many print publications: Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine to name a few. James' coverage of the mobile technology sector has regularly appeared in the New York Times, Salon.com and CNN/ Fortune online. Not just a writer, James has filmed numerous video reviews and how-tos that have garnered well over a million viewers. He has appeared on local news segments and been interviewed by the Associated Press on mobile technology topics. Additionally, James has been podcasting about mobile technology for years.

73
Comments
Add Your Opinion

Join the conversation!

Top Rated

Why would you use a term ...
P. Douglas 3 days ago
Many following this experiment are missing the point of the attempt by getting caught up in the terminology. Perhaps I was mistaken in terming this a ???Post-PC experiment??? which has lots of folks ignoring what I am trying to do and instead concentrating on what the definition is for ???PC???, and in some cases even for a ???laptop???.

... that is both inaccurate and inflammatory, for any other reason than to drive traffic to your article? The term Post-PC, and the way it is generally used, presumes the imminent death of the personal computer. And what is supposed to be killing of personal computers? Smartphones and tablets - which are even more personal, personal computers? This makes no sense. It is obvious to anyone with half a brain, that the PC world is not being killed off, but is rather being expanded, with ever more personal computing devices. All James Kendrick is raving about, is how he is able to do increasing amounts of work, on a new PC form factor. All of this will become crystal clear, when Windows 8 is released on slates and hybrid slate / laptop devices.

If James Kendrick and other Zdnet writers want to do semantic gymnastics to justify their use of the highly charged term Post-PC, let them. It is obvious to any reasonable person that the term is flawed, and is simply being used to generate clicks.
View in thread

Just In

Post PC
cdhanks 4 hrs ago
I am old and I guess old fashioned. I have a desktop, a laptop and an iPad, but do most real work on the desktop. I prefer the 23" monitor, full size keyboard and seperate mouse, so I hope desktops will be around for a while.
View in thread
11 Votes
+ -
What is 'Post-PC'?: A Fig Newton of Your Imagination
Dietrich T. Schmitz * Your Linux Advocate 3 days ago
Honestly. How many more times am I going to have to read this drivel?

The PC is not dead. Repeating something doesn't make it true.

This amounts to more marketing spin than anything else.

Sorry James for picking on you--you are not the only one who 'regurgitates' this story line.
5 Votes
+ -
Post Personal Computer?
tonymcs@... 3 days ago
Any of these devices with their cut down OSs are simply stop gaps when we don't have access to desktops or laptops. Nevertheless, they still have a screen, a microprocessor and an input method (which for any real work is a keyboard, even if it's on screen). So they are just as much a PC as anything else, just limited. If James thinks he can do his job with these mobile toys then it's not a job that requires much work or he isn't doing it successfully - I cite this column as proof wink

A PC is a personal computer and all these devices are PCs, just a little smaller and not as useful as their big brothers. IF your requirements are small, then they are extremely useful, but they are still PCs.

Is it my imagination or is ZDNet getting less and less tech and more and more opinion and word games?
0 Votes
+ -
ZDnet has only a couple of real tech writers any more
happyharry_z 3 days ago
It's all mainstream consumer tech here now. When's the last time you saw an actual article delve into the hard tech points on any product? None. It's all due to the ranking of articles by clicks. There are more consumers than there are techs, so techs lose.
0 Votes
+ -
Who's the gamiest of all?
Robert Hahn 3 days ago
If things are turning more and more into word games, that is not due to the author of this article. It is because people like you and Our Linux Advocate insist on playing word games, when the author went out of his way to answer those objections in advance.

In particular, he defines what he means -- for purposes of his article -- by Post PC, and also mentions that there will be those who want to get all hung up on what the term means. Which is exactly what you did.

He also explicitly stated that he is not trying to declare the death of the PC (that's an exact quote) and yet Our Linux Advocate insists that the author is "repeating drivel" about the PC being dead.

Yes, there are word games on ZDNet. To catch the perp, look in the mirror.
3 Votes
+ -
Fig Newton?
dimonic 2 days ago
Perhaps Ubuntu are drinking the same secret sauce?

