Stop! Everyone about to purchase or thinking about purchasing a new PC, just STOP! A PC is so yesterday according to Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. Never mind that iDevices like the iPad will never offer the same precision control as a keyboard/mouse combo in most applications. Never mind that there are hundreds of millions of smartphone users who STILL purchase and rely on notebooks and desktop computers for their everyday computing needs. Yes, stop all of your purchases of PC’s because iOS 5 with all of its revolutionary features has finally cut the need of wired connections (never mind that most phones – even featured phones – already have most of what iOS 5 offers).

Apple will have everyone believe it is the most innovative software/hardware company in the world. They will have you believe the features they introduce in their products are revolutionary, even when they are essentially late to the party. iOS 5 is almost upon us and Apple wants you to know that a PC or even its own Mac is no longer needed for its iDevices. Out of box, an iDevice with iOS 5 can be activated and maintained without being connected to iTunes. Clearly, while Android has enjoyed this kind of functionality for a while now, it is only when Apple cuts the wire that we are now in a Post-PC era. I guess wireless updates and notifications are more damaging to the PC industry than the introduction of Copy/Paste in iOS 3.

What’s more disturbing is that the Tech Press is taking what Steve said and making it law. Will PC’s and PC applications succumb to the simplified versions of the same applications on smartphones and tablets? I personally do not think they will, but there are many in the press that do like Engadget. The convenient factor plays a large role in the PRO arguments for a Post-PC era. Apple and Pro Post-PC media alike hopes that the convenience of having an app for example that takes and edits video on an iDevice will overcome the loss of precision control and desktop application features. In certain situations it does, like taking photos and video on a family vacation and quickly uploading the content with a little post-processing magic applied, to say Facebook. The average consumer will appreciate the convenience, but will professionals?

I cannot see professional photographers setting aside the full featured desktop version of Adobe Photoshop for the iPad version. I don’t see video game developers using a tablet to create their latest game. Likewise, we won’t see Pixar using the iPad 2 to create the sequel to The Incredibles (I want a sequel damnit!). No, we are giving the convenient factor too much of an important role. The tablet and any other convenient device will always serve a supplemental role to the Personal Computer. Only when the form factor of tablets/smartphones mirrors the hardware/software capabilities of the modern PC and its applications can the dawn of the Post-PC era truly begin. Until then, this Post-PC chatter is nothing more than a case of the sky is falling.