I've been a Mac person for almost 20 years and have iMacs at home and on campus, and an aging Macbook Pro that will likely be replaced w/a MBAir sometime this year. I am considering an iPad 3 this year primarily as a "gadget" and my first e-reader that also lets me have value-add (particularly email) services if I want them .... but my intention is to explore it and how it might fit into my life and habits, not change myself to fit its features. Like Charles, I am not enamoured with typing on glass, both due to the size of my fingers and the fact that I enjoy the tactile response of each keypress -- many times I know instinctively I've made a typo by feel as opposed to seeing the letter appear. It's also why I have a Blackberry for a "smart" mobile phone and not an iPhone/Android .... I like the keyboards and buttons, and fact that I can use it one-handed. (It's got a touchscreen as well, but I never use it) I've played with iPhones/Androids and just can't get into them or used to them. Blergh. IMHO tactile feel is the major shortcoming of tablet devices. This recent article from a journo at the Detroit Auto Show the other week pretty much explains how I feel about interface design and tactile response -- The Sad Death Of The Knob, Switch And Button http://digg.com/newsbar/Technology/the_sad_death_of_the_knob_switch_and_butt... ... just some rambling thoughts while I sip my Sunday coffee. (make that gulp....) GO RAVENS! -- rick On Jan 14, 2012, at 23:17 PM, Charles Ess wrote:
Well ... FWIW ... After a year of trying, I've given up on using the iPad as a "serious" computer - but my reasons are likely more idiosyncratic than not. Can't get used to a virtual keyboard - congrats to those who can! Was intrigued by the Zagg keyboard, but for the first generation iPad, the keys are too small and too closely spaced together for my somewhat largish hands and touch-typing trained fingers. But the OS and memory limitations were the final straw - when I work, I often have scads of applications and files open in ways that the iPad just can't do. I can see using the iPad as a writing machine on a commute when you have little else to have to access or deal with - but I commute on a bike most of the time, so that's not a good idea for me ... Still use the iPad as a reader - i.e., with Kindle, Nook, and other apps. Great for that. Sorry you don't "do Mac" - my recently acquired MacBook Air has turned out to be surprisingly satisfying. Following the example of many wise colleagues, I got it initially as a travel machine. But contrary to my initial expectations, it is has enough zip, memory capacity, and storage capacity to serve as my main machine. While not as compact as an iPad with a keyboard - it's not much heavier, and is far more capacious, including a full-sized keyboard.
Apple didn't pay me to say any of this. Best, Charles
On 1/14/12 7:15 PM, "Barry Wellman" <wellman@chass.utoronto.ca> wrote:
Perhaps because I've been using one for 55 years, but I don't know why anyone would abandon a proper keyboard for a glass iKeyboard. Real keys seem more natural to me than glass keys or even handwriting (for churning out long prose. And using a clip-on keyboard with an iThing seems kludgy. Besides, the OS is awful, wonders of Siri besides.
So when I am not using my desktop (just bought a 27" screen for better editing), I am using a laptop (my old Lenovo Thinkpad X60) and eagerly awaiting the advent of proper ultrabooks this summer. (Don't do Mac; netbooks underpowered).
Just my .02. I ain't gonna argue with anybody, but curious to read others' thoughts on this list.
Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________
S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Department of Sociology 725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388 University of Toronto Toronto Canada M5S 2J4 twitter:barrywellman http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-3963 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
--- Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it.