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Commentary: Advancements in technology = simplicity and elegance?
Commentary by Caezer Ng
for Smoky River Express
Advancements in technology also mean simplicity and elegance. One example of this is Apple’s soon-to-released iPad.
Apple is going to hit a home-run with their iPad, due for a Canadian release by the end of March this year. By simplifying hardware and software components, it is a sign that computers’ maturity will help people use computers more productively.
It is a sign of good things to come. It means the days of the big, clunky, and complicated desktop computer will be over for the average Joe.
The specifications are not to the liking of a number of online critics; an iPad does not fit in well with other electronic devices that some people depend on for productivity; it lacks support for removable media like SD cards, USB connection, and discs such as CD and DVD.
However, within a few years, there will be new developments to address all the burps and hiccups that usually come with new technology. There are untapped niches to be explored.
Apple’s iPad is not a laptop replacement – yet. It has great potential in months and years to come. It will replace many people’s desktop computers to save space.
This translates to a mobile and intuitive viewing device. It will allow users to surf the Internet, watch movies, and read e-books with more ease compared to a vertical viewing screen.
Simplicity is another advantage in iPad’s favour. For example, some people use a computer only for e-mail, news, and word processing.
All the bells and whistles that make a PC complicated can be intimidating for people who are not techno-savvy – and there are a lot of them.
Technology should not be intimidating. Digital products like the Internet are a ground for some terrific tools. Productivity improves when access to these tools are made easier.
The possibilities in a workforce and educational setting are endless.
But, there are possible consequences in social settings. Although you can take a person away from his or her computer, can you take the computer from him or her?
“Do we need this thing at the table of a family dinner?” one will ask.
The onus is on the family to decide what is in their best interests, and this writer is optimistic friends and family members can work something out to prevent social isolation. Technology is here to stay.
The iPad’s concept is not new, nor is Apple the first to develop one. It is the stuff that has stayed in the consciousness of science fiction dreamers for decades.
In one The Globe and Mail forum comment, a man shared his story where he sold his apartment, donated volumes of books, worked on a cruise ship for several years, then settled for a job in television broadcasting.
He was able to do so with ease because all his beloved books were in condensed electronic form, by putting them into his laptop and e-reader Kindle machine. Digitizing helped this free-spirit.
Personal computers should not only be for ‘techno-weenies’.
Technologies should not solely focus on making the biggest, the fastest, the most customizeable machine.
Advancement should also mean improving useability – keep it simple and elegant.
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