3 ms·

Interesting, I thought that was perhaps the weakest paragraph in the otherwise excellent article (I was amazed at how good a writer Fry has become.) I don't th

by gizmo 17y ago

Interesting, I thought that was perhaps the weakest paragraph in the otherwise excellent article (I was amazed at how good a writer Fry has become.) I don't think it's about a profound, human and emotional bond with an iPad or any electronic device. It should be like the bond you have with a good book: it should allow for perfect immersion. When immersed in a book time flies by, you don't even remember flipping pages or finishing chapters... there's a direct stream of consciousness from the book to your brain. I think that is what a good computing device should also offer, and every time your computer gets in the way that bubble bursts and you're violently thrown back into reality. It takes a lot of computer experience before you can deftly sidestep every error message the computer throws at you, so you can continue on your work without missing a beat. We (programmers/enthusiasts) have been able to do that for ages, but most people don't even know it's even possible to work with a computer without getting frustrated. Immersion is the name of the game, and the iPad might just get that right.

mortenjorck 17y ago
I'm not kidding here when I say I do believe you've hit upon the profound, central truth of the iPad. It's not about the fact that it's a tablet. It could have been any form factor, even been a desktop computer with a mouse; the tablet form factor just helps it in this central regard: It's about abstracting every last thing, to the best of its designers' and engineers' abilities, away from your task at hand. The goal is nothing short doing things with all the help of a computer and none of the hindrance.
- joe_the_user 17y ago
  Well, I'm skeptical whether one can abstract form away so much... If, just supposing, an item which seems amazingly functional and compliant after five minutes gives you a headache, a sore write and pain in the lower back after twenty minutes ... then would there still be none of the hindrance?
  - glhaynes 17y ago
    Which reviews have you seen that discuss these maladies?
  - cubicle67 17y ago
    There's a few reviews out now, and in most of them the iPad never seemed to leave the reviewers side. I think in the BoingBoing review (but I'm not going back to re-read it) the review (can't remember her name) claimed to have been using the iPad for 12 hours straight. I don't recall reading a review where the reviewer complained about the problems you've stated here

by gizmo 17y ago

mortenjorck 17y ago

I'm not kidding here when I say I do believe you've hit upon the profound, central truth of the iPad. It's not about the fact that it's a tablet. It could have been any form factor, even been a desktop computer with a mouse; the tablet form factor just helps it in this central regard: It's about abstracting every last thing, to the best of its designers' and engineers' abilities, away from your task at hand. The goal is nothing short doing things with all the help of a computer and none of the hindrance.

joe_the_user 17y ago
Well, I'm skeptical whether one can abstract form away so much... If, just supposing, an item which seems amazingly functional and compliant after five minutes gives you a headache, a sore write and pain in the lower back after twenty minutes ... then would there still be none of the hindrance?
- glhaynes 17y ago
  Which reviews have you seen that discuss these maladies?
- cubicle67 17y ago
  There's a few reviews out now, and in most of them the iPad never seemed to leave the reviewers side. I think in the BoingBoing review (but I'm not going back to re-read it) the review (can't remember her name) claimed to have been using the iPad for 12 hours straight. I don't recall reading a review where the reviewer complained about the problems you've stated here