ElArchitect

Wonderful. Classic case of gradual evaluation.

Which kid/youngster... hey even grandparent... who ever had a device like an iPhone / iPad as their first device and never ‘had’ to use a ‘computer’ (desktop / laptop) would actually want one of them?

They would more likely ask ‘why do you have to use the mouse etc’? And once they see what we get done with ‘computers’ they will find a way to get it done ‘without them’.

The same way ‘we’ grew up with ‘computers’ and asked... ‘why do I need a typewriter, why do I need a calculator, ...’.

These are just different methods of different generations along the path of evolution.

Granted that to get some things done a traditional computing device (with mouse etc) will yield better and faster results than what can be covered by an iPad approach. However, that is only a matter of time where the iPad style is the dominant one (actually it already is... look at how we all use iPhones, iPads etc... with our fingers and with a convergence of capabilities of previously separate devices... e.g. cameras).

The notion of a ‘computer’ is simply a relic of our own past. A past when there where no such machines and we had to give it a name. Now, the capabilities of these machines are omnipresent and our notion of ‘computer’ falls back on a couple of interface obstacles (mouse? Big-screens?...).

The traditional computer will go the way of many other things... it will be remembered... but what we use will be different. We will have kept the most useful features and converted them for better use and in many cases we simply moved on to find ways to do things differently.

Remember: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke

Some of us are struggling with this. It is a pivotal time for ‘computing’ and ‘human computer interaction’. ... Move on... Embrace