Trav says:

heck to the yeah, "don't show me the product, tell me the story...."

February 3, 2010 5:55 PM

Daniel says:

well said.

if you were in front of me, i'd hi-five you and buy you a big ass beer, my new virtual friend.

February 3, 2010 6:01 PM

DL Byron says:

A few years ago my daughter said to me, "email is for old people" and that's come up in a few talks and I was reminded of that when I asked her what she was doing on formspring.me. Her and her friends have tumblr blogs and sometimes want comments and Q/A so they go over to formpring.me and ask each other if they're cute. Instead of a TypePad blog (now with Typekit!) and inline comments, they just get a tumblr blog and then a formpring.me form, and they're on myspace and facebook, and some on twitter too. There's this fashion site where people put on clothes and take photos and other people rate them. They go there too, cause they friends do.

Point is that they have no allegiance to the platform and none to the desktop metaphor or "drilling down into the OS," like the old people do.

The debates going on now and the more thoughtful thinking that's happening in the afterglow of the iPad announcement, is based in long-term, deep-seeded sides that we're taken years ago and simmering Jihads. Flash, Movable Type, Wordpress, Drupal, Windows 7 whatever, mobile. Our generation built these tools the kids use now. To us, it was a life's work. To them it's just another site to say, "hello" on.

With a Macbook, PC, or Tablet, they'll go there to check their myspace and maybe an email from Dad, but they care not if it's folders or icons they open up. If they touch it or mouse it.

What's most curious culturally about the iPad is why does anyone care what someone else buys. If I buy an iPad, I most certainly do not give a fuck what bloggers think about my purchase; especially tech bloggers, most especially the ones that cultivate a community of snark and then kick them off the playground when it gets too snarky.

We're tribal I guess and want to make sure the tribe has the right beads, haircuts, and gadgets.

February 3, 2010 6:20 PM

Ross Floate says:

This is related, I think, to most designers' sheer hatred of clients. This is not solely related to computing and web interface, but to the nature of design in general. We build and design things that we think are intuitive, and to us they are; we built them. While we continue to live in a state of constant self-selecting bias, we continue to miss the point of what we do.

February 3, 2010 6:40 PM

DL Byron says:

@Ross Floate +1

February 3, 2010 6:52 PM

Cliff says:

Very well said. Some 10 years ago, I told a grandmother that it was possible that in her lifetime she could have a device that would let her surf the Web and exchange e-mail with her granddaughter, without her even having to worry about word processors, operating systems, and all that other stuff that made computers just way too complicated for her.

It might very well be that the iPad is the tool for the uncool. If so, more power to Apple. It's high time they tapped that lucrative market.

February 3, 2010 10:46 PM

punkassjim says:

Thanks for this, Mike. The empathy angle is one I've been trying to promote lately. I got into a discussion with a guy the other day who stated for me, categorically, what were the three potential target markets for the iPad. I'll spare you the details, but I had to point out to him that all three were essentially the same thing: youngish technophiles. So many people just can't fathom that people wholly unlike themselves might be interested in this thing. Or that they even exist. Or that this might be huge.

February 4, 2010 12:50 AM

Michael Critz says:

I couldn’t agree more. The iPad will replace regular computers because of how well it’s software is designed.

The iPhone OS eliminates metaphors. An on-screen button is something users physically press. Photos and maps literally get stretched out to make them larger.

It’s designed to work in-hand. By a human.

February 4, 2010 9:49 AM

Cajo says:

Hear, hear!

February 4, 2010 10:55 AM

Simon says:

I agree that most of the people breathing the rarefied air in the big echo chamber we all live in have a failure of empathy when it comes to "normal" people - a very benign example is that I've met people here who don't quite realise that because 95% of their friends have Macs doesn't mean that Apple don't have a tiny market share in the wilder world.

That said, I take objection to

"They could honestly give a shit whether it’s a closed or open system. And, let’s be really honest, they probably care as much about DRM as they do about baseball players juicing; by which I mean not very much at all."

It might be true that they don't care. But that's because they don't understand the ramifications of closed systems and DRM because they're complicated and far ranging and require a relatively deep understanding of the interlocking concepts which I wouldn't expect the average lay person to have to know.

But we've already seen examples of DRM biting people on the arse (Microsoft and MSN music, the 1984 debacle on the Kindle etc etc) and unless we argue for openness now by the time John Q Public 'gets it' it'll be too late.

February 4, 2010 10:56 AM

Guy At HockeyBias dot com says:

I agree with Simon on the DRM stuff.

February 4, 2010 11:07 AM

James Gowan says:

Great job on the post... One comment stands out and is similar to many I've seen floating around the web on the subject of iPad: "[the iPad is] the device I finally feel comfortable buying my parents." Great. I have a 76 year old dad who's never owned a computer either. He wants to help him with his purchase and I'm thinking the new 27" iMac... until now.

However, iPad was designed to connect to a computer first to put all your content on. How can I buy an iPad for my father without getting him a computer too? Or do I just use my computer at home and load things I know he'll like. I've done that with 3 iPods now (including an iPod touch). He lives 45 minutes away,... it hasn't been easy when he wants new stuff on his devices.

February 4, 2010 11:08 AM

Sigivald says:

Hell, I'm a programmer and a geek and I've been using linux for my home server for like 15 years now.

And I don't care about open source. I just don't. Nobody can make me.

I barely care about DRM - because DRM can always be broken.

February 4, 2010 11:09 AM

Chris says:

People want the magic. They don't want to learn how to be magicians

February 4, 2010 11:09 AM

Matthew says:

I agree with most of these comments completely, however I'd just like to add: I want one too.

I'm a geek. I want root access. I've been using computers all my life, with too many operating systems to count, and I've made websites and written programs and all that jazz. But still, I want to get work done too. I want to have a device that's designed well, and I'm prepared to pay for it. I don't just want, but need a computer with root access, but that's fine: I have one. That doesn't mean I don't want an iPad too. This isn't just something for the parents or children, it's something for us geeks too.

February 4, 2010 11:10 AM

Jeff Hartman says:

@Cliff

I told a grandmother that it was possible that in her lifetime she could have a device that would let her surf the Web and exchange e-mail with her granddaughter, without her even having to worry about word processors, operating systems, and all that other stuff that made computers just way too complicated for her.

I thought that was called WebTV. ;)

February 4, 2010 11:11 AM

Johnny says:

The metaphors that traditional OS have used is that of desktops, windows, folders, documents and trashcans. This is why using a traditional OS always feels like work.

The iPhone OS removes all those metaphors and replaces them with buttons, toggles, slides, flicks, dials and flips; things you would find on any given Fisher Price toy. This is why using the iPhone OS feels like so natural because it takes us back to a simpler time.

February 4, 2010 11:12 AM

Horace Dediu says:

Right on!

I like root access as much as the next guy, but at least I can understand that you don’t sell a car by convincing the buyer that the car manufacturer’s engine was developed from freely modifiable blueprints that were available to other car manufacturers without a license fee. Most buyers want a car that does the job it's hired to do not on the basis of industry structure and architecture.

February 4, 2010 11:14 AM

mistermix says:

Nobody cares about DRM until it bites them in the ass -- they they care a heck of a lot. I've got friends who lost hard drives with their iTunes purchases on them. They think everything is OK because it's all on their iPod, right? DRM isn't "OK" at all to them. They feel incredibly ripped off, as they should.

February 4, 2010 11:15 AM

Alex says:

I don't disagree with this sentiment, but I do have this to add:

I think there are two flavors of "meh" comments. The first is the one you have stated. The second "meh" (which is the one implied by myself when I posted it) is the one where we were suckered by the wild ideas that the bloggers and pundits were throwing at us before the launch. Key example: text entry. Folks were speculating that Apple may have figured out a solution to that age old hangup, and when it didn't happen--when I saw the QUERTY keyboard--I kind of felt let down. It may sound nieve now, but recall that this is the company that changed the mobile industry in just a few years, against all the naysayers repeated predictions of doom.

I *do* think the iPad is significant in that "evolution of computer iteraction" kind of way, and I do realize that, as a tech geek, I am in the minority. It's just that this time, it's much more subtle. The "new thing" does not illustrate the shift intended as visually as the iPhone could. And our exposure to it was, guess what, strictly visual. People say "it's a big iphone" because the damn thing *looks* like a big iPhone, and, after all the hype, we were fooled into expecting magic.

February 4, 2010 11:17 AM

computer usr says:

Why doesn't you blog have a share option so I can post this on Twitter?

February 4, 2010 11:17 AM

Phadreus says:

Daniel's buying the beer!

Excellent post Mike.

February 4, 2010 11:17 AM

Johnny says:

@James Gowan

Once you do the initial setup the iPad is good to go. He can buy books, download apps, music and movies all on the iPad. No computer needed. That is one of the great things about the built in stores.

Take your laptop with you when you visit and install updates and backup his purchases. But he should be fine using it without a computer.

February 4, 2010 11:20 AM

Jameson says:

Teach that kid not to talk in movies.

But great points about what most users want (including what I/we want most of the time) regarding how interfaces work, what's possible, and DRM/root access/etc. Nicely put!

February 4, 2010 11:23 AM

Samuel Herschbein says:

Thanks for seeing the big picture and putting it so eloquently into words. I'm one of those old geeks from the yesterday side of the diagram...

February 4, 2010 11:23 AM

Jeff Medcalf says:

As James says above, there are a couple of missing pieces to the iPad, before it can replace general-purpose computers for the vast majority of people:

It needs to be able to print.

It needs to be able to have a camera or other media device plug in and transfer content. Both ways, in fact, because it should be possible to load an iPhone from an iPad if an iPad is going to replace a computer.

It needs to be able to share documents easily between applications, and between devices (preferably wirelessly).

It needs to support multiple users seamlessly for applications like Mail.

