John Kirk writes for TechPinions, “When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in January 2010, he wondered aloud whether there was room between the smartphone and the notebook for a third category of tablet device like the iPad.”
“Everybody uses a laptop and a smartphone. And a question has arisen lately: is there room for a third category of device in the middle? Something that’s between a laptop and a smartphone. And of course we’ve pondered this question for years as well. The bar’s pretty high. In order to really create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks. Better than a laptop. Better than a smartphone.” – Steve Jobs, January 2010
Kirk writes, “Hard though it may be to believe, Western Civilization once had to collectively ask itself a similar question regarding a then radical new form of technology…a fork.
“Before the fork was introduced, Westerners were reliant on the spoon and knife as the only eating utensils. Thus, people would largely eat food with their hands, calling for a common spoon when required. Members of the aristocracy would sometimes be accustomed to manners considered more proper and hold two knives at meals and use them both to cut and transfer food to the mouth, using the spoon for soups and broth.” – Wikipedia
“A spoon, a fork and a knife are three different categories of cutlery. A smartphone, a tablet and a notebook are three different categories of computer,” Kirk writes. “A fork is its own category because it is far better at doing some key tasks. Better than a spoon. Better than a knife. A tablet is its own category because it is far better at doing some key tasks. Better than a smartphone. Better than a notebook.”
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: We currently use knives, forks, spoons, and, we guess, sporks (if you want to separate notebooks from desktops): We use iPhone 4S smartphones, iPad 2012 tablets, 11-inch MacBook Air notebooks, and 27-inch iMac desktops. All linked seamlessly together via iCloud.
What do you use?
