Is the iPad a PC?

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive officer, has said, in no uncertain terms, that it is. The late Steven P. Jobs said no, the iPad is part of the “post-PC era.”

What’s funny is that if you take Mr. Ballmer’s position and lump the iPad in with traditional computers, Apple looks stronger in the PC market than it has in decades. A new report from the British research firm Canalys predicts Apple will become the No. 1 PC maker in the world in the second half of next year, when iPad sales are included as part of the equation, bumping Hewlett Packard from the top spot... Read more

THE public relations industry has decided that it may be a good time for, well, a public relations initiative. The industry’s largest organization, the Public Relations Society of America, is embarking on an effort to develop a better definition of “public relations,” one more appropriate for the 21st century. The effort, to begin on Monday, will solicit suggestions from the public along with public relations professionals, academics and students.

The effort, of course, has a catchy name, Public Relations Defined, and a logo, too, that proclaims its goal: “A modern definition for the new era of public relations.” The effort is being spurred by the profound changes in public relations since the last time the organization updated its definition, in 1982... Read more