Post-PC Building Blocks for Today's Multiscreen Internet World

 

As post-PC investors, we seek to identify and allocate capital to only the very best positioned post-PC companies in today's multiscreen Internet-connected world. We strongly believe in and adhere to Warren Buffett's rule of investing only in companies that we fully understand. However, unlike Buffett, we focus primarily on technology companies, specifically post-PC technology companies. Given this background, what unique approach do we take to fully understand candidate post-PC tech companies before we decide to put investment capital at risk?

 

In order to identify and understand leading post-PC companies, we utilize an architectural approach to build an interconnected post-PC system comprising a strategic set of post-PC building blocks. Each of these blocks is organized into one of three strategic post-PC architectural layers. The post-PC architectural layers are defined as follows:

 

  1. Post-PC Activity and Access Layer
  2. Post-PC People and Process Layer
  3. Post-PC Infrastructure and Assets Layer

 

The post-PC building blocks for the activity and access layer are defined as follows:

 

  1. Post-PC Devices Building Block
  2. Post-PC User Time Build Block
  3. Post-PC Apps Building Block

 

The post-PC building blocks for the people and process layer are defined as follows:

 

  1. Post-PC Pre-Sales Building Block
  2. Post-PC Users Building Block
  3. Post-PC Post-Sales Building Block

 

The post-PC building blocks for the infrastructure and assets layer are defined as follows:

 

  1. Post-PC System Software Building Block
  2. Post-PC Cloud Infrastructure Building Block
  3. Post-PC Services Building Block

 

With the post-PC architectural layers and building blocks defined, we now have the pieces in place to tell the story of the fundamental post-PC architecture undergirding and driving the modern post-PC computing era.

 

The best way to fully understand the post-PC building blocks (puzzle pieces) and the post-PC architecture (complete puzzle) is to build the post-PC architecture one block at a time while simultaneously defining and describing how the blocks fit together to provide post-PC users with the very best post-PC experience in today's multiscreen Internet connected world, or iWorld for short.

 

Post-PC Users Building Block

 

We begin our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC users building block (the central block or heart of the post-PC architecture) by first posing and then answering the following question: "What is a post-PC user?"

A post-PC user is a person who employs a post-PC device in a personal or professional context. A post-PC user can be classified as a consumer, education, government, or business user, as shown in the visual post-PC users block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the users block above represents the post-PC ecosystem target markets described in the framework entitled the Multidimensional Grand Macro Value Chain Ecosystem for the Post-PC Era on the iPad page of inocles.com.

 

Post-PC Devices Building Block

 

We continue our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC devices building block (the upper-left corner block of the post-PC architecture diagram below) by posing and then answering the following question: "How do post-PC users interact with the post-PC Internet world?"

Post-PC users interact with the post-PC Internet world through one or more post-PC devices of varying screen sizes, as shown in the visual post-PC devices block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the devices block above represents the continuum of wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile, and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the framework entitled the Multidimensional Strategic Positioning Framework for the Post-PC Era on the iGlass page of inocles.com.

 

Wearable mobile post-PC devices include Internet bands, watches, and glasses; non-wearable mobile post-PC devices include Internet media players, smartphones, and tablets; non-mobile post-PC devices include Internet streaming media players, televisions, and high-definition televisions. Post-PC users typically use several of these post-PC devices throughout their day in a personal or professional context, as well as one or more traditional PC devices, such as PC laptops or PC desktops.

 

Post-PC Apps Building Block

 

Continuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC app building block (the upper-right corner block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "What do post-PC users love to do in the post-PC Internet world?"

Post-PC users love to use their multiscreen post-PC devices to run post-PC software applications or apps in personal or professional contexts, as shown in the visual post-PC apps block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the app block above represents the matrix of top software applications for mobile and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the framework entitled the Multidimensional Killer App & Cloud Service Framework for the Post-PC Era on the iPhone page of inocles.com.

Game changing (or killer) post-PC apps include media apps, entertainment apps, communication apps, social networking apps, search apps, navigation apps, reading apps, browsing apps, productivity apps, creative apps, synchronization apps, storage apps, and enterprise apps. Post-PC users typically engage with numerous post-PC apps, and several traditional PC apps throughout their day in a personal or professional context.

Post-PC Cloud Infrastructure Building Block


Continuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC cloud infrastructure building block (the bottom-center block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "How do post-PC users manage the proliferation of media content and apps across all of their post-PC devices?"

