Tag Archives: Computers

The iPad is not a Computer

by thomasfitzgerald on 04. Feb, 2010 in Apple, Technology, iPad

iPad.jpgI had wanted to wait a little while since the iPad was launched to let the implications sink in a bit before trying to write about it. I have had so many thoughts flying around my head about Apple’s new device over the last week that I haven’t really known where to start. The more I read about it the more enthusiastic I get about the iPad. I also get equally annoyed about some of the stupid things that are being written. One thought keeps resonating with me though: the iPad isn’t really a computer. At least not in the traditional sense. (I know that technically it is a computer) Instead you should think of it more as a device that happens to do computing tasks. Let me explain.

For years Apple has tried to make computing easier for the average person. The selling point for the original Mac was that it was “the computer for the rest of us.” While it certainly made computing tasks easier, even using a Mac still requires a degree of computing knowledge. As the internet became mainstream the world was promised the ideal of the internet being as easy to use and ubiquitous as news papers and magazines. While we got the ubiquity, we’re still using the same tools to access that information. At the end of the day, you still needed a computer, and you still have to deal with all that entails. Even things like having to boot a computer up before using it stand in the way of easy and fast consumption of information. While these issues have certainly been mitigated over the years they are still there. For some people though, this is the essence of computing and they don’t like the idea of that changing.

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Spending Time With Magic Mouse

by thomasfitzgerald on 11. Dec, 2009 in Apple, Technology

Magic Mouse

I’ve never been one of those people who hated every Apple mouse. Sure, I loathed the hockey puck that came with the original iMac, but then who didn’t? I didn’t find the original pro mouse that bad or the mighty mouse (when the scroll ball was working). Still, I couldn’t resist trading up for Apple’s new multi touch rodent. Actually, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision. I was walking through my local HMV (which has recently started selling Macs and other Apple products) and there it was on the shelf, calling to me, luring me with it’s curvaceous miniscule packaging.

There was a time when you would be amazed by the detail, style and design of Apple’s product boxes. Now you are amazed by how small they are able to make their packaging, and the magic mouse is no exception. The plastic container is barely bigger than the mouse itself, and the mouse is about half the size of the previous mighty mouse. It might be smaller, but it is considerably better built. The underside of the body is aluminium and the top is a very smooth hard plastic. The top side is very slick and smooth and shows a quality of materials rarely seen in a non Apple product. Never mind what it looks like though, what’s it like to use? The answer is: it’s a dream. The magic mouse is quite simply the best mouse that I have ever used. At first it felt a little weird in my hand, but you quickly get used to it. The scrolling is so smooth and natural that after an hour or two it becomes second nature. So much so that reverting to an older mouse felt weird an unnatural.

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