The death of Microsoft

The news that apple has sold 3 million iPads has led to lots of people predicting the death of Microsoft and that the Windows PC era is over. It's just a matter of time before Microsoft plumets into oblivion. The iPad is the computer we'll all be using from now on and it will completely replace the desktop and laptop computer. This couldn't be further from the truth. Anyone that has bought an iPad will know that when you take it out of the box and turn it on, the first thing it tells you to do is to plug it into a computer and sync with iTunes to activate it. And what's the cheapest way to do this? Using a Windows PC! Won't iPad sales therefore boost Windows PC sales?

The iPad is not a stand-alone device and it cannot be used unless you first buy a computer. Isn't it odd that you have to buy a computer, which plays games, gets your email, browses the web, and so on, before you can use an iPad that plays games, gets your email and browses the web?

Reports of Microsoft's death are clearly exaggerated. There are lots of things the iPad cannot do and for them you need a computer. When Apple produces an iPad that works as a stand-alone device that doesn't require a computer, then we can talk about the death of the computer. Maybe several generations down the line the iPad will be a stand-alone device, but predicting what Apple will do in the future is impossible.