Posted on 03/04/2011 8:36:25 PM PST by Swordmaker
A good friend of mine pointed out the money phrase from Steve Jobs at this week’s iPad 2 introduction: “This is worth repeating. It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology is not enough. It’s tech married with the liberal arts and the humanities. Nowhere is that more true than in the post-PC products. Our competitors are looking at this like it’s the next PC market. That is not the right approach to this. These are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, more intuitive.”
It’s an insightful even brilliant statement that’s 100 percent true. Then why doesn’t Steve Jobs practice what he preaches?
Jobs and Apple definitely have a better handle on the future of mobile devices and interfaces right now than any other CEO and company and are bold enough to come right out and say it: “Our competitors are looking at this like it’s the next PC market. That is not the right approach to this.” It’s a gutsy move, telling your competitors precisely what they are doing wrong to compete.
But then we come to this very rational critique of the iPad 2 from a blogger named Allahpundit who points out that despite the iPad 2 being thinner and faster and just as cheap as the original iPad with two new cameras to boot, it is still a pain in the ass to cut and paste text with one.
Why, given Steve Jobs’s boast that these are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, would he build a device that is in this one important area is clearly harder to use than even a Windows PC?
It’s not like Apple couldn’t come up with clever gestures for cut and paste. It’s that they chose not to. And they chose not to because Steve is, well, a little bit of a hypocrite here.
For all Steve’s bold talk, Apple still relies on Mac sales for a quarter of its revenue — about $15 billion per year — which is a lot of revenue, so they have deliberately kept some things like production cutting and pasting text easier to do on a Mac than on an iPad 2.
Surely they have those gestures ready and waiting to go. Waiting for a dip in Mac sales or a blip in cloud capability or just for some other company to finally match or beat the iPad, forcing Apple to reveal these hidden capabilities and blow-up the MacBook line in an act of self-defense and technical imolation.
Yet until one of those precursor events happens Steve seems determined to have it both ways.
Nothing new there.
I cut and paste this post to the ping list AND the post of Cringely's article using my iPad!
Strange, I didn't notice anything "crippled..."
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
this is a ridiculous premise...
I would gone out and bought one, if it has USB and flash memory reader. I will continue to use my netbook to download my photos to a portable hard drive.
I find Apple to be the choice of computer snobs. Everyone else uses a pc.
this is a ridiculous premise...
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Did anyone notice how easily I cut and pasted the above statement - one that is clearly worth repeating?
Fart sniffing..
Everyone’s a critic farting out gibberish.
Same here. I’m one of those ‘arts and humanities majors’.
These are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, more intuitive
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But...I already know how to use a PC. So if you dumb it down and call it a “pad”, there’s no benefit to me.
If I had a job, I would get one.
Not to worry. According to todays state controlled press we will have 112% employment by the late summer of 2012...
I see. Did we Apple Mac users come onto a Windows PC thread and boorishly universally insult every PC user on the thread? Oh, we didn't? Who, then, is acting the snob?
Its just a computer. Not worth getting worked up about. :)
Apple is the choice of people who value their time and want to just get things done. People like Rush or many Freepers.
PC users are like liberals, they put up with misery and inefficiency. They acquiesce rather than demand more because they don't believe they deserve better.
I’ve never used a mac. How are they better than PC’s? I’m always shooting for maximun efficiency!
Macs are useful for people involved in video editing, professional presentations, and related fields, or those who want to show off that they can afford a computer that costs twice as much as a PC for the same specs. The other very nice thing about Macs is the aluminum body.
Macs, however, do not work that well with a lot of third-party software, and are only recently starting to be decent for gaming.
Macs have a good number of small shortcuts and stuff, but aren’t quite as user-friendly for a lot of basic stuff.
Macs are better with viruses, as they are generally a bit more secure, plus the widespread use of PCs means they are much more targeted.
Macs aren’t as customizable as a PC, and you can’t do much of any part-swapping yourself. The options available on a Mac aren’t as wide-ranging either. However, customizing a PC usually requires a couple weeks for delivery, while Macs you can just stop by the Mac store and get one. (PCs can too, but any upgrades usually require special order)
Both can get a warranty on them, but overall I’d say Applecare is definitely better than any PC warranty. Much easier and quicker.
Overall, Macs are, practically, only worth the extra cost if you’re using them for major video editing, or need a great warranty. PCs are much better if you’re gaming, need the Office suites, or don’t have much extra cash lying around for the computer.
I know it's my problem, and that I'm becoming too much of a bore to ‘get it’, but that's where I am. If I were going to go out and spend money tomorrow on a new Mac, and wanted ultra-portability, I would probably buy a high end Mac Air. At this point in my life I'd rather go for a run or a hike with absolutely no connectivity, and just be.
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