8 ms·

What iPads Did To My Family

270 points by mjfern 16y ago

jacquesm 16y ago
Wow, a house full of technology and it can be replaced by a single ipad. Makes you wonder why they never did more with all the stuff they've got, it seems like they were seriously under-using it before. Good thing nobody ever had a complicated spread sheet, a document on letterhead for the office or a small programming job to do! It's genius how Steve Jobs managed to identify that most people now use their computers as a media consumption device, I see mine as power tools.
- kgermino 16y ago
  Thats the thing, for the average user there is almost nothing they do on a day-to-day basis that requires a complete computer. The future that the iPad is bringing will be back to a family that has one computer (desktop or laptop) stashed in a corner that people use when they need to do something intensive, and an iPad (or similar tablet) for everyone that they use most of the time.
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    It's bloody depressing. Think of what you could do with all that gear...
    - ugh 16y ago
      Could is the important word here. Even with all the technology they have now they don’t do much. Getting rid of some technology and replacing some with simpler technology seems like a efficient thing to do. There will still be dirt cheap fully featured PCs, so if anyone in the family ever feels like they not only could but will want to do more they can to that. That’s hardly depressing.
      - catch23 16y ago
        makes sense. I had to troubleshoot printing problems with my Dad over the phone... apparently the printer got a new IP address and windows couldn't find it. Trying to tell my dad how to fetch the printer ip from the access point and then configure it in windows was a serious pain. After 10 years of technology, configuring the print driver is still hard in windows... it's amazing how well it works on Macs, it's just too bad my parents probably won't want to make the switch.
- krschultz 16y ago
  Exactly. He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. We bought a pool table in my house and used it like crazy for about 6 months, and then barely touched it for 5 years. I can see the iPad being fun and useful for some things, and the price isn't terrible when you compare that some netbooks are going for close to that, but the comment "I'll never buy a real computer ever again!" is a bit ridiculous. Even his daughter that wants one for college wouldn't want it as her ONLY computer. It would be a pain to write a paper on, or make a spreadsheet for your lab report, or probably even a powerpoint presentation. I had a tablet in college and almost never used it.
  - jaaron 16y ago
    > He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. True, but there's also the possibility of a device either truly replacing previous technology or creating a whole new niche. For example, my iPhone was cool and fun when I first got it and I had been a Treo owner for years, so smartphones aren't new to my life. However, today, my iPhone is quite integrated into my life, way beyond just a cool new gadget. I know for my family, the iPad fills almost all needs, such that we really only need iPads plus my own laptop which I can share with my wife and kids on the few odd occasions when they actually need to use a computer. I can definitely see that being the trend in other families.
  - Sukotto 16y ago
    He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. Really? From his description of all the other hardware in his home I'd say he does.
- MrFoof 16y ago
  >Good thing nobody ever had a complicated spread sheet, a document on letterhead for the office or a small programming job to do! At home? Most people don't. Every computer I've watched my parents buy over the past 15 years, they buy Microsoft Office as a reflex response. When I visited for the holidays and helped migrate them to their iMac, I noticed the number of Word and Excel documents they had accumulated over this period. About 40. Outside of school assignments, what need does a child have for a productivity suite? Close to zero, and even then, 98% of what they do for writing assignments can be accomplished by a simple typewriter or standalone electronic word processor. Programming? Don't get me started... My sister bought a 15" MacBook Pro over the holidays, and a copy of Office. She doesn't work on documents, just logs in to Outlook Web Access and maybe reviews something sent to her. She does the real work, well, at work. Aside from occasionally loading new photos into iPhoto after one of her 2 yearly vacations, it's a $1700 web browser and media consumption device. My non-IT friends? The same. Webmail. Facebook. Funny pictures of cats. The computer in the traditional sense is becoming a lot more niche. Why? It's what people want. It's like the new 2011 Mustangs are hitting dealer lots. I want the V8, a 6-speed, the performance axle and the good brakes. Out of the dozens of Ford dealers in a 100 mile radius, only ONE dealer has manual transmissions. The only reason that dealer has them is because it's Bob "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" Tasca -- a car enthusiast, catering to other enthusiasts. We're computer enthusiasts. The virtues of SSDs are just as foreign as the virtues of powersliding to someone who's, frankly, just not that interested and just wants to get something done inexpensively and with a minimum of fuss that doesn't involve a debugger or heel-toeing.
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    Just looking at the stuff I'm running right now and wondering how I'd do without: - xchat (maybe that does work on the iPad, it could be) - thunderbird - varicad - 20 or so terminal tabs logged in to just about as many servers - about 20 browser windows, each with multiple tabs - an ide (currently intellij, I hate it but that's what I'm using) And I'm not even programming right now (haven't touched the ide in a few days, but it's still running), just staying informed, in touch and doing some systems maintenance. Just thinking about having to 'downsize' to a single non-multi tasking machine without a clearly defined local file store that I can back up to a server gives me headaches. edit: I missed open office and okular, different desktop, same box. It would be like looking at the world through a very small key-hole.
- petercooper 16y ago
