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I figured I’d add my $0.02 to the throng and write a few words about the new Apple toy, coming soon to a store near you. As a recently (four years or so) converted Mac fanboi, I thought maybe I could offer something a little different than what’s being said.

Among my fanboi brethren, there is much unrest. Everyone was expecting the next best greatest thing, and a lot of people are upset because instead of the second coming, they got a “giant iPod Touch”. Heh. Someone should make up an “I went to Apple’s January 2010 event, and all I got was this lousy iPad” shirt.

In a lot of ways, I commiserate. I was let down initially too. Not so much because the tablet is a letdown, but because the hype had my expectations at an entirely unreasonable level. I guess that unless the thing did anything less than read my mind and act as an extension of my own arm I’d have been disappointed.

But even accounting for that, I was decidedly disappointed because it really isn’t anything revolutionary, save for the size. People don’t know where it’d fit. But given the time, I think I have found a place. And, just maybe, it is a little revolutionary, particularly if you see it as a device that specifically doesn’t cater to the geek squad.

At the risk of becoming the stereotypical fanboi who first derides a new Apple offering, swearing I’d never even look at that hunk of garbage and then a year later be singing its praises and owning two, here’s what I think.

This thing is exactly what’s needed when you aren’t sitting at your computer, but want to do simple things. Apple started the whole event talking about mobility, and that’s what this thing is. It’s a mobile device that picks up on the essentials of computing. Even the die-hard programmer geeks do the things that the device does every day. Email. Web. Address book. Calendar. Listen to your tunes. The rest of the custom things that someone does in a day is readily handled by whatever app you want. Recipe book? Health tracker? Shopping list? Whatever you want.

I spent this past weekend away from the computer, but in the house, because I was tending to sick people and fearing my own impending illness that never came. During that time, my iPod Touch got a LOT of use. I could check email and facebook in bed, get info I needed and then put the thing down. It was always close by, unobtrusive, always on, and moved with ease to wherever I was. The only thing that would have made it easier is if it was *ding!* larger.

Why do you think Steve and company chose the ‘chair’ setup at the event over the usual desk? The idea is that this thing is highly mobile and can be wherever you are and doesn’t need a plug, peripherals or much of anything. You just sorta use it.

Speaking of use, it occurred to me yesterday as I was talking to my mom (who incredibly mentioned wanting to learn to use the computer–this is a woman who doesn’t know how to correctly use a mouse) that the idea of a touch-and-use device is exactly what she could use. One slab, and you just see what you want and touch it to use. If the UI is intelligently designed and clear, anyone with two hands can use this thing. The geeks who know everything about everything can scoff at how basic it is, but this thing could very well open up a market that, due to complexity (perceived or actual), was ignored by folks who haven’t as yet hopped online.

We won’t talk about the discomfort I feel at my mother browsing my facebook page someday

Finally, I want to touch on the point of basic, just to bring this around to the self-improvement topics that are currently so near and dear to me. One of the biggest complaints out there is that iPad cannot multitask. Dear god! A computer device that can’t do the most basic of things! Christ, the Commodore Amiga back in the early 80s made a big deal about multitasking! It’s a simple no brainer that anything with a chip on it released today should be able to do 25 year old tech like multitask!

Consider this: There’s a distinct movement toward monotasking as a better way to work because human brains aren’t actually good at multitasking, even if your computer is. Bearing in mind that this device is designed to tackle the basics of computing in a highly mobile way, I ask you why do you want it to multitask? Do what you’re doing and then do something else. This thing pretty much takes that at its core. It’s a Zen device. It’s basic Zen – “when you shit, shit”. Stay in your moment and give it your all.

I am reading and sending an email.

I am surfing the net.

I am looking up a recipe.

You know, you should only do one thing at a time. You’ll enjoy it more, and your mind won’t fragment as badly. I think it falls perfectly in line with what this device aims at. Sometimes I wonder if Apple knows more about how people should work than even they do. It’s sorta scary.

All that having been said, I still doubt I’ll get one. Not because I don’t think it’s a good device. I do. For me, it’s more that it’d be redundant because I can use my iPod Touch if I need that and its size doesn’t annoy me. But then, I guess once I actually use one, all bets are off. Maybe I’ll borrow my mom’s.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 6:30 am and is filed under musing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.