Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Present and Future of Computers

At the turn of the millennium, PCs were still seen mainly as business tools—a computer was something you used at the office or for schoolwork, not to goof off. Today PCs are the world's most powerful procrastination machines. (Slate, with the right dose of snark)
As this blog proves only too well.
Indeed, the boom in "netbook" computers—the tiny, cheap machines that dominated the sales charts in 2008 and early 2009—was really an expression of customers' interest in second PCs. A netbook's tiny keyboard and low processing power makes it relatively useless for work but ideal for goofing off—surfing Facebook from the couch or watching Hulu in bed.
I guess second per person, as we are already reaching the reality of people having multiple computers in their houses--at least one for the adults and one for the kid(s), if not one per person (so far, no computer apps for dogs, or are there?)
What I'm looking for is a big-screen iPhone—it won't make calls, but it'll be the best device in the world for reading the New York Times online.
Oh my!

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