  Makes you wonder why they never did more with all the stuff they've got, it seems like they were seriously under-using it before. The other stuff was, likely, a lot more cumbersome to use. Waiting for machines to warm/boot up, waiting for software to start, etc, adds friction that can have bigger than expected effects on how often devices are used. The iPad is far from perfect, but an almost instant-on and rapid interface, along with the form factor, makes for a game-changing device that's perfect for checking something on the Web, checking e-mail, or updating Twitter almost anywhere in the house or garden. Phones could do some of this before but the form factor provides a similar friction to usability.
  - Terretta 16y ago
    Agreed completely. An avid PC gamer, I suddenly, overnight, quit playing PC games after getting the Xbox 360. The gameplay experience was equivalent (the PC was plugged to the same projector), but the "hassle" factor went to zero on the Xbox 360. Reducing friction makes users into fans. In the article's examples, sounds like people wanting to accomplish simple goals, finding friction reduced when using the new appliance.
    - Psyonic 16y ago
      What avid PC gamer can resist the call of Starcraft 2? Or playing Left 4 Dead 2 with a mouse and keyboard, like the good Lord intended?
      - petercooper 16y ago
        I can. I was heavily into the Dune and C&C/Red Alert series and never got on with Warcraft or Starcraft at all. All the fantasy elements, I think.. :-)
jaaron 16y ago
It's a good thing the iPad does have excellent battery life because in our family, it's being used almost all day long. The other night I completely lost my wife and daughter for hours as they played Plants vs Zombies together way past bedtime. My five year old has already requested one for her birthday.
- emehrkay 16y ago
  My son, 8, loves to have me watch him play plants vs zombies. (I'm way better, btw. My technique, which seems like the only logical one, is to buy tons of sun producing items in the beginning and fend off the zombies with the free or cheap shooters. At the end of levels I have an excess of 1000 sun points)
  - whatusername 16y ago
    2 Onions at the end of the outer (and middle lane). With spikes to the right of them if there are vehicles. Sunflowers behind those. Then you're down to 2 lanes to defend - and heaps of sun. That covers about 90% of the levels.
    - Psyonic 16y ago
      Indeed, that technique was part of my arsenal that beat every single challenge. I played the hell out of that game for about 2 weeks
    - marknutter 16y ago
      You just blew my mind. I'm trying to make it 40 rounds on the unlimited waves level and I think you may have just given me the strategy I need..
      - whatusername 16y ago
        I've only got it on the iPhone - so I can't play unlimited. I'm not sure how it would go. It still has a couple of weaknesses - 2 onions will deal with any walking zombie + pole vaulters. It wont stop: * vehicles -- use a row of spikes * gargantuar -- cob cannons, etc. * Miner Zombies -- These are a pain. * pogo zombies -- I haven't got a great strategy for them.. - cob cannons, cat-tails, etc. (Or just put a pea-shooter (maybe the reverse one) to deal with these and the miners. * Flying zombies - the blower plant or the cat-tails. The risk is that it can fall behind your onions - and then eat through all of your sunflowers. Basically - it works awesome for almost every level.. But probably not for unlimited.
aresant 16y ago
Spot on. Ipads around my home and office seem to mutiply like rabbits. Most people can't articulate why they need one but the little things like competently clearing your email from bed or sitting through 7 hrs of airport travel hell and still have 50% battery are exceptional.
- daten 16y ago
  I understand why it's fun to play with a new (limited) device. I have an ipod touch. But I worry when people rush to buy $500 devices without being able to articulate why they need it. It sounds like good marketing and impulse shopping. I'm very curious to see how this plays out in the long run.
  - glhaynes 16y ago
    It's hard for me to worry too much when the vast majority of such people love and rave about the product after they've had it for a while.
Godhelpworld 16y ago
IT shows perfectly why technology does not brings intelligence. You can give them the best hardware and still they wont become next Google or Facebook founders or use it in any other productive endevour! Seriously most of the human race does not deserves the power of computing! They wont lolcats on "magical devices!" long live America! What a waste!
- SoftwareMaven 16y ago
  Wow, judge much? Throughout time, people have used technology to incrementally make their lives better. Not everybody has the skills, goal, or even desire to found the next Facebook or Google. The people who make the most money in the technology space recognize this about their customers and don't look down on them about it. And, just because you are ragging on intelligence, it is "want"...
  - Godhelpworld 16y ago
    Until now! They are now competing with cheap labor/intelligence from India and China. And Later worse with machine intelligence! Frankly the inly "skill" that you could rely on 20-40 later is programming and creativity.
    - memoryfault 16y ago
      you are the first true troll I have seen on HN
      - jcl 16y ago
        You see more if you turn on "showdead" in your profile.
- petercooper 16y ago
  You can give them the best hardware and still they wont become next Google or Facebook founders or use it in any other productive endevour! Seriously most of the human race does not deserves the power of computing! And giving someone utensils doesn't make them a good cook. Yet, people use all sorts of technology in their kitchens now to make their lives better. So it goes with computers. You don't have to end up rich or wildly successful to appreciate quality of life improvements provided by technology.
VBprogrammer 16y ago
Please don't take this as being too critical, but I used my bread-maker every other day for 2 weeks after buying it. I can't remember the last time I got it out the cupboard.
- watmough 16y ago
  The article makes it sound like much more than a novelty. I don't have an iPad yet, but I do use my Cuisinart bread-maker twice a week to make delicious and substantial wholewheat bread for way less than you would pay at a store.
  - kristiandupont 16y ago
    The money and the taste is all well and good, but the real reason I kept using mine (until I started travelling): the smell. Waking up in a house that smells like fresh baked bread is just heaven.
    - cubicle67 16y ago
      * goes to dig unloved breadmaker from the back of the cupboard
  - phr 16y ago
    Tip: Use the bread-maker (or a heavy-duty mixer with dough hook) to save time on the initial mixing and kneading, but do the remaining steps by hand -- it's much more satisfying, and once you practice a bit, you'll get better bread. You'll spend a little more time, but it's worth it.