The interesting thing is that there is evidence in the APIs and documentation for all but the last of those features being at least considered, and possibly actively planned. Then, yes, the iPad could likely be the only computing device for a lot of people. More if they're willing to give up Hulu and Farmville.

Heck, I'm a 20+ year UNIX guy, and it'd be fine for 80% of what I do if it had a good terminal app that I could use naturally, and I suspect that one of the several existing iPhone terminal apps will make the leap. Heck, if it could host a development environment, I could probably get rid of my laptop altogether.

February 4, 2010 11:26 AM

bobbyjohn says:

"The iPad isn’t the future of computing; it’s a replacement for computing." Aha. Now we're getting somewhere.

Yes, the computing metaphor is finally changing:
Old metaphor = desktop/folders/files.
New metaphor = Swiss Army Knife.

The device that assists me in getting through my modern life must have the ability to "become" what I need given any circumstance and situation.

If I need encyclopedic information, it becomes a source of reference. If I need directions, it becomes a map. If I want to relax, it becomes a media device. If I need to go shopping, it becomes a store front. If I need a flashlight, telephone, level, voice/video recorder, roadside assistance, notepad, deck of cards, checkbook, TV guide, newspaper, weight tracker, camera, calendar, or weather report, it becomes those things for me at the touch of a button/icon.

Who needs computing when you can have a modern version of the Swiss Army knife?

February 4, 2010 11:29 AM

Kendal says:

@ mistermix: Why is not NOT OK that the data they lost is "all on their iPod"? Because when you restore the computer, you have the option of transferring purchases from the device back to your computer.

Also Apple allows limited restore of all purchases (basically they flip a switch and for your account iTunes will re-download all purchases).

There are plenty of examples of where DRM actually hurts people, the example you gave was not one of them because an iPod really is a backup of the data you have on your computer.

@James Gowan - you could preload anything existing onto the iPad and just let him aquire further purchases right on the device (or from time to time load other things on yourself). I am rather hoping the iPad includes some kind of Time Machine integration so you could use it standalone and still have a backup.

As for the article itself, I totally agree - there is such a wider space computing can be made useful for, and the iPad eliminates a lot of baggage from how we do things now. I liken it to how when I traveled internationally I used to bring a huge suitcase with a lot of clothes, but I found over time I needed only a small subset of things and so pack very light now.

February 4, 2010 11:31 AM

Travis says:

Guess this means hope for a tricoder is a about gone now.

February 4, 2010 11:35 AM

Travis says:

Guess this means hope for a tricorder is a about gone now.

February 4, 2010 11:36 AM

Scott says:

Alex: None of that hype came from Apple. It came from people guessing. Look at what Jason Calacanis did the night before. He made up a bunch of features, said he knew for sure, and then had to backpedal and pretend he was joking the very next day.

That's not Apple's fault, and while it doesn't surprise me that people not familiar with the Apple hype cycles from outside of Apple would be taken in, the fact that a lot of people who are familiar with it were suckered too is surprising.

Most of the rumors didn't add up. I think Apple and others will have revolutionary input devices someday, but right now they are in development and never could have been put into a sub $2000 device.

February 4, 2010 11:40 AM

Koen van Hees says:

What the? A blog that writes about the most hyped product of all times, an Apple product at that, and all the comments are intelligent and nicely worded. I don't have anything intelligent to contribute, but haven't yet read what I feel, so here goes.

I think the iPad has enormous market potential and is magical and revolutionary in all the right ways, meaning not at all. It is an intelligent iteration of lots of things that worked, ditching (hopefully) all the things that didn't work and rolled in a first offering that includes most things people subconsciously expect, things that will make them go "God, I actually want one, where's my wallet". Even if I'm wrong about what the market will do with this, I'm sold. I'm sold for three personal reasons: books, fun and hand magic.

I'm just as geeky as most long time computer users, but the one thing that I craved for actually more than 12 years now, is a simple but good, non-restrictive book reader I can take everywhere and read with in the dark. This simply is the first one that has not one show-stopper.

Another reason to want one: I am one of those people that really only wants to use their phones to, you know, call people. But after almost 30 years of computer use, I look at iPhones and the iPod Touch and see that almost all the interaction and manipulation is fun to do and really smooth. I can't say this is true for my computer, let alone for my phone, which I indeed still only use for calling.

Last reason: I want to use iWork and other programs. Not to make wonderful spreadsheets, but to see how it feels to manipulate stuff with your hands instead of with "The Togg's" proverbial big stick (if you've ever seen him describe mouse use as a means to simply hit at things, you'll know what I mean :-) I'm sure I won't feel like Tom Cruise, but I bet it will be fascinating. Will it be better all the way? Who knows, but I want to find out for myself.

Cheers, thanks for the wonderful time reading author and commenters.

February 4, 2010 11:41 AM

BigDadu says:

I completely agree.

The iPad even at $850 could replace my wife's laptop and, with iWork, could take care of my kids' school computing needs.

Now give us that front-facing camera and I'll be standing in line sipping my Apple-flavored Kool-Aid®. BTW, here's a link to unretouched frames from iPad announcement video (from 09:23 in Apple's Keynote video), included 4 frames to show that it's not reflection: http://bit.ly/cNgue2

February 4, 2010 11:47 AM

jack straw says:

February 4, 2010 11:47 AM

Jeff says:

Excellent comments. Very concise way of stating what the iPad IS. I do think we're seeing the first strong direction toward what computing will be. It's going to take a while for it to develop to the caliber needed for professionals (3D modeling? video editing? graphic design?), but it's absolutely where computing for the masses is going in the next 5-10 years.

An iPad is fairly worthless for me. But it's EXACTLY what my kids, my wife, my mom, and my grandmom need.

February 4, 2010 11:49 AM

Christian says:

Yes, a device should be easy if the general public is going to adopt it. Yes, this has the opportunity to become the 'computer' for non-geeks.

The problem I see though, the concern that I have, is that such a closed system is heading towards an uncomfortable place.

I think everyone (most) would agree that cars are pretty consumer-friendly (Toyota aside). But how comfortable would people be if they couldn't put whatever tires they want on the car, couldn't install their own radio, etc., Now the reality is, most people will keep whatever radio was installed by the manufacturer, and it will be guaranteed to work. But why prevent someone from fiddling with their own sound system? Most people might buy tires from a dealership - approved, guaranteed tires.. but I bet that in reality, people are going to Sears, to Walmart for whatever cheap tires they want.

So is it OK for a company to create such limitations on a device being sold into the open market? Of course a company can do whatever they want (they are people, no?) - but the question is, do you want to encourage this model of commerce, or would you rather encourage a model where consumers still own the rights to do what they want with a product they purchased, without it being crippled by future updates, etc.,

That's the problem I have with the iPad. Yes, in its current form it would be great for my mom. And it's even not all that bad for me.

But really I'm not worried about the iPad - I'm worried about the future of these devices and how much opportunity I'm going to have - how much control I'll be able to have over the device.

The last thing I want to see is devices more like 'dumb' cell phones today - you get what the manufacturer gives you - awful UI, etc., with no ability to modify them.

February 4, 2010 11:50 AM

Anexis says:

Why do people keep blaming Apple for DRM?????

February 4, 2010 11:52 AM

sf says:

Failure to understand this is why Microsoft continues to put out bloated non-intuitive software attractive only to IT geeks.

February 4, 2010 11:55 AM

RidleyGriff says:

Agreed sf. For geeks, learning new interfaces or OS's can be fun. It's a puzzle and an adventure unto itself.

But it's a geek-only adventure that builds a huge wall between any given individual and personal productivity. Most regular people buy exactly the type of machine that they have at work, because they simply don't want to have to learn anything else. And those that are intimidated by the tech just plain stay away.

The iPad, as a computing concept, changes that. The first group has already learned how to use the iPad -- on their phone. And it may be so simple to use that the second group will give it a shot.

February 4, 2010 12:12 PM

@giromide says:

John Gruber touched on one thing that "the people" shouldn't really have to care about -- the file system. OS X touch obscures the file system, and that's not a bad thing, provided Apple and third party app developers have done their best to ensure file corruption is minimal. Why should any typical user care about where files are located?

February 4, 2010 12:21 PM

NickBob says:

@Christian: "But how comfortable would people be if they couldn't put whatever tires they want on the car" - people buying tires are limited by the kind of rims they use. etc- and anyone with knowhow can change that. The iPad will certainly generate a jailbroken community within hours of going on sale, and Apple won't care other than telling those customers that taking that step means that they're on their own from then on. Which is not unlike the case with new cars for that matter. Apple will foster an App Store which will cover the needs of almost everybody that they service, and the rest of us geeks shouldn't or wouldn't want the support of the corporate organization anyway. People can and should feel that their personal data is beyond the reach of corporate intrusion, but as long as the available tools do what they need done few consumers need or want unlimited choice of tools. That's the whole point.

February 4, 2010 12:22 PM

Rzah says:

Regarding the comments about needing a computer to set it up, I'm not sure this will end up being the case, I can see all the backup being taken care of directly via Apple, perhaps in that Billion dollar datacenter they've been building.

We haven't seen the whole picture yet, just a taste, I suspect this is for marketing reasons, to keep the product in the news before it's available, and also to keep a few cards back from their competition.
That said however, Apple's presentation of the iPad could have easily focussed on what it actually represented, instead Steve sat on that chair and gave a sometimes awkward "Big iPod" demo, I can only think that after so long developing the iPad they felt it was obvious, that we'd all get it the moment he fired up the new Mail App, but it's clearly taking a while for technical people to realise the implications, conversely the users I've spoken to seem to get it immediately.

So far the main downside I see with this product is that my kids are going to fight over it.

