Sunday, March 13, 2011

Computer as Appliance

It took the automobile nearly a century to almost become an appliance. By appliance, I mean its users no longer need some tinkering ability, no longer must know when it needs this or that. A refrigerator is a true appliance.

With the IPad by Apple, the computer has covered that same distance in less than fifty years. This article in The Wall Street Journal by Virginia Postrel notes the genius of the IPad is there is absolutely no way to tinker with it. The basic IPad is even more unitary than the modern car. There is no hood to open, no tires to check.

Yes, you can add apps, which is like adding ski rack or a visor CD holder to your modern auto. And like the auto, you are expected to buy a new one every few years when the manufacturer stops providing software support for the older model, the equivalent of an auto running out of warranty.