Because post-PC users interact with multiple personal and professional post-PC devices and numerous personal and professional post-PC apps throughout their day, they rely on a global cloud infrastructure, or simply the cloud, to synchronize their post-PC apps and any and all associated post-PC media content across their multiscreen post-PC devices, as shown in the visual post-PC cloud block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the cloud block above represents the automated distribution and synchronization of post-PC software apps and post-PC media content for wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the framework entitled the Multidimensional Cloud Framework for the Post-PC Era on the Steve Jobs page of inocles.com.

Post-PC media content includes documents, data, notes, calendar, messages, contacts, web pages, maps, music, audio, photos, images, podcasts, music videos, video clips, short films, books, videos, television shows, magazines, newspapers, and movies. Post-PC apps were described in the previous section.


Prior to automated post-PC cloud synchronization, post-PC users had to manually manage the replication of their media content from one post-PC device to the next (for example from a smartphone to a tablet) or from one post-PC device to a traditional PC device (for example from a media player to a laptop), and they also had to manually manage the installation of their software apps on each of their post-PC and traditional PC devices.

With post-PC cloud synchronization, post-PC media content and post-PC apps are automatically synchronized across all of the user's post-PC devices. Moreover, many types of post-PC media content can also be synchronized across a user's traditional PC devices.


Post-PC Time Building Block

Continuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC time building block (the top-center block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "How do post-PC users engage in post-PC activities via post-PC devices and apps throughout the day?"

Post-PC users love to spend time using their post-PC devices to run their favorite post-PC apps in personal or professional contexts throughout their day, as shown in the visual post-PC time block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the time block above represents the matrix of user engagement for mobile and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the framework entitled the Multidimensional User Activity Engagement Framework for the Post-PC Era on the iPhone page of inocles.com.

Core post-PC user engagement activities include on-the-go, at-work, at-play, reading/surfing, watching, and at-rest activities. Post-PC users typically select the best post-PC device to optimize their personal or professional engagement in a particular post-PC activity at a given point in their day.

This is precisely why the PC-era notion of a single generalized device is being supplanted by the post-PC-era notion of a suite of highly optimized devices, enabling post-PC users to select exactly the right post-PC device (or PC device) at exactly the right time for engaging in a particular personal or professional post-PC (or PC) activity.

Over the course of a day (and night), a post-PC user commonly engages in numerous post-PC activities via corresponding post-PC apps using several different post-PC devices, thereby both consuming and generating substantial amounts of post-PC media content and dramatically increasing the value of the post-PC cloud because of its core capability to automatically synchronize post-PC media content and post-PC apps across post-PC devices.

Post-PC Pre-Sales Building Block

Continuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC pre-sales building block (the left-center block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "How are post-PC users supplied with post-PC devices?"

Post-PC devices are supplied to post-PC consumer, education, government, and business users via the post-PC pre-sales value chain system, as shown in the visual post-PC pre-sales block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the pre-sales block above represents the supply chain for wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile, and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the multilayered network diagram entitled the Device Value Chain System for the Post-PC Era on the iPad page of inocles.com.

Post-PC device value chain groups include the post-PC semiconductor group, system software group, hardware group, and retail group. Post-PC users discover, learn about, test drive, and ultimately purchase post-PC devices by a) visiting companies online or offline in the post-PC retail group in the case of post-PC consumer users or b) interacting directly with sales representatives from companies in the post-PC hardware group in the case of post-PC education, government, or business users.


The end-to-end pre-sales user experience of buying a post-PC device is driven entirely by the competence and speed of the post-PC device value chain system. The world's leading post-PC device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will increasingly compete on the speed and core competencies of their post-PC pre-sales processes, which are inherently enabled by their post-PC device value chain systems.

Post-PC Post-Sales Building Block

Continuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC post-sales building block (the right-center block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "
How are post-PC users supplied with post-PC apps and media content?"

Post-PC media content and apps are supplied to post-PC consumer, education, government, and business users via the post-PC post-sales value chain system, as shown in the visual post-PC post-sales block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the post-sales block above represents the supply chain for wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile, and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the multilayered network diagram entitled the Service Value Chain System for the Post-PC Era on the iPad page of inocles.com.

