Three Quick Thoughts

Image by Lyn Millett via Flickr

Technology Thursday

I'm traveling again, so I will just quickly share a few quick, unrelated sci/tech thoughts today.

First, the obvious. The iPad 2 has been announced, with the usual glitzy Apple fanfare. Which, yes, I get a kick out of - but let's be honest - it's a gadget. It's not actually magical. And like other companies who outsource manufacturing, there are issues. (See my post from last week about Mike Daisey's important work on labor conditions for those who build these beautiful devices.) Still, it is an impressive piece of design and engineering. And I will probably get one.

Second, I'm in Silicon Valley right now and yesterday I wandered into ... a Google store. Did you know there was such a thing? I did, but what I didn't know is that you can also buy Google-branded merchandise online. And in a mark of how much I've kind of ignored Droid phones, it took me several hours before I figured out that the reason there are lots of little robot toys in the Google store and scattered around the Google campus is because of the mascot. Android. Get it? Yeah. I can be slow sometimes.

Third, I was sad to see that Space Shuttle Discovery is on its last mission. It turns out I know a couple of people who were nearby in Florida to watch the launch in person. And, coincidentally, my husband was also in Florida on launch day and caught a glimpse of it - an orange smudge in the sky - from his hotel in the middle of the state.

I'm stuck in a meeting for the rest of the day and back on a plane tomorrow. Back with hopefully a more substantive entry next week - drop me a note if there's some technology topic I should address in this space.

Comments

[Karen]

I read somewhere today that Steve Jobs has announced the death of the PC. A little shocking, for those of us who still hug our laptops closely to our chests. While I love my iPhone for its portability, and I'm intrigued by the iPad (but not enough to buy one yet) I am interested in this pronouncement and its timeline. Will non-profit organizations (the world in which i work) chuck all their infrastructure and invest in expensive iPad technology in a heartbeat? I think not. Would love to hear more about your thoughts about the rapid pace of technological advancements compared to the practicality of constant upgrading and change. At some point, I just want to enjoy what i have for a while without being made to feel that I'm already obsolete.

I'm going to read my (paper) newspaper now.

[Lyn]

My view: the 'death of the PC' is a metaphor regarding the primacy of the platform. The 'mainframe' is 'dead' according to some, too - but there are lots of mainframe computers still running and there will be for a long time to come.

So, the PC *as a platform* is not where the innovation is happening anymore. It's 'dead' in the sense that all the interesting challenges (for technologists) are elsewhere - in mobile (read a stat that 60% of people on the planet have a cell phone now - there are people who'll have and use smartphones before they EVER see or touch a PC) and tablets.

In terms of upgrade/replacement - I think a 3-year cycle for desktops and laptops (or even longer) is still quite appropriate. My iMac is more than 3 years old and I just bumped the memory and hard drive and hope not to replace it for a couple more years at least.) Maybe 2 years on smart phones - which coincides with the (stupid, draconian) contract lengths, anyway.

And don't let people all the buzz make you feel obsolete. If what you've got works for your needs, it's not obsolete.