<s>
The	O
Post-PC	B-Device
era	I-Device
was	O
a	O
market	O
trend	O
observed	O
during	O
the	O
late	O
2000s	O
and	O
early	O
2010s	O
involving	O
a	O
decline	O
in	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
(	O
PCs	B-Device
)	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
;	O
which	O
include	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
such	O
as	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
mobile	O
computers	O
such	O
as	O
wearable	B-Operating_System
and	O
ubiquitous	B-Architecture
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
devices	O
emphasize	O
portability	O
and	O
connectivity	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
services	O
,	O
more	O
focused	O
"	O
apps	B-Application
"	O
to	O
perform	O
tasks	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
synchronize	B-General_Concept
information	O
between	O
multiple	O
devices	O
seamlessly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
both	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
and	O
Apple	O
's	O
former	O
CEOs	B-Application
Bill	O
Gates	O
and	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
also	O
predicted	O
a	O
shift	O
towards	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
as	O
the	O
primary	O
method	O
of	O
computing	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
complement	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
Jobs	O
popularized	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
post-PC	B-Device
"	O
in	O
2007	O
(	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
iPhone	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2011	O
launched	O
iCloud	B-Application
,	O
a	O
service	O
enabling	O
Apple	O
's	O
product	O
line	O
to	O
synchronize	B-General_Concept
data	O
with	O
PCs	B-Device
through	O
cloud	B-Architecture
services	I-Architecture
,	O
freeing	O
their	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
from	O
dependency	O
on	O
a	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Towards	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
media	O
sources	O
began	O
to	O
question	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
the	O
post-PC	B-Device
era	I-Device
,	O
at	O
least	O
as	O
conventionally	O
defined	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
so-called	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
are	O
just	O
other	O
portable	O
forms	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
joining	O
traditional	O
desktop	O
PCs	B-Device
which	O
still	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
operation	O
areas	O
and	O
evolve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
gaming	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
are	O
often	O
considered	O
still	O
popular	O
for	O
many	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clark	O
described	O
a	O
world	O
where	O
"	O
everything	O
"	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
(	O
including	O
watches	B-Application
and	O
toasters	B-Application
)	O
,	O
computing	O
would	O
primarily	O
be	O
done	O
through	O
information	B-Device
appliances	I-Device
,	O
and	O
data	O
would	O
be	O
stored	O
by	O
centralized	O
hosting	O
services	O
instead	O
of	O
on	O
physical	O
disks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1999	O
op-ed	O
piece	O
for	O
Newsweek	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
CEO	B-Application
Bill	O
Gates	O
predicted	O
a	O
landscape	O
he	O
dubbed	O
"	O
PC	O
Plus	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
would	O
be	O
used	O
alongside	O
devices	O
which	O
would	O
seamlessly	O
synchronize	B-General_Concept
data	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
calendar	O
events	O
,	O
files	O
,	O
e-mails	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Macworld	O
Expo	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
not	O
long	O
after	O
the	O
dot-com	O
bubble	O
burst	O
and	O
amidst	O
industry-wide	O
angst	O
over	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
Apple	O
founder	O
and	O
CEO	B-Application
Steve	O
Jobs	O
announced	O
a	O
strategy	O
seeing	O
a	O
PC	O
(	O
specifically	O
,	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
)	O
serving	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
digital	O
hub	O
"	O
for	O
future	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
(	O
such	O
as	O
its	O
iPod	B-Device
MP3	O
player	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
an	O
interview	O
alongside	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
at	O
the	O
5th	O
All	O
Things	O
Digital	O
conference	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
further	O
described	O
a	O
concept	O
similar	O
to	O
Gates	O
 '	O
"	O
PC	O
Plus	O
"	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
post-PC	B-Device
device	O
"	O
;	O
"	O
a	O
category	O
of	O
devices	O
that	O
are	O
n't	O
as	O
general	O
purpose	O
,	O
that	O
are	O
really	O
more	O
focused	O
on	O
specific	O
functions	O
,	O
whether	O
they	O
're	O
phones	B-Application
or	O
iPods	B-Device
or	O
