Of course, Apple would see it that way. Though sales of Macs continue to increase, they're a long way from making a dent in the global market share of computers. iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads, on the other hand, enjoy a fantastic market share. They're responsible for most of Apple's revenue. While Android and others continue to pose stiff competition, all that revenue is spread out between Google, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, etc. All the iStuff market share is revenue for Apple - they make the devices, the software, and own the app store. My point is this: Apple isn't just observing the shift away from PCs, it's actively trying its damndest to make it happen.

Is the PC Really Going Away?

The irony of Jobs proclaiming the end of the PC era has been rightly pointed out by gdgt's , who noted that the first thing you have to do with it is hook it up to a PC. Snarky comments about Apple's insistence of making iTunes more prolific aside, it is worth examining whether or not the rise of smartphones and tablets and the like are going to dramatically change the computing landscape.

It may seem like a scary thought for a publication that calls itself PCWorld, but I think the idea of PCs becoming "like trucks" is probably overblown. At least for quite some time. Yes, tablets are affecting PC sales, in that people are buying tablets or new, more powerful smartphones as "companion PCs" more and more. This is impacting the market for inexpensive, small, long-battery-life netbooks and ultraportables. It's not really supplanting the PC, however.

Key to the notion of the average consumer using a post-PC device like a tablet or smartphone for their daily computing needs is the idea that the only real advantage a PC has is its ability to do "work" more efficiently. Nobody right now would make the argument that a more traditional PC isn't a better productivity tool. A physical keyboard, dramatically more RAM, multitasking with drag-and-drop and multiple windows, greater storage, and all the other perks of a larger form factor and higher power draw really do make a huge difference in productivity. Is productivity just for cubicle drones and businessmen, though? I would argue that it isn't. The same features that make a PC great for the office are things that make it great for artists, students, writers, gamers, social media junkies, and more.