Or I could this ergonomics & the evolution of digital tech. The pont is there are positions the humnan body works in that determine the tech. The couch and the desk are important and the hand and the lap are two that are surfacing as very important.
Couch – TV
Desktop – PC and (despite the fantasy) Laptops
Laps – Larger touch devices such as the ipad
Hands – mobile phones PDA etc
They are all screens with input devices etc. They all have software. It is the way we sit and hiold our body that determines the distinction, not the content so much. Made for TV has tech determinants but also suits sitting on the couch in the family space.
I was interested to hear Eric Schmidt talk about the difference between Android and and Chrome OS. It was the mouse and the keyboard in Chrome OS and touch in Android. Apple has software for each as well.
So the distinction is Laps and Hands vs Desktop
Then there is Google and Apple TV – where it optimises their software for Couch.
Windows interestingly has gone strongly for Desktop and now is making another play for the Hand. But with to the lap it integrated touch and the pen into the Desktop software. If it made a new tablet, would it be Windows on arm?
I have a hunch that the distinctions are a temporary phenomena. One fully integrated software could do it all. Why not? I would like to plug my phone into a screen and have my whole digital work open up, with the ability to add voice, TV screens slates, so I could move around and work on the sme stuff as I move around.