Stan Shih, founder of PC maker Acer, thinks the iPad, along with the tablet market it created, is little more than a fad. He went on to say that ultra-light notebook computers like the MacBook Air will fade away quickly, too, because the real market is still desktop and traditional laptop PCs, according to DigiTimes.
DigiTimes didn’t day exactly where Mr. Shih made his comments.
Despite his proclamation that the iPad will fade away into obscurity, Mr. Shih praised Apple for going against industry trends and in the process turning its multimedia tablet into a success. He said other PC makers should follow Apple’s lead, which seems like a bit of a contradiction since he doesn’t see tablets as a viable long-term business.
Mr. Shih added that PC makers need look to innovation for new laptop designs — a statement that’s hard to argue with since innovation is what Apple used to design its MacBook Pro and popular MacBook Air product lines.
He added that PCs are the foundation of the computer industry, and that smartphones and tablets will always need those computers for what he called add-on value.
Presumably, Mr. Shin hasn’t heard of iOS 5, Apple’s soon to be released iPhone and iPad operating system that eliminates the need to connect those mobile devices to a computer.