Today I found that Apple's iPad is outselling its Mac computers in the US (here). All these years Apple was scrambling to have a fair market share in a PC-dominant environment, but now their recent innovations (e.g. iPhone and iPad) are becoming the industry standard and their main sources of revenue. Does it convey a message?
Comparing the iPhone with personal computers doesn't seem rational, but iPad has a lot of similarities with classic computers (laptops in particular). All manufacturers have presented dozens of light and stylish laptops with mediocre to outstanding capabilities at reasonable prices. However, iPad is beating them all and the only thing that crosses my mind is the interface. Its touch-based easy-to-use interface is what attracts people, especially mid-aged people who were never used to be computer-savvy. iPhone was a huge success and now iPad is repeating the history.
As a consumer, I feel Apple is not paying much attention to its computers (either laptops or desktops) anymore. Clearly, the company is finding its future direction towards easy-to-use portable devices with connectivity and multimedia capabilities that can easily integrate with its online stores (App Store, iTunes store and iBook store) as well as its online services (such as MobileMe). Apple has invented one of the best touch screens of all time with dedicated multi-touch gestures feature and it just works beautifully and flawlessly with all the applications.
I reckon point-and-click is losing its relevance (although it's still perfect in certain areas such as graphic design, publishing or CAD). Nothing seems easier than tapping, pinching and all such gestures on a glossy screen that hardly ever gets stains. An easy-to-use interface is also an essential complement. Microsoft embedded touch support in its Windows 7 as a core feature, but nobody is paying much attention to it. The reason is clear: Windows was never designed to be used with touch gestures. Fortunately, Microsoft is now working on its Surface device (which has a huge touch-sensitive display and has a dramatically different interface). Obviously touch screen makes sense when the interface is able to its capabilities up to its full potential.
When everybody was waiting for the iPad, people were expecting to see a tablet device with a similar (or minimized) version of Mac OS on it, but Apple made a wise choice. They used the iPhone OS on their new toy as they knew such OS was designed from scratch based on touch gestures and they had the success of iPhone as a reliable fact to support their new decision.
Touch screens were around for years, but it was Apple's innovation (the iPhone) that made it popular. We've been frustrated by touch screens at many places (e.g. inside aeroplanes or at the office counters) or in many devices (our cameras, cars or older mobile phones), but not many people are now complaining about Apple's touch screen and that's the key. Nowadays, many other companies are designing iPhone-like devices (e.g. Google, HTC, Nokia, Motorola, Palm or RIM) and many more are considering that (e.g. Dell, Microsoft). I think sooner or later mice and keyboards would become luxury peripherals rather than a necessity. That's another evolution in the user interface area.
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