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What's strange about it? Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. Would you remove all the yoga-books and other c

What's strange about it? Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. Would you remove all the yoga-books and other convertibles from Lenovo sales? Form factor isn't a differentiator here anymore. Tablets are becoming general purpose computing devices.

enedil 6y ago
Just as MacBooks, which also are becoming "general purpose computing" devices?
yunusabd 6y ago
True, there are some tablets that can be used for tasks usually done on a PC. Still there's an unknown percentage of tablets mostly for media consumption in there. So they're lumping together productivity/all-purpose devices with media consumption devices.
- albertzeyer 6y ago
  A lot of "standard" PCs are also mostly used just for media consumption.
  - yunusabd 6y ago
    Yes, naturally all-purpose includes media consumption as well.
    - freehunter 6y ago
      At that point it’s not even worth differentiating between the two. Some people use laptops for work, some people use them for entertainment, many people use them for both. Some people use tablets for work, some people use them for entertainment, many people use them for both. You can’t just say “laptops are for work and tablets are for entertainment” because that’s just not true.
      - yunusabd 6y ago
        That's not what I'm saying though. I'm saying all PCs are general purpose devices, but many tablets aren't. That's why it makes sense to differentiate between the two and not lump them together.
        freehunter 6y ago
        Why aren’t they? Because they can’t be, or because you think they aren’t used in that way? I’ve been using an iPad for nearly 100% of my work over the past two years (until this summer, just a regular 9.7” iPad), and I know of developers who have been doing the same for at least nine years [1]. And these days it’s even more “general purpose”, being able to develop locally on the iPad with things like Play.js and Pythonista running locally. Blink on iPad even has a local shell built in, and of course pretty much all Android devices can drop to their local root shell too. I guess you’re going to have to define what you mean by “general purpose computer” because pretty much every definition I find online includes smartphones and tablets [2][3][4]: > A general purpose computer is built to perform a variety of tasks, including the most frequent computing tasks, in a reasonably efficiently manner. It can store and execute multiple programs in its internal storage. Personal computers such as tablets, smartphones, notebooks and desktops are examples of general purpose computers. The difference it seems like you’re making is that laptops are general purpose computers because you want to define them that way, and phones/tablets are not, again, because that’s how you want to define it. So please, define what “general purpose” means and why your definition doesn’t match anyone else’s definition? What do people get out of gatekeeping the most ridiculous things? Any iPad or Android tablet can install generic applications, browse the web, play games and music and video, do word processing, check email, store and retrieve arbitrary data, edit photos, connect to SSH... you know, general purpose computing. So again... what is the point of differentiating? [1] https://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad https://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook... [2] https://www.reference.com/world-view/general-purpose-computer-52c09ca46a9e389 https://www.reference.com/world-view/general-purpose-compute... [3] https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/general-purpose-computer https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/general-purpose-comp... [4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkrr97h/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkrr97h/revision/1
oarsinsync 6y ago
> Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. > Form factor isn't a differentiator here anymore. Tablets are becoming general purpose computing devices. You've referenced Apple specifically in relation to all this. Note that Apple's official position disagrees with you, as seen in their lawsuit against Epic, and their claim that iOS devices are more like app consoles than general purpose computing devices. The most worrying part here is that we're already sliding into a world where we're accepting these walled gardens as general purpose computing devices, when the manufacturer is stating definitively that they do not see it this way. The limitations we're imposing on ourselves is a shame. (EDIT: to add, I'm on my third iPad now and continue to be very happy with them. I'm part of the problem.)
- freehunter 6y ago
  > Note that Apple's official position disagrees with you I don’t think it’s quite that simple, as Apple has at least two different “official positions”. The first being that the iPad is more computer than you need (see their marketing around iPad, trucks vs cars, iPad Pro, etc). The second being what you described in their legal battle. If you believe their marketing, iPad is 100% a computer. Just a different kind of computer than the Mac.
totalZero 6y ago
Sure, a Yoga has a touchscreen and a polyamorous hinge mechanism, but it doesn't seem comparable in any real sense to an iPad.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
maxsilver 6y ago
> Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. That's what Apple wants people to think, but in the real world I'd argue that's highly suspect. iPads are closer to glorified entertainment consoles than anything else. (They're 100% locked down, just like a video game console. Their compatibility is artificially limited, just like video game consoles. They're sold exactly like video game consoles, on game console lifecycles, with a game-console-like business model and revenue sources). Apple itself seems to agree, Apple claims the iPad is a video game console in their legal fight with Epic when defending Apple's monopoly over the software market. If anything, it would make slightly more sense to compare iPad sales to Nintendo Switch sales, than to compare iPad sales to Laptop / Desktop PCs.