    - jules 16y ago
      Do you really need a bread maker for the initial kneading? It's the same as why a bike is faster than a car. You can either cycle 20 minutes, or drive 10 minutes and spend 20 minutes exercising. Doing it by hand takes maybe 5 minutes longer, but you save 10 minutes exercising.
ghshephard 16y ago
My iPad is still getting about 3-4 hours use a day - and it still, 30 days later, is pretty popular at parties, restaurants, etc... I'll check back in a couple months. New Apps (PopSci, Time, Penultimate, Sketch, Alice, etc...) keep my interest, mostly. Though Videos, Field Runners, PvZ, Safari, Kindle, WSJ, Mirror's Edge, Marvel, GoodReader, and Email are in pretty much constant rotation. It's unclear to me if I'll still be as addicted in six months, but the form factor certainly is appealing. One thing nobody talk about the battery life - It's _not_ 10 hours. It's 10 Hours of _use_. Used on and off, I'll go close to three days before needing to plugin. That's very nice.
zach 16y ago
In the very near future the "TV time" of many families like this will be all of them sitting around watching separate movies or shows on individual iPads or similar devices. The shared family dinner has already fallen victim to modern ways. Now the traditional TV-watching paradigm of the past sixty years is going by the wayside.
- NEPatriot 16y ago
  Not necessarily. They can always IM each other during dinner.
davi 16y ago
OK, after reading this article, I finally get it. (Or at least have a reasonable working hypothesis.) The iPad does to the internet what the iPod did to music. I don't really need that done to the internet for me, but I can see how millions of people would really like it.
- ieure 16y ago
  I like your hypothesis. I bought a 16gb iPad the week after they came out. I didn't really have a need for it, I just wanted to see if it was interesting. I had a very simliar experience as the author. My wife has little but distain for my gadget obsession, but within minutes she wanted one for herself. Our three-year-old adores it. I put some educational games and cartoons on it, and she can get to it all on her own. Literally every person I've shown it to has wanted one. Love it or hate it, but don't ignore it.
  - dmix 16y ago
    Want one is the keyword. I've played with my coworkers iPad quite a bit and can see how it could fit into my life. But at the same time its not a need - not in the way I need my smartphone. Its a big shiny toy that I want but only when its convient.
    - FluidDjango 16y ago
      As long as there's want enough to translate to a purchase... a sales rep will be happy.
      - snom370 16y ago
        Still, Apple's good at making stuff people both want _and_ use. I didn't expect my mother to start using Mail and Safari on her iPhone. I only bought it for her so she could have a phone+ipod, and because she never figured out how to use T9.
    - marknutter 16y ago
      Most of what we own are wants, let's be clear.
seiha 16y ago
Replace all the taps in the article to faps and it becomes funnier.
thought_alarm 16y ago
After playing with Safari for a couple of weeks, I've recently started flexing the iPad Photos and Music software and it has been a revelation. My post-80s history with Apple starts with the iPod in 2004, and the iPad Music app is really fucking good. I want to mount this thing in my car, in my kitchen, in my living room. The music software puts the iPhone/iPod touch to shame. Too bad it doesn't fit in my pocket. And Photos, it's so much fun to play with the "Places" map, I immediately went in to iPhoto and started tagging the rest of my photos. I don't think I will ever use my laptop to browse or show off my photo library again. I can pull up the Places map, hand it off to whoever what to see my photos, and let them go nuts. It's a supremely compelling experience. I bought an iPad because I wanted to see how a pure touch interface could change traditional human-computer interaction; I haven't been disappointed. And the iPad App Store isn't even available in my country yet. The iPhone/iPad-only WWDC sold out in 8 days, and I can't wait to see what developers come up with over the next year. It should be a hell of a toboggan ride.
crad 16y ago
Annecdotally, I have similar findings. The iPad has replaced 90% of my laptop use at home and the office. The laptop only comes out when I need to do Real Work™, things that require multiple ssh sessions, browser windows, chat, email, etc, all at the same time. For email, web browsing and those blasted causal games, it's glued to my fingers.
- kenjackson 16y ago
  Surprisingly, this seems to be an indication that MS could easily make a good Win7 tablet. They only need to get a good finger-friendly email client, web browser, and IM client. The argument thta people make is that once you go into some apps then the mouse/keyboard nature is exposed, but it appears that most people never dive into those apps. And in those cases, if the Windows tablet had an easy way to use a keyboard (convertible & detachable) then it would have the best of both worlds. The only thing Windows doesn't have today is the app ecosystem, and I suspect we'll see that with Windows Phone 7 (and since all the apps are managed, the port will be easy, if not binary compatible).
dlevine 16y ago
This reinforces what I've been telling people for the last month or so - the iPad is disruptive to the PC. Maybe it isn't as good as a PC in a lot of situations, but it provides sufficient functionality and speed that people will choose it for its ease of use and portability. And, in a few generations, you will be able to do anything you can on all but the highest-end PCs. Sure, most people will still use PCs at work, but at home, you will just whip out your tablet.
barrkel 16y ago
About 10 days after getting my iPad, it's hardly been turned on in the past few days. I think the ergonomics of it suck - it's heavy, and it gives me a crick in the neck when I use it. YMMV.
- krschultz 16y ago
  This is one thing I really don't get about the iPad. I learned a bit of ergonomics in college, and the iPad doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If you are sitting on your couch with your feet up dicking around on the internet (apparently the iPad primary use case), and you want to look at the screen at the proper viewing angle, either it needs to be tilted up by you holding it at an angle with your wrist (ergonomic no-no) or you need to tilt your head down (ergonomic no-no). Considering that you probably want to use your hands to tap on it, that means it is likely resting in your lap and your head is tilted down putting strain on your neck. Color me sensitive (broke my neck rock climbing about a year ago and still get some pains) but that doesn't sound fun over a long period of time. I really think the amazing thing about the iPad is the screen no the form factor. Give me a macbook pro with a multi-touch screen and dual boot Mac OS X and iPad OS. Tell me you wouldn't prefer that. When you want multitouch, you have it, when you want a keyboard, you have it. When you want to sit back and watch a movie you have a built in stand .
