A recent discussion topic is the announcement of Apple's newest product, the
iPad. When I first heard that Apple was developing a tablet style touch screen computer, I was filled with excitement. I have used several tablet computers in the past and have been very pleased, and with Apple's ingenuity and reputation for sleek designs, I was looking forward to seeing how they proceed with this. When Apple finally revealed the product, I was very, very disappointed. From what has been seen thus far, this "tablet" did not live up to my expectations at all, and I think
many others feel the same way. This tablet is no more of a computer than my iPhone. In fact, my iPhone can basically do everything most
iPads will be able to do, such as make phone calls, send
SMS, and use wireless 3G network for
internet. You could think of the
iPad as an
oversized ipod touch, really:
The
iPad runs the same operating system as
iPhones and
iPod touches, so that really limits it's capabilities as a computer. That means the applications you run on your Apple computer will not run on your
iPad. Another thing is the lack of flash compatibility for Safari on the
iPad, which really limits the browsing capabilities of the device. In fact, the benefits of portability are essentially negated by it's limitations of browsing and application use. It has no keyboard or mouse, so you have to be touching the screen for most interactions - so if you have the tablet on your lap, you will have to look down the entire duration of your use in order to view the screen. Furthermore, the
iPad does not even contain a hard drive, so the storage space is very poor. My iPhone has the same amount of storage space as the entry level
iPad, and my phone is only a quarter the size! And not to mention the name of the product always provokes a few chuckles. Unless they revamp this product after hearing all of the negative feedback, I think I'll stick with my
iPad mini:
Another topic we discussed in class was the idea of being hardwired to print. Computers have not been used by the general population for too long of a time. Most adults are used to pen and paper, or at least printing off the documents which were created on the computer. I think that over time, the use of computer will become the absolute standard (as pen and paper was/is) and that everything will move towards being electronic - which is something we are already beginning to see. This semester at the University of Regina, 4 out of 5 of my classes have content on URCourses, and in all of those classes, assignments are distributed and submitted electronically via the URCourses system. Now, I don't need to print off a copy of my assignment to hand in, because it all exists electronically. This is much more convenient, and it is physically easier to organize, because I can misplace an assignment, but data can be searched on the hard drive of my computer. For some important documents, such as transcripts, important emails, I like to print off a copy in order to have both physical and electronic copies in case one or the other is lost or damaged. The beauty of electronic storage is that an electronic document that is on my computer can easily be uploaded to a server or storage service on the internet, and then can be accessed and downloaded anywhere I go. This may be the ultimate way to avoid losing an important document.
The iPad runs the same operating system as iPhones and iPod touches, so that really limits it's capabilities as a computer. That means the applications you run on your Apple computer will not run on your iPad. Another thing is the lack of flash compatibility for Safari on the iPad, which really limits the browsing capabilities of the device. In fact, the benefits of portability are essentially negated by it's limitations of browsing and application use. It has no keyboard or mouse, so you have to be touching the screen for most interactions - so if you have the tablet on your lap, you will have to look down the entire duration of your use in order to view the screen. Furthermore, the iPad does not even contain a hard drive, so the storage space is very poor. My iPhone has the same amount of storage space as the entry level iPad, and my phone is only a quarter the size! And not to mention the name of the product always provokes a few chuckles. Unless they revamp this product after hearing all of the negative feedback, I think I'll stick with my iPad mini:
Another topic we discussed in class was the idea of being hardwired to print. Computers have not been used by the general population for too long of a time. Most adults are used to pen and paper, or at least printing off the documents which were created on the computer. I think that over time, the use of computer will become the absolute standard (as pen and paper was/is) and that everything will move towards being electronic - which is something we are already beginning to see. This semester at the University of Regina, 4 out of 5 of my classes have content on URCourses, and in all of those classes, assignments are distributed and submitted electronically via the URCourses system. Now, I don't need to print off a copy of my assignment to hand in, because it all exists electronically. This is much more convenient, and it is physically easier to organize, because I can misplace an assignment, but data can be searched on the hard drive of my computer. For some important documents, such as transcripts, important emails, I like to print off a copy in order to have both physical and electronic copies in case one or the other is lost or damaged. The beauty of electronic storage is that an electronic document that is on my computer can easily be uploaded to a server or storage service on the internet, and then can be accessed and downloaded anywhere I go. This may be the ultimate way to avoid losing an important document.
No comments:
Post a Comment