I personally love the idea of Ubuntu extending my phone-OS onto a docking station. Much like the Atrix idea. I look forward to having only one mobile gadget, which I can dock where room (and maybe universal docking stations) exists.
12 Votes
+ -
How about we end this sillyness James?
lgpOnTheMove 3 days ago
Your first requirement for going post-pc was having a hardware keyboard for your slate. The functionality you need to do what you want is coming from the hardware - a point completely irrelevant to whether you have a mobile or desktop OS on your device.

What I fail to understand is WHY you are so stubborn insisting on using a mobile OS with handicapped hardware when clearly better alternatives can be found. What ever happened to learning to use the RIGHT tool for the job?

Sure, you can make a big deal and shout out to the world your 100% Post-PC status. Except you end up looking like a fool for spending hundreds more on solutions that require you to jump through all kinds of hoops to get even simple things done. At the end of the day, you've done nothing except just make a big deal.

A successful mobile worker can adapt to whatever his/her surroundings are, be productive in an instant, and work without compromise when it comes to mobility and connectivity. That "go anywhere, do anything" ability is perfectly met with just a $400 netbook. If it can work for me and my demanding requirements, please explain why it doesn't do it for you?
6 Votes
+ -
Exactly
ZenithY 3 days ago
When looking at keyboard and protective pad, one would think: laptop has everything he needs. Why creating such ugly post-pc device?
-6 Votes
+ -
Some things needs to be repeated
dave95. 3 days ago Below threshold | Show Anyways
"What I fail to understand is WHY you are so stubborn insisting on using a mobile OS with handicapped hardware when clearly better alternatives can be found. What ever happened to learning to use the RIGHT tool for the job?"

'I have proven that 85 - 90 percent of my work can easily be done with the iPad so the real test is in doing the remaining (10 - 15%) tasks I will have to do.' - JK

'I used the iPad 2 in tablet mode most of the time, only using the keyboard for extended writing sessions. This led to me working far more comfortably than I normally do working at a desk all day. The work with the tablet can be done literally anywhere, and even using the keyboard it???s easier to keep an ergonomic setup.' - JK
0 Votes
+ -
Haven't you heard?
Rabid Howler Monkey 3 days ago
Canonical's Ubuntu (a desktop Linux OS) is coming to at least one smartphone model. It will be pre-installed and will dual-boot with Android. A post-PC device on the run with Android. A PC device with Ubuntu in your hotel room, home or office, assuming that you have a keyboard and monitor available. One can easily imagine this concept for 7-inch form-factor tablets as well.

So, which is it, post-PC or PC?

Both smartphones and tablets are quite powerful today and they will get more powerful as time rolls on.
1 Vote
+ -
I don't get the whole idea of "Post PC"
James Quinn 3 days ago
PC stands for Personal Computer. Personal is subjective but computer is a computing device and a smartphone and or tablet are computers that is what they do. As for the OS and it's capabilities compared to the desktop I for one remember when the PC came out and big iron people laughed at it's limitations for years they laughted. And while big iron still exists and makes tons of money for it's market the Desktop PC has come a long, long way from it's humble beginings and I predict that same thing will happen for Mobile and likely faster still than it did for the desktop PC. I doubt the desktop will die out all together like big iron it will find it's place as will mobile.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
+ -
PC Stands for IBM PC
daengbo 1 day ago
Post-PC means moving past the PC-compatible architecture. I'm sure that Jobs meant Wintel, but Macs are certainly in the same architecture family as Dells and HPs.

I look forward to the day when my personal computing device (whatever arch that be) is my phone, my PDA, my media player, and my "desktop PC." This is something I've wanted for almost a decade. If it can happen with wireless USB and without a dock, all the better.

Like you, I doubt the traditional desktop (probably mostly workstations) will die, but the market is sure to be a much smaller percentage.
5 Votes
+ -
It is not the term Post-PC
John Zern Updated - 3 days ago
Nor does anyone dislike "Post-PC since it was coined by the late Steve Jobs.
I think that people take exception to the indication that we are in a "Post-PC" era based on wrong conclusions by misreeding the facts.

