A New World

When I had the Kindle in my hands for the first time, I fell in live with it instantly.  As a new convert, I let my wife and daughter try it.  Big mistake.  They privatised it on their first try.  It's true that the Kindle is very limited and capable of only one thing.  But it does what it is supposed to do, and does it really well.  It doesn't look like a book but it feels like one in your hands as you actually use it.  Retiring to the couch with a kindle is as relaxing as reading a book with a bottle of beer and a wide-brimmed straw hat under the sun.  It's the user experience that counts and the Kindle passes with flying colour in that area.  A friend of mine got a Kindle DX for her mother as a present.  She thought it was a crazy and useless gadget but, after trying it for 15 minutes, she was a joyous woman.  After all, having given up reading for over a decade because of failing eyesight, she can now swim in the sea of books.  It's a whole new world for her. 

When the iPad came out many said the iPad was a stupid idea (some still do).   It can't multi-task, it doesn't have Flash and it doesn't exactly do anything a laptop can't do.  But the iPad, like the Kindle, are supposed to be used when you don't need all those serious stuff.  Who need a powerful device that can do serious word-processing, photo-shopping, and multi-tasking when they are enjoying a glass of wine or a bottle of beer in the couch?  If you are supposed to do some serious work, go back to your desk and concentrate on your work.  Forget about Youtube, Flash movies and all the stupid resources-demanding games.   The beauty of the iPad lies in its simplicity and its Do-Not-Bother-Me-with-That attitude.  It breaks away from the the more powerful the better cycle.  Lovely.  Even a 100-year-old computer illiterate can learn to use it.  I have proof.