Tablets aka iPads as PC Killers?

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100707/apples-best-case-scenario-the-ipad-is-the-new-ipod/' target='_blank'>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/201...s-the-new-ipod/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Are you an Apple bull looking for even more ammunition to bolster your faith in the company?"</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1264960943.usr105634.jpg" /></p><p>If so, you might be interested in these predictions from Barclay Capital:</p><ul><li>Tablets computers, a category that didn't really exist until this spring, will be here to stay;</li><li>Apple (AAPL) is going to own most of that market for years to come;</li><li>This is yet more bad news for Microsoft (MSFT) and its Windows franchise, as well as PC manufacturers like Dell, in particular.</li></ul><p>They also predict that 15 million tablets will be sold this year, increasing to 28 million in 2011, as well as Apple holding on to a 75% market share through 2011. One more prediction is that this will cut into PC sales in the netbook arena which is causing them to drop their growth estimate for PCs to 19% in 2010. Not so sure about the growth decline caused by "tablets" since it hasn't been seen as doing the same for <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cultofmac/bFow/~3/h4lIM5RPfwU/49837" target="_blank">Mac sales</a>, but then again I'm not a paid analyst.&nbsp;</p>

[Michael Knutson]

I think that it might happen, but probably not on this iteration of the iPad. Too many things lacking right now, like an Apple provided equivalent to Finder ( or windows explorer ) for file system tasks. I'd love to get an entire day's work done on my iPad, but it just isn't realistic with the lack of sanctioned file system access. For instance, many things don't work in OneSite, like clipboard copy et al in the rich text editor.

Maybe apple needs to do what Microsoft did, ios 4 home, and ios 4 professional? Of course, that would require file system level security to protect us from ourselves ...

[Jason Dunn]

This is a brand new market - at least in terms of mobile-OS based pads - so it's wide open. Right now it's novelty for people who have $500 to drop. I think devices like this will definitely be huge in the future, but the technology has to mature, the price has to drop by 60%, and the battery life has to get even better still.