  - arohner 16y ago
    Why dual boot? Why not 'just' make the iPhone OS an App on OSX? I hate rebooting on my MBP so much that I'll download Software Updates and then not reboot for weeks at a time.
  - jaaron 16y ago
    What about the ergonomics of a book or magazine? Aren't those effectively the same as an iPad?
    - dagw 16y ago
      A magazine is a lot lighter than the iPad, so that makes a huge difference. Also you don't have to continuously touch the pages of a magazine while using it, which is another significant difference. Finally a magazine is bendy meaning you can change it's size and shape if and when the need arises.
emehrkay 16y ago
I played with iphone os 4 today at work, and once multitasking hits the ipad, it's really going to be lights out of how much time is spent on a "traditional" computer.
kyro 16y ago
You know, as much crap as Apple gets, they really have revolutionized the way people use technology. My mom, who a month could do nothing more than open FF on her computer, has been asking me for weeks when the 3G iPad is coming out. I have never seen her so excited to buy any sort of product. And that's why I'm not quick to judge Apple when it comes to their strict policies. They've shown time and time again that they know what they're doing, and they reach out to new, previously non-techy people with every product, inciting within those people a desire to use technology. This all might sound cultish, sure, I love my Apple products, but they hands down have the best computing products on the market for every day people. And I think it's their desire to control and perfect every level of the user experience that has gotten them to that point.
varjag 16y ago
What a happy iFamily
thmz 16y ago
"She was smiling." It sounds almost if she became happy again. Scary stuff.
JarekS 16y ago
I'm wondering on only one thing at the moment. How long does it take for people to realize that most of their productivity/business software can be used on iPad as well. I can imagine people traveling (sales people?) with iPads 3G checking their inventories in real-time, doing their forecast reporting, sending emails, reacting to on-line customer enquires... Do you think this is something that will happen or my imagination just plays tricks on me? :)
allend 16y ago
- No Flash, no multitasking, no Camera! - Just a big iTouch. - 256MB RAM!? Pfft. - WTF, not widescreen?! - LCD bad for reading. - $500?? Overpriced. - Can't see why anyone would need one. - Fills a need that isn't there. - Looks uncomfortable. - You have to pay $99 to publish on it. - Yeah, if you like to peck and type. - It's gonna destroy the culture of content creation. - Fine if you don't need to get real work done. - Only fanboys will buy one. - Give me a netbook so I can program. - People who are buying iPads are sheep. - It would not sell if it weren't for the marketing. - Sure it's selling well now, but what about in 6 months/1 year/2 years … - Sure it's selling well now, but no true intelligent scotsman … - Just a toy. - I can't believe people are buying this without being able to articulate why. - Look, someone says they stopped using it! I was right. - No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame. 28 days and $1,000,000,000 in revenues later, still reasons Apple doesn't give a flying frack about, and maybe a sign that some of us should reevaluate how much we know about the buying habits of the non-comic book guys, and that there might be something there that warrants more than a knee jerk cmdrtaco response.
- useperl 16y ago
  All of the above are good points that can be exploited by competing products, i am not sure why you are suggesting that apple should close its eyes on this! I will never buy a second iPhone, i will look for a good Android based phone, and using the same logic i will wait for a good iPad like product from HP or HTC
  - flyosity 16y ago
    If people are in the market (or simply want) a tablet-sized computing device, they're going to have the iPad at the front of their mind. If they play with one at an Apple Store or at a friend's house and aren't convinced (or are pissed it doesn't run Flash) then they will fall into Category B which is where a dozen or more companies will compete. You basically have the iPad, and everything else, just like for music players there's the iPod and then everything else. Features on a comparison matrix don't get consumers excited. The iPad has a LOT of people excited.
- ErrantX 16y ago
kimfuh 16y ago
I lent mine to a 13-year old kid from a small provincial town in the Philippines and, within an hour, it was like he'd been using one his whole life. And I couldn't steal it away from my 62-year old father while waiting for a flight. And I do remember both of them smiling. This thing is absolutely amazing.
sandaru1 16y ago
How come iPad is popular among facebook users when [farm]ville apps don't work?
nopal 16y ago
Has anyone set a grandparent up with an iPad? I'd love to buy one for my grandma. She has a Dell right now, and she uses it only for e-mail. She seems to constantly be running into problems with Outlook Express (marking items as junk, blocking senders, etc.). I'd like to find her a device that's friendly and easy to use. The iPad seems like that device. The only thing it can't do is print photos in e-mail messages (easily). I'm not sure if that's a deal breaker, and I think the usability trade off might be worth it. She could always go back to the Dell for printing. If anyone's set up a novice with an iPad, I'd love to hear about your (and their) experience. I'm especially curious about whether you set it up as a stand-alone device or if you showed the user how to sync with PC.
Maascamp 16y ago
"There's an old saying: To a small boy with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. As programmers, we call into the same trap all too often. We learn about some new technology or solution, and we immediately begin seeing places to apply it." I got that quote from the post on patterns in Python, but believe it applies equally well here.
naqeeb 16y ago
It might be a good idea to have a follow up for this article in 6 months to see if the results can be sustained...What iPads Did To My Family After 6 Months.

