kids bring laptops to class?

michuncle
Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:50:11 +0000

MacTech92: Somebody still has a working Lisa?! What about the Cube? You probably aren’t old enough to remember the Apple ][ clones: Taiwanese “Pineapples” and “Oranges”. Apple’s lawyers shut them down in the early 80’s…

Sorry, I don’t get all sentimental and weepy about hardware anymore. Once the case comes off, it’s just another motherboard.

Re: laptops (used in business or in the classroom)

It’s now a commodities business. Laptops are smaller, faster, lighter, have great battery life and brighter screens. Spend enough money and you can play games on them. The truth is that unless you’re doing some serious multi-media or gaming stuff, any four year old laptop can play dvds, do e-mail, surf the net and do word processing. Add a Wi-fi card and you’re good to go.

What the market is seeing are incremental changes: faster processors, lower watt consumption with longer battery life and indoor/outdoor lcd screens with wider viewing angles… The question is how will computer companies grow this business and add value to their products. Select an OS and a price point and it’s a done deal. That’s where Tablets come in. Frankly, that’s pretty much all that’s left to change in a maturing market. You might argue that flash memory could in a few years take over from current hard drives, but that doesn’t enhance a user’s experience. Your choice: pencil and paper or keyboard and screen…til the end of time. Tablets give you the option of using digital ink to take notes. Or you can use the keyboard. And Microsoft is adding touch screen technology to its Tablet functionality. It’s all about needs and choices.