Steve Jobs: Tablets Are Not PCs And Our Competitors Don’t Get It [Silicon Alley Insider]
In the midst of Apple’s big Wednesday iPad 2 announcement, CEO Steve Jobs, who surprised people by showing up during his medical leave, made some very interesting statements about how Apple views the tablet industry and why competitors, in Jobs’ opinion, have it wrong.
Since the original iPad came on the scene, everyone has compared its sales to that of the PC market - namely netbook sales. Hundreds of stories were written about whether the iPad and future tablets would eat away at PC sales. Perhaps it was because PCs were all anybody knew at the time, but the tablet vs. PC battle became the major talking point as the iPad grew and grew.
After unveiling the new features of the iPad 2, Jobs talked at length about the philosophy behind the iPad and why Apple has a better grasp on tablets than any of its competitors. According to Jobs, Apple thrives because they do not think of the iPad in PC terms. Jobs said Apple looks at tablets as “post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC.”
All other current tablet players (Google, HP, RIM, Microsoft) include PC-related strategies in their playbooks. Many talk about revamping their operating systems that they use on PCs to work on their tablet devices. Others mention incorporating PC features into tablet devices.
Jobs says Apple looks at the issue differently, treating the tablet as an entirely new device, not just a re-worked PC.
I agree.
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