Post PC is Based on Mobile, Untethered, Cloud

You safely can assume we are entering a new era of computing when people do not even agree on a "name" for that era. We have passed through eras dominated by particular types of devices, such as mainframes, minicomputers and personal computers.

We now live in a world lead by use of smart phones, tablets and other devices such as MP3 players and game consoles. People seem to agree the coming or emerging era will feature cloud computing rather than locally-based, shrink-wrapped applications, untethered and nomadic or mobile devices.

People seem to agree that the "purpose" of computing appliances has changed. We use some devices mostly for "work," such as a desktop PC at the office. But most of the other devices, though sometimes also used for work, have a broader range of  use cases.



Smart phones routinely are used for work and play. Tablets are used in the same way, but lean towards consumption of content, not its creation. MP3 and game consoles obviously are used mostly for entertainment and play. 

Computers started out in glass rooms, moved to desktops, and now to pockets and purses. They are embedded in vehicles, industrial and commercial systems of all types. 

But it remains difficult to separate out cloud computing from mobile, untethered and other forms of ubiquitous computing as the "defining" characteristic of the new era.