“Over the years, I’ve seen countless newbies struggle to use the latest gadget, computer, or software. I like new technology, but it’s been work hauling myself up learning curves,” Stephen Shankland writes for CNET.
“But I’m convinced that after years stuck with only modest tweaks to the WIMP interface — windows, icons, menus, pointing device — real change is upon us. That’s chiefly because the pointing devices now can be your own fingers,” Shankland writes.
“Within moments of his first crack at an iPhone, my son, Levi, [age 3] had figured out how to flip from one photo to another by flicking his finger across the screen,” Shankland writes. “He understood with no coaching how to steer the simulated steel ball around the holes in the Labyrinth game by tilting the phone. He loves to type nonsense words on the notepad application using the virtual keyboard, deleting them once they’ve been read. In the three months since I got the iPhone 3G, Levi has learned to take photos, browse them, change the phone’s wallpaper, and, unfortunately, turn off Wi-Fi and switch on airplane mode. My proudest moment came when Levi issued his first tweet.”
“As a parent, of course, it’s tempting to assume that Levi’s accomplishments are the result of his astounding intelligence. But of course much of the credit has to go to Apple and others who’ve advanced the state of the interface art,” Shankland writes.
Full article here.