enedil 6y ago

Just as MacBooks, which also are becoming "general purpose computing" devices?

yunusabd 6y ago

True, there are some tablets that can be used for tasks usually done on a PC. Still there's an unknown percentage of tablets mostly for media consumption in there. So they're lumping together productivity/all-purpose devices with media consumption devices.

albertzeyer 6y ago
A lot of "standard" PCs are also mostly used just for media consumption.
- yunusabd 6y ago
  Yes, naturally all-purpose includes media consumption as well.
  - freehunter 6y ago
    At that point it’s not even worth differentiating between the two. Some people use laptops for work, some people use them for entertainment, many people use them for both. Some people use tablets for work, some people use them for entertainment, many people use them for both. You can’t just say “laptops are for work and tablets are for entertainment” because that’s just not true.
    - yunusabd 6y ago
      That's not what I'm saying though. I'm saying all PCs are general purpose devices, but many tablets aren't. That's why it makes sense to differentiate between the two and not lump them together.
      - freehunter 6y ago
        Why aren’t they? Because they can’t be, or because you think they aren’t used in that way? I’ve been using an iPad for nearly 100% of my work over the past two years (until this summer, just a regular 9.7” iPad), and I know of developers who have been doing the same for at least nine years [1]. And these days it’s even more “general purpose”, being able to develop locally on the iPad with things like Play.js and Pythonista running locally. Blink on iPad even has a local shell built in, and of course pretty much all Android devices can drop to their local root shell too. I guess you’re going to have to define what you mean by “general purpose computer” because pretty much every definition I find online includes smartphones and tablets [2][3][4]: > A general purpose computer is built to perform a variety of tasks, including the most frequent computing tasks, in a reasonably efficiently manner. It can store and execute multiple programs in its internal storage. Personal computers such as tablets, smartphones, notebooks and desktops are examples of general purpose computers. The difference it seems like you’re making is that laptops are general purpose computers because you want to define them that way, and phones/tablets are not, again, because that’s how you want to define it. So please, define what “general purpose” means and why your definition doesn’t match anyone else’s definition? What do people get out of gatekeeping the most ridiculous things? Any iPad or Android tablet can install generic applications, browse the web, play games and music and video, do word processing, check email, store and retrieve arbitrary data, edit photos, connect to SSH... you know, general purpose computing. So again... what is the point of differentiating? [1] https://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad https://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook... [2] https://www.reference.com/world-view/general-purpose-computer-52c09ca46a9e389 https://www.reference.com/world-view/general-purpose-compute... [3] https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/general-purpose-computer https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/general-purpose-comp... [4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkrr97h/revision/1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkrr97h/revision/1

oarsinsync 6y ago

> Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. > Form factor isn't a differentiator here anymore. Tablets are becoming general purpose computing devices. You've referenced Apple specifically in relation to all this. Note that Apple's official position disagrees with you, as seen in their lawsuit against Epic, and their claim that iOS devices are more like app consoles than general purpose computing devices. The most worrying part here is that we're already sliding into a world where we're accepting these walled gardens as general purpose computing devices, when the manufacturer is stating definitively that they do not see it this way. The limitations we're imposing on ourselves is a shame. (EDIT: to add, I'm on my third iPad now and continue to be very happy with them. I'm part of the problem.)

freehunter 6y ago
> Note that Apple's official position disagrees with you I don’t think it’s quite that simple, as Apple has at least two different “official positions”. The first being that the iPad is more computer than you need (see their marketing around iPad, trucks vs cars, iPad Pro, etc). The second being what you described in their legal battle. If you believe their marketing, iPad is 100% a computer. Just a different kind of computer than the Mac.

totalZero 6y ago

Sure, a Yoga has a touchscreen and a polyamorous hinge mechanism, but it doesn't seem comparable in any real sense to an iPad.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

maxsilver 6y ago

> Tablets are becoming another version of PCs, especially with all the Apple news lately. That's what Apple wants people to think, but in the real world I'd argue that's highly suspect. iPads are closer to glorified entertainment consoles than anything else. (They're 100% locked down, just like a video game console. Their compatibility is artificially limited, just like video game consoles. They're sold exactly like video game consoles, on game console lifecycles, with a game-console-like business model and revenue sources). Apple itself seems to agree, Apple claims the iPad is a video game console in their legal fight with Epic when defending Apple's monopoly over the software market. If anything, it would make slightly more sense to compare iPad sales to Nintendo Switch sales, than to compare iPad sales to Laptop / Desktop PCs.