February 4, 2010 12:26 PM

DL Byron says:

Agree on the dialogue here. Picked it up on another blog with more thinking about "email is for old people" and "doesn’t matter if they touch it, mouse it, or text it. That’s not their battle. It is and was ours

February 4, 2010 12:29 PM

BAW says:

When I still used a Palm Tungsten E2 I installed a little program called FITALY, an onscreen keyboard that took very little getting used to and was designed to make text entry with a stylus (or a finger) fast and accurate—more info at fitaly.com. I want Apple's iPhone API to make it easy to develop and install such alternate input methods for those of us as want them, also alternatives such as the Dvorak keyboard. I could easily type 50 WPM using Fitaly and I really want it to show up on the iPhone and iPad. Anyone know if the iPhone API is already set up for this kind of third party development? I know the Fitaly developer is getting a lot of requests for Fitaly on the iPhone and iPad.

February 4, 2010 12:35 PM

jessamyn says:

The only reason people usually care about DRM [or privacy, let's be honest] is when it makes things break. My father is an Apple guy and he'd rather never have to enter his password for everything and he has his credit card number stored in some Firefox add-on. DRM in the library means that people have to suffer through Windows Media Player in order to listen to an audiobook when they have a sneaking suspicion they could just rip a book on CD to their laptop if the library would just say it was okay. And I always feel like a bad librarian NOT explaining to people that it's not the technology, it's the dumb choices the technology-makers made that is making their experience so wretched. And then I show them how to burn CDs to their laptops. And I hope they send me to jail.

So some of this I think is about the geeks giving people permission to use their devices the way they want to, but also advocating for humane devices that allow people to solve more of their own problems, not just shopping and consumption-related problems.

At some level anything that advances the "computers are hard" meme should be squashed, whether that's lousy DRM-ed digital audiobooks or region-specific DVDs or devices that don't work the way they do in the movies. No one knows yet, I don't think, what the iPad will be compared to the novice computer user's dream of it.

February 4, 2010 12:38 PM

dmon says:

Same for me... I can only explain it by an utter and astounding lack of imagination

February 4, 2010 12:38 PM

CBrachyrhynchos says:

Well, for me the meh isn't a statement that's its not a nifty device. It's I distinctly remember we've been here before, and I'm not convinced that the new set of metaphors is distinctly different from the old set of metaphors.

@RidleyGriff: Complex interfaces didn't come into existence because software designers over the last 30 years have been a collective group of elitists or sadists. Computer interfaces became complex because the real-world processes and tasks they attempted to aid are complex, with a billion unique cases that need to be addressed.

@@giromide: Well, most users don't pay attention to the file system now. Both OSX and MSWin default into dumping everything into a single directory. Many people find the ability to organize collections of data into meaningful chunks to be useful. Certainly we could probably do better than current file browsers at this. But doubtless there will be something that comes along that allows for users to browse all the data assets available and organize them into meaningful groups.

February 4, 2010 12:55 PM

Sam says:

The one thing that continues to really impresses me about the iPhone/Touch/Pad user interface, is that my son can use it. He just turned 2 and he's been using it for 6 months. It's that easy. He's now picking out the songs he likes to listen to from the media player. Another similarly "human" interface is the Wii remote, which is usable by a 2yo as well.

February 4, 2010 1:06 PM

Sean says:

@BigDadu:
I think I'd give even money that's a tiny mic

February 4, 2010 1:10 PM

BigDadu says:

@Sean:

It's under the glass

February 4, 2010 1:17 PM

BigDadu says:

@Sean:

It's under the glass

February 4, 2010 1:17 PM

the other steve jobs says:

"They could honestly give a shit whether it’s a closed or open system. "

They *couldn't* honestly give a shit...

February 4, 2010 1:23 PM

bud says:

"However, iPad was designed to connect to a computer first to put all your content on. How can I buy an iPad for my father without getting him a computer too?"

Your Dad could purchase all his content directly on the device. Or you could load it up for him with your computer, set up an iTunes account for him like a lot of folks do with their kids, using their own credit, or an account with its own credit card or using purely iTunes store gift certificate cards. A lot of these are not going to sync to hardware much at all, and they are the extra dumb terminal in the house. Hand them the iPad and an iTunes Gift Card.

February 4, 2010 1:27 PM

Rowan says:

This will be perfect for me. So glad I sold my Macbook Pro last year whilst it was worth plenty and got a 27" iMac that'll I'll keep as my Desktop for awhile.

This iPad will be awesome for VNC/Screen sharing of remote systems, and the fact Apple has enabled Bluetooth KB support as well as the kb dock and the USB camera connection kit, means it can replace a laptop for my needs.

February 4, 2010 1:30 PM

Anonymous says:

When I bought my Volkswagen Jetta, I opted for the Monsoon sound system. Little did I know that this meant I was stuck using VW approved stereo systems. The speakers are all wired into the same stuff as the electronic door locks, so replacing the stereo head unit would void a lot of my warranty. So, for lots of car buyers, lock in is already a fact of life.

February 4, 2010 1:42 PM

Claire says:

@Sean:
It's not a mic, the mic is next to the headphone plug.

February 4, 2010 1:42 PM

Bob says:

First of all, thanks very much to everyone here for keeping the comments the most civil of any discussion I've seen in a long time! It's refreshing to converse with each other rather than seeking to embarass or shout down those opinions with which we disagree.

And contrary to punditry and ignorance, computing is not a religious war. We all suffer from wasted time, money, and frustration. Given the choices, we all vote with our wallets and try to achieve the best value. What we buy shouldn't be a barometer of our coolness or belonging. The world's a big place and there's room for every kind of solution possible. And the best solutions will ultimately surface and prevail for the masses, despite specialized market requirements.

I agree wholehearted with Mike's article. For the pundits out there, here's my additional (yes, subjective) input to consider. Your mileage may vary.

The upcoming iPad is generation one.

A 2001 iPod was about the size and heft of a deck of cards, with little ability other than to download and play a thousand songs. Nine years later they are hardly recognizable, with many more capabilities, yet they are still primarily designed to download and play songs. Yes, they can do so much more, in much smaller spaces, and the storage and speed by which they, today, accomplish these tasks demonstrates an exponential leap foward.

Exponentiality is key to understanding the tech future. Many use automobiles as an analogy lately, so for them, consider that the decades of slow, incremental improvement really started to accellerate only a hundred years later. But in the course of a single decade cars are now starting to posses what was once considered sci-fi capabilities. Exponentiality is finally starting to accelerate the auto industry for real. One day cars may simply be designed to get you from point A to point B in comfort without any control on your part. And while I love to "drive" it's not a future I'm afraid of.

Computing devices, in genral, are on a faster track, historically, than automobiles. With every improvement, we quickly forget the past, and how much more each new solution brings. Fed by speculation, it raises our expectations out of proportion to reality and the possibilities (or practicalities) of the present. Pundits create this atmosphere and minions feed on it. It's the easy way out, practiced by the bottom feeders, and nothing to do with intelligent analysis or discussion.

Someday, ten to twenty years from now, assuming we are all still here, there will be a turning point with regards to expectations that exponentiality will provide. Until then, expectations will have outpaced reality. Not so, thereafter. Moore's Law inexorably continues.

Here's a brief summary of initial punditry and minion reactions vs. today's realities to consider:

* iPod. Meh. Today, 250 million sold.
* Apple Stores. Meh. Today, 300 stores worldwide and tops in revenue-per-square foot in "all" of retailing.
* iPhone. Meh. Today, 43 million sold.
* Apple overall. Meh. Today, $16 billion dollar quarter (best in its history) in the worst economy of our lifetime, and $40 billion in cash reserves.
* iPad. Meh. ?

Apple's design, supply, and delivery chain has also imporved exponentially during the last decade. So has it's clout.

To reiterate: the upcoming iPad is generation one. That's really worth keeping in mind, no matter what whizzy expectations or criticisms have been imagined for it. But given the above numbers and their reality would you, the reader of this, seriously bet against it?

February 4, 2010 1:51 PM

Mark Sigal says:

Nice, crisp post. To your point, one observation that hit me on the head a few months back was that the iPhone (and iPod Touch) is standout in that it's truly the first PERSONAL computer, more personal to its owner than the PC ever was.

Now, everything that I've read suggests that Jobs' vision for what the iPhone became was driven by his vision for a Tablet device. The interesting thing in that, and bringing the 'MEH' responses full circle, is that the iPad is a 1.0 device that will benefit from the uplift of a 3.0 platform (i.e., SDK, 140K apps, 100K developers, iTunes, App Store, etc.).

People forget that while iPhone and the iPod before it were great devices, they didn't become game changers until a specific software value-add came into the mix (iTunes and iPhone SDK, respectfully), neither of which materialized in 1.0.

I am guessing that for iPad that "something" is waiting for a developer's conference or a 2.0 release, be it tools to re-boot the print media business or a programming model for TV Anywhere, something that I blogged about in:

Check Mate: Apple's iPad
http://bit.ly/9MZQM2

Check it out, if interested.

Mark

February 4, 2010 1:54 PM

Swiss Andrew says:

I still remember that 'aha' moment in my childhood when I used a mouse, with a paint program, on a Lisa. Now I watch my 4 year old son using 'his' Touch without needing to be told how to use it. For him it's obvious.

Most professions have jargon; a sort of secret code that those in the know use (partly) to protect themselves from those outside. Most of the concepts that jargon hides are pretty straightforward, but the jargon helps those on the inside project an air of authority. You need time and effort to learn the jargon.

As many of us become more and more time-pour time and effort are things we don't have. Not having to learn how to use a device becomes a luxury. Jargon no longer becomes a barrier. If you were to strip out the jargon many lawyers or bankers might feel threatened - was all that time and effort wasted? Do we see the same with those who invested time and effort on technology?