Becuase smartphone sales are up, and Pc sales are down a bit isn't because they are being replaced, a big factor is tha today's OEM PC are much more upgradedable.

In the past the Dell, HP, Acer machines had memory limits and the like, today you can upgrade them to 8 Gigs of RAM and such: a system designed to run Vista can easily run Windows 7, so it's easier and cheaper to get a little more RAM and an upgrade.
Even the drivers are availiable anymore on these website.

So the fact that I bought my wife the iPhone, and upgraded her PC to Win 7 doesn't mean the PC was replaced, it just means her usage of a PC is not included into any recent OEM sales figures.

And just because she suppliments her use of the PC with a smartphone doesn't mean she prefers, or can can use the smartphone as her primary system of choice.

But that won't stop people from saying that "the PC is dead because these families bought smartphones last year, not PC's, so they apparently do not have a need for a PC".
-2 Votes
+ -
I dislike it
happyharry_z 3 days ago
Jobs made toys for the masses, and as the old saying goes "the masses are a$$es".
0 Votes
+ -
I dislike You
Patrickgood1 Updated - 2 days ago
At least Jobs made contributions. You can't even make a sensible contribution to this forum. Unless you consider an extraneous pathetic cliche a contribution.
15 Votes
+ -
Top Rated
Why would you use a term ...
P. Douglas 3 days ago Top Rated
Many following this experiment are missing the point of the attempt by getting caught up in the terminology. Perhaps I was mistaken in terming this a ???Post-PC experiment??? which has lots of folks ignoring what I am trying to do and instead concentrating on what the definition is for ???PC???, and in some cases even for a ???laptop???.

... that is both inaccurate and inflammatory, for any other reason than to drive traffic to your article? The term Post-PC, and the way it is generally used, presumes the imminent death of the personal computer. And what is supposed to be killing of personal computers? Smartphones and tablets - which are even more personal, personal computers? This makes no sense. It is obvious to anyone with half a brain, that the PC world is not being killed off, but is rather being expanded, with ever more personal computing devices. All James Kendrick is raving about, is how he is able to do increasing amounts of work, on a new PC form factor. All of this will become crystal clear, when Windows 8 is released on slates and hybrid slate / laptop devices.

If James Kendrick and other Zdnet writers want to do semantic gymnastics to justify their use of the highly charged term Post-PC, let them. It is obvious to any reasonable person that the term is flawed, and is simply being used to generate clicks.
-3 Votes
+ -
Post != Death
DannyO_0x98 Updated - 3 days ago
We are post-vinyl in music. Vinyl records are still being pressed and phonograph needles are being sold. At some point, say 1986 or so, one could argue that vinyl was still important, but, the trend lines were clear.

There is nothing any more inflammatory about calling these days Post-PC then calling the 1920s The Jazz Age when the majority of the population did not embrace jazz and a majority of the music performed and recorded was something other than jazz.

One more point from a junior high history book comes to mind. The authors pointed out that people did not wake up in 462 AD and say to each other, "Hey, the Roman Empire which collapsed here in the west a couple hundred years back has now just ended in the east as well."

One takes a look at Apple selling more mobile devices last year than they've sold computers in aggregate, and how does one react? Does one say that Apple is an outlier and this means nothing. You could, but, Apple's rivals seem to think that, well, shall we say "Something's going on." or perhaps "We want our business to be that business."

Or, let's look at it this way. In 1960 the small business employee used an adding machine or mechanical cash register. Large companies had mainframes. In 1990, the small business used a hybrid computing cash register and the large companies had networked pcs on many desks. Nowadays, we get information via e-mail (or apps) from our employers, make our contribution to the discussion via our phones in the form of return e-mail or completing a data form and submitting. The employee collaborates in the company's functioning without having to be at their desk.

Maybe Post-Desk is a better term.

But please, let's not got irritated that Post-PC is imprecise. 7 character terms are inherently so. Maybe the term will be ridiculed in the future the way "Information Super-highway" is now. And let's not think that the people who use the term are saying, that today or next week, it's 462 A.D. for the personal computer. That is not what they are saying.

