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Comment by CamperBob2 | Hacker News Reader

I think the first clue might have been when they changed the company's name to remove the word "Computer."

This is also a good indicator:

“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore?" Tim Cook told the paper during a trip to visit Apple's flagship store in London for the debut of its powerful big-screen tablet, the new iPad Pro. "No really," he said, "why would you buy one?”

http://fortune.com/2015/11/10/apple-ceo-tim-cook-pc/

No offense, but this is like one of those false stories in politics that keeps spreading no matter what the fact checkers say. I've seen that quote posted on HN like five times now. It doesn't mean what you think it means. Tim Cook isn't actually so undisciplined that he would call an entire product line of his company useless in an interview.

In Apple's world, "PC" means Windows PC; the Mac is not a "PC". As Gruber noted[1], remember the ad campaign - "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC..."

[1] http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/10/31/cook-why-would-y...

And I've seen that DaringFireball 'rebuttal' posted a couple of times even though it's false

"No Gruber is just plain wrong. I thought I remembered Cook using "PC" to mean Mac and WinPC, and, after a little Googling, found I was right" [1]

[1] https://myfreakinname.blogspot.com/2016/11/john-hodgman-is-n...

That looks like the manifesto of someone that's gone completely crazy.

Well they have videos pushing the iPad Pro as computer replacement.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1zPYW6Ipgok

Yes, Apple definitely wants the iPad to work as a computer replacement, but they also recognize it's not good enough as a replacement for most power users (yet). In fact, in the same article as the "why would you" quote, Tim Cook goes on to say the iPad Pro can replace "a notebook or a desktop for many, many people". "A notebook or a desktop", unlike "a PC", does include Macs, but saying the iPad Pro can replace them for "many, many people" implies it can't for others.

How so? The Mac is not a PC.

The mac is a personal computer.

Yes, but "PC" has a very specific meaning in almost every context, and Apple never refer to their machines as PCs. Which is why Apple was able to run those "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ads.

It really doesn't though. Apple fans may define "PC" differently, but to the ordinary person in the street, a Mac is a PC is a computer.

"never" is a bit strong, I have this video cover saying otherwise :) http://i.imgur.com/aEgG96c.jpg

Sure. But it's not a Personal Computer (or compatible).

The term PC does not refer to any computer intended for personal use, it refers to machines compatible with the IBM 5150 Personal Computer.

> Sure. But it's not a Personal Computer (or compatible).

Sure it is. It made out of stock X86 hardware components. It uses stock PC expansion modules. It can boot and run both Windows and Linux.

Exactly how is not a PC?

It's not about wether it can run Windows or Linux. It's about wether it can run PC-DOS 1.0 and applications written for it.

modern non-apple x86 uefi systems cannot run PC-DOS 1.0 or the applications written for it either.

Don't Non-Apple UEFI systems usually include a BIOS-emulation mode ?

If a modern mac does not meet that definition, then no modern hardware labeled as a 'PC' does.

I think people put too much significance into the name change. They often referred to themselves as just “Apple” since at least the early 1980's. They dropped “Computer” from their name just weeks before they announced the deal with Apple Corps Ltd to get permanent rights to the trademark.

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