Apple gets ready to unplug and brings the “Post-PC” World a little closer.
When the iPad 2 was announced earlier this year, Steve Jobs was criticized for his repeated mention of his dream of a new “Post-Pc” world. While many people in the tech industry understood that he was talking about a world where people use mobile devices more frequently than a traditional computer or laptop, the simple fact that all of the Apple devices require users to connect them to a computer that runs iTunes, seemed to negate the idea that having a computer was a thing of the past.
Believe me, I was one of the first to complain about this oversight. It frustrates me that even though my iPhone is an independent device, I still have to connect it to my laptop every so often just to keep iTunes happy. If I were to give a new iPod Touch to someone, they would have to have an iTunes account and a computer just to get it up and running. This makes it more “In addition to a pc” rather that “Post-Pc”.
But, this is all about to change. At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, it was announced that Apple is ready to cut the cord. With the release of iOS 5 in the fall, Apple devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch will be able to be used straight out of the box. This cuts out the dependence on iTunes and lets each person decide how they want to use the device.
Jobs talked about the way that the cloud is changing everything and opening up new options in the world of mobile devices. He commented on the fact that the Mac is going to become just another appliance rather than being the key link of the digital experience. When all of a user's data is stored on the cloud, it can be accessed by any device, making the home computer a less integral part of it.
It amazes me how much things have changed and how much they have stayed the same. In 1984, when the Macintosh was first unleashed on the world, Steve Jobs imagined that his company wouldn't be making traditional computers. His vision was to make a computing appliance. He sought to design a product that looked beautiful, was dependable and allowed people to access their information in new ways.
While the Mac has always been easy to use and has been high on aesthetic appeal, it didn't become the beautiful appliance that Jobs envisioned. In fact, for many years the company floundered, trying to find new ways to make the Macintosh better. Now, with the mobile iOS devices, it looks as though Apple is making the vision a reality and opening the experience to a whole new group of users.
For people who have never owned a computer, using an iOS device is extremely easy. In fact, all you have to do is hand an iPod Touch to a 4 year old, and you'll see that they can figure it out very easily. You might not ever get it back, but that is beside the point. The point is that this shift is opening the market to people who don't have a computer, that lack computer skills and makes it easy for anyone to access technology.
Although I don't believe that the “Post-PC” world will be a world without computers, I do think that this fundamental shift in the way that users interact with their data is going to complete Apple's vision and make their company an even greater force to be reckoned with. As it is, developers of mobile devices are struggling just to put something on the market that is as good as the iPad 1, while Apple is already moving on to bigger and better things.
Cutting the cord and utilizing the cloud will change everything, and once again, Apple is at the forefront of this shift.
What do you think about this change? Do you think that using the cloud as a data hub is a good idea? I would love to hear your thought in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for TechCareersBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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