Comments on: iPad to reign tablet supreme through 2015 predicts Gartner

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Mac OS X is Unix-based upon the Mach kernel, with certain parts from FreeBSD’s and NetBSD’s implementation of Unix that were incorporated in the NeXTSTEP core of Mac OS X.

You are correct that iOS is based upon Mac OS X, optimized for a touch interface and as you said, scaled down so it can run well on minimum hardware as it was originally intended only for the iPhone but like Android it was adopted for the iPad with modifications.

Linux is also derived from Unix, so shares similar roots and Android is similarly based upon Linux but, like iOS, Android is also optimized for touch interface and scaled down as it was originally intended to only run on Smart Phones and similarly got modified to work on tablets.

The exception being Honeycomb as it is the first version of Android actually made for tablets from the ground up and provides native support for the larger screens, UI factors the different way you can use a tablet vs a Smart Phone, etc.

Though with the more powerful ARM system offerings coming out next year we should see Linux and Windows 8 enter the ARM tablet arena as well and people may switch to the OS options that give them more desktop functionality.

After all, even the iPad is being used with peripheral keyboards despite the touch interface and touch optimized versions of Linux and supposedly Windows 8 should be game changers if done right. But Apple has no plans on porting Mac OS X for now.

By: Mark98115

Mark98115 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Aren’t iOS and OSX built on FreeBSD? (iOS is just a much more scaled down version with a different UI?)

By: Mark98115

Mark98115 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Aren’t iOS and OSX built on FreeBSD? (iOS is just a much more scaled down version with a different UI?)

By: Mark98115

Mark98115 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Why would anyone take these fictional numbers that Gartner pull out of their behinds seriously?
Actually why does anyone even take Gartner seriously?
They got themselves a big name during the Y2K scare and somehow managed to turn that into a reputation of some wise sages. Too many managers in the IT departments are clueless morons who behave like pre-pubescent little girls who are always looking for the next boy-band or cute boy singer.
It is really no wonder that all these places are always in a state of constant change and crisis.

By: Mark98115

Mark98115 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:30:00 +0000

By: fbales

fbales — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:04:00 +0000

The headline would lead you to believe this is a victory for Apple, it clearly isn’t. Check out the market share. Android tablets almost triple market share, and iPad loses more than 35%. Android will eventually be the predominant OS for phones and tablets because people really do prefer choice.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:29:00 +0000

I agree, this forecast appears too optimistic for Apple and doesn’t seem to factor that both the iPhone and the iPad had next to no competition when they first came out but that the rate that competition is appearing for the iPad is mounting far faster than it did for the iPhone, which took years and started almost from scratch versus the more establish platforms coming out now against the iPad.

It took over two years before the iPhone faced any significant competition but the iPad is facing competition only a year later and faces competition along a much wider product range than the iPhone had to deal with.

The rapid increase in hardware development also means other ARM platforms will be able to offer more choices as well as alternate OS, even Windows 8 when it comes out, that you won’t be able to do on iOS and should appeal to a greater range of people who may want more than just a mobile OS. Apple would have to make a mobile version of OSX to even consider countering this growing range of options but that could cut into their other markets.

Not to mention iOS itself still hasn’t developed a version comparable to Honeycomb and still basically uses the same OS as they use for the iPhone, along with the other limiting factors Apple employs in their device usage that would counter their otherwise superior app offering and range of appeal.

Though it is true that it will take at least a year or two before these other options are better developed. So Apple should hold onto its lead for awhile.

But while Apple may keep its dominance for the next year or two, I don’t believe they will still be dominant by 2014. Even 2013 may be pushing it if Apple doesn’t wow us with the iPad 3…

By: chris

chris — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:59:00 +0000

I do feel iOS will face an intense competition, especially from android, and may fall out the top earlier than expected. Nowaday, cloud storage/network already making big change in narrowing down the gap between o/s and hardware discrepancies, which start making people feel that if I own the ipad, I may not need iphone to be in pair. Lots of option are out there.