270 points by mjfern 16y ago

Wow, a house full of technology and it can be replaced by a single ipad. Makes you wonder why they never did more with all the stuff they've got, it seems like they were seriously under-using it before. Good thing nobody ever had a complicated spread sheet, a document on letterhead for the office or a small programming job to do! It's genius how Steve Jobs managed to identify that most people now use their computers as a media consumption device, I see mine as power tools.

kgermino 16y ago
Thats the thing, for the average user there is almost nothing they do on a day-to-day basis that requires a complete computer. The future that the iPad is bringing will be back to a family that has one computer (desktop or laptop) stashed in a corner that people use when they need to do something intensive, and an iPad (or similar tablet) for everyone that they use most of the time.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  It's bloody depressing. Think of what you could do with all that gear...
  - ugh 16y ago
    Could is the important word here. Even with all the technology they have now they don’t do much. Getting rid of some technology and replacing some with simpler technology seems like a efficient thing to do. There will still be dirt cheap fully featured PCs, so if anyone in the family ever feels like they not only could but will want to do more they can to that. That’s hardly depressing.
    - catch23 16y ago
      makes sense. I had to troubleshoot printing problems with my Dad over the phone... apparently the printer got a new IP address and windows couldn't find it. Trying to tell my dad how to fetch the printer ip from the access point and then configure it in windows was a serious pain. After 10 years of technology, configuring the print driver is still hard in windows... it's amazing how well it works on Macs, it's just too bad my parents probably won't want to make the switch.
krschultz 16y ago
Exactly. He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. We bought a pool table in my house and used it like crazy for about 6 months, and then barely touched it for 5 years. I can see the iPad being fun and useful for some things, and the price isn't terrible when you compare that some netbooks are going for close to that, but the comment "I'll never buy a real computer ever again!" is a bit ridiculous. Even his daughter that wants one for college wouldn't want it as her ONLY computer. It would be a pain to write a paper on, or make a spreadsheet for your lab report, or probably even a powerpoint presentation. I had a tablet in college and almost never used it.
- jaaron 16y ago
  > He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. True, but there's also the possibility of a device either truly replacing previous technology or creating a whole new niche. For example, my iPhone was cool and fun when I first got it and I had been a Treo owner for years, so smartphones aren't new to my life. However, today, my iPhone is quite integrated into my life, way beyond just a cool new gadget. I know for my family, the iPad fills almost all needs, such that we really only need iPads plus my own laptop which I can share with my wife and kids on the few odd occasions when they actually need to use a computer. I can definitely see that being the trend in other families.
- Sukotto 16y ago
  He doesn't seem to realize everything is new and exciting when you first get it. Really? From his description of all the other hardware in his home I'd say he does.
MrFoof 16y ago
>Good thing nobody ever had a complicated spread sheet, a document on letterhead for the office or a small programming job to do! At home? Most people don't. Every computer I've watched my parents buy over the past 15 years, they buy Microsoft Office as a reflex response. When I visited for the holidays and helped migrate them to their iMac, I noticed the number of Word and Excel documents they had accumulated over this period. About 40. Outside of school assignments, what need does a child have for a productivity suite? Close to zero, and even then, 98% of what they do for writing assignments can be accomplished by a simple typewriter or standalone electronic word processor. Programming? Don't get me started... My sister bought a 15" MacBook Pro over the holidays, and a copy of Office. She doesn't work on documents, just logs in to Outlook Web Access and maybe reviews something sent to her. She does the real work, well, at work. Aside from occasionally loading new photos into iPhoto after one of her 2 yearly vacations, it's a $1700 web browser and media consumption device. My non-IT friends? The same. Webmail. Facebook. Funny pictures of cats. The computer in the traditional sense is becoming a lot more niche. Why? It's what people want. It's like the new 2011 Mustangs are hitting dealer lots. I want the V8, a 6-speed, the performance axle and the good brakes. Out of the dozens of Ford dealers in a 100 mile radius, only ONE dealer has manual transmissions. The only reason that dealer has them is because it's Bob "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" Tasca -- a car enthusiast, catering to other enthusiasts. We're computer enthusiasts. The virtues of SSDs are just as foreign as the virtues of powersliding to someone who's, frankly, just not that interested and just wants to get something done inexpensively and with a minimum of fuss that doesn't involve a debugger or heel-toeing.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  Just looking at the stuff I'm running right now and wondering how I'd do without: - xchat (maybe that does work on the iPad, it could be) - thunderbird - varicad - 20 or so terminal tabs logged in to just about as many servers - about 20 browser windows, each with multiple tabs - an ide (currently intellij, I hate it but that's what I'm using) And I'm not even programming right now (haven't touched the ide in a few days, but it's still running), just staying informed, in touch and doing some systems maintenance. Just thinking about having to 'downsize' to a single non-multi tasking machine without a clearly defined local file store that I can back up to a server gives me headaches. edit: I missed open office and okular, different desktop, same box. It would be like looking at the world through a very small key-hole.
petercooper 16y ago
Makes you wonder why they never did more with all the stuff they've got, it seems like they were seriously under-using it before. The other stuff was, likely, a lot more cumbersome to use. Waiting for machines to warm/boot up, waiting for software to start, etc, adds friction that can have bigger than expected effects on how often devices are used. The iPad is far from perfect, but an almost instant-on and rapid interface, along with the form factor, makes for a game-changing device that's perfect for checking something on the Web, checking e-mail, or updating Twitter almost anywhere in the house or garden. Phones could do some of this before but the form factor provides a similar friction to usability.
- Terretta 16y ago
  Agreed completely. An avid PC gamer, I suddenly, overnight, quit playing PC games after getting the Xbox 360. The gameplay experience was equivalent (the PC was plugged to the same projector), but the "hassle" factor went to zero on the Xbox 360. Reducing friction makes users into fans. In the article's examples, sounds like people wanting to accomplish simple goals, finding friction reduced when using the new appliance.
  - Psyonic 16y ago
    What avid PC gamer can resist the call of Starcraft 2? Or playing Left 4 Dead 2 with a mouse and keyboard, like the good Lord intended?
    - petercooper 16y ago
      I can. I was heavily into the Dune and C&C/Red Alert series and never got on with Warcraft or Starcraft at all. All the fantasy elements, I think.. :-)

