Borders Going Bye Bye

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I really don't understand Alex's deal here. I never said that a computer must run MY software to be a "real" computer; only that it must be able to run the same software that any desktop or laptop computer is or was able to, whether that's now or 1993 or any year in between. As far as I know, the iPad can't do that. It's limited to whatever "Apps" are out there, and that's not the same thing.

So a "Real computer" is defined as "A computer that runs one particular operating system"? Because, the word "apps" not withstanding, that's all you're talking about. No, iPhone can't run Windows applications. It can't run Mac applications. But neither can a computer running Linux. It runs applications ("apps") that are written to run on the operating system it runs.

Apps are programs too.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

It runs applications ("apps") that are written to run on the operating system it runs.

And maybe that's the crux of it. Who's going to design complex software to run on a cellphone? No market for that. This might change with the iPad, and more complex software like that iMovie might become more common. (I note from the video that you can run iMovie from your iPhone, but pulease.)

The truth is, I don't think there's much market for complex software specific to devices that are portable. Laptops worked like "real computers" because they ran the same operating system as desktops. My problem, so far, with the iPad is that it doesn't. I'm not sure what the logic is in not having this Apple computer product run on the same OS as Macs and thus be able to perform like a Mac - unless it's to sell people on iPads AND Macs.