This morning I was doing administration with a RDBMS. So much easier with a laptop. Later today I may write some code so updates can be done without needing raw SQL. This will be done on a laptop. I'm on the road, so I connect to my desktop pc, and that is a necessity for me as well.

But, last night I read Alice in Wonderland and reviewed reference materials on the scala programming language on my iPad. In five years, am I - are we - going to be doing more or less on mobile devices? The PC remains an essential tool. It has hit its peak as the essential tool. That's what Post-PC means.
0 Votes
+ -
So then you'd agree that Apple is by far the largest PC maker...
theFunkDoctorSpoc Updated - 3 days ago
...in the world them? Since when you include iPads the tripled HPs PC sales...
2 Votes
+ -
Something is happening
rbethell Updated - 2 days ago
we just haven't got the right terms for it, I think. I met a roofer who told me he didn't need a computer, had no use for one. He didn't mean that in the new fangled "post PC" sense, he rather viewed himself as a person who wasn't into technology.

And not five minutes later, he whipped out his Facebook and BBM capable Blackberry. It struck me that there is a germ of truth to the phrase "post PC."

We may not be able to define it exactly, but the age of operating systems where you add programs with InstallShield or dmg files, configure drivers, and rummage through Explorer or Finder directories... that age is coming to a swift end.

The word for it may or may not be "Post PC", but the thing the word describes is happening, and it is truly and really transformational.
0 Votes
+ -
ok but
Scarface Claw 2 days ago
Just because he didnt recognize it as such doesn't make his phone any less a computer. It really just highlights the fact that people are used to a particular form factor ie desktop and laptops being referred to as computers. Its more to do with public perception than anything else. And for the record I believe "post-PC" is a nonsense.
0 Votes
+ -
What's in a name?
arminw 2 days ago
I get into my computer every day and it takes me where I want to go. Most people still call it a car. Sometimes I also get into a computer that flies. Most people still call it an airplane.
0 Votes
+ -
Re: Why would you use a term
thetracybros 2 days ago
I agree with you, the term "Post PC" is a complete misnomer, and typically Steve Jobs. Tablets and Smartphones are Personal Computers just smaller and less powerful ones. They will evolve into more powerful machines, and indeed are doing so at a very fast rate. At the same time so are "conventional" PCs ie desktops and laptops.

Its all about the right tool for the job. I wouldn't, and couldn't do complex video editing on a smartphone. But if I was doing this post on a train or where there was no power available I would be best using a Smartphone or Tablet. I could use a laptop with a 3G connection but it would be bulkier. if it was a long journey and I intended to do things needing more processing power then the laptop would be the right choice. At the end of the day they are all Personal Computers of one type or another, so is the humble calculator (great improvement on the Babbage Engine)

Your last paragraph sums it up well but that is what journalists get paid for
-2 Votes
+ -
We're coming full circle.
Cylon Centurion 3 days ago
Desktop operating systems were in this same position 15 years ago. Look where they are now.

Let's end this "post-pc" silliness.
0 Votes
+ -
Post-PC doesn't mean the end of "PC"
dave95. Updated - 3 days ago
If 85-90% of my work can now be done comfortably on a tablet, on the road, then it simply means I am "post-pc" 85-90% of the time. The "PC" being x86 Wintel, Mac desktop OS wont be needed during this time. Does not mean they have to forever go away, I just won't be needing it for the majority of my computing tasks on the road. Now think of the millions that will be deciding a tablet is perfectly sufficient for all their "PC" needs 100% of the time. If they are choosing a tablet such as the iPad over the "PC" now, isn't it accurate to be coined post-pc? Or early stages of post-pc? Or do we have to wait for the tech geeks to catch up?