jaaron 16y ago

It's a good thing the iPad does have excellent battery life because in our family, it's being used almost all day long. The other night I completely lost my wife and daughter for hours as they played Plants vs Zombies together way past bedtime. My five year old has already requested one for her birthday.

emehrkay 16y ago
My son, 8, loves to have me watch him play plants vs zombies. (I'm way better, btw. My technique, which seems like the only logical one, is to buy tons of sun producing items in the beginning and fend off the zombies with the free or cheap shooters. At the end of levels I have an excess of 1000 sun points)
- whatusername 16y ago
  2 Onions at the end of the outer (and middle lane). With spikes to the right of them if there are vehicles. Sunflowers behind those. Then you're down to 2 lanes to defend - and heaps of sun. That covers about 90% of the levels.
  - Psyonic 16y ago
    Indeed, that technique was part of my arsenal that beat every single challenge. I played the hell out of that game for about 2 weeks
  - marknutter 16y ago
    You just blew my mind. I'm trying to make it 40 rounds on the unlimited waves level and I think you may have just given me the strategy I need..
    - whatusername 16y ago
      I've only got it on the iPhone - so I can't play unlimited. I'm not sure how it would go. It still has a couple of weaknesses - 2 onions will deal with any walking zombie + pole vaulters. It wont stop: * vehicles -- use a row of spikes * gargantuar -- cob cannons, etc. * Miner Zombies -- These are a pain. * pogo zombies -- I haven't got a great strategy for them.. - cob cannons, cat-tails, etc. (Or just put a pea-shooter (maybe the reverse one) to deal with these and the miners. * Flying zombies - the blower plant or the cat-tails. The risk is that it can fall behind your onions - and then eat through all of your sunflowers. Basically - it works awesome for almost every level.. But probably not for unlimited.

aresant 16y ago

Spot on. Ipads around my home and office seem to mutiply like rabbits. Most people can't articulate why they need one but the little things like competently clearing your email from bed or sitting through 7 hrs of airport travel hell and still have 50% battery are exceptional.

daten 16y ago
I understand why it's fun to play with a new (limited) device. I have an ipod touch. But I worry when people rush to buy $500 devices without being able to articulate why they need it. It sounds like good marketing and impulse shopping. I'm very curious to see how this plays out in the long run.
- glhaynes 16y ago
  It's hard for me to worry too much when the vast majority of such people love and rave about the product after they've had it for a while.

Godhelpworld 16y ago

IT shows perfectly why technology does not brings intelligence. You can give them the best hardware and still they wont become next Google or Facebook founders or use it in any other productive endevour! Seriously most of the human race does not deserves the power of computing! They wont lolcats on "magical devices!" long live America! What a waste!

SoftwareMaven 16y ago
Wow, judge much? Throughout time, people have used technology to incrementally make their lives better. Not everybody has the skills, goal, or even desire to found the next Facebook or Google. The people who make the most money in the technology space recognize this about their customers and don't look down on them about it. And, just because you are ragging on intelligence, it is "want"...
- Godhelpworld 16y ago
  Until now! They are now competing with cheap labor/intelligence from India and China. And Later worse with machine intelligence! Frankly the inly "skill" that you could rely on 20-40 later is programming and creativity.
  - memoryfault 16y ago
    you are the first true troll I have seen on HN
    - jcl 16y ago
      You see more if you turn on "showdead" in your profile.
petercooper 16y ago
You can give them the best hardware and still they wont become next Google or Facebook founders or use it in any other productive endevour! Seriously most of the human race does not deserves the power of computing! And giving someone utensils doesn't make them a good cook. Yet, people use all sorts of technology in their kitchens now to make their lives better. So it goes with computers. You don't have to end up rich or wildly successful to appreciate quality of life improvements provided by technology.

VBprogrammer 16y ago

Please don't take this as being too critical, but I used my bread-maker every other day for 2 weeks after buying it. I can't remember the last time I got it out the cupboard.

watmough 16y ago
The article makes it sound like much more than a novelty. I don't have an iPad yet, but I do use my Cuisinart bread-maker twice a week to make delicious and substantial wholewheat bread for way less than you would pay at a store.
- kristiandupont 16y ago
  The money and the taste is all well and good, but the real reason I kept using mine (until I started travelling): the smell. Waking up in a house that smells like fresh baked bread is just heaven.
  - cubicle67 16y ago
    * goes to dig unloved breadmaker from the back of the cupboard
- phr 16y ago
  Tip: Use the bread-maker (or a heavy-duty mixer with dough hook) to save time on the initial mixing and kneading, but do the remaining steps by hand -- it's much more satisfying, and once you practice a bit, you'll get better bread. You'll spend a little more time, but it's worth it.
  - jules 16y ago
    Do you really need a bread maker for the initial kneading? It's the same as why a bike is faster than a car. You can either cycle 20 minutes, or drive 10 minutes and spend 20 minutes exercising. Doing it by hand takes maybe 5 minutes longer, but you save 10 minutes exercising.

