2010-01-29 21:26:11.577167+00 by Dan Lyke 9 comments
I went up to the Apple store to look at Macs yesterday evening so I could do some development for the iPad. I'm really smitten with the idea of this device.
Continued in the comments, in which I lust after the Always Innovating Touch Book.
[ related topics: Apple Computer Books ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-29 21:26:21.808268+00 by: Dan Lyke
I've noticed a couple of people talking about Apple's lack of openness. Lyn pointed out Alex Payne's comments on the iPad:
The thing that bothers me most about the iPad is this: if I had an iPad rather than a real computer as a kid, I’d never be a programmer today.
Absolutely. However, I have an iPhone. It took me several years to break down and see the radical change in culture that smart phones are going to precipitate because I hate the underlying business model, and the design that stems from the model. Sure, you can make some security claims about not letting people hack on it, but Apple's selling hardware so that they can be a media company. They could build a platform, but they built a toaster that gives them a cut every time someone sells you a piece of bread.
Here's the thing: There have been good tablet computers out there for a decade. The Always Innovating Touch Book looks really sexy, and cheaper than the iPad, and is way way hackable. There were also music players before the iPod that were much more open, whose interface I far preferred. And there were smart phones before the iPhone.
Your average consumer doesn't care, and is happy to give Apple their 30% per slice for the fact that Apple makes this stuff easy, from one vendor, with support.
So I may actually buy an Always Innovating Touch Book because I think that's a really really cool platform and because I like their philosophy and because I think that's a device with an interface that I'm going to find far less annoying than I'm likely to find Apple products (based on previous experiences). That's not going to stop me from seeing that the iPad represents a huge freakin' market and opportunity.
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-29 22:04:38.841835+00 by: markd [edit history]
The kids I know that are getting into programming are doing it via web apps - making the browser do tricks in javascript. You don't have to code to the native APIs to get your geek on.
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-29 22:11:52.558996+00 by: Dan Lyke
Mark, the apps I've got in mind will either need to hijack the camera USB for other nefarious purposes, or use Bluetooth and a Bluetooth to USB dongle (which may not have been made yet. If anyone knows of a device that'll plug into an FTDI chip and let me talk Bluetooth to it, I want to know).
I've got a couple of web pages that I use on my iPhone, but wireless coverage really isn't good enough for that to be the sole mechanism.
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-29 22:20:58.24599+00 by: Shawn
Re: the TouchBook: Dammit! I just bought a regular Ubuntu![[Wiki]](/adbanners/lookingglass.png){kind=small}
notebook...
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-29 22:38:16.814283+00 by: Dan Lyke
It may actually be a bit overpriced, some of the MSI or Asus tablets are price competitive and much faster than the Beagleboard (on which the Touch Book is based). But it is openly hackable, and I like the two-piece form factor.
There's been the veiled threat of someone showing me some four or five figure gratitude, that might kick me into the "I need one of those to play with" territory.
#Comment Re: made: 2010-01-30 02:48:47.123378+00 by: markd
Dan - sorry, meant for kids to get their geek on. I don't think the iAppliances will decimate the next generation of geeks. We've already paid our dues in the 8-bit land :-)
#Comment Re: made: 2010-02-01 19:43:47.240852+00 by: petronius
#Comment Re: made: 2010-02-01 20:18:07.416825+00 by: Dan Lyke
Some day I'll figure out the right thing to do when you mix ' and " in your HTML attributes, but for now... the "here" URL above is http://gizmodo.com/5461485/ipad-snivelers-put-up-or-shut-up
#Comment Re: made: 2010-02-03 16:01:48.393545+00 by: andylyke
I like what I can see about the AI touchbook. Some comments on the Itampon:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=1324&tag=nl.e101