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Are we at the beginning of the Post PC Era?

This was the thought that started these posts off and in fact it is a wider view than just  ‘Why you should consider a Mac’.

Sales of Desktop Windows PC computers are down, Mac desktops are holding their own, Windows laptop sales are down, Mac laptop sales have increased but the real boom in sales are for ‘smart phones’ and touch tablets (at the moment the iPad) Netbook sales have crashed after the release of the iPad.

On the smart phone the iPhone has been the top seller ever since it went on sale until recently when the combined sales from many manufactures for Android powered phones (Android is the operating system, think of it like Windows or perhaps Linux would be a better analogy) started to out sell it in the USA.

71% of all smart phones in Japan are iPhones. For many people owning a computer is just for 4 or 5 things, email, web browsing, storage of photos, music and videos, contacts and calendars, video, voice and text chat. Some others will add letter writing and spreadsheets. You can do all those things on a smart phone and while on the move. Don’t like the small screen then you can do all of those on a touch tablet.

Need a full size keyboard, you can have one too which in the case of the iPad holds the screen up so you can see it better while charging the iPad. Plus there are now 225,000+ applications available for the iPhone alone So there should be one to fill your needs. Lets look at the prices too. It’s hard to compare prices as so many programs and applications can do the same thing and there are ways to keep the price down by using on-line sources paid for with adverts but here goes.

Email, Contacts, Calendar Mac Free iPhone, iPad Free Android I guess they’re free, wouldn’t be much of a smart phone without them Windows 7 you have to get them after you instal (web based or purchase)

MS Outlook (email, contacts and calendars) £90.60

Word Processor, Spreadsheet Mac iWork 3 Apps, Pages, Numbers, Keynote =

(Word, Excel, Powerpoint) £58.73

iPad, Pages £5.99 Numbers £5.99 Keynote £5.99

Windows Office Home, Word, Excel, Powerpoint (no Outlook) £80.23

Business (with outlook) £187.99 (All prices Amazon UK or App Store UK for iPad)

I know that is not very scientific but it does show that these mobile apps can do what a lot of home users want and at a very low price. So what does it mean for home users? I and some others in the industry think that users will now need to and in fact are doing, to check their requirements before just choosing a desktop PC.

Many will find that carrying their contacts, calendars, videos, video camera and editing software even with them is much better than being stuck at a desk with more power that they can use. Convenience is winning over high specification.

What about content creators and developers? Well, we need to consider a much wider range of devices and platforms, some web content may well move into applications and we must move fast or be left behind as home computing is changing very fast. I’ve had to make my living from computers and I have seen first hand the drop in sales of desktop PC’s and all their peripherals.

I also have family members who are running secondhand Macs and have been for over 6 years. I normally work as a web designer but my view into the future sees very little money in that now, most sites are now content management systems with very little work for a designer, the Mac comes equipped with a very good home website application so not much work for me with little sites.

As the computer is waining what is on the rise, smart phones and touch tablets, so that is where I am heading, iPhone and iPad applications. Are you coming with me or will you struggle on? Now, some people think I am suggesting that you dump your PC computer, I’m not, I just want you to consider a Mac or even consider if you really need one as there is so much choice right now.

Be open to new ways of computing. The times are changing and I can see a day when desktop computers are back in the office and not at home. Computers will become much more like appliances and future users will wonder at why those old timers thought they needed to know how computers worked or how to fix them.

The new generation of users will not even see the file system of where their music and videos are stored, there will be no Windows Explorer or Mac Finder, each application will look after its own files like the iPad does now.

Jump on board, it will be a little bumpy at first but we’ll soon be running smooth.

Hi everyone.

Let me start this article with why I use an Apple Mac and why I think it would be a good idea for anyone to switch to Mac.

What computer system you use can be a very emotive subject and to tell you the truth I feel like I am jumping into a pit of vipers by doing this. Some very computer savvy people out there will have strong views and for them I say carry on with what works for you.

But in my immediate family I have 4 computer users, 2 gamers, 1 home user, 1 Home/Pro User and me a Designer, Web Administrator, Gamer and more.

Gamers will need faster & faster machines, especially in the graphics processing department, I need a fast machine because quite often have multiple art and design applications running at once.

But the other 2 generally only read email, browser the web, store their photographs and music, use video chat, keep their appointments in the calendar, and contact details in an address book, or occasionally write a letter for printing.

Does that sound like you? I’m sure it fits most people. So most people would in fact be happy with a lower spec machine. What do most users want from a computer, they want it to be easy to set up, to ‘just’ work, to not need fixing, to need less maintenance, to not de-value and to do all the things above out of the box or with software at a reasonable cost. (downloading a free pirate copy is not a reasonable cost).

I’ll come back to these points over the next few articles but today I will finish with some facts and figures.

The US Military use Macs.

The Ford Motor Co run whole production lines using the smallest Mac Minis as the terminals for stock replenishment.

Google have gone completely Mac

Apple’s head designer is 7 times Designer of the Year winner, British designer Jonathan Ive.

iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch use British ARM processors.

The top two images are for the US but the bottom is for Europe. Remember these figures are for one company, Apple against all other PC makers combined.

If I had a penny for how many times someone has said to me “Why have you got a Mac? They’re Uber, I’d be a rich man.

Just Listen its funny

**UPDATE**

If you log in to the site with your Username and Password, you can now edit your Profile using the option on the sidebar.

We also now have private message facility built into the site, try it out.

We are working on other new features to the site as we go, so please keep looging in and we will post little updates like this one.

A new 2010 theme for the site is in production too, we will send some screenshots soon.

All the very best,

BBMUG Admin Team.

Well a big hello to both new and old members,

I hope you have all enjoyed The Bristol & Bath Mac User Group meetings so far this year, and have found some helpful information and also enjoy the various tutorials given both by fellow members but also Apple in Cabot Circus.

I thought with Halloween rapidly approaching, I would jazz up the bbmug site and add some new themes and content, I’ve also now updated us to the latest wordpress and added a few new funky features.

Cadbury Heath Social Memorial Club have a Halloween party orgainised,  I’m not sure on the details and would recomend you contact them if you intend on going along.

Anyway if you’re in a holiday mood and want to use the Halloween theme, then you can just change it using the theme switcher in the menu bar on the right under the login boxes.

Anyway, have a fantastic Halloween what ever you decide to do :p

We will see you all in November for the final BBMUG meeting of the year. Any idea’s for this meeting please email; Myself, Rob or Ash.

All the best,

Wkdboi Aka Marty

Hi All,

Hope you’re all looking forward to our Final Cut meeting in Jan 2009.

Until then

The Admin Team

Welcome all,

We hope to see alot more people at the next meeting especially as their our big raffle prizes to be won. With 2 lucky people netting £200 worth of software goodies.

Meeting will began at 8.00-8.30 with Registration

Demo’s will be of the following

• Delicious Library 2
• Rohos USB Logon
• Fast DVD Copy
• Screen Cast Online
• Far Finder
• Domainer
• Art Text

We will also have a Q/A session between 8 & 8.30

The raffle will be held around 9.30-10pm For people who arrive late

See you all Monday

Your Admin Team

Hi all,

Just a quick note, our next meeting is on th 21st April 2008, 8pm @ Cadbury Heath Social Memorial Club.

See you their and don’t forget to pay your subs

Wkdboi

Well thanks to everyone who made it along to our first 2008 meet, at the new venue.

What a fantastic meet it was everybody was engaged and very talkative xyz.

We have the date for our next meeting. Diary’s everyone. 18th Feburary 2008 “Cadbury Heath Social Memorial Club”

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