As a marketer I'm only too aware of concepts such as Overchoice or the Paradox of Choice - that presenting too many options often means the customer won't make any decision. When designing systems I commision usability test and eye-ball tracking to ensure that they are as simple as possible as I believe too much choice can get in the way of delivering users goals. Sure, often I could have provided more functionality but it's better to lose 2% of users because the system doesn't have some non-core functionality than lose 20% because there is too much choice. Usually the testing is to convince colleagues who want to include every bell and whistle to let go of some things. Less is more.

iPad-like devises will appeal to users like the 70 year olds mentioned or my 4 year old son who won't need to dedicate the time and effort. That is a big untapped market. There are also those of us who have learned current systems who still rely on paper, pens and post-its to do many chores which really should be possible on a computer. I will own-up to printing 200 page reports to review on planes and then to hand the scribbles back to my assistant. That is a big untapped market - providing a tool which can't do everything but can do certain things very well and is intuitive. For those of us who use a laptop as an additional device to travel with (with the reports) they're ideal.

I have a suspicion that the iPad and it's followers might prove to be many people's 'aha' moment like that mouse, that drawing program and that Lisa.

February 4, 2010 2:07 PM

Martin Westin says:

Huh?
Why is the concept of a (more or less) totally locked down device the glorious future to replace computing?
Why would not an iPad (or iPhone) offer the same "non-geek" experience AND offer "root access"?
I just don't get that.

The problem that come with the iPhone, and apparently the iPad, is that preventing users from any sort of control over the "computing" aspects of the device is: Apple has to think of EVERYTHING. Problem is they don't. They do a very very good job. Better than any company I can compare them to. But they still "forget" little things that is important to a some users.

An example from the Mac is the new magic mouse. Apparently Apple did not satisfy some users with the tracking speed and/or gestures offered. So, a few weeks after the release the little "magic prefs" started popping up. Users saw a problem and was able to solve the problem and make the product work better for them.

Same goes for the Android phones. They don't support iTunes audiobooks... so a few users started a project to develop support for the format.

Are these examples of bad things? They are not mandatory for the "non-geeks". Their existence is completely invisible to anyone not interested.

I am sure the iPad will be fantastic to use... I just with users had a bit more choice in how they get to use their device.

I love OmniOutliner and look forward to seeing it on the iPad. I just wonder how the heck it will be able to work at all on the iPad. It is a document-based application and I will need the ability to transfer outliner documents in and out of the device. Will the iPad understand what to do with a zipped outliner document I get send in an email? If it does I imagine the OmniGroup will have had to have done a lot of work to get something that simple working. (Remember that outliner docs are "folders" and can not be emailed as they are.)

This is my fear for the iPad-style of computing. I am not against a humane interface and solid performance. I just think the path to usefulness will be slow since Apple can't think of everything but has put themselves in the position that they have to.

February 4, 2010 2:15 PM

Elian Gonzalez says:

Interesting how no one ever complains about their cars being "locked down" and needing to take it into a shop for a diagnostic.

February 4, 2010 2:15 PM

Kawika Holbrook says:

I'm a sysadmin. I'll be buying one for myself. Too cool to pass up, even without root access, etc. I'll also buy one for my dad, a technophobe, once the iPad doesn't require a different computer for operating system updates and backups. Over-the-air OS updating and cloud storage (MobileMe would seem to fit the bill) would solve this nicely. Let's hope that's in Apple's plans.

February 4, 2010 2:22 PM

Michael says:

I've been designing and developing web pages and sites for 15 years. I've even been running my own web server from my house for a little over 7 years. I like taking computers apart and fixing them. I've been programming computers for about 25 years now; I love large screens, window-based GUI's, command-lines, multitasking and RAID.

But nothing gets me more excited than devices like the iPhone and iPad. I marvel at the drop dead simplicity of the interface and the natural interaction because I can also appreciate the underlying technical complexities that make it work so fluidly and intuitively.

There's three types of people in the world, those that like to build puzzles, those that just want to see the picture when it's done (appreciate it or not) and those that like to help finish building the puzzle, regardless of the outcome (picture).

A. The first group of people who enjoy building the puzzle themselves, do so, because they there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that you're capable of putting together something you can appreciate afterwards. They chose the picture they wanted to build and set out to do that. And they chose that picture because it is what they wanted to see finished.

B. The people that just want to see the picture, don't care how it was done, they just want to see the finished product. Then they can decided for themselves if they like it or not. This is the majority of people in the world.

C. The problem with the last group of people is that they usually don't care what the picture is when the puzzle is finished, all they really care about is that they can say they had a hand in finishing it. This is the group the pseudo geeks fall in; they prefer to be able to customize and modify everything to their liking. They are the people who don't like finished puzzles, because there is nothing left to do but enjoy it (or not). Their self worth is reduced to do nothing and they have a hard time dealing with it.

Group Relationships

Group A doesn't really care about B or C, because they build the things they want to enjoy. It doesn't matter if B or C appreciate it or not. They're usually referred to as elitist or smug, because they're generally happy with themselves.

Group B doesn't really care about A or C, all they want is something that works for them. Who made it, how was it made, where did it come from... none of that matters to them.

Group C doesn't like anything produced by A, because it's a finished product, there's nothing for them to tweak. They can't relate to B, because B is happy with whatever just works and can't be bothered with details.

February 4, 2010 2:24 PM

Bob Wolff says:

Makes me think - Let's talk cars - we all drive one and the interface is pretty dumb. There are many many people who really DONT care about the software, electronic computers, the engine, and how antilock brakes work. Right? But some of us would LOVE to have access to an open-source api to tap into what the car can do, what the entertainment system can do, how we can add to it and detect impending doom with antilock braking sensors. Cool stuff - uhh - geek stuff. Same gig. The iPad has a place. Not in my hands, but in many. I'll stick to tinkering and having control over my destiny but I wont bash it for not being what I want.
bob

February 4, 2010 3:26 PM

Claudia says:

Well, one problem with this argument is that our parents and grandparents are going to die soon. That market might be large, but it won't last. They will be replaced by us, who are used to computing. Our kids are going to grow up and go to work, where they will get used to computing. So, while the iPad will be a cool accessory, I don't see it replacing computing unless it starts doing more things computers do. Like support Office. And you might think the older generation doesn't want any distracting things like word processors, but I think that's patronizing. I know lots of older people who have parttime consulting jobs and need Office software, need QuickBooks or TurboTax... on of the things that really upset my mother, age 70, was that her new PC laptop didn't come with Office installed.

Also, I don't get Jobs's problem with the stylus. To me, the most important thing about a tablet would be to be able to *write* stuff on it. To take it to classes, if I were a student, and take notes in handwriting. To jot down notes where ever I was...in a meeting, on the plane, without having to lug out my laptop and try to fit it on the stupid food tray... There are digital pens with ink that can do this, and convert to text, so why not an Apple tablet? That's the whole cool thing about the HP tablet.

I agree this is generation one, and it will be interesting to see what happens next. But generalizing about how kids consume and generate content right now is fairly meaningless, because what matters is not what they do after school but what people do during and after work. They will get to the workplace, start relying on PCs, and need devices that extend that reality. No one wants ANOTHER toy/tool. We want something that consolidates.

And since we'll all need computers at work for the foreseeable future, I don't see "computing" going away. I can, however, see tablets taking on more computing-like tasks, even if they don't look and feel like computing. Still, if I have to sit at a desk for 10 hours, I'm going to need a big screen and an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, no? So again, for computing to disappear, the nature of work would have to completely change for professionals.

February 4, 2010 3:35 PM

Peter Fransen says:

I totally disagree.
OpenAuth is a far worse name than OpenID.

February 4, 2010 3:41 PM

Richard Querin says:

While it's nice to say that it'll eliminate 20lbs of textbooks from your son's backpack - it may very well do that - but it also eliminates the concept of sharing books. Want to lend a textbook to a friend? Share a great novel you just read? It seems that it's turning into a Google v Apple sort of battle on a LOT of important fronts. At this point, clearly Apple is in it for Apple. At least with Google there's the hope of some shred of higher-brow thinking, tenuous as it may seem at times.

February 4, 2010 4:00 PM

Jim Ramsey says:

Personally, as a user interface designer I'm *really* excited about the iPad because it means we get to re-imagine the way non-geeks interact with technology. If this is the first in a line of truly consumer-level computers, more like a television than a laptop, what will that mean for the types of things that people will want to use it for. My guess: it won't be Microsoft Office.

February 4, 2010 4:37 PM

Niall says:

wow a mostly intelligent response here - must check this place out more often...

@Claudia

You seem to think a computer has to have an interface you are used to - please be aware that for people with a closed mind, the future is a scary place.

Computers used to have to be programmed with punch cards - that doesn't mean that the easier way of inputting instructions made any following device any less of a computer

Apple were at the forefront of handwriting technology with the Newton (15-17 years back) but it didn;t take off - it is still in OSX though and I'm sure we will see it appear on the iPad at some point probably sooner rather than later

You illustrate very well why most companies don't do what Apple do. Just replicating the user experiences at present does not constitute development in any way - things have to change to constitute devlopment

Apple are made up from developers - MS are in the business of adaptation - ie nothing new to see here, move along

February 4, 2010 5:08 PM

Niall says:

sorry for extra post - forgot to say;

in relation to, "Still, if I have to sit at a desk for 10 hours, I'm going to need a big screen and an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, no?"

that's it exactly! the answer is no. the only reason so many people are sitting at desks is that computing used to mean sitting in front of a big screen and ergonomic keyboard.

even since the advent of the laptop big corps have refused to give in and allow their staff to work away from the desk - the iPad will (hopefully) be another nail in the coffin of centralised offices and all the wasted energy involved in the commute

my current hope is that the offices of GlaxoSmithKline alongside the M4 in London are converted into an aquarium before I draw my last breath...;

February 4, 2010 5:20 PM

Sandra says:

None of us who’re concerned about the openness of this stuff is saying that this isn’t beautifully designed, but we’re moving past the crossroads and I don’t like what I’m seeing in the crystal ball.

