Here's why PCs and post-PC devices are different things

This week I've been hearing a lot of this: "PCs and post-PC devices aren't really so different".

Oh yes they are. They are *very* different. And here's why...
[h=4]PC[/h] Creeping into the shared collective unconscious is the idea that the PC is misnamed. Specifically, people are increasingly putting forward the following set of precepts:
1) "We know that 'PC' stands for 'Personal Computer'."
2) "We know that smartphones and tablets are more personal."
3) "Therefore, smartphones and tablets are personal computers, and therefore they are just another form of PC."

Conclusion

Combining those two paths back together is what a lot of technologists are keen to do, and some of those technologists really love Windows and the PC and really want that path to come back together again.
That would be a mistake. The schism is helpful. It allows us to have machines that are great for focused work, together with a clear path of opportunity going forward to make them better. And it allows us to have great devices that can make our lives more fun and engaging, and it also has it's clear path of opportunity going forward.
(The Windows 8 Project, with Windows RT, Windows 8, Metro-style/whatever-style, and Surface highlights this problem by showing what happens if you do try and combine those two worlds together. Even if that combining is done with skill and care, as I'm sure it was.)
So we shouldn't combine them. PCs are great at what they do, and lousy at the other stuff. The reverse of that applies to post-PC devices too.
This last point is why no one is ever suggesting that people replace PCs at work with smartphones and tablets. That makes no sense. PCs are really, insanely great at the work stuff. Post-PC devices in that context would just get in the way. How post-PC devices help with our work lives is a) complex and b) a story for another day.
Keep 'em separate. And a smartphone is not a PC. And neither is your tablet. Your PC is, however, a PC.

Here's why PCs and post-PC devices are different things (and why they need to stay that way) | ZDNet

 

[Mustang]

Says it all. To imply that one OS can satisfy all platforms is like saying we can have one vehicle that will replace cars, limos, trucks, buses and motor bikes. Or one boat that can replace everything from a rowing boat to an aircraft carrier or luxury liner.

Dedicated OS for dedicated platforms.

 

[labeeman]

Says it all. To imply that one OS can satisfy all platforms is like saying we can have one vehicle that will replace cars, limos, trucks, buses and motor bikes. Or one boat that can replace everything from a rowing boat to an aircraft carrier or luxury liner.

Dedicated OS for dedicated platforms.

Agreed
Yes I would like to carry my desktop system in my pocket but the state of the art is not here yet.