Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

They'll just do something else. I think it's a mistake to assume that if kids aren't exposed to what we were exposed to as kids then they won't learn anything. I could see kids writing iPhone apps to impress their friends these days. I know I'd be impressed if my kid did something equivalent to that when she's that age.

I probably would have when I was 16 or 17 just for that reason-let alone the fact that it's cool.

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#5

Post by patio11 » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:29 AM UTC

I think the single device which got most people into programming in my generation was the Nintendo Entertainment System, and I do not remember it as being a playground of hackability. It just showed six year olds that if you ate your carrots and studied math you would eventually be able to do magic.

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#6

Post by miratom » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:35 AM UTC

"Apple is watering down computing" has been the principle argument governing the PC v. Mac holy war since the Macintosh made its debut. Nothing has changed.

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#7

Post by pcarmichael » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:38 AM UTC

The iPad isn't going to destroy tinkering. The whole "oh no one will tinker and no one will want to be a software engineer" complaint is getting old. If closed platforms abound, tinkerers will create an open and adaptable one. There is a wealth of tools and systems available to tinkerers today. Widespread adoption of the iPad is not going to change that. iPads aren't going to destroy the hobbyist electronics market. And as for the software development - what's stopping someone from providing a good programming experience that is web based? (surely someone has to be building a web based IDE, say, that compiles from whatever language to javascript?)

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#8

Post by ciscoriordan » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:41 AM UTC

As far as operating systems go, MS-DOS did more to encourage my technical knowledge than Windows ever did, and I stopped using DOS around the time Windows 98 came out.

But people who are drawn to tinkering probably wind up with better uses for their mental energy when they have easy-to-use operating systems. Pretty much everyone who has an iPad also has access to a machine they can do development on.

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#9

Post by jsz0 » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:42 AM UTC

It's naive to think these kids will commit themselves into any one device. Maybe they'll have a tablet but they'll also have access to a desktop or laptop, probably a gaming console and a SmartPhone too. Of course they'll also have nearly constant access to the Internet which is more than most of us had at that age and we turned out just fine.

Re: Is Apple destroying a generation of tech whizzes?

#10

Post by sferik » Tue, Apr 06, 2010, 1:46 AM UTC

I've always believed the biggest single moment of destruction of future programmers is when Microsoft stopped shipping BASIC (plus the full source code of the games GORILLA.BAS and NIBBLES.BAS) with DOS/Windows.