Just a reminder that this sort of scenario was unheard of Just a few years ago, where users turned to tablet devices running mobile phone OS's instead of x86 desktop PCs for their Personal Computing needs. Facebook and other social networking apps, casual games, video communication, browsing the web, eBooks, magazine, reference guide, music and entertainment.....post-pc.
0 Votes
+ -
How can the increased use ...
P. Douglas 3 days ago
... of a tablet personal computer, mark the end of the personal computer? That is like saying the increased use of laptops over desktops - going from one type of personal computer, to an even more personal type of personal computer - marked the beginning of a previous Post-PC era. This is just incomprehensible babbling. Also I don't see how moving from one type of OS to another changes anything. E.g. if a company managed to get a mainframe OS onto a smartphone, resulting in a great smartphone user experience, would the device no longer be a smartphone? More than anything, it is how a person uses a device which defines the device. Therefore increased adoption of tablets, which are more personal computers than desktops and laptops, does not mark the end of the PC era, it simply marks a renewal.
0 Votes
+ -
Never said that...
dave95. Updated - 3 days ago
Not sure where in my post you saw I said the "PC" was going away. This is all samantics we are arguing. I am in full agreement with you last sentence, I think modern tablets like the iPad and even smart phones are the birth of a new era of computing. Many tasks that was once exclusively done on a desktop OS PC can now be done comfortably on tablet devices running mobile phone OS's. That does not mean the "PC" is no longer needed, or everyone will find use for tablets. There are millions of people out there that currently do not own any PCs, or have a use for them. A tablet and the whole tablet form factor provides for many new use cases not realized before with the desktop PC.
4 Votes
+ -
This again.
Bozzer 3 days ago
ZDNet is in a race to the bottom, it's patently apparent with articles like this that really insult the intelligence of their reader base.
1 Vote
+ -
I agree
statuskwo5 3 days ago
It seems to me that they do this so they can write 10 articles about the same thing. Otherwise they would have nothing to blog about and hence no clicks.
2 Votes
+ -
I like the car/truck analogy.
Userama 3 days ago
Someone (SJ, I think) compared the mobile and desktop OSs to cars and trucks. Which one you need depends on what you're hauling with it. James' experiment is to see if a car can handle the load he was previously using a truck to haul.
1 Vote
+ -
re:
CobraA1 3 days ago
"A more accurate explanation for what I consider a Post-PC scenario concerns the OS, not the hardware."

So much for sticking with the English language sad. The "C" "PC" stands for "Computer," not "OS." You're so incredibly stuck in an unquestioning loop of media-driven terminology. Don't even get me started with how tech media uses the term "cloud."

And to be honest - mobile and desktop OSes are on the way to convergence, so yes, I still stand by what I said in your last article - I believe we're in a convergence era, not a "Post-PC" era. OSes like Windows 8 and MacOS X Lion are proof positive of that.

"The point I am trying to address with my test is whether a mobile device of any ilk, running a mobile OS, can be used for extended periods without compromise."

Depends on the use case. For web stuff? Probably. For CAD/CAM, gaming, photoshop, professional publishing, software development, Professional video editing, and a host of other applications? Probably not.

"I am not trying to declare the death of the PC, either laptop or desktop, or that the tablet is the next major hardware format. "

Sure you are. Whether you define it by hardware or OS doesn't really matter. It's basically the same thing right now. It will probably work in the world of blogging, where nothing you do is really professional.

"The less I have to bring on trips the better I like it, but only if it doesn???t compromise the professional job that I do."

Professional job? If you say so. Latching onto media-driven terminology and insisting on using it improperly is hardly professional, and I'm not entirely convinced blogging should be considered professional job anyways.

Yes, I understand bringing less things. Truth be known, all I really use on trips is an iPhone and a laptop. That's it, that's all I need. I see no reason to bring anything else. Furthermore, I see no real need to latch onto mobile OSes when the laptop works fine.
-1 Votes
+ -
Since we are sticking to the English language
Michael Kelly 2 days ago
can I toss in my trusty old TI-30 from high school into the list of PC devices?
0 Votes
+ -
perhaps
CobraA1 2 days ago
Perhaps. If you actually owned it (The "P" in PC is, after all, "personal"), and used it like a computer.

Although technically a high end calculator is powerful enough to be a computer (most graphing calcs have a chip that's turing complete), its actual use is usually highly specialized.

I could theoretically use my TI-89 for things like personal information management, word processing, and a variety of other tasks related to computing, but I generally didn't. It really wasn't suited for such tasks. I mostly used it for algebra and calculus.