Zunes	B-Library
or	O
what	O
have	O
you	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
felt	O
that	O
despite	O
these	O
developments	O
,	O
PCs	B-Device
would	O
"	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
with	O
us	O
and	O
morph	O
with	O
us	O
,	O
whether	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
tablet	B-Device
or	O
a	O
notebook	B-Device
or	O
,	O
you	O
know	O
,	O
a	O
big	O
curved	O
desktop	O
that	O
you	O
have	O
at	O
your	O
house	O
or	O
whatever	O
it	O
might	O
be.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Gates	O
suggested	O
the	O
prevalence	O
of	O
multiple	O
form	O
factors	O
for	O
such	O
devices	O
,	O
including	O
full-sized	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
small	O
phones	B-Application
,	O
and	O
10-foot	B-General_Concept
experiences	O
for	O
the	O
living	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2010	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
D8	O
conference	O
,	O
while	O
being	O
interviewed	O
by	O
Walt	O
Mossberg	O
and	O
Kara	O
Swisher	O
,	O
Jobs	O
compared	O
tablets	B-Device
and	O
PCs	B-Device
to	O
cars	O
and	O
trucks	O
,	O
saying	O
"	O
[	O
PCs	B-Device
are ]	O
still	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
they	O
’re	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
like	O
one	O
out	O
of	O
x	O
people	O
"	O
while	O
predicting	O
that	O
the	O
vast	O
majority	O
of	O
people	O
will	O
eventually	O
use	O
tablets	B-Device
as	O
a	O
primary	O
computing	O
device	O
,	O
analogous	O
to	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
people	O
who	O
drive	B-Application
cars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Directly	O
conflicting	O
Apple	O
's	O
previous	O
"	O
digital	O
hub	O
"	O
strategy	O
centered	O
around	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
PC	O
,	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
unveiled	O
Apple	O
's	O
iCloud	B-Application
platform	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
cloud	B-Architecture
storage	O
for	O
data	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
automatically	O
synced	O
between	O
iOS	B-Application
products	O
and	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
iOS	B-Application
5	O
,	O
released	O
concurrently	O
with	O
iCloud	B-Application
,	O
also	O
removed	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
dependency	O
on	O
a	O
PC	O
for	O
first-time	O
setup	O
,	O
syncing	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
software	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
explained	O
that	O
iCloud	B-Application
would	O
replace	O
the	O
PC	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
hub	O
"	O
for	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
devices	O
with	O
online	O
serversall	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
devices	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
PC	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
automatically	O
synchronize	B-General_Concept
and	O
access	O
media	O
and	O
other	O
files	O
between	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
's	O
current	O
CEO	B-Application
Tim	O
Cook	O
continued	O
to	O
elaborate	O
on	O
the	O
concept	O
that	O
a	O
PC	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
one	O
's	O
digital	O
life	O
,	O
considering	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
device	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
level	O
as	O
any	O
portable	B-Application
device	I-Application
that	O
a	O
particular	O
user	O
owns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cook	O
also	O
explained	O
that	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
such	O
as	O
tablets	B-Device
and	O
smartphones	B-Application
would	O
be	O
"	O
more	O
portable	O
,	O
more	O
personal	O
and	O
dramatically	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
than	O
any	O
PC	O
has	O
ever	O
been	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Technologically	O
,	O
Jason	O
Perlow	O
compared	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
to	O
the	O
centralized	O
mainframe-based	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
of	O
1970sbut	O
enhanced	O
by	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
to	O
provide	O
a	O
more	O
flexible	O
and	O
heterogeneous	O
infrastructure	O
for	O
online	O
services	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
desktop	B-Protocol
virtualization	I-Protocol
to	O
serve	O
PC-only	O
applications	O
when	O
needed	O
as	O
businesses	O
shift	O
towards	O
apps	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matt	O
Baxter-Reynolds	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
main	O
selling	O
point	O
of	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
are	O
their	O
lack	O
of	O
functionality	O
;	O
believing	O
that	O
their	O
more	O
simplistic	O
and	O
secure	O
design	O
make	O
them	O
less	O
intimidating	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
consumers	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
a	O
traditional	O
