Hate the iPad, Just Not for Weakening the PC Market
Hate the iPad, Just Not for Weakening the PC Market
Posted 05/12/2011 at 6:01am
| by Paul Lilly
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Diehard Windows PC users, and Maximum PC readers in particular, aren't known for being shy in sharing their disdain for the evil empire known as Apple. Reasons are many: misleading advertisements, overpriced gear (the so-called 'Apple tax'), proprietary architecture, snooty iPhone owners, and the list goes on. Naturally, this contempt extends over to the iPad by those who wish bad things on Apple, which some consider the anti-PC. No keyboard? Oversized iPod touch? iTunes? Whatever your reason(s), it's fine if you choose to hate on the iPad, just don't blame Apple's tablet for weakening the PC market.
According to market research firm NPD, the PC market is anemic, but not because of the iPad. Going by the numbers, only 14 percent of early iPad adopters abandoned a PC purchase for an iPad, and that number dropped to 12 percent of iPad owners who picked one up over the past holiday season. Even cannibalization of netbooks is down 50 percent among recent iPad buyers compared to early adopters.
"The explosion of computer sales when Windows 7 launched, as well as the huge increase in netbook sales at that time, are much more to blame for weak consumer PC sales growth than the iPad," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. "Overall it appears that the vast majority of iPad purchases to date have been incremental to the consumer technology industry."
NPD also debunked the myth that Apple's iPad is eating into low-priced notebooks, pointing out that "the over $500 Windows consumer notebooks market is where PC sales have been impacted the most, with a 25 percent decline from October 2010 to March 2011."
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drcrazyrich
May 12, 2011 at 11:43pm
first off l ve got 3 laptops and 3 desk tops .Then for personal travel entertainment 2 ipods ,l use both for what and when l need them .One will never change why l use them or replace the other ,simple as that .An ipad to me is a giant ipod touch ,just easier to see and use .No ipad could ever replace my PCs and the idea of that being so is insane !!!LOLOLOL BTW if a person uses a macbook instead of a pc that s personal choice .THAT market has existed all along and choice is a good thing & nessary ,other wise nothing would move ahead .
Dantv
May 12, 2011 at 11:55am
I love my tricked out Win7 PC! I love my iPad2! I love my iPhone4! Apple & Microsoft & Intel are great American companies that we need more of! Maybe you should hate on Samsung for stealing!
graydiggy
May 12, 2011 at 1:53pm
And what exactly did samsung steal? Because as far as I and anyone else here knows, that iPad, iPhone, and computer of yours, has samsungs shit in them. So if samsung is stealing, I want to know who from.
Emgtek
May 13, 2011 at 5:52am
They continue to rip off Apples designs, in hopes that Samsung's devices look enough like an iphone or an ipad to get people who dont like Apple to still get a device that looks like an Apple product. and their are quite a few clones out there.
kixofmyg0t
May 12, 2011 at 1:52pm
yes, great "American" companies that have all of their products built in china.
The only thing America manufacturers is debt.
Holly Golightly
May 12, 2011 at 5:45pm
It is about time someone said the truth! Most of these large companies are too greedy to hire their own American people.
Hmm, but then again, that is capitalism for you. One day capitalism with go down on books with the 'ol monarchy days.
I will admit, I was impressed by the white iPhone 4. I am just turned off by Apple as a company. They do everything wrong.
I am a gamer, and I like power. Apple iProdu¢ts have never been outstanding specs. Just the typical FaceBook, Twitter, and MySpace. What does the "i" stand for? Internet?
jth
October 07, 2011 at 12:32pm
"What does the "i" stand for? Internet?"
Wow, really?
And I would be very very interested to hear your alternative to capatalism. Maybe the government should force companies to not be "greedy" by making them hire only Americans? Yeah that's just what we need. Also, I'm really surprised you didn't find a way to weave-in some badmouthing of Steam.
Holly Golightly
October 07, 2011 at 3:29pm
Wow, mega late... Are you from the stone age? As a progressive person, I support progressive moves, not to go backwards and conserve the featured system of greed. Now, there is no doubt that capitalism was a beautiful thing back in the 1950s. A regular factory worker could buy an entire house without a loan. Life was more simplier back then. Jobs existed for all sorts of people in America.