As others have noted, it may be the case that mobile devices are really becoming PCs. They are certainly capable of computer-like tasks, and are arguably just as personal as what we usually think of as a PC.

So - yeah, I think we're in a convergence era, plain and simple. The phrase "post-PC" is a rather poor choice of words.
-1 Votes
+ -
haha
Scarface Claw 2 days ago
Professional job? If you say so. Latching onto media-driven terminology and insisting on using it improperly is hardly professional,

oh how i did lol. so true sir
4 Votes
+ -
We're not ignoring what you're doing
Michael Alan Goff 3 days ago
I just don't really think it's any sign of anything special. It's switching from one computer to another. Hardly a fanfare moment.
-1 Votes
+ -
Do you hear what I hear
Robert Hahn 3 days ago
Have you really not seen all the notes from people who claim that tablets are only useful for making fart noises and playing Angry Birds? There are so many of them that you start to wonder whether someone is paying them to do it.
0 Votes
+ -
They're wrong.
Michael Alan Goff 1 day ago
I think it's more that people dislike what they don't understand. The idea of a small computer, like a tablet, is something weird to them. They'll rail on it, saying you can't do "real work" on it. I think the same was said about laptops in some circles.
-3 Votes
+ -
Easy answer
symbolset 3 days ago
Just get an iPad2 with 3G and the free OnLive Desktop (has Windows and Office), and a bluetooth keyboard. Bang! All sorted with all your office apps, and the iPad experience too - in a package you can carry with you everywhere.

If you need to be doing Excel somewhere that doesn't have 3G you're sunk - but then if you were out in the boonies you probably wouldn't be talking about "post-PC" anyway. You'd be asking about this new "MyFace" thing.
0 Votes
+ -
Tablets don't go EVERYWHERE.
warboat 2 days ago
"...All sorted with all your office apps, and the iPad experience too - in a package you can carry with you everywhere."

iPad is not even close to being a device you can take EVERYWHERE.
I have a netbook that weighs 1kg and seriously, I can take it wherever a fullsize tablet can go. Portability is almost the same.
Is it a device you can seriously have with you 24hours EVERYDAY, EVERYWHERE?
You can try your best, but the practical answer is NO.
No, you don't go to a nightclub with a tablet in your hand. Do you go fishing on a pier with a tablet? Do you go to the grocery store with a tablet? Do you carry a tablet with you to social occasions? Do you have it with you while you mow the grass?
Unless you are a very determined dork you don't have the tablet with you EVERYWHERE.
For this you have to look at the notepad form factor, the biggest device you can fit in a pocket. Then you can truly say you carry it EVERYWHERE.
I have had a Dell Streak 5 with me in my pocket EVERYWHERE for nearly 2 years. A mini tablet that's pocketable. And yes, I've had it with me while I mowed the grass and have used it in situations where an iPad would be left behind.
As for James, his experiment is no big deal. I was doing this kind of experiment, nay wasn't even an experiment, I did it for real! using just a PDA Phone (O2 XDA Mini) on week long trips....in 2004. Relying on just a tablet in 2012 on trips is comparatively whimpish.
-2 Votes
+ -
I think we will find that
CowLauncher 3 days ago
Mountain Lion is a Post-PC desktop OS.
-1 Votes
+ -
Can you...
wright_is 3 days ago
Get a more personal computer than a tablet at the moment?
0 Votes
+ -
PC is changing
iscogd 3 days ago
I read all the posts, and in my opinion people don't understand that PC world is changing. Tablets either iOs or Android are another type and use of PC, much more comfortable, easy and fun to use. I personally enjoying more my tablet then my laptop, and my laptop is first class type!!

There are worldwide forces that will pull the business in different directions as part of their own interests, but in the end the majority will chose the platform and not the geeks like us. At the moment the crowd pulls the tablets markets! which is very well understood. People find more useful the tablets then PC.

The fact that person decided to take with him keyboard for easy writing, doesn't change the fact that he finds the tablet more comfortable for him. It is just method of different input while he is in his room.

