Blogs Is the iPad the future of computing?

I think they're handing out trial units with it installed. Cr-48 or something of the sort.

 

im not talking about things going wrong, im talking about expanding capabilities with upgrades and peripherals... But dont kid yourself apple products hardly ever fail

 

Android X86 exists, ask John about it.

I'm running Chrome OS right now!

 

Oh come on, the story you posted has only one macbook failure. Hardly an epidemic. And dont pretend you were talking about peripherals, you were clearly talking about fixing things. Hence the statement "I guarantee that most people would rather be dependent on their geeky friends than be dependent on a company who charge hundreds of pounds for the priviledge of being dependent on them"

 

The question is, what percentage of the population actually does that? It seems to me that most 'lay' people don't go much further than adding a printer and using a digital camera sometimes.

Perhaps the problem with this article is that it mentioned the iPad by name. If it had just listed some of its characteristics, nobody would have batted an eyelid.

 

On what hardware? Where did you find it?

 

When they are thinner, cheaper and lighter, then they will useful. They still seem a bit cumbersome at the moment.

 

Google has a pilot program (http://www.google.com/chromeos/pilot-program.html) where they are sending out ChromeOS powered netbooks with free (limited) 3G service to testers who meet their requirements.

The netbook they are using is called the CR-48 - http://www.google.com/chromeos/pilot-program-cr48.html

has a 12" display, webcam, full sized keyboard, apparently 8 hrs of running battery life, and built in wifi and 3G

 

It's astonishing that there's so many people arguing in here, who apparently didn't even read the article this discussion is tied to.

Forget about Apple for a moment and let's take a more general approach... maybe then you see where this one is going.

To clarify: Take any OS you want and reduce it to it's bare minimum set of functions paired with a very lightweight and easy to use interface, that every 2 year old can deal with. Android, WindowsPhone7, iOS whatever.
Then pair it with a very low power and lightweight hardware that is powerful enough to run an office-suit, a browser and a HD-mediaplayer and which is somewhat portable. Think of a 13" netbook if a tablet isn't your thing.

Now, to make this system resilient and free of maintenance you lock the OS and let it only accept software that is tested by the manufacturer. However, everyone is free to write programs for the system and the manufacturer only makes sure that the software you wrote is 100% compatible and free of malicious code... seal of approval if you like.

This is what we're talking about, and as the iPad is the only one currently which got most of these points covered allready it's taken as an example.

M$ and Google will be aswell releasing something like the Apple itunes store within the next year for WP7 and Android and they will aswell lock down their systems once the people started to get used to the new easy systems.

EDIT: Yeah, the ChromeOS-thingy will be exactly what we're talking about when it's finished. They will aswell have a locked down system paired with an AppStore and it'll be even more locked down then what's done by Apple, as you don't even download and intall the apps to your device anymore, but you only get to use them via internet, tied to your Google-account.

 

I think this should have been the way that the article was written in the first place. Apple is such a polarizing topic gin general (as has been proven hundreds of times of these forums) It was inevitable that the discussion was going to go downhill.

I personally think that the linux world could be doing a lot more to get into the mainstream. They had a big push a few years ago in netbooks, but it didn't catch on. Partially because of microsoft's deals with hardware manufacturers, but also because honestly, installing software isn't the easiest for a lay person.

Already most distributions have an "app store" style software management system, but this could be adapted to a partially closed system, which I would like to see personally. An "app store" with approved software for people who might not be comfortable with computers, but also allow the user control over their own system.

That is the main problem I have with Apple and their hardware, it seems almost like you are renting your hardware, you can only use it under their "rules".... I don't like being told to do with hardware I buy, I want to have options. Although I realize that the idea of a closed ecosystem might be great for a vast majority of people (described earlier as "lowest common denominator), I worry that it might become the norm, which is the opposite way that computing should go imho.

 

"If that is so, why is everybody raving over its easy usability? Grannies use it; 4-year olds use it. Seems to me it is a triumph of real-life application over abstract meaningless specifications."

Exactly my point. As a grown up computer, for home or office use it's far too simplistic.

"But the entire point of the iPad is not having to worry about your hardware or software, there's no messing around with the device, it just works."

And absolutely no room for anything "out of the box" ...in Steve Jobs walled orchard all are welcome so long as they obey His rules while paying His prices. Hmmmm!

 

Microsoft has been creeping that way for, well, forever. The problem is they also need to support people like us who demand flexibility and high performance.

Maybe it's time for something of an evolutionary fork in OS design. A limited, but functional relatively low cost system for the masses and more complicated, but powerful and flexible systems for us.

 

If Evolution could manage MS Exchange server accounts, my next PC would run Linux. No doubt about it.

 

limited systems:

- android, WP7, iOS or anything like this for the majority who only need office-, media- and internet-stuff paired with low-power out-of-the-box/all-in-one hardware

- next-gen consoles for gaming

unlimited systems:

- linux on whatever hardware people can make it run on

That's the future I foresee some 10 years from now for the consumer-market.

The systems used at work will be still something like the Windows-boxes of today premade by manufacturers like Dell or HP, but the OS might change to linux aswell and corps writing their own software still like they do today with their SAP-stuff.

 

My brother-in-law works for Landrover. He is a design engineer. Let me tell you that there are some esoteric computers in use there. None of them PCs and none running Windows.

 

It's not a problem if it keeps them more open then apple. It might not be the way they want to go , but it isn't a bad thing for people who want to use their computers on their own terms.

I would be 100% linux on all of my systems tomorrow if only netflix (silverlight) and the majority of the games I play were made compatible overnight

 

Cr-48 laptop, but you can run it on any normal PC. I had it on my Eee PC back in late '09.

Disk images are available at various places online, and you can get a lot of info from Google. Search for 'Chromium OS'.

 

And your point was?

 

Snips, looks to me like your itching ... why not just scratch it?

 

@Nexxo: I did read the article. It's a synaptic misfire at best, utter horsesh*t at worst.

iOS, Android and Windows Phone are cut-down OSes for devices with limited interfaces, connectivity and performance. Before they were cut-down they were perfectly serviceable business-grade production OSes - Mac OS X, Linux and Windows.

Why the hell would you cut down an OS for consumer use in a restrictive environment, then refit it back up to that level? It makes no sense. The business environment is already perfectly well served by the original products. In the business environment all the stuff that's been cut out is operationally required - active directory, ODBC, remote administration, decent printing support, even proper file management. All those Windows services we like to disable at home are absolutely essential at work these days.

None of the benefits you try and pitch work out either. Reliance on the app store heavily restricts in-house developed programs and scripts. Any system administrator can lock down a fully-features OS in minutes - ever heard of group policy? Your price arguments are pure fantasy. You can't take a device that's already 2-3x times more expensive than a PC, make it larger and faster AND cut it's price by 50-70%.

My final point - when the business market is over-saturated with products that do everything needed in that environment, why try and force something cut-down and under-spec'd back into that environment when it's TCO is higher and operational procedures are unknown and untested?

It'll never happen. You might as well try to bring a hardware-support updated version of Windows 3.1 to market.