Now it seems that America is more focused on white collar executives, and less about the hardworking middle class that built this great nation. The only solution is to destroy the capital of greed. Nationalize the banks who forced us to foreclose our homes and sleep in the slums. Nationalize the natural resources so citizens of all color are entitled to benefits of things like oil and gasoline. Anything sold outside this country should go to benefits of the citizen. Meaning if we sell oil to foreign land, the people get a fraction of that money. Oil companies make billions of dollars of our oil, and then resell it us, and then they take your money and keep it in Dubai. Do you even care about your own country???
Not everybody is born with a silver spoon in their mouths like you and George W. Bush. Reagan has blinded you to think things are fine and to help out your fellow man is what evil empires do. Living by the words of that character in Wall Street, Gordon. "Greed is good." Have you ever wondered why Communist China and Socialist India are growing in wealth while we are shrinking?
Steam is an extention of greed. The gamer has no control of their own games. They have to auto login their passwords just to play a game. Of which most games have their own DRM and the Steam Client. So the user needs to run 2 programs to play 1 game. DRM is greed. Greed is capitalism. Capitalism is self-destructive.
satrain18
May 12, 2011 at 9:59am
Besides, the iPad REQUIRES a PC or Mac to set up and tranfer files, ect...
Emgtek
May 12, 2011 at 9:25am
I own an IPad and a very fast custom rig that cost more than a so-calld too exspensive Mac.
tuth is, most people don't even have a reasn that is their own for not liking Apple and that's sad
I also have a Mac and I love it, I love my banging windows 7 PC. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as a computer power user, there is room for both in my life there is no reason to hate. geez people get a grip.
when I read hate-filled comments I fell like I'm on a Fox News/Maximum PC website. get your facts straight before making bassless comments about something.
now lets enjoy technology!
ShyLinuxGuy
May 12, 2011 at 8:36am
iPad is not a viable replacement to a PC desktop or laptop. It can supplement one, but not replace one. Unless you just do email, Facebook, reading blogs...it isn't a viable replacement.
btw, I don't hate Apple per se, but their products don't appeal to me. Why spend $1000 or $2000 for something I can get (or build) for half the cost that can surpass its specs? What's so special about a MacBook Pro or iMac, why should I buy one besides the fact it looks different on the exterior and its UI?
someone87
May 12, 2011 at 9:25am
Because they are awesome. :)
I am a windows guy, I live breath eat drink sleep windows.
In one of my business we do network/server admin, build custom computers etc.
My other business uses engineering software (SolidWorks) that only runs on Windows.
At home I have 3 windows desktops and 2 windows laptops and 3 phisical servers, and a few Hyper-V machines. When I have to work from home I use windows.
However, for my persoanl stuff (gun's, auto, facebook, email etc) use my MacBook Pro, or a Mac Mini in my living room. They just work. The battery on the MacBook Pro is awesome, the trackpad is leaps and bounds ahead of anything windows, and the web experience is miles ahead. Maybe it's just nice to use something diff than what I work with all day... Either way, for the non windows tied (for whatever reason) users, Mac's are awesome!
Emgtek
May 12, 2011 at 9:39am
Yes I totally agree Macs are awesome! So are Windows PCs but Apple PCs have little things that you just don't get anywhere else.
CaptainFabulous
May 12, 2011 at 8:07am
I never agreed with the "iPad is killing the PC" rhetoric. First off, I think most people that buy iPhones and iPads are likely to have Macs, not PCs.
And for low-cost laptops, I dunno, I think I have to agree with NPD. I don't know too many people running out buying expensive laptops, but instead are opting for the $400-$500 models. It's gotten to the point where even lower-end hardware is fast enough to get 90% of your daily tasks done.
I also don't see tablets ever supplanting laptops. Ever.
ChatterboxChuck
May 12, 2011 at 8:47am
Not sure where you get the idea that iPhone owners are likely to have Macs, do you know how many iPhones are out there? Can you really say most are likely to have Macs? What one can actually say is that a Mac owner is likely to have an iPhone and/or iPad. I have had several iPods and don't own any Macs and frankly don't want one because I am use to Windows and Macs are just to expensive for me.
MeanSquare
May 12, 2011 at 6:50am
I'd agree. The iPad coudn't have weakened a market that was strong. The PCs malaise is largely the fault of PC manufacturers that are simply doing incremental more and faster; so few real innovations.
The iPad isn't really that innovative either. It was significant for doing the tablet better than anyone else at the time. Android has gotten competative and better for most folks due to the openness of the system (and, need I say, Flash?)
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