This past week at D: All Things Digital conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had a point to bring out about the iPad.  According to Ballmer when asked about the iPad and other specialized devices,

The real question is, what’s a PC? Nothing that people do on a PC today
is going to get less relevant tomorrow. There are usage cases. Whether
those are done today on PCs–or alternate devices. (And the latter) are
going to grow in popularity. There’s no question about that.
Particularly entertainment-oriented scenarios. (But) there will exist a
general-purpose device that does everything you want because I don’t
think the whole world is going to be able to afford five devices per
person.

Now, as much of a fanboy for all things Apple I am, I almost have to agree with the Dark Lord.  There are a lot of people that will never have more than one device, whether that’s a laptop or a desktop computer.  I talk with people on a daily basis that are absolutely dumbfounded that I’ve got more than one device that I use in my home.

And I’m going to venture to say that people like that make up more of the general population than those of us in the tech industry are really ready to admit.

Sometimes, we tech heads live in a little world with our battery-powered blinders on and think that everyone in the world should be packing a smartphone, a laptop, an MP3 player, and have a desktop or two sitting at home.

Unfortunately, no matter what we do, this is never really going to happen to everyone.  Most people are quite content to have only one computer or computer-like device that they use on a regular basis.  And that regular basis is probably only 3-5 hours of time a week.

So, I guess the question is this: Is the iPad affordable for everyone?  Or is it even meant for everyone?

I think that the point of the iPad and other devices that we’re sure to see like it in the coming months and years is that companies are trying to come up with a device that will replace the home PC, not just compliment it.

And if you’re thinking about things that way, suddenly the iPad does become a very affordable option for most folks that only want one device in their house.

And if you’re psycho like me and just want to add another device to the collection, it’s still pretty affordable.

I think the iPad has set a pretty great standard for affordability that others are going to have to match in the future, no matter what they are offering.

Your thoughts?  Leave them in the comments below, I’d love to see a lively discussion around this topic.