With Steve Jobs heading toward retirement, we all wonder what is going to happen to Apple, and to Steve. As I sit at a desk full of Apple gear that I never would have imagined owning five years ago, I admire the design, the simplicity, the ease of use. And the fact that I now ‘need’ things that didn’t exist not too long ago.
Innovation, and the audacity to pull it off. That’s what Apple means to me.
The magic trackpad
One of my newer gadgets is the “Magic Trackpad” (it’s new to me, but it’s been out for a while). When I learned about this at an Apple Store recently, I thought, well, that’s quite a name to live up to. I bought one, and found it does live up to its name.
Particularly when coupled with the new Lion OS, the magic trackpad brings all the more natural feeling ‘gestures’ inspired by other devices like the iPad and iPhone touch screens to a desktop computer. And it’s the same functionality that’s built into my new Macbook Air, so there is a sort of seamless experience across all the devices.
But the thing I marvel at most is how profound an upgrade this little gadget is from the mouse. More natural gestures just make it easier to use the computer. And suddenly some mouse functions seem overly tedious, particularly when I go to work on a PC. It’s funny how you can so quickly miss something you didn’t know you needed.
Photo credit: Paul-W
The iPad is a wondrous device. A tablet that is well-made, sleek, light, portable, fast and easy to use. It’s a device that is easy to like. And it gets one to realize that portability, quick start-up and long battery life are game-changing features.