"Why would you buy a PC anymore?" asks Tim Cook
While the data suggests that iPad sales are floundering, Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that the iPad Pro will spell the end of the line for the PC.
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"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore?" Cook is reported to have told journalists during a special iPad Pro event Apple's flagship Covent Garden store. "No really, why would you buy one?"
"They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones," he said.
I'm pretty sure the phone he has in mind is the iPhone, especially given how well the new iPhone 6s is selling.
It's a bold claim that Cook is making, but there may not have been a better time for Apple to make an assault on the PC. PC sales are weak, and Microsoft's Windows 10 launch has become mired in privacy debates, confused messages from OEMs, the aggressive pushing of upgrades, and bugs. The PC ecosystem is vulnerable, and Cook is a smart guy and knows this.
But whether the iPad Pro has what it takes to make a dent in the formidable PC ecosystem is another matter. The iPad isn't selling as well as it once was, and the iPad Pro comes with a weighty price tag.
I wouldn't want to bet against Cook, but I see this being quite an uphill struggle for Apple.
See also:
iPad Pro, in pictures