Jan 28
The iDream
This isn't a post reviewing the iPad. Quite frankly, all i have seen are screenshots of the device. This isn't a post ridiculing the obnoxious name or lamenting the non-existence of multitasking, a camera or two, support of flash or your favorite proprietary protocol. It isn't about how pretty it is, the plethora of applications or the upcoming ebook store and its comparison to the Kindle. This isn't about its comparison with netbooks or other handheld computing devices. This isn't about the price and this isn't about how you cannot use it on an airplane (really. see 'environmental requirements').
This is about the iPad dream.
Imagine a computer where you don't have to navigate deep into a file structure hierarchy to find something you want. You don't have to worry about creating a folder (and a folder inside a folder) and then think about how to best name it so that you can find it again. You don't have to care about creating shortcuts just to reach somewhere faster. Hell, you don't even have to search for something you want to find on your own computer. Imagine a computer where you don't have to care about installing anti-virus software and firewalls, a computer where getting rid of something does not mean launching an uninstaller or going to 'Add or Remove Programs'. Imagine having just the one place to go to find exactly the software you were looking for instead of scouring the entire internet for it and then filling out a million forms just to try it. Imagine a computer for which software is built and hence, doesn't expect you to upgrade your hardware.
Imagine a computer where you are not scared of losing data because everything gets backed up without you having to think about it. Imagine not having to bother about drives and partitions, formatting and defragmentation, mounting drives and choosing boot sequences, configuring IP settings and installing drivers. Imagine a computer without clutter, without an unintelligible registry and without having to assign virtual memory from your hard drive. Imagine not having to think about whether to single click, double click or right click at something, not having to learn the differences among hibernate, sleep, shutdown and lock and not having to remember to clear the recycle bin.
Imagine a computer that does everything you want it to do and nothing that you don't. Imagine a computer that doesn't scare your mother. Imagine a computer that starts at the press of a button and just works.
Imagine a computer for the rest of us.
The iPad isn't just an overgrown iPhone (though, i see nothing wrong with that). It is a prototype for what computing will mean for the majority of the world in the coming years. The personal computer, though revolutionary, still placed computers in the hands of geeks and continues to be built for them. The iPad (and undoubtedly similar devices that come along) brings the power and joy of technology to the other 95%. In that regard, the idea of the iPad will create a bigger sociological impact in our world than anything else that we have seen.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's pretty.
