In the Post-PC era, different people use different hardware

The post-PC is upon us, but perhaps is not quite what we were expecting. Instead of a replacement for the PC, the post-PC age sees the PC co-existing with other computing devices.

In the post-PC era, the Personal Computer loses its position as the standard unit of computing. Now we have (in addition to PCs) phones, tablets, game consoles, virtual servers, and wearables. But not everyone uses everything. Some people use tablets, others use game consoles, and some use traditional PCs.

I see the following types of users:

Consumers Ordinary folks like you and me when we're at home. We don't need much in terms of computing power; we simply want to:

• read and write e-mail
• update Facebook
• chat with friends
• keep appointments
• play lightweight games
• watch videos
• do some online banking
• read e-books

For these tasks we use phones, tablets, and wearables (Google Glass or the Apple iWatch).

Gamers The serious game players want the high-end games, and maybe some videos. For them, game consoles (Xbox, PS4) are the way to go. (Gamers may also use tablets when they are being ordinary folks, too.)

Office managers and workers In the office, managers and workers will be performing the same tasks that they have been performing for the past decade:

• read and write e-mail
• calendar
• review and compose documents
• review and compose spreadsheets
• browse the web
• project management and scheduling

For them, traditional PCs will be necessary. These tasks need the rapid input of real keyboards (although mouse operations may be replaced by touch operations).

Office executives Also in the office but focussed more on meetings and personal interactions, executives will:

• read and write e-mail
• update calendars
• review documents
• review spreadsheets
• review presentations

Notice that they do little in the way of composition. Executives will find phones and tablets (most likely Windows) more useful than traditional PCs.

Looking at this list, it seems that PCs are limited to the office. Not quite true; I think a number of specialists will want PCs. For example, developers will want IDE and version control systems on PCs. Graphic designers will want to use Photoshop or Gimp on PCs.

The post-PC era does not mean the end of the PC. It does mean the end of the PC as the default choice for a computing device. We are entering an age of varied computing devices, each with strengths (and weaknesses).