I promise I'll get rid of the sig

[Peter Korsten]

Op 7-4-2010 20:14, Ron West schreef:

>> Any initial opinions from someone actually using one, would be appreciated
>
> that would be me. i think the laptop will be all but dead in a few
> years. as processors get faster this thing is going to be a huge game
> changer.

Well, I can't stand laptops, really. They're underpowered, the keyboard 
is too high and too small at the same time, and the pointing device 
(either the trackpad or the clit-thing) is inconvenient when compared to 
a mouse.

At work, we as developers (oh yeah, I went back to development, no 
longer demand management) will be getting desktop computers, instead of 
the laptops we have now. Intel i7, 4 GB RAM, 10,000 RPM disc, so a 
pretty nice system to play with.

(Interestingly, when we move to the new building near the airport, 
everybody will be getting laptops, and no fixed desks. Hot-desking will 
be introduced on a company-wide level. Except for the developers, that is.)

I actually found that a smartphone can replace a lot of functionality 
that a laptop offers. But there is an area between a proper desktop and 
a smartphone that is covered by a tablet/pad computer. Mostly, I do 
browsing, e-mailing (less and less) and Facebook-ing, which could easily 
be done from a tablet and on the sofa.

For me, the iPad is not an option, because I want a computer with a 
touch screen and no keyboard, and the iPad is really an appliance. You 
cannot install any software you like, and neither can you do so on your 
TV or your fridge. And there's no essential difference between an iPad 
and a fridge (or perhaps, more flatteringly, one of those fancy TVs with 
network connection).

As Jay pointed out, most techies don't 'get' the iPad. I do, though, and 
I can see the advantages for 'average' people, who cannot be arsed to 
have to learn how to use a computer, and just want something that works 
and that is fun to use.

But I come from a time where screens and keyboards were a relative 
novelty, so a certain learning curve is really not an issue for me. So 
I'm very happy that Apple has finally kicked off this market segment, 
but one of their competitors will get me as a customer.

- Peter