Microsoft Windows 8 is also expected to further change the design of the PC. Microsoft and its hardware partners have demonstrated a notebook with a detachable keyboard, which when detached, will be able to function as a Tablet PC. Cook's prophecy is gaining more and more agreement from analysts and technology industry executives, who believe that the rapid growth of the iPad, along with Amazon's (microblogging) and Microsoft’s involvement, will make the Tablet PC market surge again this week. This week, Apple introduced the latest generation of the iPad tablet, possibly featuring a high-definition display, which is expected to boost Tablet PC sales significantly. In previous iPad and iPhone upgrades, Apple has gradually improved its devices with better screens, faster processors, more high-speed network connectivity, and other features, steadily expanding its user base. For instance, last Friday, Finnish market research company Asymco analyst Horace Dediu published a blog post predicting that Tablet PC sales in 2013 would surpass those of traditional PCs. He forecasted that despite fierce competition from Amazon Kindle Fire, Windows-based tablets, and many Google Android tablets — all of which have been successful in the smartphone market — Apple would still maintain its dominance.
As the leader calculating the development trends of the industry for decades, what impact will the PC face? At a technology conference in 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the advent of the so-called "post-PC era," where the agricultural society fades away. The PC market will be eroded by the iPad, but he did not think the PC industry would die out. A Windows PC, with a much smaller market share than Mac, might experience greater impact. This is especially evident in the netbook market, where shipments of these cheap laptops have been steadily declining over the past few years. The traditional PC market conditions are unstable. Bulky desktop machines are continuously shrinking in their field, while Intel (microblogging) pushes ultra-thin devices like the Apple MacBook Air. This impacts market sales, causing a surge in Apple, Microsoft, and Dell (microblogging) sales, served by executive Tim Bucher. As the younger generation grows, this trend will become more apparent. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment on Wednesday's news conference. However, the industry widely expects Apple to release a new generation of the iPad. According to British market research firm Canalys, estimates suggest that Tablet PCs have not yet surpassed PCs overall. In 2011, the ratio of PC to Tablet PC sales was about 6 to 1. But even then, it was a major change since the iPad's release in 2010, where the PC to Tablet PC sales ratio was approximately 20 to 1. Over the past two years, PC sales have stagnated, while iPad sales have skyrocketed. Nook Tablet, Kindle Fire, and Barnes & Noble have also enhanced Tablet PC sales for the Christmas shopping season. The Tablet PC market is lucrative for Apple; the company’s iPad revenue during the Christmas shopping season was nearly 40% higher than that of Macs.
In the Tablet PC versus PC market debate, what exactly is the traditional PC? The era of PC separatist warlords saw PC sales increase after the advent of the technological complexity of Windows 7, with Mac sales growing 16 times more than microblogging | SAN official microblogging. U.S. investment bank Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated that Cook’s prophecy will be achieved by 2017. However, he also suggested that Tablet PCs may prevail sooner. Brad Silverberg, a partner at U.S. venture capital firm Ignition Partners and former Microsoft executive, stated that the iPad dominates the Tablet PC market. Beyond the PC, Tablet PCs will become an important milestone in the computer industry. Since its release in 2010, the iPad has become a significant part of Apple's business, contributing $9.15 billion in revenue in the final quarter of last year, accounting for 20% of total income. iPad seasonal shipments reached 15 million units, doubling the previous numbers. Last fall, Amazon launched a $199 Kindle Fire challenge, marking the first time challenging the iPad. Although Amazon does not disclose specific sales figures, some analysts estimate that product sales reached 400 million units in the last quarter of last year. Many hardware vendors showcased Windows 8-based Tablet PCs at the end of last year, expecting to further promote the development of the Tablet PC market.
The text concludes: A survey conducted last November shows that North America has already entered a suppressed state, but with the new generation iPad listing date approaching, remarks about Tablet PC sales eventually exceeding PCs are once again rampant. From the first day of delivery, we thought — not just me, but also a lot of Apple employees — that the Tablet PC market would be bigger than the PC market. It is only a matter of time. Apple CEO Tim Cook predicted that Tablet PC sales would one day surpass traditional PCs.