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I don't think you can really say that the iPad has failed as a general computing device, and that it is propped up by the situations below. What do you think ge

by gehsty 7y ago

I don't think you can really say that the iPad has failed as a general computing device, and that it is propped up by the situations below. What do you think generates $20B in sales? That's a lot of tills flight aids. I think the iPad has succeeded as a general purpose computation device for normal people who use computers for email / music / Facetime / photos etc. Always seems like its the 'power users' who don't seem to understand the iPad when the average person can pick one up and do most things they want to do with one.

Slartie 7y ago
That is not what I would consider "general computing device", more like "media consumption device", and yes, it is fairly good at that. I would require a device to be regularly used for content creation as well in order for it to qualify as "general computing device". But pretty much the only "content creation" that I see happening on iPads in normal peoples' households is writing emails. By that account, our smartphones are certainly more qualified for the "general computing device" tag, because those are regularly used to create photos and videos in addition to mails and instant messages.
- gehsty 7y ago
  If by computer programming or media creation (videos etc) then I would say what you want is a specialist computing device - most people do not use their computers to do this, nor need them to be able to. With an iPad you can write all the emails you want, edit and share photos, create word docs and basic spreadsheets, which is enough for the vast majority of people. I agree that phones are also general purpose computers, most people can get away with just having a phone now. Maybe we dont agree on ‘general’ as a term, I mean what most people need or want, I think you maybe mean can do lots of different things?
  - Slartie 7y ago
    Yeah, that must be it. I mean "versatile", which is a feature not everyone needs, not even a majority, but a large enough proportion of the market as to be relevant (especially since the remaining share of the market depends on those that need this versatility, because without content creators - a prime group requiring versatile computing devices - there's no content for those that don't need this versatility because they mostly consume).

by gehsty 7y ago

Slartie 7y ago

That is not what I would consider "general computing device", more like "media consumption device", and yes, it is fairly good at that. I would require a device to be regularly used for content creation as well in order for it to qualify as "general computing device". But pretty much the only "content creation" that I see happening on iPads in normal peoples' households is writing emails. By that account, our smartphones are certainly more qualified for the "general computing device" tag, because those are regularly used to create photos and videos in addition to mails and instant messages.

gehsty 7y ago
If by computer programming or media creation (videos etc) then I would say what you want is a specialist computing device - most people do not use their computers to do this, nor need them to be able to. With an iPad you can write all the emails you want, edit and share photos, create word docs and basic spreadsheets, which is enough for the vast majority of people. I agree that phones are also general purpose computers, most people can get away with just having a phone now. Maybe we dont agree on ‘general’ as a term, I mean what most people need or want, I think you maybe mean can do lots of different things?
- Slartie 7y ago
  Yeah, that must be it. I mean "versatile", which is a feature not everyone needs, not even a majority, but a large enough proportion of the market as to be relevant (especially since the remaining share of the market depends on those that need this versatility, because without content creators - a prime group requiring versatile computing devices - there's no content for those that don't need this versatility because they mostly consume).