iPad: MUCH better than you think…
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I have long awaited the release of the Apple iPad - I even told my wife I wouldn’t buy another computer until it was released (that’s a HUGE promise for me!).
Well, it finally came out and it’s everything I hoped for. I still believe it will change the world.
“WHAT?!?” I hear you saying. “YOU MUST BE SOME KIND OF FANBOY! IT’S LESS POWERFUL THAN (xyz brand), IT DOESN’T LET YOU DO (xyz function)! IT’S JUST A BIG ITOUCH!!!”
A) Lighten up - this is not a war – at least not on the consumer end.
B) Yes, I have, over the last year or two, become a bit of an Apple fan - but only after being on the other side of the fence for many, many years. I became very impressed with their products, their culture, and their support when I was finally forced to sample it. I am not, however, blind to the facts.
B1) Fact: Apple did not create a sentient being as their new product.
B2) Fact: Apple did not create a display device that surpasses the Holodeck on the Starship Enterprise (Next Gen one, or course)
B3) Fact: Apple did not include magic wishes, magic wands, or even magic pills in their product.
B4) Fact: In fact, what apple did do is create a device that isn’t intended to compete with the current laptop / desktop / netbook market at all.
The iPad is a revolutionary idea, but not in the way many people wanted it to be. It’s not the be-all and end-all techy toy (or even techy-powerhouse) that the geeks (my own people) wanted. It’s a tool for regular people!
“WHAT?!?!?! REGULAR PEOPLE DON’T WANT COMPUTERS!!!!”
Exactly. They want something else. They want something friendlier, something easier, something that does what they need without requiring them to learn about directory structures or how much memory they have or what graphic card they have. They want something that they can use without getting a degree in geek.
Sorry guys (again, my own people), Apple has a winner here, and on more than one front.
The App Store: Yes, it’s closed and proprietary - many, many, many consumer goods are. In this case, this is actually a good thing (even for people who support open software).
“WHAT!?!?!?”
Geez, calm down! Let me explain.
Over the last several years, there has been a movement to make the web a more shared, more supported, and more full-featured platform for applications. Each iteration of apps and technologies that has come along has improved upon the previous.
Also over the last several years, Apple has been very big in supporting specific, needed changes to those technologies. The current version of the Safari browser is an amazing piece of software. It actually follows the standards! Not only that, but it’s even implementing the upcoming standards for things like HTML 5.
Did you catch that? Safari (and also Google Chrome by the way) support HTML 5. I’m sure you’ve heard of it - that’s the technology that lets you do all of that Adobe-Flash like stuff without using Flash; without requiring a separate on-screen object, and without being proprietary to anyone!!!
Besides pushing for more open web standards, there is certainly an advantage to the regular person user if all available software has to go through an approval process by a group that won’t allow A) Virus infection, B) System attacks, C) Adware (of the malware sort), D) Broken software that destabilizes a system, etc.
Are you starting to see how this works to make this product for USERS instead of the Techies?
Face it, my geeky compadres - we’re not the only people in the world. Now it’s time for the rest of the world to have a turn at the power of computers.
Welcome to the future.
Now excuse me, I have to go stand in line.
