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Tablets

paulgraham.com

201–210 of 262 posts

Re: Tablets

#202
post #176

Am I the only person who thinks the iOS usability is declining as its feature set and resulting complexity grows? It's still simple for me, but while my mother could handle the original iPhone, I think she'd get a little confused by the current one. (Double and triple clicks on the home button, cut and paste UI popping up unexpectedly, etc.)

Of course the complexity will increase as a function of the number of features.

However, I'd make the following claims:

(1) Some of the functions are simply not that used. You can get by perfectly well without knowing what double and triple clicks on the home button, for example, If you don't know they exist, you will never even notice.

(2) iOS has less features than Android and arguably this makes it somehow less powerful but also less confusing for my mom (e.g. no task manager, no intents).

(3) Switching to a Mac was actually quite challenging coming from PC land ("where's maximize?", "where's a working Alt-Tab?", etc). I'd say the usability still kicks in as far as how easy it is to do your job for most after the learning curve has passed. Your mileage may vary, but I find myself enjoying using my Mac more than I ever did using Windows on my PC for usual tasks, and that's part of what makes it usable for me. I'd expect a similar phenomenon with iOS.

Re: Tablets

#203
post #122

"I wouldn't be surprised if by playing some clever tricks with the accelerometer you could even replace the bathroom scale." I'd be surprised. Very, very, very surprised.

I was mystified at this. I can't imagine a way to measure weight with accelerometer that doesn't involve spinning around in circles or jumping up and down on springs.

Scale.com. You stand on your laptop and it tells you how much you weigh.

http://www.jakeandamir.com/post/6758808/website-ideas

Re: Tablets

#204

This is absolutely right. My company been working on a medical device accessory for the iPhone and the possibilities the "tablet" form factor are amazing. Lower Cost Structure - In our industry (diabetes) you give away hardware to get ongoing disposable revenue. This hardware is expensive to produce and develop. Plus you spend a lot of effort on areas that don't add much value e.g. reinventing the wheel re: display d…

I'm glad Sanofi-Aventis is moving forward with an iPhone accessory that will be a medical device, and will be really pleased if they're able to get it through FDA. The Agency has put a lot of scrutiny on mobile platforms in the past, which is one of the reasons you don't see all kinds of medical technology running on smartphones and tablets. Trust me, it's not because those of us in the medical device industry don't want to utilize these platforms. (Note: this is distinct from EMR/EHR, which medical staff can put on whatever they choose)

Re: Tablets

#205

Doesn't the etherealization of hardware mean that we won't be referring to tablets, mobile devices, or laptops at all? Isn't the only difference between an iPad and iPhone the screen size. So really, we're starting to refer to these devices based on size rather than power/memory/speed.

Why do you place more value on "power and memory", than the way people use a device (tablet vs. PC)? Let me give you a clear example: my computer 10 years ago had 128 MB of RAM. My iPhone has 16 GB of RAM. Does that make my old computer not a computer? My point is that the usage is what matters. I still use my computer to browse the web, compile code, run Excel and Word, etc.

we're both trying to make the same point. I used 'power and memory' because I consider those to be the equivelant of 'form factor'. Computing won't reach etherealism until we no longer have to consider this form-factor over that form factor, just like we no longer consider memory or speed.

Re: Tablets

#206
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft's control was superficial, and that's how they like it. They don't want to control what you put on your computer, they just want you to pay them the same reasonable price. Apple on the other hand clearly does care what you put on your iOS device, and in ways that go beyond a desire for good UX to a desire to control what is acceptable for society: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/apple-finds-christianity-offe…

> Microsoft's control was superficial, and that's how they like it. They don't want to control what you put on your computer, they just want you to pay them the same reasonable price. Oh, how a decade of stagnation can change perceptions...

It has nothing to do with Microsoft's stagnation. I've lived the past decade, and I'd rather be forced to use a mildly overpriced platform where I can run any code I want than a [wm]ildly overpriced platform where the code I can use is dictated by people who have a political agenda, and flat out refuse to let me run what code I want on the property I've ostensibly purchased.

Re: Tablets

#207
I just can't wait for the Kinect sensors to be an open standard with a commododized component in every electronics we have.

Re: Tablets

#208
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft's control was superficial, and that's how they like it. They don't want to control what you put on your computer, they just want you to pay them the same reasonable price. Oh, how a decade of stagnation can change perceptions...

It has nothing to do with Microsoft's stagnation. I've lived the past decade, and I'd rather be forced to use a mildly overpriced platform where I can run any code I want than a [wm]ildly overpriced platform where the code I can use is dictated by people who have a political agenda, and flat out refuse to let me run what code I want on the property I've ostensibly purchased.

Don't use any phone based architecture to run code, then. They were tightly controlled before Apple.

Compare a Mac with windows, instead.

Re: Tablets

#209
post #195
post #9

Developers have used the accelerometer in ways Apple could never have imagined. That sentence is one instance of this sentence: Developers have used in ways could never have imagined. What better argument for open standards, APIs, and community cooperation?

I think that can be applied to technologies that aren't open -- and it can be a property of the technology itself. In fact, one entire category of technology that's overlooked right now is sensors. Besides sound (mic) and light (camera), accelerometers and magnetometers are already there. Some other detectors of "state" that make sense: Pressure (think of being able to predict rain) Humidity/Temperature (think of an…

Having outputs is good too. I don't know a single smartphone owner I've talked to about it, who wouldn't love for it to have a general IR out for remote control applications.

Re: Tablets

#210
post #76
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was already happening then. It's older than computers. In his day it meant e.g. replacing cams with variable speed motors.

Or, I suppose, Jacquard cards replacing cams in the 1800's. There's a lot more history to this than it's easy to see today. But Fuller's insight , Good God.

i'd recommend reading operating manual for spaceship earth if you haven't already
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