News
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Mac, iPad lines will not merge
By Charles Starrett
Contributing Editor
Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
News Categories: Apple, iPad
During the company’s Q2 2012 Financial Results Conference Call, Apple CEO Tim Cook made several very interesting comments regarding the merging of traditional PCs with tablets. Cook said that while any two types of products can be forced to converge, the resulting products involve tradeoffs, and eventually reach the point at which they no longer appear to anyone; combining products creates compromises that do not please either user. He used the MacBook Air as an example of continuing innovation in the Mac space, and said that it appeals to someone who has somewhat different requirements than an iPad user. Cook specifically said that Apple will not make the compromise of convergence, adding that while others might converge their lines—especially for defensive reasons, such as seeing their computer or tablet sales flagging—Apple will play in both markets simultaneously.
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1
I like the fact that Macs and iPads will not merge. No one uses a Corvette like a four-wheel drive truck. Different jobs and different problems require different solutions.
Posted by Steve on April 25, 2012 at 7:40 AM (PST)
2
In addition to whatever arguably practical reasons justify the statement, there is also this
1: It’s a sideways dig at Microsoft announcing they’ll develop Windows 8 for ARM tablets. Not sure if it’s a justified dig, but it’s expected that they’re going to claim anyone doing so is weak and wrong so long as Apple is doing so well by not tying the iPad and iOS to any particular desktop platform.
2: It’s a tacit admission that such a merge makes little sense for Apple. In the world of desktop agnostic tablets, Apple is crushing the competition. Meanwhile, though extremely popular with their fans, Macs are the equivalent of, say, HP’s tablets in the world of desktop computing. The iPad and iOS are doing just fine not tied to any “proper” computing platform. Doing so, especially the Macintosh platform, would do nothing but hurt that formula, especially considering such niggling issues as Linux having a larger install base than Mac OS and Android growing much faster in terms of units than Mac OS.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on April 26, 2012 at 6:04 AM (PST)