Hello post-PC world: iOS devices sales now match those of Windows computers

Back in 2012, Android phone and tablet sales surpassed those of Windows computers and it appears the same is about to happen with iOS, if it hasn't already.

Andreesen Horowitz's Ben Evans tweeted out a trailing 12-month chart of iOS and PC sales using data from IDC, Gartner and his own company showing the rising trend of iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices.

The data shows both the growth of iOS sales and the challenging PC market, which has generally been flat since 2008.

Clearly, traditional laptop and desktop computers aren't going away any time soon. There are still plenty of apps, services and activities that are best suited for a PC.

But the post-PC world shows that a sizable subset of computing tasks can be done on mobile platforms and more portable devices. And if you've followed the mobile app stores over the past seven years, you've probably seen that subset getting larger and larger as mobile apps subsume tasks long thought to be "PC only."

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There are now mobile versions of Photoshop, as well as similar but lighter photo editing apps. a slew of iOS enterprise titles -- with more coming all the time from IBM -- and remote access clients to connect to older computers and run legacy apps. Heck, Microsoft is even breaking down old platform barriers by creating dozens of its apps for iOS and Android.

Of course, Microsoft still wants to be a part of the conversation on its own; even as demand for new Windows computers has been treading water.

Even though Windows Phone has been relatively unsuccessful -- the company's "one Windows" strategy across multiple device types is a smart way to join the post-PC revolution.

Whether or not it will succeed is another question altogether: We'll start to learn the answer beginning next week when the big Windows 10 roll-out begins.

Perhaps in another 12 months -- with more phones, tablets and computers as part of the overall Windows sales numbers -- Microsoft will give Apple a run for its money.