PC	O
,	O
their	O
lack	O
of	O
keyboard	O
(	O
unlike	O
laptops	B-Device
)	O
contribute	O
to	O
better	O
portability	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
noted	O
their	O
emphasis	O
on	O
connectivity	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Growth	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
compatible	O
market	O
was	O
driven	O
by	O
strong	O
sales	O
of	O
portable	O
PCs	B-Device
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
an	O
event	O
that	O
unveiled	O
the	O
3rd	B-Operating_System
generation	I-Operating_System
iPad	I-Operating_System
,	O
Tim	O
Cook	O
reported	O
that	O
Apple	O
had	O
sold	O
172	O
million	O
iPod	B-Device
,	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
and	O
iPad	B-Device
products	O
in	O
2011	O
alone	O
(	O
totaling	O
76%	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
total	O
revenue	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
sold	O
more	O
iPad	B-Device
tablets	B-Device
during	O
the	O
fourth	O
quarter	O
of	O
2011	O
than	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
threat	O
of	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
have	O
also	O
affected	O
the	O
producers	O
of	O
the	O
x86	B-Operating_System
processors	O
typically	O
used	O
by	O
PCs	B-Device
;	O
many	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
use	O
low-power	O
ARM	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
manufactured	O
by	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Nvidia	O
and	O
Qualcomm	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
x86	B-Operating_System
processors	O
sold	O
by	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Intel	O
and	O
AMD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
sources	O
,	O
including	O
The	O
Economist	O
,	O
have	O
identified	O
Amazon	O
,	O
Apple	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
the	O
four	O
platform	O
cloud	B-Architecture
companies	O
which	O
will	O
be	O
the	O
key	O
competitors	O
in	O
the	O
post-PC	B-Device
era	I-Device
of	O
mobile	O
computing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
decrease	O
in	O
PC	O
sales	O
,	O
desktop	O
computers	O
and	O
laptops	B-Device
still	O
made	O
up	O
84%	O
of	O
the	O
global	O
Web	O
traffic	O
as	O
of	O
March	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
its	O
Worldwide	O
Partner	O
Conference	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
COO	O
Kevin	O
Turner	O
attacked	O
Tim	O
Cook	O
's	O
declaration	O
of	O
a	O
post-PC	B-Device
era	I-Device
for	O
being	O
"	O
completely	O
incorrect	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
described	O
its	O
then-upcoming	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
operating	O
system	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
game-changer	O
"	O
for	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
 '	O
"	O
PC	O
plus	O
"	O
landscape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Apple	O
,	O
whose	O
mobile	O
and	O
PC	O
devices	O
both	O
use	O
different	O
operating	O
systems	O
(	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
to	O
accommodate	O
both	O
traditional	O
PCs	B-Device
and	O
tablets	B-Device
through	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
an	O
updated	O
interface	O
optimized	O
for	O
touchscreen	B-Device
use	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
introduction	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
a	O
service	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
for	O
obtaining	O
touch-optimized	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
complement	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
introduced	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
special	O
stripped	O
down	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
built	O
for	O
devices	O
that	O
use	O
the	O
ARM	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
commonly	O
used	O
in	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Windows8	B-Application
devices	O
(	O
including	O
tablets	B-Device
)	O
are	O
closer	O
in	O
nature	O
to	O
traditional	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
was	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
more	O
closed	O
down	O
and	O
"	O
reliable	O
"	O
platform	O
(	O
closer	O
in	O
nature	O
to	O
other	O
post-PC	B-Device
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
iPad	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
aside	O
from	O
included	O
desktop	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
10	I-Application
and	O
Office	B-Operating_System
2013	I-Operating_System
,	O
can	O
only	O
run	O
apps	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
presentation	O
in	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
Intel	O
's	O
senior	O
vice	O
president	O
Tom	O
Kilroy	O
questioned	O
the	O
arrival	O
of	O
a	O
post-PC	B-Device
era	I-Device
,	O
citing	O
a	O
survey	O
of	O
college	O
students	O
where	O
66%	O
of	O
its	O
respondents	O
still	O
considered	O
the	O
PC	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
