The introduction of the iPad was a huge moment. As soon as I saw Steve take that thing and sit down in a comfy brown leather armchair and kick back and start flicking his finger across the screen, I tweeted, “Goodbye, personal computer.” Because I recognized that moment as the beginning of the end.
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, both he and the company had changed. But the industry itself was changing, and computer companies that wanted to survive were going to have to deal with the new realities.