4 ms·

Comedy aside: People really do hold in their own hands the greatest paper-replacement devices yet devised by man, and honestly ask how to print. ("How do I pr

by roc 17y ago

Comedy aside: People really do hold in their own hands the greatest paper-replacement devices yet devised by man, and honestly ask how to print. ("How do I print from a Kindle" is also a distressingly common question.) In their hands, the future; in their minds, only the past.

rauljara 17y ago
Upvote for insightfulness. However, that only works if the people you want to share with also have iPads. If you are a student with a paper to turn in, the ability to print would be really nice. I've only ever had a single professor (just got out of grad school) who didn't require you to turn in a written copy. Someday, when everyone on earth has fantastic e-readers, the ability to print might be redundant, but in the mean time it would be nice to have that on the ipad.
jasonlotito 17y ago
Paper replacement device? Far from it. Here are things I use paper for: 1. Cheat sheets! I have a number of pieces of paper tacked to the wall with things I use and reference. It was easy to print out, and put up. The iPad cannot do this. 2. Compare several documents at once. An iPad cannot do this. Many iPads can. The cost, however, is prohibitive. 3. Easy to distribute. I can hand off a document to a co-worker. I'd be less trusting with an iPad. 4. Etc. Paper isn't useful because you can read from it. It's useful for everything else it provides. Things iPad and like devices need before it will replace paper 1. Low cost. Sub-$100. Even that is expensive when compare to the power of paper. 2. Easy to share items. Really, I should be able to move a document from my device to another device just like I would hand over a document to a co-worker. This needs to happen cross-devices too. We can do this with email, but email is rather cumbersome with this. 3. Durable. 4. etc. Look, you ever watch an episode of Star Trek? I remember an episode of DS9 where Sisco is reading through reports on pads. Each pad is digital, but he's still holding up several, comparing reports on each. Don't get me wrong. iPads and the like are a great step forward, but so much work needs to be done before they come close to replacing paper. The scary part is, nothing that needs to be done on the technical end relies on new concepts, or can't already be done now. It's just implementing it on an open standard and actually doing it.
- BigZaphod 17y ago
  I don't entirely disagree with you, but some of the examples you cite as reasons for needing paper could simply be done differently. For example: I don't feel any need to print things out and hang them on my wall to reference later - I have a sticky notes app for that. I can compare many documents side-by-side on my computer just by resizing windows appropriately, and if I had a giant monitor, I could compare quite a lot of things side-by-side without printing anything out. (That is considerably less easy to do on the iPad, however.) I also never deal with my coworkers physically as I work remotely; everything happens digitally. Some of us already live an almost paper-free life. :)
  - jasonlotito 17y ago
    I'm pretty sure I was clearly referring to the iPad and similar devices. Even the original comment was referring to the iPad and Kindle. As it stands now, the iPad can't do these things. You can't resize windows. Sticky notes on an iPad don't solve real problems, or replace real solutions. As for you never dealing with co-workers physically doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.
- boredguy8 17y ago
  "1. Cheat sheets! I have a number of pieces of paper tacked to the wall with things I use and reference. It was easy to print out, and put up. The iPad cannot do this. 2. Compare several documents at once. An iPad cannot do this. Many iPads can. The cost, however, is prohibitive." I was in a meeting with Apple reps once where we complained about the lack of a docking station for some users. Apple's suggestion: buy a laptop AND a desktop and replicate files between the two.
  - jasonlotito 17y ago
    I can see it now! Rep: You want to compare several documents at once! Great, the iPad makes this easy!!!! Just buy more iPads! Me: Wouldn't that get expensive? Rep: Ink is expensive! On a per pound basis, iPads are less expensive then ink. So you'd be saving lots of money! Rep 2: Just sign here (Pointing with pen to the paper contract)
diego_moita 17y ago
You're not a big fan of "backwards compatibility", aren't you?
shaddi 17y ago
I remember some marketing for the iPad positioning it as something for parents to buy for their college-bound student. Those students are going to be disappointed when their new toy can't print out papers to turn in to their professors.
Steve0 17y ago
So 'the future' doesn't have any printer drivers?

