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Given that smartphone sales passed PC sales as of 2011 in a sense it did disrupt the computer industry as the focus of innovation is now in the smartphone/table
by spiralpolitik 14y ago
Given that smartphone sales passed PC sales as of 2011 in a sense it did disrupt the computer industry as the focus of innovation is now in the smartphone/tablet space rather than the desktop and server space.
I do think however that saying that it destroyed the handset market is a bit much. The iPhone totally disrupted the embryonic smartphone market but the dumb phone market is still going fairly strong (if in volume rather than profit). The last numbers I saw had a 5:1 ratio between dumb and smartphone sales so there is still a ways to go yet.
- vacri 14y agoPCs last longer these days, are no longer subject to significant performance improvements every couple of years, aren't frequently lost or dropped/broken/stolen, and don't come on plans with carriers that have you in a constant upgrade cycle.
- chrisdroukas 14y agoTrue, but those points don't yield the PC an inherently superior computer from a utility standpoint. Despite what you've said, non-PC devices are for core tasks (email, web browsing, messaging, etc.,) a highly-refined, elegant and convenient experience for many end users. Given a person who uses their computer almost entirely for the tasks I've mentioned (and there are plenty of this type of user), would it not be right to recommend them an iPad or other tablet? What, exactly, would that user be gaining from a full-fledged desktop or notebook PC? That question is getting increasingly difficult to answer.
- olalonde 14y agoA hardware keyboard.