OK, so I’ve been around for a few turns around the sun. And, I’ve seen a fair bit of change, in technology in particular. My first job out of college was programming these new-fangled ‘personal computers’. This came after holding down jobs programming mainframes (Algol/Burroughs 7600) and mini-computers (Pascal/PDP-11s). As such, I’ve watched as the computers have shrunk to pocket and wrist-size (and more, but that’s not in common use), while increasing in capability. But there’s one device that I forget to marvel at, and so here’s a celebration of the tablet.
Why tablets, why not smartphones? There’re overlaps; they’re both much more intimate than a desktop; they”re held and controlled by touch. Yet, there’s a difference. Ok, for me. For many around the world, the phone is their only internet connection. And we are seeing larger and larger phones. But while I carry my phone with me almost all the time*, a tablet is my preferred relaxation device. I use my laptop (as a desktop, it’s usually plugged into a monitor/keyboard/mouse unless I’m traveling) for work, and my phone goes with me everywhere. But, when I’m mostly looking to be mentally engaged, my tablet is the preferred option. So, why?
I haven’t pondered that except just before going to bed, but then I’m amazed as I contemplate it. Here’s a screen big enough to engage with, on a device that’s amazingly thin. On it, I have books I can read, and games I can play. I don’t watch movies on it usually, but I have when I’ve traveled. And of course there are the information resources: web, weather, & time, and ways to generate info: notes, a way to comment on PDFs. In short, it’s intimate but pretty much fully capable.
That’s not what my phone or desktop sport as abilities. My phone (I err on the side of a smaller one, to fit easily in my pocket) is intimate, but it’s not fully capable given its limited screen. On the other hand, m laptop is powerful, but not intimate. My tablet is both. Now, I’m not going down the road of a super powerful tablet that substitutes for a laptop, that’s a bridge too far. I like having a desktop to do full work. It’s just that for many things, e.g. pondering and querying, the tablet is better. I think it’s about time frames for task, and maybe the cognitive complexity.
Still, while I like all my devices, the laptop to me is akin to the computer as I know it. The phone is a useful devices for usage on a short time frame. It’s the device in-between that, for me, is the sweet spot. A place to escape, a place to do preliminary thinking, a place to reflect. I write this on my laptop, because writing long screeds is easier with a keyboard (I eschew the keyboard cases for my tablet, as I have a laptop), but the preliminary thinking came from my intermediate device. So here’s a celebration of the tablet, the device that wasn’t going to be. I’m glad it exists.
* Recently my phone had 1% charge, I’d not completely plugged it in. Thus, for my walk I went phone-less (m’lady had hers). It was mostly ok, just a few moments of reaching for it and realizing it wasn’t there!
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