"	O
most	O
important	O
"	O
device	O
in	O
their	O
daily	O
lives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Intel	O
introduced	O
Ultrabook	B-Device
—	O
specifications	O
and	O
a	O
marketing	O
platform	O
for	O
a	O
class	O
of	O
subnotebook	B-Device
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
portability	O
,	O
responsiveness	O
,	O
productivity	O
,	O
and	O
long-lasting	O
battery	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Intel	O
introduced	O
new	O
Atom	B-Application
system-on-chip	B-Architecture
designs	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
Windows	O
8	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Medfield	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Clover	B-Application
Trail	I-Application
"	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intel	O
stated	O
that	O
Clover	B-Application
Trail	I-Application
tablets	B-Device
could	O
achieve	O
"	O
all-day	O
"	O
battery	O
life	O
,	O
and	O
unlike	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
devices	O
,	O
still	O
provide	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
applications	O
designed	O
for	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
also	O
spurred	O
OEM	O
interest	O
in	O
"	O
convertible	B-Device
"	O
devices	O
,	O
a	O
form	O
factor	O
of	O
devices	O
that	O
can	O
act	O
as	O
either	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
or	O
tablet	B-Device
,	O
often	O
by	O
having	O
a	O
keyboard	O
accessory	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
docked	O
upon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Google	B-Application
already	O
produces	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
used	O
by	O
many	O
tablets	B-Device
and	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
it	O
also	O
introduced	O
ChromeOSan	O
operating	O
system	O
designed	O
for	O
personal	B-Device
computing	I-Device
built	O
around	O
its	O
popular	O
Chrome	B-Application
web	I-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primarily	O
shipping	O
on	O
netbooks	B-Device
known	O
as	O
Chromebooks	B-Operating_System
,	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
is	O
designed	O
for	O
users	O
who	O
frequently	O
use	O
web	O
applications	O
and	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
services	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
own	O
Play	B-Application
and	O
Drive	B-Application
)	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
"	O
applications	O
"	O
are	O
web	O
applications	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
OS	O
itself	O
formerly	O
used	O
only	O
a	O
fullscreen	B-Application
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
as	O
its	O
shell	B-Operating_System
until	O
an	O
update	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
which	O
introduced	O
a	O
desktop	O
environment	O
closer	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
other	O
operating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
was	O
ultimately	O
cannibalized	O
by	O
low-end	O
tablets	B-Device
running	O
the	O
standard	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
operating	O
system	O
—	O
a	O
market	O
incentivised	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
optimize	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
for	O
these	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
drop	O
Windows	O
OEM	O
license	O
fees	O
on	O
devices	O
with	O
screens	O
smaller	O
than	O
9	O
inches	O
in	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2015	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
quietly	O
mothballed	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
by	O
ending	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
its	O
remaining	O
first-party	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
revised	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
mobile	O
strategy	O
by	O
focusing	O
on	O
unification	O
of	O
functionality	O
between	O
device	O
classes	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
's	O
app	O
platform	O
that	O
allows	O
software	O
to	O
be	O
coded	O
to	O
support	O
multiple	O
device	O
classes	O
running	O
a	O
Windows	O
10-based	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
tailoring	O
its	O
user	O
experience	O
based	O
on	O
available	O
input	O
devices	O
—	O
particularly	O
on	O
"	O
convertible	B-Device
"	O
laptops	B-Device
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
presented	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
,	O
an	O
iteration	O
of	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
for	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
;	O
the	O
platform	O
supports	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
devices	O
to	O
be	O
attached	O
to	O
an	O
external	O
display	O
via	O
a	O
docking	B-Device
station	I-Device
,	O
which	O
allows	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
PC-like	O
interface	O
with	O
USB	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