Post-PC service value chain groups include the post-PC broadband access group, media content group, application software or apps group, and cloud services group. Post-PC users discover, learn about, try, evaluate, and ultimately purchase post-PC apps, media content, cloud services, and broadband access by visiting companies online or offline or interacting with sales representatives from one or more of the post-sales value chain groups.

The end-to-end post-sales user experience of enriching a post-PC device is driven entirely by the competence and speed of the post-PC service value chain system. The world's leading post-PC service providers will increasingly compete on the speed and core competencies of their post-PC post-sales processes, which are inherently enabled by their post-PC service value chain systems.

Post-PC System Software Building Block

C
ontinuing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC system software building block (the lower-left corner block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "What is the core strategic asset driving the success of the post-PC device value chain?"

The core intangible strategic asset driving the success of the post-PC device value chain is post-PC system software, as shown in the visual post-PC post-sales block (highlighted in purple) below.

The visual illustration contained within the system software block above represents the continuum of wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile, and non-mobile post-PC operating systems described in the strategic positioning diagram entitled the System Software Assets of the Apple iFamily Post-PC Suite on the iFamily page of cyclefund.com.

The positioning diagram included in the system software block represents the continuum of Apple operating systems, including Apple iOS, Apple OS X, and Apple OS X Server; however, one can easily create and substitute a similar strategic positioning diagram for Google operating systems, which would include Google Android and Google Chrome, or Microsoft operating systems, which would include Microsoft Windows Phone, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Windows Server.

Wearable mobile post-PC operating systems include Apple iOS and Google Android variants; non-wearable mobile post-PC operating system include Apple iOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows Phone; non-mobile post-PC operating systems include Apple iOS and Google Android. Post-PC users typically use several different post-PC operating system platforms throughout their day in a personal or professional context, as well as the Microsoft Windows operating system for traditional PC devices, such as PC laptops or PC desktops.

Over time, we strongly believe that post-PC users will seek to reduce Post-PC app and device complexity and realize the benefits of automated post-PC cloud synchronization by increasingly gravitating toward post-PC solution suites, which contain post-PC operating systems that unify the total user experience across post-PC devices. Prospective global-scale post-PC suite providers include Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung
.

Post-PC Cloud Services Building Block

Finishing our story about the post-PC computing era with the post-PC cloud services building block (the lower-right corner block of the post-PC architecture diagram below), we pose and then answer the following question: "What are the fundamental strategic assets driving the success of the post-PC service value chain?"

The fundamental intangible strategic assets driving the success of the post-PC service value chain are post-PC cloud services, as shown in the visual post-PC cloud services block (in the lower-right corner of the diagram) below.

We call the diagram above the Visual Building Blocks of the Multiscreen Post-PC Internet Connected World. It is a two-dimensional square diagram with three rows and three columns. It contains a total of nine individual post-PC building blocks which constitute the big-picture architecture for the post-PC computing era. Each row of the diagram represents a specific layer of the post-PC architecture. The upper, middle, and lower rows of the diagram define and visually depict the activity and access, people and process, and assets and infrastructure layers of the post-PC architecture, respectively.

The visual illustration contained within the cloud services block represents the global network of top cloud services for wearable mobile, non-wearable mobile, and non-mobile post-PC devices described in the cloud network diagram entitled the Top-Ten Game Changing Cloud Categories for the Multiscreen Post-PC World on the Steve Jobs page of inocles.com.

Game changing (or killer) post-PC cloud service categories social networking and gaming services; search, navigation, and advertising services; streaming audio, video, and media content services; data, app, and media synchronization services; enterprise collaboration, creative, and productivity services; analytics, business intelligence, and big data services; enterprise integration and automation services, data center virtualization and system management services; voice, messaging, and visual communication services; and shopping, travel, and payment services. Using their post-PC devices, as well as their traditional PC devices, post-PC users typically engage with a significant number of post-PC cloud services throughout their day in a personal or professional context either directly via the web or indirectly through post-PC apps.

Post-PC Architecture Story: A Core Source for Investment Insights


In conclusion, the story of the post-PC architecture presented visually and discussed at length in the previous sections clearly defines the intricate interactions between all of the fundamental post-PC building blocks driving today's multiscreen post-PC Internet connected world (iWorld). It is through our detailed knowledge of this big-picture post-PC architectural puzzle and all of its interdependent post-PC puzzle pieces that we derive our insights to identify and understand leading post-PC companies and our confidence to risk investment capital in the steadfast pursuit of outstanding long-term growth opportunities.

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