by roc 17y ago

rauljara 17y ago

Upvote for insightfulness. However, that only works if the people you want to share with also have iPads. If you are a student with a paper to turn in, the ability to print would be really nice. I've only ever had a single professor (just got out of grad school) who didn't require you to turn in a written copy. Someday, when everyone on earth has fantastic e-readers, the ability to print might be redundant, but in the mean time it would be nice to have that on the ipad.

jasonlotito 17y ago

Paper replacement device? Far from it. Here are things I use paper for: 1. Cheat sheets! I have a number of pieces of paper tacked to the wall with things I use and reference. It was easy to print out, and put up. The iPad cannot do this. 2. Compare several documents at once. An iPad cannot do this. Many iPads can. The cost, however, is prohibitive. 3. Easy to distribute. I can hand off a document to a co-worker. I'd be less trusting with an iPad. 4. Etc. Paper isn't useful because you can read from it. It's useful for everything else it provides. Things iPad and like devices need before it will replace paper 1. Low cost. Sub-$100. Even that is expensive when compare to the power of paper. 2. Easy to share items. Really, I should be able to move a document from my device to another device just like I would hand over a document to a co-worker. This needs to happen cross-devices too. We can do this with email, but email is rather cumbersome with this. 3. Durable. 4. etc. Look, you ever watch an episode of Star Trek? I remember an episode of DS9 where Sisco is reading through reports on pads. Each pad is digital, but he's still holding up several, comparing reports on each. Don't get me wrong. iPads and the like are a great step forward, but so much work needs to be done before they come close to replacing paper. The scary part is, nothing that needs to be done on the technical end relies on new concepts, or can't already be done now. It's just implementing it on an open standard and actually doing it.

BigZaphod 17y ago
I don't entirely disagree with you, but some of the examples you cite as reasons for needing paper could simply be done differently. For example: I don't feel any need to print things out and hang them on my wall to reference later - I have a sticky notes app for that. I can compare many documents side-by-side on my computer just by resizing windows appropriately, and if I had a giant monitor, I could compare quite a lot of things side-by-side without printing anything out. (That is considerably less easy to do on the iPad, however.) I also never deal with my coworkers physically as I work remotely; everything happens digitally. Some of us already live an almost paper-free life. :)
- jasonlotito 17y ago
  I'm pretty sure I was clearly referring to the iPad and similar devices. Even the original comment was referring to the iPad and Kindle. As it stands now, the iPad can't do these things. You can't resize windows. Sticky notes on an iPad don't solve real problems, or replace real solutions. As for you never dealing with co-workers physically doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.
boredguy8 17y ago
"1. Cheat sheets! I have a number of pieces of paper tacked to the wall with things I use and reference. It was easy to print out, and put up. The iPad cannot do this. 2. Compare several documents at once. An iPad cannot do this. Many iPads can. The cost, however, is prohibitive." I was in a meeting with Apple reps once where we complained about the lack of a docking station for some users. Apple's suggestion: buy a laptop AND a desktop and replicate files between the two.
- jasonlotito 17y ago
  I can see it now! Rep: You want to compare several documents at once! Great, the iPad makes this easy!!!! Just buy more iPads! Me: Wouldn't that get expensive? Rep: Ink is expensive! On a per pound basis, iPads are less expensive then ink. So you'd be saving lots of money! Rep 2: Just sign here (Pointing with pen to the paper contract)

diego_moita 17y ago

You're not a big fan of "backwards compatibility", aren't you?

shaddi 17y ago

I remember some marketing for the iPad positioning it as something for parents to buy for their college-bound student. Those students are going to be disappointed when their new toy can't print out papers to turn in to their professors.

Steve0 17y ago

So 'the future' doesn't have any printer drivers?