I have not read the argument in the article yet but to address this point "Of course, i also feel like we're slowly but surely dumbing down the population, so something like this is probably just what a lot of them want: simple and is only really serviced and handled by one group, thus not a lot to learn." with regards to apple.

I have been using, modding, coding, hacking for more than half my life. My desire to use Mac has nothing to do with dumbing down, quite the opposite.

With Mac OS you can either use what it gives you or extend it wildly. I am tired of viruses and stresses. I am tired or windows using more memory than necessary to supplement aging DLL systems. Rushed OS releases, wholes and shoddy patches. I want to be able to get to a unix command line if I want or run multiple virtual machines.

Apple gets out of my way and lets me get to the work I need to do.

As far as the iPad goes, it will be great for what it is. It is not a computer. It is at best a netbook replacement. I think of it more as a paper replacement. If I get one it will be for the coffee table. With magazines and casual games on it. Something to browse and peruse.

I reject the idea that just because something is well made that it is a sell out. But I also see the need in extending. Apple balances that better than most.

Anyway yeah, just my thoughts. Oh, and yeah, added to my reader :-)

True, but you aren't the crowd that the iPad is being marketed to, either. The iPad is not a regular Mac machine, with all that entails. It's a portable browser, in essence, and a very chained one at that. Sure, you enjoy all those things you can do on a Mac computer, but as you say, you won't be doing that on an iPad.

Edited at 2010-04-02 08:26 pm (UTC)

Very true. But there is nothing wrong inherently with a device like that. The reasoning that Cory used when he said that you could not take it apart. Well. you Can. You void the warranty but that is nothing new. There is already a jailbreak for it. Honestly if I got one I would jail break it so quick because I am not tied to AT&T like I am with my phone. The little pad could prolly do some amazing things when you get past the lockdown.

Really it is no different than when they released the next gen console or anything, it is a gamble. There are hundreds of open source tablets....but you never hear about them because most people have no idea how to make em work. Does not make them bad, just useless for most people.

Agreed, like I said, I think that is where Cory missed the mark. As for the jailbreak comments, yes, you can, but I think the point is that you shouldn't HAVE to do so.

True, but cracking a case is little different :-)

Yes, a lot of those like Mac, but they aren't the ones going after the iPad. It's not a full-on computer (and I think this might be where Cory missed the mark) marketed to tech-saavy people, it's a very controlled 'Net gateway. In that regard, it's a completely different beast, and it's way too locked down for a crowd that wants freedom.

Kinda like a handheld AOL, heh. I don't like Apple and I don't like the iPhone. I don't even like ebooks, so there's no way I'd ever buy an iPad. If you're not a hacker, it's just a lot of preset crap someone wants you to use. Even as an average computer user, that's a bore.

Unless you jailbreak it....

I definitely see where Cory's coming from. I actually just finished reading an interesting counter-point article on Warren Ellis's blog, starting at paragraph four: http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=8983

I found his angle interesting.

In some ways it feels like Doctorow misses a point...
I dunno, like it's not the device that matters so much?

Computers used to be less opaque -everythings embedded in chips now - and boot into BASIC.

Now all the interesting stuff is online, and the device is mostly just a gateway to that...

True, and if it were marketed that way, it might seem a little less...disingenuous. It seems like it's being put out there as the next big portable computer, but the fact is that it is not. Like you say, this is a gateway (combined with a Kindle, in a way), and for those that want little else, it'll be groovy. But let's have Jobs call a spade a spade.

Yeah, that aint gunna happen.....heh.....Jobs probably calls his cock "A MAGICAL DEVICE THAT MAGICALLY MAGICS THE VAGINA!!!!! WITH MAGIC!"

I like USB ports.

Well I'm disappointed with it but that is b/c I am being a bit of a spoiled brat not to mention that for the most part I am not a techie and I don't like computers. I know that is ironic since I am going into Nuclear Medicine...it takes all kinds write.

Personally after using one of Hurley's Apple's and seeing some of the radiology images on it I was sold...well between that and the lack of viruses then. That is until I saw a classmates tablet and how handy it would come in for research and for the first time ever I fell in love with a computer. I am truly disappointed that Apple decided to release this toy instead of their long rumored dual screen tablet! Damn jerks.

This is the third mention of Corey Doctrow I've had in the last 24 hours. Perhaps I should look into this guy.

He co-runs BoingBoing.net and is a sci-fi writer, which makes him a bit of a geek icon. More here.