Windows 7: IBM Declares the End of the PC Era

That be the truth!

Cloud computing realistically isn't going to happen until at least next decade when people are sold on its reliability. A couple weeks ago, one of Amazon and Microsoft's cloud computing centers in Europe was apparently struck by lightning and it took almost two days for everything to get back to normal.

When the power goes out here, I can probably use a laptop to kill some time and catch up on random things. And when it comes back, it takes 30 seconds for my desktop to get back to normal.

It's strange how apple's giant itouch sparked off this idiotic tablet fab, but Microsoft and HP tried doing the tablet thing and it didn't work simply because no one really needed a tablet then since laptops were becoming the next cool thing. I don't see tablets becoming a fixture like the laptop has. Not at least until the first Windows 8 tablet comes out...

I think we were out of the IBM era the second there was more than 5 computers being used worldwide.

Or, at least, until the next Win 8 laptop comes out with the opportunity to attach a real keyboard and mouse as well as a few additional monitors.

Long live PCs!

I wonder what platform the tablet software is developed on? I can tell you categorically it ain't on the tablet!

-Max

These marketing people are really one-dimensional (dimentia?) in their thinking. Just because the tablet form-factor exists and addresses a particular market they all-of-a-sudden think that the other market is now dead.

That's a little like saying "watch out, Airbus came out with the A380, now all GA aircraft (Cessna, Beech, Mooney, etc.) are now in mortal danger!" Nonsense.

Tablets are very cool devices. My iPhone4 is a cool device. I love using them. Replace my desktop and laptop machines for software development and high-volume input? Gimme a break. That simply ain't going to happen.

One other thing. Anybody else notice this constant back-and-forth thing between centralized and localized computing? I've seen it cycle back-and-forth at least a couple of times in my 35-year career as a developer. Now they're calling the central computing model the "cloud". Before that it was called the "web". Before that it was called "time sharing". Nothing new here!

-Max

I've played with the iPads. They're not enough different from my iPhone4 to warrant having an extra device. Oh yeah, the larger screen is cool but I've got my iPhone4, laptop and desktop machines here. I can't find where the tablet machine would fit in yet, it would just be a vestigal piece of equipment cluttering up the house.

I've considered getting an HP Touchpad to play with but, OTOH, do I want to spend $500 for another toy to sit in the garage?

-Max

Who's talking about iPads, if anything Android and Windows 8 tablets will replace PC's.

Apple had a good 2 years head start and all they've done is made a bigger iPhone.

Hm, to mock those incompetent fools, "lol wut?"

And it sells like gangbusters. I'm not an Apple fan by any stretch, but they currently own this market segment. Everything else is simply an alternative to an iPAD.