ghshephard 16y ago

My iPad is still getting about 3-4 hours use a day - and it still, 30 days later, is pretty popular at parties, restaurants, etc... I'll check back in a couple months. New Apps (PopSci, Time, Penultimate, Sketch, Alice, etc...) keep my interest, mostly. Though Videos, Field Runners, PvZ, Safari, Kindle, WSJ, Mirror's Edge, Marvel, GoodReader, and Email are in pretty much constant rotation. It's unclear to me if I'll still be as addicted in six months, but the form factor certainly is appealing. One thing nobody talk about the battery life - It's _not_ 10 hours. It's 10 Hours of _use_. Used on and off, I'll go close to three days before needing to plugin. That's very nice.

zach 16y ago

In the very near future the "TV time" of many families like this will be all of them sitting around watching separate movies or shows on individual iPads or similar devices. The shared family dinner has already fallen victim to modern ways. Now the traditional TV-watching paradigm of the past sixty years is going by the wayside.

NEPatriot 16y ago
Not necessarily. They can always IM each other during dinner.

davi 16y ago

OK, after reading this article, I finally get it. (Or at least have a reasonable working hypothesis.) The iPad does to the internet what the iPod did to music. I don't really need that done to the internet for me, but I can see how millions of people would really like it.

ieure 16y ago
I like your hypothesis. I bought a 16gb iPad the week after they came out. I didn't really have a need for it, I just wanted to see if it was interesting. I had a very simliar experience as the author. My wife has little but distain for my gadget obsession, but within minutes she wanted one for herself. Our three-year-old adores it. I put some educational games and cartoons on it, and she can get to it all on her own. Literally every person I've shown it to has wanted one. Love it or hate it, but don't ignore it.
- dmix 16y ago
  Want one is the keyword. I've played with my coworkers iPad quite a bit and can see how it could fit into my life. But at the same time its not a need - not in the way I need my smartphone. Its a big shiny toy that I want but only when its convient.
  - FluidDjango 16y ago
    As long as there's want enough to translate to a purchase... a sales rep will be happy.
    - snom370 16y ago
      Still, Apple's good at making stuff people both want _and_ use. I didn't expect my mother to start using Mail and Safari on her iPhone. I only bought it for her so she could have a phone+ipod, and because she never figured out how to use T9.
  - marknutter 16y ago
    Most of what we own are wants, let's be clear.

seiha 16y ago

Replace all the taps in the article to faps and it becomes funnier.

thought_alarm 16y ago

After playing with Safari for a couple of weeks, I've recently started flexing the iPad Photos and Music software and it has been a revelation. My post-80s history with Apple starts with the iPod in 2004, and the iPad Music app is really fucking good. I want to mount this thing in my car, in my kitchen, in my living room. The music software puts the iPhone/iPod touch to shame. Too bad it doesn't fit in my pocket. And Photos, it's so much fun to play with the "Places" map, I immediately went in to iPhoto and started tagging the rest of my photos. I don't think I will ever use my laptop to browse or show off my photo library again. I can pull up the Places map, hand it off to whoever what to see my photos, and let them go nuts. It's a supremely compelling experience. I bought an iPad because I wanted to see how a pure touch interface could change traditional human-computer interaction; I haven't been disappointed. And the iPad App Store isn't even available in my country yet. The iPhone/iPad-only WWDC sold out in 8 days, and I can't wait to see what developers come up with over the next year. It should be a hell of a toboggan ride.

crad 16y ago

Annecdotally, I have similar findings. The iPad has replaced 90% of my laptop use at home and the office. The laptop only comes out when I need to do Real Work™, things that require multiple ssh sessions, browser windows, chat, email, etc, all at the same time. For email, web browsing and those blasted causal games, it's glued to my fingers.

kenjackson 16y ago
Surprisingly, this seems to be an indication that MS could easily make a good Win7 tablet. They only need to get a good finger-friendly email client, web browser, and IM client. The argument thta people make is that once you go into some apps then the mouse/keyboard nature is exposed, but it appears that most people never dive into those apps. And in those cases, if the Windows tablet had an easy way to use a keyboard (convertible & detachable) then it would have the best of both worlds. The only thing Windows doesn't have today is the app ecosystem, and I suspect we'll see that with Windows Phone 7 (and since all the apps are managed, the port will be easy, if not binary compatible).

dlevine 16y ago

This reinforces what I've been telling people for the last month or so - the iPad is disruptive to the PC. Maybe it isn't as good as a PC in a lot of situations, but it provides sufficient functionality and speed that people will choose it for its ease of use and portability. And, in a few generations, you will be able to do anything you can on all but the highest-end PCs. Sure, most people will still use PCs at work, but at home, you will just whip out your tablet.

barrkel 16y ago

About 10 days after getting my iPad, it's hardly been turned on in the past few days. I think the ergonomics of it suck - it's heavy, and it gives me a crick in the neck when I use it. YMMV.

