Letter from France: Another wonderful gadget
In the little harbour of Le Conquet, in France. By Jean Ruaud
Dear DB’s readers —
Hello everybody, the boss gave me the keys, let’s not wreck the place while he’s vacationing in some dismal sunny tropical island!
I’m certain that you’re aware of the two greatest week events: the State of the Union and the State of the Apple. I, in not so sunny and downright frigid France, watched both the addresses. The Apple address first, and live. The SOTU address, second, and the following evening because of this time-lag problem between the US and Europe.
I should disclose immediately that I like very much President Obama, for many good reasons, among others: he’s not my president! It is very possible that, should I be a US citizen, I would be much less enthusiastic, anyway, I like the guy and I admire his speaking talents and his intellect. I watched with interest the SOTU address but I must say, a little ashamed, that the other address (the one in San Francisco) interested me more.
So it is of the Apple announcement that I would like to talk here, today. First, I’m an Apple devotee, I own an iMac 24′ dubbed “Gros Mac”, a MacBook dubbed “Petit Mac”, an iPod classic, an iPod Shuffle and an iPhone. And I love them all insofar as you can love an appliance. I love their simplicity, their confort of use and their design. That’s the three main points. I used PCs in the past and still use one at work and I’m not adverse to using them again but I feel them cranky, too much complicated to use and too much breakdown prone. At work there are tech-supports and this is not a big inconvenience, but at home I’m my own tech-support and it’s another story. I know my way with computers and I’m able to diagnose a breakdown and mend it, but I don’t like that and I don’t like to spend my time tinkering with my computers, I’m not so geeky after all. This is why I prefer to use Macs instead of PCs, even Linux machines. And the esthetics: the Apple computers and mobile machines are always beautiful and every details are thoughtfully made. Apple is the only computer firm to employ a reputable designer, Jonathan Ive, to design its machines, and it shows. And the design is always first in the development process, the engineers have to adapt the hardware to the design not the other way round.
So, the iPad was this week announcement. I’ll not make another review here, there are roughly one million of them on the web, just stating two or three things I think as a computer user.
– The iPad seems a beautiful object and if it is as well conceived as the iPod Touch or the iPhone it will be pleasant to hold it in your hands, smooth and the right weight, a bit like a well designed book.
– The apps are compelling, iWorks is wonderful, Safari is a very good browser. The speed seems awesome.
– The prices are not to heavy (for an Apple machine, that is).
– The iBooks, well, that is single-handedly great!
– The only shortcomings I see are two: no multitasking and no Flash player. Even if Flash means a lot of CPU resources, is heavy to download and has other failings, the absence of the Flash plugging means a severe limitation when you browse the web. No multitasking means the impossibility to read, for instance, while playing music on Spotify. Or to simultaneously write an e-mail while consulting the web.
It is certain that I will buy one as soon as it is shipped, for I’m a sucker both for technological novelties and Apple products but I don’t think I need one, just I want one, and it is there where the well thought marketing magic operates: making you buy with pleasure an object you don’t really need!
Later,
Jean (jrparis-at-gmail.com)