We fought hard to get to a point where we could use our free client side apps for a lot of the stuff that was proprietary in the past. Blender, Jackd, Synfig, we have some amazing things. It was all client side and people could choose what they wanted—those who wanted to do it the Apple or Microsoft way could, but there was sort of a safety vent that we could go to when we needed to feel that we had control and responsibility for our own machines again.

Coming from DOS to GNU/Linux as a teenager, I wept tears of joy when I first found out that GCC was a free compiler. Trying to figure out Emacs Lisp, messing up my own system more times than I’d like to remember, learning the ropes. You see me on the street, you’d probably figure me for some bimbo, and I’m not saying that this stuff, running Debian and using open file formats, was easy—it wasn’t, but it was there. It was a vent that made sure Microsoft, Apple and the others wouldn’t go too far out of line because people had our horrible patchwork of a desktop as an option to switch to.

Modern day proprietary web apps, and the app store ecosystem, is putting us back at square one. We can build a word processor that’s better in some ways and worse in some ways than, say, Pages or Framemaker, but we can’t out-myspace Myspace or out-facebook Facebook or compete meaningfully with Youtube’s networking features, not by the thinking we’ve been using so far.

I’m awestruck by this new beautiful slab of aluminum and glass, and I am thrilled about the new HCI/UX steps—if anything, I’d say that this UI doesn’t go far enough in discarding the WIMP desktop metaphor and embracing those who don’t want to “get” computers—but the vendor lock-in of the App Store, and most webapps, is a road I don’t want to, and won’t, travel on.

We’re scrambling, we’re posting rants in comments (like this!), we’re panicked. It’s back to square one. Meet the new boss—totally different from the old boss.

February 4, 2010 5:28 PM

Jacqui says:

My Mum decided to get herself an iPhone for her 70th birthday last year, despite opposition from Dad that she wouldn't use it.

Well, she loves it. And Dad: he wouldn't let her have it for the first few days whilst he played with it while setting it up for her.

Funny thing about stereotyping is that because of her age, Mum'd be put in the group that doesn't get computers, yet there she was for thirty years, a regular member of the workforce, moving her various employers' accounting systems through punch-cards systems to mainframes to desktop IBMs to PC no-names throughout her working life.

Doesn't get computers? Ahem.

So, why'd she go for an Apple product now after years on PCs?

Well, she's watched me unendingly loving my various Apple devices for years, and then there's Dad's approach to home computing. Dad's self-taught on computers and a tinkerer (a geek in his 70s): he’s completely over-zealous as far as Mum's web access is concerned, administratively locking down her rights on her own PC because of "the viruses", so much so that Mum's not allowed to browse anywhere beyond a landing page. Could be there’s a bit of crotchetiness creeping in there, on Dad’s side.

But, both Mum and Dad know and like computers enough to be interested in them as new products in their retirement years, and the answer to the previous problem in their home — Dad's fear of viruses and Mum's wish to browse the web — is, gosh, a product like the iPhone (last year), and also maybe a future product like the iPhone "but bigger" (this year).

Dad "loves Mum's iPhone but doesn't use a mobile enough to warrant one". (His words.) So guess who'll be getting an iPad before this year's out.

February 4, 2010 6:00 PM

tom says:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraserspeirs/sets/72157623224262135/show/with/4329339099/

Just browsing through a flickr set of pictures showing UI from the keynote shows the detail in their for the user.

An interesting phenomenon might happen with the iPad - That the early adopters, the tech savvy, the geeks will actually find that they have competition from their brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, grandparents in actually getting one.

The fact that their is a new convention, a new product, a new way of doing things - geeks etc lose their cool if they don't know how to use it - so loathe it or love it - the tech savvy will likely want to learn how to use one just for the kudos if nothing else.

It's like the bind it puts developers- If you don't make an iPad app, you should at least update your iPhone app so it looks ok. The competition from other people, other apps will be a driving force.

They've thrown out the absolute requirement of a mouse. we await their file structure solution.

February 4, 2010 6:20 PM

Mark Sigal says:

As there is a heavy openness or perish sentiment, here is a link challenging that sentiment a bit.

Android vs. iPhone: Why Openness May Not Be Best
http://bit.ly/4lfbF

Cheers,

Mark

February 4, 2010 6:21 PM

abu says:

> "It’s the thing many people will get INSTEAD of a laptop."

I too think so... assuming they already have another computer around the house.

My biggest gripe about the iPad - the way I'd say "it's a big iphone" - is that it seems you can't rely on it alone for your computing needs - at least, in its current pre-release incarnation.

You can't have it talk directly to external storage and printers, so you still to have an assisting computer around for basics things like readng a pdf from a pendrive or printing a receipt.

I'm deftly geekier than my grandpa but I too would love to use only an iPad-style device for my recreative computing - well even for the business side if only my workflow wouldn't include too many desktop-class apps.

It's its shortcomings as a standalone device that chill me a bit by now.

February 4, 2010 6:25 PM

iBagwan says:

Very nice and succinct post about the iPad! What amazes me even more are the incredibly intelligent and polite comments! There wasn't one comment complaining about lacks and no mention of the antiquated and buggy flash, that was the biggest surprise! It's a refreshing look at media for the masses and a redefinition of the personal device. People have labeled the iPad as an appliance and that is exactly the place if fills. You don't need to know how the microwave work, just that it will make the popcorn...

February 4, 2010 6:46 PM

WiseWeasel says:

While it's laudable to cater to people who want a simple appliance rather than a general-purpose computer, and I agree that the iPad makes a good stab at this, it is the height of hubris to imply that a single device could not satisfy both groups. Just like semi-automatic car transmissions have become quite popular, as they give added and *optional* control that an automatic transmission won't, there's no reason the iPad couldn't give the user the option of installing unsigned apps from third parties, or allow the user access to the filesystem or to modify the device's software if they so desire.

This could certainly be done in a way that doesn't affect Grandma, as she'll be scared away when she gets a spooky warning about the risks of allowing unsigned apps, for example, assuming she can find the option buried deep in the settings. My point is that the iPad could easily be a device both for technophobes and 'philes if Apple chose to cater to the later group as well. Perhaps it's simply a question of priorities and limited resources, and it's just taking this long to get the iPhone OS mature enough to empower their users more, but I would certainly hope that the ultimate goal is a product that can satisfy geeks as well as grampa Joe six-pack. As a user of a jailbroken iPhone, I can vouch for the worthiness of the iPhone OS as a replacement for a general-purpose computing platform. I will put up with jailbreaking my phone, however, as I needed a phone anyway, so I might as well have the best. But the thing about the iPad is I don't NEED that at all, since I already have an iPhone and a laptop, and so I'm unwilling to pay $500+ for the privilege of fighting my vendor for access to my own device that I didn't really need in the first place. This is why the iPhone is acceptable to this geek, but the iPad is not in its current incarnation.

As for the hardware, in order to replace a laptop as my next purchase, the xPad (iPad Pro?) would need to have a front-facing camera, USB port, SD card slot and stylus built in. Dongles and accessories are unacceptable for any of those things.

I'm all for diving into this rabbit hole of touch computing and iPhone OS for general computing, but that means I'll have to be able to install apps that Apple may not care for, such as a Bittorrent client/server, something that can play some random MKV file, or Firefox with add-ons and Flash support, lousy though it may be (that's my call to make). It means I'll want access to some random system config file that fixes some behavior that's pissed the hell out of me one too many times. The iPad is worthy of criticism because it's such an appealing offering, and it's so very close to being exactly what I want to buy. But in this case, it just wasn't close enough for me. I appreciate that it's attractive to many people, but I'm being honest when I say that there's really no one that I know that I could recommend it to at this point, and I've yet to meet a single person who actually lusts for one. I'd say Apple still has some work cut out for them. I don't doubt that this is the future of computing, but we're not there quite yet. It's a good step though.; looking forward to next year's model, especially the Pro version.

February 4, 2010 7:13 PM

Justin Lowery says:

I wholeheartedly agree. It's pitifully sad that most geeks do not 'get' the iPad philosophy. This truly is the computer for the rest of us, in a way the Macintosh never came close to. As such, it's the computing, or shall we say *working, playing, and creating* tool of tomorrow.

February 4, 2010 7:28 PM

Luke says:

I'm surprised by how vehement the opposition is to the iPad... This is the first computer that everyone from my grandmother all the way down to my 2 and half year old can use. And not only use, but figure out in a few simple gestures.

The herd is busting the gate and the geeks are crying fowl.

February 4, 2010 7:36 PM

Shauna says:

I think you missed a major point. The press buildup and anticipation they (and we) created for this launch. They didn't give us that many details about the product so all we could do was speculate. What product can live up to that kind of hype? THAT is why I was underwhelmed. Yeah, it's really cool. But cool enough for all that hype? I'm not so sure.

February 4, 2010 7:59 PM

Shauna says:

I think you missed a major point. The press buildup and anticipation they (and we) created for this launch. They didn't give us that many details about the product so all we could do was speculate. What product can live up to that kind of hype? THAT is why I was underwhelmed. Yeah, it's really cool. But cool enough for all that hype? I'm not so sure.

February 4, 2010 8:00 PM

edward says:

@Richard Querin
There is always something to share.
-

I've always liked the idea of a stand alone ebook reader, not all books are great as ebooks, but I think a large portion of them are very suitable. Amazon's Kindle effort seemed like the best before iPad, because they had the content for sale too.

Apple went one (or a few) steps further than Amazon with the IPS color screen (IPS is THE top end LCD panel technology), web surfing and movie viewing; this thing is NOT a netbook.

