Howto: When the PC is a Toaster

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Howto: When the PC is a Toaster

Posted by admin on Feb 10th, 2010 // No Comment

Not much time has passed since Apple announced a team that was more traditional PC devices and we are still feeling the pinch. It was a system “closed” and she criticized the digerati. Some said this could damage future generations who would lack the tools to tweak and program.

Others reported a new metaphor for dealing with information as too restrictive and as a toy. Universally, it was agreed that it was way too expensive for what it offers to the market. Now you might think I’m talking about the introduction of the iPad few weeks ago. Actually, I mean the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984.

When the Macintosh was introduced was almost universally criticized by geeks. Monochrome screen? A fixed memory 128k? A PC that does not come packaged with a programming language? There are no expansion slots to add all kinds of high-tech gifts? For God’s sake, there is not even the cursor keys!

The first Mac lacked all of those things and a funny thing happened, it was a hit with people who have never seen themselves as computer users. The original Macintosh slogan, “the team for the rest of us” made it clear that Apple was going. This was a team that was intended, not the enthusiast market, but the mass market.

Now, that does not mean it was a commercial success. $ 2,495 computers in 1984 will not sell in numbers that Apple needed. It was a long road to success and the pursuit of niche markets and, interestingly, the fans, who carry the torch Mac until Steve Jobs returned to Apple and introduced a new product called the iMac.

The PC as a device has been reborn. Even through several incarnations and evolutions in the last decade, the iMac is still very faithful to the original vision of an Apple all-in-a team that could appeal to a mass market.

Personal computers, however, remain complicated. Most of us who are fans know what it is called the field of frustrated friends and family and help them walk through complex network problems, stability, security and other pains of modern day life PC.

While many of us use our computers to create content with sophisticated tools, most users do not create content beyond the generation of playlist and simple image editing. In fact, that’s why we call the majority of users, consumers.

Recently, the success of consumer smartphones shows that there is a gap between the desire for simplified computing device and PC. I know many users who use their iPhone as a main computing device, despite the fact that they are hampered by the small form factor. They simply are willing to trade the simplicity of the features and functions and complexity.

Which of course brings me to the iPad. Much of the criticism around the iPad mimics the same criticism that Apple is faced with the introduction of the Macintosh. Macintosh was the first computer of the time are not supplied with a programming language. As the number of the time, was a big problem. For consumers, the inclusion of MacWrite and MacPaint was much more valuable and useful.

I do not suggest the iPad is a device for everyone. Certainly not replace my office setup multiple, large, high resolution monitors and a set of creativity tools that give me the ability to do things that were just science fiction a decade ago. In many scenarios, but I can see how I will be the device to be “fair” where my phone is simply too small and too large computer.

Appliance computing is important and will open simplest and most efficient way of doing things that most people want to do without the complexity and pain of the PC.

It was not long ago that a generation of shop class to understand how to maintain and repair their cars. My first car was a manual that requires much more training and practice to be competent. While there are still many who want to play with their cars and prefer the “control” of an automatic vs. manual transmission, the vast majority of consumers prefer the simplicity of the cars they drive and do not need attention or to learn how to play with them or fix when broken.

Also, Apple iPad bet is that there are consumers who want a better computing experience and easier and iPad is the first device big enough and sufficiently optimized to deliver the functionality they need without the complexity that takes the PC as a burden. Over time, expect to see more of this model from other suppliers. The PC will be around a long time, but can no longer be the model for calculating the masses in the long run.

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