Bryan W. Alaspa 1The iPad hysteria
April 5th 2010 13:20
I admit it. I was, momentarily, caught up in the hysteria over the latest doo-dad from Apple, the Apple iPad. When it was first introduced I was decidedly underwhelmed. I have managed to live, so far, without an iTouch and this looked like a legal-pad-sized iTouch. That's great, thought I, but why would I want a bigger one? Why wouldn't I, had I an urge to iTouch something, just want the smaller and more portable older brother of the big, lumbering thing. Then, when the reviews started coming out about the thing, I started to reconsider.
For just a moment I thought about getting an iPad instead of a laptop. I had a laptop for a while. Being a rather poor and struggling writer, I could not afford new Macbooks and Macbook Airs. I love Mac and the products Apple produces, but they are just way too cool for me, I guess. I am not wealthy enough to own them. Even the cheapest of new Macbooks is well out of my pay grade. The iPad, however, at around $400 for the cheapest one, is much closer.
I envisioned myself using the iPad to access the internet and doing much more "cloud computing." This means using things like Google Docs and other online office suite programs. Since the iPad has virtually no memory, that would make sense. It does have Apps that let you write some documents as well. I envisioned myself typing away on the touch screen keyboard and laughing at the new toy I had. However, reality soon set in.
The fact is, I do a lot of writing. I am not a casual internet browser. Sure, like many of you, I spend way too much time reading things in Wikipedia, but I also spend a lot of time writing actual things for the internet. This blog, for example. I also write a lot of articles. I just didn't see the touch-screen providing me with the necessary tools I would need to do that much writing. This would mean that I would need the accessory keyboard that you can buy from the Apple store. Well, if I am carrying around a keyboard and a screen, isn't that the same damn thing as a laptop? Ultimately, for my needs, the iPad is not quite the tool I need, as cool as it may turn out to be.
There is another aspect of the iPad that does bother me. I have loved the internet from the very start. It has provided me with options to get out my writing in more ways than I ever had before it came into existence. I have spent a lot of time online and I have spent a lot of time writing content online. I love the freedom it gives you. You can look up anything, read anything and go anywhere online. Not long ago, I watched the remastered and restored version of the silent film "Metropolis" as it streamed live from the Berlin Film Festival. It was like I was right there, in the snow, watching the movie.
Apple has its apps for its iPhone and, now, the iPad. That means that, generally speaking, the content available on the iPad is controlled and approved by Apple. I heard this described as a "gated community" by someone on the radio. Yes, I am a raging liberal and everyone seems to think that means I want less freedom instead of more. Like most things, this is incorrect. No, I just want the government to provide basic necessities for a modern life, such as healthcare, but I want the freedom to choose which method I want. I prefer having the freedom to view and visit anything I want online.
I don't think Apple has sinister motives. However, it does creep me out just a tad having a large corporation having any say over what content and applications I can use on my device. So, I am sticking with Dell and their inexpensive laptops for now. It may not be the latest or greatest or flashiest thing around, but it will allow me to keep writing and still give me the freedom I crave.
For just a moment I thought about getting an iPad instead of a laptop. I had a laptop for a while. Being a rather poor and struggling writer, I could not afford new Macbooks and Macbook Airs. I love Mac and the products Apple produces, but they are just way too cool for me, I guess. I am not wealthy enough to own them. Even the cheapest of new Macbooks is well out of my pay grade. The iPad, however, at around $400 for the cheapest one, is much closer.
I envisioned myself using the iPad to access the internet and doing much more "cloud computing." This means using things like Google Docs and other online office suite programs. Since the iPad has virtually no memory, that would make sense. It does have Apps that let you write some documents as well. I envisioned myself typing away on the touch screen keyboard and laughing at the new toy I had. However, reality soon set in.
The fact is, I do a lot of writing. I am not a casual internet browser. Sure, like many of you, I spend way too much time reading things in Wikipedia, but I also spend a lot of time writing actual things for the internet. This blog, for example. I also write a lot of articles. I just didn't see the touch-screen providing me with the necessary tools I would need to do that much writing. This would mean that I would need the accessory keyboard that you can buy from the Apple store. Well, if I am carrying around a keyboard and a screen, isn't that the same damn thing as a laptop? Ultimately, for my needs, the iPad is not quite the tool I need, as cool as it may turn out to be.
There is another aspect of the iPad that does bother me. I have loved the internet from the very start. It has provided me with options to get out my writing in more ways than I ever had before it came into existence. I have spent a lot of time online and I have spent a lot of time writing content online. I love the freedom it gives you. You can look up anything, read anything and go anywhere online. Not long ago, I watched the remastered and restored version of the silent film "Metropolis" as it streamed live from the Berlin Film Festival. It was like I was right there, in the snow, watching the movie.
Apple has its apps for its iPhone and, now, the iPad. That means that, generally speaking, the content available on the iPad is controlled and approved by Apple. I heard this described as a "gated community" by someone on the radio. Yes, I am a raging liberal and everyone seems to think that means I want less freedom instead of more. Like most things, this is incorrect. No, I just want the government to provide basic necessities for a modern life, such as healthcare, but I want the freedom to choose which method I want. I prefer having the freedom to view and visit anything I want online.
I don't think Apple has sinister motives. However, it does creep me out just a tad having a large corporation having any say over what content and applications I can use on my device. So, I am sticking with Dell and their inexpensive laptops for now. It may not be the latest or greatest or flashiest thing around, but it will allow me to keep writing and still give me the freedom I crave.
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