February 4, 2010 8:04 PM

Claudia says:

@Niall,

Totally get your point, and I actually work from home and use a treadmill desk. But how does this change the input/output and the work that's required of me? It frees me from the commute and I can wear what I want and I have a little more flex in how I structure my day. But I still have to work at a computer for as many as 10 hours per day with severe deadline pressure and I think many people face this type of scenario, regardless of how workspaces or telecommuting are/is arranged. So, yeah, maybe I'll go sit on the couch for a while, or go to a coffee shop, but *I still need a screen*, I still need to create presentations and spreadsheets and Word documents. I am not sure what you mean by all these new and different ways of doing things, but the fact is, we still need more or less the same kind of deliverables. Whether it's a website or a book or a financial report you're generating, you still need to crank it out. IE, in the end you actually have to work. That means you have to use a computer, and you need some kind of input device that doesn't give you tendonitis and you need some kind of screen that doesn't kill your eyes.

And whether or not things *should* be done the same old MS way, the question is, where will the breaking point be? At what point does a company say, the hell with our 10,000 PCs, we'll switch over to this tablet thing even though it doesn't help us create all these deliverables we need? (And even though I work from home, my company still pays for my machine.) There IS inertia in the corporate environment--look how many are still on IE6. I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm just saying that the next generation will get indoctrinated the same as everyone else, that's just a fact.

And anyhow, I still don't see how the Apple tablet outshines the HP tablet? Where you get pretty much everything the Apple thing does PLUS all the computing power of a laptop. What am I missing? It does the touch thing. It does the e-reader thing. It has a camera, USB ports, handwriting recognition, multitasking, all of it.

I'm not saying Apple's not cool. It just doesn't get much of the stuff done that I need to get done. Maybe it will eventually, though I'll still need to hook it up to a screen, keyboard, and trackball mouse. That's why I don't see it replacing computing, conceptually. I'm really fine if someone comes up with a better mousetrap, but it still needs to accomplish stuff. At the end of the day, I still need something that enables me to write a book, produce an annual report, create a video and embed it on my site, etc. I'm willing to go with the best tool for that, but it has to DO it. And comfortably. All day long, from my treadmill desk in my home office.

February 4, 2010 8:48 PM

Claudia says:

One other thing...it seems to me that it's the Mac folks who demand the interface they're used to...that's why everyone gets so upset whenever MS changes Windows. Even when they improve something, people howl, because it's not what they were used to. Apple keeps everything more or less the same, doesn't change the OS much. That's not my idea of innovation, but okay.

At any rate, my point wasn't about interfaces I or anyone else is used to...more about the fact that *computing* as an activity, won't go away, regardless of how it looks or feels.

February 4, 2010 8:52 PM

Chris Howard says:

The head-in-the-sand and i-know-best attitude of many people in technology has been incredibly surprising. Surely people should have learnt by now Apple knows what it's doing. Everyone bagged the iPod, the iTunes store, the iPhone and predicted failure for each, but each was a stunning success. Surely people would learn by now that most times Apple will make them look like total fools.

And even if the iPad does by some miracle fail, it's irrelevant. The age of proper touch tablets is upon us. Within in a few years, most of our computing will be done on touch-based devices.

This is just like 1984 again. The Mac introduced the GUI and the mouse to the consumer. And even though it essentially failed, being over-run by Windows, it defined the future. Incredibly it took 11 years before Microsoft was able to produce anything anywhere near similar.

Apple has a massive head start again, as they did in 1984. It is the only company with a touch based OS for this decade. And it's got 75million users already; already familiar with it; no learning curve. That's one thing they didn't have with the original Mac.

I was underwhelmed by the iPad for the first 24 hours, but when I realised the possibilities (which will happen, as we've seen amazing things done by developers with the iPhone - e.g. Ocarina; Sleep Cycle; FingerFoos; etc) then I got excited.

Now I want two! And my kids want one each as well!

February 4, 2010 9:16 PM

Vernon says:

Claudia: I'm sure you're already aware of these, but from your phrasing, it wasn't entirely clear. Apple developed iWork for the iPad (you can see screenshots at the bottom here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/app-store/) which comes with their multi-touch version of Pages (Word), Numbers (Excel), and Keynote (PowerPoint). All three products support creation, editing, and sharing of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. You can see them in action in the keynote. Again, excuse me if you knew all of this already, but I was just curious what you found lacking in these, combined with say the keyboard dock accessory?

Also, when you mentioned "Apple keeps everything more or less the same, doesn't change the OS much. That's not my idea of innovation, but okay" — I suppose you could claim that Apple changed from Mac OS X to iPhone OS, which is a pretty drastic change, I'd say, and Apple fans seem to be happy enough with it :).

February 4, 2010 9:33 PM

Claudia says:

I shouldn't have refreshed this page... @Vernon, I would like to get my hands on iWorks and see if it's really as cool as Office... The last version of Office for Mac that I saw was not as good as Office 2010 for PCs...they don't make the same versions, and as far as I know, there are "no plans" to do so. That said, this probably only matters to power doc users. And being able to use a Tablet that could easily synch with my PC might be pretty cool. I'd still need the PC for the main crunching, but if I could go to the iPad and take a break for a bit and then come back and integrate, I might like it. I'd also want to be able to run Scrivener, which is a novel/screenplay software. But I'm not that closed-minded. I gave the MacBook Pro a good run when I was shopping for a new laptop and I will go check out the iPad when it's out.

Though in any event, we need to get to multitasking, so I can run Tweetdeck and post to this site while I'm writing my novel in Scrivener and working for my company in Office and SharePoint.

But has anyone taken a look at Microsoft's Surface technology? I am not sure why it's only Apple that's seen as having "proper touch" GUI. It's possible that MS and Apple folks are equally ignorant of what the other camp is up to.

And you're right, the iPhone OS is different from OSX. But one's a phone. You'd expect that to be different. I don't use an iPhone because I can't get a cell signal at my house so it makes no sense to have a smart phone, but I prob would if I lived within range.

I was just saying on another forum, in which someone is proposing the IDEAL device, that what I really want is a device where I can input by keyboard for a few hours, then unplug and go sit by a pool for a few hours, and scribble with a stylus. Then I want there to be *no difference* in how the output looks, digitally--ie, what I want is exact, trainable handwriting recognition so I can jot, type, or sketch and voila, there it is digitally. Funny that what I want is just old stuff made new. Anyhow, we'll get there. What it mainly rests on is someone making a good stylus for the iPad or its next gen, since Jobs won't (do you suppose he's got one those learning disabilities where it's really hard to hold a pen or pencil and think at the same time, per Mel Levine...the type who hold the pen in their fist instead of in their first couple fingers, and that's why he's against the stylus, speaking of being stuck in your own learning style? I wonder if this explains the Apple/PC divide to some extent... PC people just more textual/linear, and thus this type of processing seems more natural, whereas graphical, touch-based system is "better" to types with different learning styles? Is it really just that simple?), and also some better HWR software. Neither Apple nor Windows nor MyScript, while all okay, is quite there.

BTW, touch interfaces are NOT ergonomic, unless your input is pretty low-volume or most of what you're doing is moving stuff around.

February 4, 2010 9:53 PM

Claudia says:

And @Vernon, in any case, with iWork and all it will still be a computer, right? To come back to the original thesis of this post, which I was challenging.

February 4, 2010 10:03 PM

yotoen says:

Sometimes things are "in the movies" for a reason.. It's because pragmatism doesn't always mesh with imagination.

You'd think keyboards had gone obsolete they way you guys carry on.

Nice chart btw. I don't find it meshing well with trends though. Technology gets more complex and sophisticated every year, the people who get left behind are those with this mentality that power potential and ease of use are unlinked rather than an inverse proportion. I think some relabeling is in order, "Computer Users" should probably be retitled "spectators".

February 5, 2010 2:33 AM

Martin Westin says:

@Bob Wolff

The car analogy, referenced by Bod, and plenty of other people, is a bit off.

The iPhone and iPad are cars that have encrypted electronic keys on the hood. They can only be services and repaired by a single Autoshop. Break down in the wrong place and you will get a very long tow-truck ride.
They are cars where the "entertainment system" is also locked to the car, impossible to replace. Impossible to put even seat covers on the seats... or living in a cold climate as I do... impossible to fit an engine pre-heating system so the darn thing can start on a cold morning.

Prefer Good Year tires? Sorry, this car only runs on Michelin.
Prefer filling up at "Acme Gas Co"? Nope. Not allowed.
That is the car analogy.

The closest we have to that, that I am aware of, is the Audi A2 which actually has a lock on the hood and only Audi-dealers can open it. Cheap car, expensive service plan. I also imagine the Toyota Prius being similarly difficult to get under the hood of.

February 5, 2010 2:51 AM

Dave Hyndman says:

Great post. One correction: RSS is the "worst name ever for a product attempting broad acceptance"

February 5, 2010 3:03 AM

Chris Howard says:

@Claudia, Microsoft's Surface technology is not a consumer-targeted product at this stage.

So yes, it is a "proper touch" OS, but I should have been clearer and said for personal use.

On the Windows front, all MS seem to do is try to adapt Windows to fit touch-based devices (pens or fingers). I think Microsoft needs to follow Apple's lead of re-inventing the front-end. Throw out the Windows front end and start from scratch. They can keep a lot of the engine, but they need to let go of 20th century GUI and interaction thinking.

February 5, 2010 3:08 AM

Jeff Halmos says:

Funny. The iPad seems more about being there, rather than the getting there. Antithetical to Apple's past tagline "The journey is the reward."

February 5, 2010 7:22 AM

@dwbudd says:

IMHO, a great analysis. I get very tired at my job (I build mathematical models in medical research) when I hear (usually from some marketing guy with an MBA) that something or other is a "black box."

Just because YOU do not understand how something works (and it's almost always because you cannot - and in fact should not - be concerned about why it works) does not make it a black box.

