Post-PC era, indeed – Wind on a Leaf
David Chartier recounting a story that happened during a recent Christmas dinner with his larger family.
It describes the way a high school student interacts and productively uses her iPad in school.
I consider myself to be pretty tech-savvy, which might be the reason why it took me so long to realise how greatly a device like this would benefit me. If I had know this, I’d have bought the first iPad a few months dafter its release. It’s hard to count the number of ways it makes my life as a university student easier and my spare time more enjoyable.
Consumers have to be educated
Yesterday John Gruber wrote a short article about the imminent release of the HP TouchPad.
He argues that the Touchpad seems to be the most compelling iPad competitor so far, but HP will have to wage an uphill battle:
I think the problem facing HP is summed up in the sub-head on this promotional page:
The ultimate in entertainment with Beats Audio and Adobe Flash.
That’s not a compelling answer to “Why should I buy this instead of an iPad?” I mean, who has even heard of “Beats Audio”?
I agree that the TouchPad will have to prove itself; a task not easily accomplished in a market dominated by the iPad. I don’t agree however with the assumption that the TouchPad has no differentiating features that would answer the above question.
Just like Apple had to tell consumers why the iPod/iPhone/iPad will make their lives easier, HP is going to have to educate consumers about what the TouchPad does and what it does that the iPad does not do. A consumer-centric feature like improved audio characteristics sound like a good argument to me, at the very least to grab people’s attention.
A well-made series of commercials — let’s call it Apple-y — focusing on what the TouchPad can do for the potential buyer would be a good start.
They just don't get it. Part infinity.
Aaron Holesgrove of Business Week wrote a response to one of John Gruber’s articles, with the title “Why Windows 8 is NOT fundamentally flawed as a response to the iPad”.
I thought about taking his piece apart point by point, but I decided against it. The sheer number of things Mr. Holes grove doesn’t understand about the way the iPad works and what makes it successful is mind-boggling. Yet he thinks he knows what consumers want and it’s clearly not a device like the iPad. Go read his article, I’ve been chuckling and shaking my head all the way through.
(via Instapaper)
Over the last few days Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has written a few pieces on the rather strange things RIM’s two co-CEOs said in interviews (articles 1, 2 & 3).
All of the things Mr. Dalrymple wrote were accurate — albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek — yet in the comments of each post there was a rabid RIM supporter — of the trollish kind — feeling the need to bash Apple, the iPad in particular and praise RIM’s soon to be released iPad competitor to high heavens.
What these close to fanatic RIM fans don’t understand is, the iPad desperately needs an actual competitor, because even a company like Apple can become complacent. Nothing spurs innovation like healthy competition.
By all means, I want the PlayBook to be good (and HP’s tablet, too), I want it to be all the things that RIM has been promising customers for months.
What it’s like to share an article from one of these iPad magazines
Hey Dan, I was just reading an interesting piece in that new iPad magazine. I think you’d really dig it.
Isn’t it amazing how it’s 2011 and we can just share these things quickly? Remember when you first used email and you were like, whoa dude, did you just send a letter to a possibly hot possibly girl in Cambodia? And you mean to tell me that she is going to be able to read it before I’m done saying this senten holy crap she wrote back already! Remember that? So since it’s 2011 this is going to be so much more amazing, yeah?
Alright, let me find this bad boy. For some reason* I can’t search this app so let me simply swipe my way through every page of every issue until I see the article I mentioned. I appreciate your patience. Ok here it is. Hey also for some reason* I can’t directly email this or select it to send it to you, so let’s do this right. You ready?
(*The pages are just dead images. There is no text to search or copy lol.)
Ok, download Futurio from the App Store. Got it? Love the sound of FREE, yeah. Take that, 1999. Ok, now, scroll on over to issue #9, the one with the poorly compressed JPEG on the cover, oh wait, now it looks better. Ok, buy (sike!) that one. It’ll take a few minutes to download. No, we can’t play Words With Friends while we wait, are you nuts. Hell yeah the download would break and probably be impossible to continue later.
Got it? Oh sorry, yeah, I’m eating a chicken confit sandwich. I had time to make it while the thing downloaded. Anyway, the article, the article… Right, it’s on page number, uh, well, ok it’s a big red page towards the back. Got it? Ok, it’s down at the end. No, scroll down. More. More. More. Ok there it is.
I know! I also thought Amanda would love it. You should totally send it to her.
It’s only a little bit better with some magazines in Germany. Still:
(via Marco Arment)
Thorough review of the 11" MacBook Air
Peter Cohen of The Loop and Angry Mac Bastards did a very good (preliminary) review of his newly bought 11” MacBook Air. He described the upsides, downsides and compromises one must make, when replacing either an iPad or a larger laptop with the MacBook Air.
Well worth a read, if you’re unsure how this device will fit the way you (want to) work.
3rd generation iPad come autumn, speculation says
The lack of reading comprehension, critical thinking skills and professionally in the tech press and blogosphere is almost disturbing.
Don’t believe me? Then read this post by John Gruber of daringfireball.net: http://daringfireball.net/2011/02/the_next_six_months
After that this post by Jim Dalrymple of loopinsight.com: http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/02/10/about-this-ipad-3/
And at last this one by Darby Lines of theangrydrunk.com: http://www.theangrydrunk.com/2011/02/10/the-incredibly-credulous-tech-press/
A guess by John Gruber was blown way out of proportion by sites and press organs I don’t want to mention here. Mr. Dalrymple and Mr. Lines really hit the nail on its head, with what they wrote about this whole situation.
Larry Dignan on Tablet Pricing
John Gruber:
Larry Dignan:
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched the iPad it wasn’t clear how aggressively these newfangled devices were priced. Now we know because Android tablets and other rival tablets can’t hang on pricing.
Today’s Apple has turned the pricing story on its head. Used to be the knock against Apple was their kit was overpriced. Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices.
It’s going to be interesting to see how long it will take competitiors to catch-up this time.
