Friday, April 02, 2010
Simplicity is the simple answer
You hear a lot about the iPad these days. I am getting mine tomorrow and I will bring it on the road with me, so I will know more soon.
For now, let me comment on one simple thing: simplicity.
Apple is a master at making things simple. I know if you are a geek you do not like it. You like complexity. Sense of power. Ability to be root. Emacs is a dream, with its easy-to-guess Control-x Control-c command to exit the application.
But if you are like the rest of them (I am a geek), they don't. I know, I know, the usual example of my mother is boring. But she is using a computer today and she is scared of it. And if you married a geek, good for you (I did, but she is not into computers). Most of them did not marry a geek. And their spouse do not like computers. Our kids look at technology and devices as tools. They do not need to go deep, they just want them to work (until they grow up and become geeks too).
Geeks do not get simplicity. But the vast majority of users just do.
Let me give you an example. Instructions on the Google site on how to add a Gmail shortcut on the homepage of your smartphone.
On Android devices:Can you notice a difference? I do. And it is for Gmail - a Google product - on Android - a Google product.
1. In the browser, go to Gmail (be sure you've signed in)
2. Press your device's < Menu > button
3. Select More
4. Select Bookmark page and select OK
5. Press your device's < Home > button, then press the < Menu > button
6. Select Add > Shortcut > Bookmark
7. Find 'Gmail' and select it
8. A new Gmail icon appears on your home screen
On iPhone devices:
1. In Safari, go to Gmail (be sure you've signed in)
2. Tap the + at the bottom of the screen
3. Select Add to Home Screen
4. Tap Add to confirm
5. A new Gmail icon appears on your home screen
Why will people like the iPad? It is simple.
Posted by Fabrizio Capobianco at 11:18
4 Comments:
Dima said...
Geniale!
Only 5 steps!
I suppose somebody could be better
It's a chance for geeks
Comment Posted at 12:19
Ugo Chirico said...
Exciting, this is the way we geeks should think to create our new products.
Comment Posted at 14:14
"Apple is a master at making things simple. I know if you are a geek you do not like it. You like complexity. Sense of power. Ability to be root. Emacs is a dream, with its easy-to-guess Control-x Control-c command to exit the application."
That said, while one can't do this on the iPad and iPhone, a number of hardcore geeks conveniently forget that Mac OS X is Unix, so if folks want to go wild with the command line in the terminal, they can. Macs are the best of both worlds from that perspective.
The iPhone and the iPad are computing appliances that excel at their purposes.
Comment Posted at 16:42
Fabrizio said...
Hi Aymerik,
I totally agree with you on the Mac, but not on the iPod/iPhone/iPad ;-)
And the iPad is going to be big... and completely locked down.
fabrizio
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