The author has struck the nail squarely here; for the overwhelming majority of people, all of the esoterica around open this and transparent that does not matter at all. The product needs to actually do something of value to them (even if its looking up the names of Tiger Woods's various paramours), do it correctly most of the time, and do it in a manner that is not an obstruction in the complexity of its interface.

Put another way, the overwhelming majority of people who drive a car are neither Click nor Clack.

sjrefugee.blogspot.com

February 5, 2010 7:34 AM

Amy says:

As just a plain old average consumer, I am very excited for the iPad. I've wanted books & music on release day before, but never anything like this.

DRM has yet to bite me. I lost 20 receipts worth of music going back to 2007. I contacted iTunes, and they were able to replace my lost music - all but 2 receipts. For those, they gave me instructions on how to move them from my iPod to my computer.

And as for lending -- I'm comfortable with the restrictions. I don't like to lend as I have a hard time getting things back. (I know - "maybe you should get a new set of friends"...)

But it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the people fighting DRM. Without you, I'm sure things would be worse - could be at a place where even I'm not comfortable. It's you who will push the situation to get better. After all, when people are totally happy with status quo, changes are a lot slower to happen.

I want to see the iPad succeed. It's the type of thing I see working for me. And I have a bit of a perverse desire to see the naysayers eat their words - it's just beyond me why anyone would think something that makes no sense to them couldn't succeed in a world where Paris Hilton is considered to be news.

But even so, I would think it would be a bad thing if everything became iPad clones. Choice is good. It's you people who are against closed systems who won't let the market for open systems go away. Both types can exist in the marketplace, can't they?

I suppose we'll see...

February 5, 2010 8:07 AM

Sandra says:

@Justin, @Luke, @Chris—it’s not so much that we »don’t get it«, but that we’re frustrated with Apple having so much power.
I’m sure Apple’s decisions make perfect sence for their own bottom line. I’m sure Ma and Pa Kent—or even most of us—will find these workflows easier than other mainstream operating systems for many common tasks.

But the iPad future is like a world without kitchens, with only a few brands of fast-food restaurants to choose from, who reserve full control over the recipes for the meals we’re served.

You’re making great points about the future of interfaces and I hope the world will listen to those points—but I also hope it will listen to our points about software creation, distribution and modification.

February 5, 2010 9:16 AM

Klinger says:

Together Google Wave and the iPad both make perfect sense. Let's get to work... together.

February 5, 2010 11:12 AM

MeCourious says:

I love this post.

I can' help think how much a life style change the iPad will be. Most of us have our "computer" stuck in some part of the house. For me, it's my library. Others may have it in their family room with all the wires sticking out the back to add instant clutter. Some of us use a laptop to haul around the house even though we would probably have to plug it into an electrical outlet if we worked on it long enough.

The iPad will be the first device that will do serious computer work anywhere in the house and it wont look like a computer. In it's charging stand, it could show slide shows of your last vacation rip or a Flicker program to show random photos from that site. If a thought occurs concerning the internet, you just pick it up, start the mobile Google app and speak your question into it. Up pops hits from Google. You touch the web site, find what you were looking for and then pop the iPad back into its charging stand and continue with the slide show.

Almost anything you have a though on, you don't have to wait until you are close to the computer, the iPad is right there ready to do what ever you thought about. You will become more curious about the world. You will dive into anything that crosses your mind because the computer is not somewhere stuck in the library. It will be right there wherever you happen to be.

And because of this, many people will have more than one in their house. If its a two story house, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Or maybe one for the kids and one for the adults. It just seems this will be a dramatic turning point in the way we view "computers" and their use in our lives.

February 5, 2010 11:25 AM

Dave says:

@simon and @mastermix You guys keep worrying that MS, apple, et. al will finally figure out how to aim that DRM cannon at something other than their foot. But the customers are nothing but foot. Itunes is the closest to a counterexample, but I think it is actually evidence infavor of what I am saying - they have to charge low $, had to add a non-DRM option, and I bet once a customer gets bitten by the DRM they'll mostly feel motivated to learn how to avoid it.

February 5, 2010 11:57 AM

Alex Payne says:

Mike,

Who, exactly, is arguing that not wanting root access "makes you stupid"? This is an absurd straw man. Sure, consumers shouldn't have to care if a system is open or closed - that's a job for technologists. But technologists *should* care, and they should be allowed to care. They should be allowed to express an opinion about the device's politics without the assumption that they don't care about usability - or, taken to your extreme, that they "lack empathy" for non-technical users.

Maybe there are some trolls on gadget blogs who conform to this knuckle-dragging, user-berating stereotype, but the disappointed techies I spoke to when the iPad was released simply wanted Apple to start taking steps towards a future of computing that is built on a foundation of open technologies and trust in their customers. Or, put another way, we want Apple to not abandon its roots, and to support the next generation of developers by giving them the tools they need to learn and grow.

What I and other technologists argued against when the iPad was released is that Apple didn't care to create a product that is both usable *and* open. Future technologies should be both - there's no reason for them not to be. The benefits of openness are far-reaching and play out over decades, not mere sales quarters. It's the right thing to do from a technical perspective, a political perspective, and a business perspective.

You've invented a hypothetical villan who wants to keep computers ugly and hard to use. You've never allowed for the possibility that technologists can care about openness and usability at the same time. So where, now, is that lack of empathy?

February 5, 2010 12:04 PM

Jesse Kuhnert says:

@Alex

Ok, I'll bite. What's the publicly available repository URL for twitter? I want to make some tweaks and commit them back without any oversight.

February 5, 2010 12:26 PM

Rezmason says:

Good opinion piece, but I think there's a piece of the picture that Monteiro is missing.

Devices that burden consumers with needless complexity are poorly designed. But devices that limit the user's ability to a subset of that device's full capabilities actively prevent the users from becoming tomorrow's innovators.

The author suggests that devices like the iPad are a replacement for computers, which sounds right. If so, then those devices better have the option to be open, otherwise the generations raised on those devices will never produce any programmers. The people who'd become those programmers need their devices to enable them, encourage them and provide them with the environment to become a programmer, which a closed device cannot do.

General purpose machines are "open", not as an attempt to make every user happy, but as a promise that any user who wants to do more with a computer, can do more. The author is confusing having a freedom and enjoying it; just because most people won't enjoy a freedom does not mean it should be taken away. And if closed devices (iPads) completely replace open devices (computers), then that freedom is gone.

In this case, if Apple made the iPad an open platform, they would essentially be promising us, the consumers, that if we wanted to do something with our iPad that Apple did not specify or approve of, then we would be free to do so. After all, we own the device. Apple's inability or lack of interest in making that promise is what the "open crowd" is down about.

February 5, 2010 12:55 PM

Education site says:

I dont see the logic in your argument but I think you've painted your strokes

February 5, 2010 1:20 PM

Ian says:

@Jesse

There’s a difference. No one is asking for the technical schematics of the iPad’s hardware, just as no one is asking for unrestricted access to Twitter’s source. However, we are asking for the ability to do what we want on the iPad, just as we’re pretty much free to say what we want on Twitter. You don’t see a mysterious force in Twitter rejecting tweets they deem unacceptable for the community.

Yes, I realize there are restrictions on Twitter that forbid you from doing illegal things or disrupting the public system, but a piece of hardware that I buy is not a “public” system. The iPhone had an excuse because it was tightly integrated with the cell network (one of those “public systems”); the iPad… not so much. What’s even more upsetting is that the iPad is not a peripheral device like the iPhone… it’s Apple’s proposed replacement for the laptops and workstations we use on daily basis.

I’m fairly certain that many of us “haters” actually do want an iPad. But is it too much to ask to just put a little checkbox buried in Settings that says “Allow root access”?

February 5, 2010 1:35 PM

Education site says:

What will happen to scholarship money that is left over from college tuition?

February 5, 2010 1:39 PM

Colin Toal says:

Is anyone surprised that there's no openness on an iPad ? I mean - really ?

http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Diagnostic_Port.txt&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date&detail=medium&search=port

February 5, 2010 1:39 PM

Spinchange says:

Wanting root level access on a device you own, getting it, and then having the OEM
perptually try to screw you out of it is a lack of empathy.

I'm fine with the consumer device premise. I think it's smart and it's time has come.
But let's not pretend that people get smarter and eventually want, and are able to do more.

What's bullshit, in my veiw. is the Apple acts towards those people.
The functionality is already all inherently there, it's just locked down by the OEM.
After it's mine, and I take full responsibility for it (good or bad) why does it matter them anymore?

I'll tell you why: because they want to sell me that inherent functionality, piecemeal, when they decide everone else is ready and they'll get the most for it.

My bitch being stated, it's still a beautiful device and sure to be transformative.

February 5, 2010 2:10 PM

Spinchange says:

Egads! (embarrased by my unedited comments, accidentally submitted before editing)

I hope my point is discernable through that mess. :p

February 5, 2010 2:18 PM

Lawrence says:

I'm on the same team as Bob and Spinchange when it comes to the iPad. Conceptually it is an excellent idea. I can agree wholeheartedly with people who feel that it fits their need's perfecting in regards to a PC that doesn't require them to learn too much to utilise it. Everyone's heard of "Don't Make Me Think" approach to UIs. But what if I WANT to think? Why then will the machine actively turn against me and block me at every turn?
I own an iPhone, I have jailbroken and hacked the living daylights out of it to expose the filesystem and alter MY property to the form I want to. Yet only yesterday the firmware update 3.1.2 does only one thing. Lock down the current exploit that the most recent jailbreaking processes use. The fact that I should have to hack a system to use it as I want in the first place is deplorable, but when a manufacturer will take active steps to defer that choice is plain frustrating. Apple have gone as far as to declare (somewhat emptily) that they view Jailbreaking as illegal and breach of copyright.
The iPad will have mass implications, my worry is that this sort of device will teach people it's OK that a company can control your property post purchase just because they want to.

