Steve Jobs is talking about the end of the PC era.
“When we were an agrarian nation, all cars, were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them. And this is going to make some people uneasy.”
One of the people most responsible for giving birth to PC’s and to the personal computer industry, was saying: “It’s over.” I texted my friend, John: “Jobs is saying that iPads will replace PC’s. What about for us? For people who write a lot.”
That question was answered a few hours later. I ran into Chris Sacca at a conference party.
“I’ve switched to the iPad. Everything. I have a 3 book contract. I’m doing everything on the iPad now. Spreadsheets. Writing. Everything.”
Incredulously, I asked, “You can type an entire book on an iPad??!”
“Watch me!”
– Linda Stone, The End of the PC in the Huffington Post
It’s stories like this that have me salivating to get my own iPad. I can feel the change that’s upon us, and I want to take part. It seems like people have been searching for a metaphor to explain what the iPad represents, and — surprise, surprise — Steve Jobs had it in his back pocket.
With a growing family, my wife Francesca and I have many times found ourselves discussing the issue of what to do about computers. As the kids get older, they will want (and need) more time on the computer. As nerds (sorry, Fran, you’re one too), we both need frequent access. So just how many computers does our family need?
It’s starting to look like our household may only need one computer (truck), and then individuals will have iPads or the equivalent (cars) for much of what we need to do. For now with the kids being young, they are fine with regulated access to the family computer, which will also serve as a file server, and all around utility machine, to be used for heavy lifting. But the adults will supplement access to the family computer with iPads.
I think this model will be what many families arrive to, and it’s not going to take long. But how do I convince my wife we need to do it now?
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