A lot of technologists don’t realize how broken the current computing experience is for so many people. Desktop computers (with desktop-metaphor OSes) are really work machines, but many people — if not most — spend the majority of their computing time these days doing non-work stuff on their computers.
Desktop computers with desktop-metaphor OSes will be around for years to come and will continue to work well for people using them at work. Power users get a lot out of the current computing arrangement, but how many computer users are really power users? A lot of people yearning for a simpler, more intuitive experience for their non-work needs.
Many people find it more difficult to operate and own a computer than a car. That seems incredibly backwards. Non-technologists would love a computing platform that just works and isn’t based on a decades-old user interface concept meant to replicate a messy desk.
Whether or not the first iPad is a hit is anyone’s guess, but the idea of a computing device that is based on human touch and presents a far simpler computing experience is here to stay. People simply want to stop fighting with their machines.
Sure, I love my desktop computer with its dual 22-inch monitors, but I also know that my parents spend a lot of time fighting with their computers to get them to do what they want (and calling me, asking for help). My Dad was already talking about the iPad the day after it came out. He has never spoken about Windows 7 or OS X Snow Leopard.
Technologists and geeks always want more — more power, more features, more bling. Most people just want something that works. I mean works like a coffee maker works, not works like a machine that needs to be defragged regularly or have its permissions repaired or asks to have updates installed regularly (why isn’t this automated on every OS?).
I don’t drive the same kind of car as a race car driver. So why does the average computer user use the same kind of computer as a programmer or someone editing a feature film?
For all the techies out there bemoaning the fact that the iPad “doesn’t have full OS X,” you don’t get it. That’s not what most people want. Most people want something far different. The iPhone has shown us this.
The iPad represents the first true salvo into making a computer for the masses. Google is going down the same path with its Chrome OS. It’s not a coincidence.
In a few years, it won’t be uncommon for households to have one main computer that has a standard OS that can handle heavy computing and work, while also having several tablet computers for consuming content, being social and doing most computing tasks.
If you fail to understand why the iPad is such a big deal, you fail to understand how broken the current computing landscape is for most people.