The era of OS like Lion or windows is changing, slowly, but changing and we are entering different era base on cloud platform and simple OS like iOS, Androids, etc'.

Isaac
-1 Votes
+ -
Of course, but....
Willnott 2 days ago
That doesn't mean the PC will totally disappear as an "entity"... So it looks to me that at least some of us have issue with terminology, and also with apparent random labeling of "eras"... just to try and attract a few more eyeballs. How non-productive is that?
-1 Votes
+ -
Hey, you are a few-hundred-words-at-a-time opinion hack
Patanjali 3 days ago
Yes, you qualify your article with that it is only of relevence to you, but that is NOT true if you are expecting ANYONE to read it.

There are a great number of professions that have masses more to view and edit, and terms such as post-PC are irrelevant to them. While they are a very large number of such people, PCs are viable and so post-PC is generally premature.

It may be relevant for some people, but it is basically a beat up by a few-hundred-words-at-a-time opinion hacks.
-2 Votes
+ -
The term "PC"
Michael Kelly 2 days ago
has historically implied desktop computing, not the looser "personal computing" that so many literalists are clamoring. However, if it makes people feel better, why not use the term "post-desktop" instead? Because while the desktop is not dead, it is increasingly diminishing into a niche product. A large niche, to be certain, but a niche nonetheless.
0 Votes
+ -
Terms have meaning
CasualAdventurer 2 days ago
And so does the word "niche", which in this case means "a distinct segment of a market". Stretching the term "niche" to fit the entire PC market (even desktop computing) just doesn't work.
-1 Votes
+ -
who cares
cwallen19803@... 2 days ago
Hand held is a about as personal as it gets (to date) and those devices have all the components of a computer.

I think it is the post "post-PC" post era.
-1 Votes
+ -
I guess thats why this article is so short and pointless...
RAK5 2 days ago
Because it was written on a mobile device. My analogy of using mobile devices vs a desktop is this:
If using a desktop computer is like running a race will full use of your arms and legs...
A Pad type computer is like running the race with a broken leg and broken arm.
A smartphone such as Iphone or HTC Evo is like running the race with a broken leg, a twisted ankle and broken arm.
A pre-smartphone phone would be like running the race with your arms and legs cut off.
1 Vote
+ -
Without Compromise?
dcolbert@... 2 days ago
"The point I am trying to address with my test is whether a mobile device of any ilk, running a mobile OS, can be used for extended periods *without compromise*."

Emphasis mine.

The answer is NO. Mobile devices, postPC devices, whatever you want to call them, they have not come of age. We are having a discussion on my Google+ stream about exactly this right now. A number of ASUS Transformer users who have just updated to ICS are weighing in. There *are* compromises - significant ones. You may not experience them in your testing and for your needs, but they're there. There are a lot of advantages, too.

I get the point of why you're doing this, and I think you'll find it is good enough for almost all instances - but if you're really wondering if there are no compromises, that is an easy question to answer. Of course there are.

As these devices grow into maturity, there will be less and less, though.
1 Vote
+ -
More crap
Six Strings Down 2 days ago
I equate "Post PC" to 3D Televisions; some marketing shlock invented to get people to throw away their 2 year old flat screen TVs and buy something new that they don't need. So, I'm going to run Photoshop and edit huge files on my phone?? Of course Jobs invented it, how else would Apple ever gain more than 10 percent market share?
-1 Votes
+ -
Why?
tom@... 2 days ago
"why does the term get under folks??? skin?"

Because it's arrogant and undefined.
0 Votes
+ -
"Post-PCs"
tom@... 2 days ago
If all your'e doing s wrting articles & blogs, iit might have its good uses since it also doubles as a phone. But no way tha apps OR data on my desktop could be handled with such tiny, silly toys.
0 Votes
+ -
Post PC
cdhanks 4 hrs ago
I am old and I guess old fashioned. I have a desktop, a laptop and an iPad, but do most real work on the desktop. I prefer the 23" monitor, full size keyboard and seperate mouse, so I hope desktops will be around for a while.

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

Blog Roll

Blog Archive

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources