What Does The Future Hold For Apple Computers

There has been much musing of late about what direction Apple computers are likely to take. While there was a recent Mac Mini refresh, the yearly Macbook Pro refresh has fallen behind schedule. Furthermore, the WWDC, or Worldwide Developers' Conference, had next to no discussion of the Mac. All discussion was focused on the recently released Apple iPad and the rebranded iOS 4 for the iPhone. Steve Jobs has even been quoted as saying that the future of computing lays in tablets and mobile devices that can "do everything". So the question is, amongst all of this hype about Apple's mobile operating system, where does the Mac, Apple's true computer, fit in?
There is much speculation on this topic. However, the majority of people believe that the Mac may soon be phased out in favour of a computer that is based on iOS. Based on Steve Jobs' comments about the future of computing and the economics of the situation, this simply makes sense.
For example, consider a typical Macbook Pro. Because these are high end computers and the OS comes bundled, Apple is able to make approximately a thirty percent margin on every sale. They might make a little bit more if people spring for Applecare. But after that, they make nothing. Apple has very low market share in terms of boxed software and because of the reliability of the product, rarely has to service a computer. This is a one-time revenue boost, but rarely offers money later.
In contrast, consider the iPhone and iPad. Apple makes a slightly smaller margin on the initial sale. Estimates say that this margin may be as little as 10%. However, after that sale, every single iOS device out there is a constant stream of money. There are no third-party applications, so Apple takes a cut of every application installed on such a device. Apple gets kickbacks on the cost of the service provided by the carrier. Apple makes money on upgrades to the installed software.
Therefore, this is the prevailing guess about the future of Apple computers: that Mac OSX is the end of the line for the Mac OS. It makes far more sense for Apple to port iOS over to be more friendly with a desktop or laptop computer. It is more economical and would unite two codebases that are expensive to maintain. And if Steve Jobs is correct, we will all own one within five years.