krschultz 16y ago
This is one thing I really don't get about the iPad. I learned a bit of ergonomics in college, and the iPad doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If you are sitting on your couch with your feet up dicking around on the internet (apparently the iPad primary use case), and you want to look at the screen at the proper viewing angle, either it needs to be tilted up by you holding it at an angle with your wrist (ergonomic no-no) or you need to tilt your head down (ergonomic no-no). Considering that you probably want to use your hands to tap on it, that means it is likely resting in your lap and your head is tilted down putting strain on your neck. Color me sensitive (broke my neck rock climbing about a year ago and still get some pains) but that doesn't sound fun over a long period of time. I really think the amazing thing about the iPad is the screen no the form factor. Give me a macbook pro with a multi-touch screen and dual boot Mac OS X and iPad OS. Tell me you wouldn't prefer that. When you want multitouch, you have it, when you want a keyboard, you have it. When you want to sit back and watch a movie you have a built in stand .
- arohner 16y ago
  Why dual boot? Why not 'just' make the iPhone OS an App on OSX? I hate rebooting on my MBP so much that I'll download Software Updates and then not reboot for weeks at a time.
- jaaron 16y ago
  What about the ergonomics of a book or magazine? Aren't those effectively the same as an iPad?
  - dagw 16y ago
    A magazine is a lot lighter than the iPad, so that makes a huge difference. Also you don't have to continuously touch the pages of a magazine while using it, which is another significant difference. Finally a magazine is bendy meaning you can change it's size and shape if and when the need arises.

emehrkay 16y ago

I played with iphone os 4 today at work, and once multitasking hits the ipad, it's really going to be lights out of how much time is spent on a "traditional" computer.

kyro 16y ago

You know, as much crap as Apple gets, they really have revolutionized the way people use technology. My mom, who a month could do nothing more than open FF on her computer, has been asking me for weeks when the 3G iPad is coming out. I have never seen her so excited to buy any sort of product. And that's why I'm not quick to judge Apple when it comes to their strict policies. They've shown time and time again that they know what they're doing, and they reach out to new, previously non-techy people with every product, inciting within those people a desire to use technology. This all might sound cultish, sure, I love my Apple products, but they hands down have the best computing products on the market for every day people. And I think it's their desire to control and perfect every level of the user experience that has gotten them to that point.

varjag 16y ago

What a happy iFamily

thmz 16y ago

"She was smiling." It sounds almost if she became happy again. Scary stuff.

JarekS 16y ago

I'm wondering on only one thing at the moment. How long does it take for people to realize that most of their productivity/business software can be used on iPad as well. I can imagine people traveling (sales people?) with iPads 3G checking their inventories in real-time, doing their forecast reporting, sending emails, reacting to on-line customer enquires... Do you think this is something that will happen or my imagination just plays tricks on me? :)

allend 16y ago

- No Flash, no multitasking, no Camera! - Just a big iTouch. - 256MB RAM!? Pfft. - WTF, not widescreen?! - LCD bad for reading. - $500?? Overpriced. - Can't see why anyone would need one. - Fills a need that isn't there. - Looks uncomfortable. - You have to pay $99 to publish on it. - Yeah, if you like to peck and type. - It's gonna destroy the culture of content creation. - Fine if you don't need to get real work done. - Only fanboys will buy one. - Give me a netbook so I can program. - People who are buying iPads are sheep. - It would not sell if it weren't for the marketing. - Sure it's selling well now, but what about in 6 months/1 year/2 years … - Sure it's selling well now, but no true intelligent scotsman … - Just a toy. - I can't believe people are buying this without being able to articulate why. - Look, someone says they stopped using it! I was right. - No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame. 28 days and $1,000,000,000 in revenues later, still reasons Apple doesn't give a flying frack about, and maybe a sign that some of us should reevaluate how much we know about the buying habits of the non-comic book guys, and that there might be something there that warrants more than a knee jerk cmdrtaco response.

useperl 16y ago
All of the above are good points that can be exploited by competing products, i am not sure why you are suggesting that apple should close its eyes on this! I will never buy a second iPhone, i will look for a good Android based phone, and using the same logic i will wait for a good iPad like product from HP or HTC
- flyosity 16y ago
  If people are in the market (or simply want) a tablet-sized computing device, they're going to have the iPad at the front of their mind. If they play with one at an Apple Store or at a friend's house and aren't convinced (or are pissed it doesn't run Flash) then they will fall into Category B which is where a dozen or more companies will compete. You basically have the iPad, and everything else, just like for music players there's the iPod and then everything else. Features on a comparison matrix don't get consumers excited. The iPad has a LOT of people excited.
ErrantX 16y ago

kimfuh 16y ago

I lent mine to a 13-year old kid from a small provincial town in the Philippines and, within an hour, it was like he'd been using one his whole life. And I couldn't steal it away from my 62-year old father while waiting for a flight. And I do remember both of them smiling. This thing is absolutely amazing.

sandaru1 16y ago

How come iPad is popular among facebook users when [farm]ville apps don't work?

nopal 16y ago

Has anyone set a grandparent up with an iPad? I'd love to buy one for my grandma. She has a Dell right now, and she uses it only for e-mail. She seems to constantly be running into problems with Outlook Express (marking items as junk, blocking senders, etc.). I'd like to find her a device that's friendly and easy to use. The iPad seems like that device. The only thing it can't do is print photos in e-mail messages (easily). I'm not sure if that's a deal breaker, and I think the usability trade off might be worth it. She could always go back to the Dell for printing. If anyone's set up a novice with an iPad, I'd love to hear about your (and their) experience. I'm especially curious about whether you set it up as a stand-alone device or if you showed the user how to sync with PC.

Maascamp 16y ago

"There's an old saying: To a small boy with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. As programmers, we call into the same trap all too often. We learn about some new technology or solution, and we immediately begin seeing places to apply it." I got that quote from the post on patterns in Python, but believe it applies equally well here.

naqeeb 16y ago

It might be a good idea to have a follow up for this article in 6 months to see if the results can be sustained...What iPads Did To My Family After 6 Months.