Forrester: We may be in the post-PC era, but the PC ain't dead

Predicts shift from stationary, formal, arms-length and abstracted to ubiquitous, casual, intimate and physical.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is keen on the idea that iPad represents a 'post-PC' era in consumer technology, but what does that mean exactly? Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps has published a blog post giving her views.

After pointing out that tech execs and academics have been using the phrase sporadically since 1999, she makes one clear point about what 'post-PC' means: "It doesn't mean that the PC is dead". Forrester is predicting that consumer laptop sales will continue to grow through to 2015, while desktop sales will only fall slightly.

However, Epps' new report for Forrester goes into four shifts that are happening in computing, triggered by devices like iPad and its tablet rivals.

That includes 'stationary to ubiquitous', as people do their computing "anytime/anywhere", aided by the various sensors inside smartphones and tablets. The second shift is 'formal to casual', as the instant-on nature of these mobile devices lets people perform quick tasks while doing other things - watching TV for example.

'Arms-length to intimate' focuses on the way laptops, netbooks and tablets are used close to the body and in "intimate places". Steady there - Forrester means the living room and the bedroom. Finally, 'abstracted to physical' refers to interfaces using touch, tilt, cameras, voice and motion sensors.