A few days ago Apple launched its new iPad, that's right, not the iPad 3 or the iPad HD, just the iPad. While it does offer a better display and chipset, the functionality and practicality of the software to replace a PC just isn't there.
Apple CEO Tim Cook loves to point out that they sold 15.4 million iPads in the last quarter, more than HP's PC sales which totaled 15.1 million. However HP have responded, telling Apple (and other tablet manufacturers) that you just cannot beat the PC.
“PCs remain key tools for everything from video editing, music mixing, and spreadsheet crunching to thoughtful missives. And if you’re sending Junior off to college, the first computing product needed for homework is a PC,” said James Mouton, HP’s personal computer global business unit general manager.
While any sane person will accept that the PC is the overall better tool for producing content, tablets will soon overtake PC shipments. In 2011 tablet shipments increased by 274% to 63.2 million units shipped, while PC and laptop shipments only grew by 2.3% and 7.5% respectively. 112.4 million desktop PCs were sold in 2011 alongside 209.6 million laptops.
Kitguru says: HP is completely on the mark here, just today my brother gave up on the iPad after typing only four words.