February 5, 2010 3:52 PM

Hardie Tankersley says:

The problem is that Apple has decided in its wisdom that iPad users should not be allowed to watch video on Hulu or any other site except for YouTube. If you want any content other than straight-up Safari-friendly HTML, then you should buy and install an "app". That is why iPad, as currently envisioned is a dead-end as a general purpose laptop replacement computing device.

February 5, 2010 4:55 PM

Fred says:

Meh.

Throw this Newton 2.0 non-starter on the pile with the Apple Pippin, Cube, 20th Anniversary Mac, Apple TV, and the puck mouse.

February 5, 2010 5:52 PM

Nik says:

I agree completely - this is what people do with computers, and where they don't really need a messy computer and complicated OS. They just want to do the stuff they do. Web, email, media, and maybe, Word processing.

What I don't understand and what seems very un-Apple like is why they didn't go all the way with the iPad. The iPad as it is is meant to be tethered to a computer. That seems to be a glitch in an otherwise comprehensive computer-less computer solution. Instead of tethering, there needs to be a migration assistant. And there need to be ways to get music and video on the iPad without using a computer. I guess Apple couldn't solve this one, so they just did an iPod-like device. I guess you can at least connect a camera to import photos - that's a start.

February 5, 2010 5:56 PM

Nik says:

@Lawrence The closed nature of the app store is IMO the only problem with the Apple model. It's Apple's good right to only sell "approved" apps. It's their store. But Apple should be forced to allow alternative app stores, which are just as simple to use, which are officially allowed to sell any app they want as long as the apps adhere to the public APIs. The approval process would be automated and simply a check for API use - nothing else. Apps that go against Apple's business interests in particular need to be allowed.

I am 100% certain such a scheme could be forced upon Apple once the iPad gets ubiquitous enough to gain monopoly status. Example: Microsoft Windows would not get away with this. But at that point (if it ever happens) it would be too late.

February 5, 2010 6:04 PM

Oninoshiko says:

Yes, it is quite clear that we ALL (geek and otherwise) want "the thing in the movie," but for me that is isn't is the "meh" point. If you can give me something small, lightweight, durable, cheap, pretty touch interface, access to the whole internet, and that can do most of what a low-end laptop can I will jump on that bandwagon.

small: ok, I'll grant it... it's small enough

lightweight: they did good here

durable: time will tell. I suspect it's not durable enough, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

cheap: a little higher then where it needs to be, which is around 100-200 USD less. Might get away with it if the rest of the execution was flawless.

interface: apple is good at these

internet: Terminally incomplete. As much as it's hated, flash is still here (as is java). The non-geeks I know will want to know why "farmville" doesn't work, and I will tell them it's a limitation of the 'Pad.

most laptop stuff: granted, a multi-user interface is not required, but a multi-tasking one is. That's one thing that "the thing in the movie" does. HD-video is another.

If it can't replace my laptop there is no point. I want to have to carry around *LESS* stuff, not more. I'll even accept that I still need my desktop for heavy-lifting like content development or heavy gaming (ok, I'm not a gamer, so I don't care much here). I'll accept that I'm not getting my handheld video phone ("the thing in the movie" could do this). The problem is 400USD + 30USD/Month (did you forget that in order to have completely ubiquitous 'net you need an unlimited G3 data plan? WiFi isn't everywhere, nowhere near) is just too much to get nothing I'm going to use other then a mobile ssh-teminal (I assume someone will get this written) and the iPad-limited WWW.

It's a step in the right direction, but not a finished marathon.

February 5, 2010 7:01 PM

Jesse Kuhnert says:

@all

I don't know. How many times have you had to un-fuck your girlfriend/parents/etc's computer du jour and just wonder to yourself "when the fuck does it end"? When will we reach the golden age of computing when this crap finally works easily and understandably by anyone other than the people creating them? wtf?

I'm willing to trade your root freedom for my parents not feeling like helpless retards because I love them more. =) (and because I hope / know we have more choices...at least I hope. the thought of some dark age of mass control with no access is certainly scary but then I wonder if that wouldn't be a self defeating kind of thing to do? Who's going to write apps for you or be employable by you if no one understands wtf is going on under the covers? )

February 5, 2010 7:16 PM

BAW says:

Many, if not most of us are simply interested in technology that works--well-designed, gorgeously crafted, powerful tools that are dependable, safe, productive, easy to understand, and a pleasure to use. I can't wait to buy an iPad. I can't wait to see what happens once it gets into the wild. I see it as a wonderfully blank slate that is going to stimulate an unprecedented amount of creativity for both developers and users. My own preference is to support developers that use Apple's official SDK.

Hackers and jail breakers will do what hackers and jail breakers always do. Fine. Whatever. Knock yourselves out. There is a lot that can be learned from your efforts. But please stop trying to convince me that Apple is the great Satan Control Freak somehow trying to destroy the whole foundation of Western Civilization as we know it and Freedom itself by insisting on an operating system a little more closed than you would like.

February 5, 2010 10:23 PM

David says:

At this [mooted] price point and with this loveliness of form, this seems like a device to leave on the coffee table, have the kids surf the Cbeebies website, use for our online Ocado shop as we wander round the kitchen checking what we need, and speedily checking our individual email accounts, except...

it won't run flash, and it's single sign-on.

Sure you can add all the mail accounts if the set-up is the same as the iPhone, but you can't secure them. You certainly can't control kids' access to the net. It also means I might be happy for Edie to play the lemonade stall game, but I don't want her playing GTA just yet.

We'll still get one - it won't replace books in our house - but it might replace paper magazines and it's going to be a great way of accessing photos and other content we create, but for our family it could have been amazing, and if what I read is right, it's going to fall at the last hurdle.

February 6, 2010 12:01 PM

JohnT says:

I've heard this same argument before, when we were told the computer would be placed by the "thin client" back in the 1990s. It's about as valid then as it is now. It's the argument for the "dumbing down" of the computer.

My 78-year-old mom has been using a PC for 15 years and gets by fine, with just a minimum of support from her sons. I can tell you she's not going to buy a device that won't let her check her email and browse the web at the same time, or that won't let her play Flash games (Neopets, she's into that).

Before we start heralding the iPad as the replacement for the computer, let's see if it actually sells. If it's as revolutionary as you think it will be, then you can sit and write blog posts about how right you were. Until then, let's just sit tight and shut up about it.

February 6, 2010 1:50 PM

bandsxbands says:

Digital Memory sure is becoming cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. I'm curious as to when we will eventually reach the rate of 1 cent to 1 Gig.

I can't wait for the day when I will finally be able to afford a 20 TB hard disk . But for now I will be satisfied with having a 16 gigabyte Micro SD Card in my R4i.

(Posted on Nintendo DS running R4i DSi NETP)

February 7, 2010 11:18 AM

His Shadow says:

"The problem is that Apple has decided in its wisdom that iPad users should not be allowed to watch video on Hulu"

No, Hulu has decided that. Something that everybody uses is not the same as a standard. Flash is a not a standard. Apple is under no obligation to support a company that has abused and abandoned Apple customers and the Mac OS. The faster everyone moves to interoperable standards, the better.

February 8, 2010 7:30 AM

Amelia says:

What is Mike Monteiro's problem with Ubuntu? I don't get it. Of course his kid (and his parents, too!) will have an iPad to go with his iPod asap, but most kids in the developing world will never even touch one in their lifetime. For me, this is what is good about Ubuntu and OSS: it's free to everyone to run on any crap laptop that may come their way.

"The people don’t want “tablet computers” with Ubuntu and OpenID (worst name ever for a product attempting broad acceptance). They could honestly give a shit whether it’s a closed or open system."

If "tablet computers" do become commonplace, poor people are going to want a cheap or free OS to run on your throwaways. You can only stick with last year's model for so long. So, poor people who like to use computers do give a shit.

February 8, 2010 10:11 AM

name says:

"Except this time, one month later, my 12 year old son turns to me and whispers “Look Dad, it’s an iPad.”"

Except, other than looking similar to each other, the fictional device in the movies can do a bit more than read e-books.

February 8, 2010 10:36 AM

James says:

So, why do you hate freedom?

February 8, 2010 10:41 AM

matthew says:

"They want things to work most of the time, and be easy to fix when they don’t. And if the process by which it happens is “magic” they are totally cool with that."

then...

"As an industry, we need to understand that not wanting root access doesn’t make you stupid. It simply means you do not want root access."

So, you're saying that people who think computers run on magic are not stupid and should not ever learn how they actually work? Sure, this may benefit the 'industry', but doesn't benefit the computer users, which is who you claim ("not us") the 'industry' works for. Do them a favor, stop treating them like stupid children, they can understand how a computer actually works, it's called education. Sorry, but if someone thinks a computer runs on magic, then they are stupid, and it would follow that they wouldn't want root access, because they wouldn't know what to do with it, at least until they learn the spells and wizardry needed.

February 8, 2010 10:52 AM

bandsxbands says:

I'm in a love/hate relationship with digital memory because of how prices are always dropping. I absolutely hate buying SDs for my R4 / R4i at (what seems to be) a cheap price only to see it become 10% cheaper a couple of months later.

(Posted on Nintendo DS running [url=http://cid-2602f0e287041cef.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!2602F0E287041CEF!106.entry]R4i[/url] PostNet)

February 9, 2010 1:51 PM

Going Bust says:

When it is programmable, runs Flash, isn't locked down by an Evil Corporation, and has a camera, then, maybe.

February 9, 2010 3:17 PM

Andreas Duess says:

Thanks for getting it. I've been making similar points until I turned blue in the face.

The iPad isn't a computer, it is an appliance.

February 10, 2010 4:50 AM

Brettr says:

"They could honestly give a shit whether it’s a closed or open system. "

you mean

They honestly couldn't give a shit whether it’s a closed or open system.

April 6, 2010 11:37 PM