Steve Jobs recently claimed that PC's would soon become more like “trucks”, only used by a certain number of people to do a specific job. He was basically claiming that the consumer market would soon be using “Post PC” devices like the iPad. However, at the iPhone OS 4 introduction, he claimed that the iPad had the potential to “redefine” personal computing. So which is it Steve? A Post PC or a redefined PC?

Steve Ballmer emphasized the confusion when he appeared at the D8 conference a few days after Jobs. Walt Mossberg asked his opinion on Job's “truck” theory. He stated that PCs would not become trucks, but would simply continue to change in form factor. He then admitted that, because of this, he still considers the iPad a PC, it's just a “redefined” PC.

So this would agree with Jobs' theory that the world is moving towards these kind of devices. In essence, Ballmer tried to counter Jobs' point and ended up agreeing with him. Why? Because they both have different definitions of a PC!

As I see it, a personal computer is a convergence device that allows consumers to do most of what they want to do in the easiest way possible. Over the years, consumers have redefined what they use a personal computer for, and as such, Apple has redefined the personal computer.

I think the term Post PC has been used because Apple wants to position the iPad in between a PC and a smart-phone, and they don't want consumers to think it can replace their Mac. Not yet anyway. But it seems to me that the iPad is indeed a computer and, with the tablet form factor, it's more personal than ever. It's the "conventional " PCs that will become trucks, which is bad news for Microsoft.

Tags: Apple, Ballmer, Jobs, PC, Post, Steve, iPad

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Comment by Adam Colvin on June 7, 2010 at 7:01am: @Gordon
I agree that a lot of people will buy the hype if you do it well and create enough of it. But if you create all that hype and then fail to deliver on the product, you'll never get anywhere. In my opinion, Apple is not only good at the hype, but the products as well (most of the time). Granted, there are those who will buy anything that Apple makes, regardless of the quality. But Apple wouldn't be where they are today if the products couldn't stand up on their own.

Comment by Dean on June 7, 2010 at 4:31am: I was there for it, as I know you were as well. The thing was called a Macintosh. It had a one button mouse, had cool looking graphics, and was otherwise useless... but as I said I didn't get to play with it for very long.

Comment by Dean on June 7, 2010 at 3:26am: Mac is short for macintosh, which is a kind of apple... that grows on trees. It was also a bit of a "Wow!" PC that Apple first made in 1984 that had a graphical GUI opposed to a command line interface. I think it might have been the first computer to have a mouse as well.
I remember seeing the one in the picture at the top right of the page doing what we would consider today a rather basic screensaver looking animation and being in awe. I didn't get to play with it though and they didn't really catch on until later in an upgraded fashion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh

Comment by Adam Colvin on June 7, 2010 at 1:10am: Wow, I didn't know that about MAC! You're right, Steve's "PC" is basically anything that runs Windows and has a keyboard attached to it. He doesn't really mean "personal computer", which is what causes the confusion.

And I do agree that he is very egotistical! But would you not agree that its his ability to build a team that has made him successful? Yes, a lot of Apple's greatest products were not Steve's idea, and perhaps he is sometimes given too much credit for them. But I do give him a lot of credit for the way he's built the company. He's an Entrepreneur after all and I think there's a certain vision in bringing together the right people, and ideas.

Comment by Wandering I on June 6, 2010 at 9:23pm: I think steve was purposely playing into the stereotype that if its not made by apple, its made by the other "PC" guys. Steve doesn't consider his computers "pc's", he considers them mac's, his own made up word. Did you know the word MAC wasn't even a real word (other than the abbreviation M.A.C, as in MAC address for networking) until apple started using it in there marketing? Thats how much steve considers himself a trend setter. He didn't invent anything, others that worked for him did but none of those guys are EVER heard about. Its only apple in general, or steve jobs. When steve says that PC's are like trucks, in my eyes he's just throwing out a marketing ploy in saying that any computer that doesn't run Iphone os, or osx is behind the times, when in reality any pc can be used for everything and more than any form of apples software can. Steve jobs is an egotistical asshole...lol Just my opinion, but if people would actually sit down and read some of the things he's said over the years, a lot of people would agree with me. But a lot of people would still keep drinking the kool aid and feed into the idea that he really is in fact god. Those of us who have been around for more than the ipod era understand the difference.

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