Today in Social

I often use 51 percent population or household penetration as an indicator of mass-market adoption. And 50 percent by a single vendor is a remarkable thing. But what happens when a platform loses its 50 percent share? Two different memes suggest that the Wintel era is ending. DRAM consumption by PCs went under 50 percent for the first time in a long time, according to IHS-iSuppli. But smartphones only soaked up 13 percent of memory chips and tablets 3 percent. A more damning tally by Asymco shows platform shipments pushing Microsoft towards 50 percent. Installed base matters more, of course, but where shipments go, IB and usage follow. The thing is, nothing else has emerged as a 50 percent-contender yet. It feels like that for the immediate future, core computing platforms will look more like the videogame market than like PCs. Does that imply walled gardens?