Chas,
Since we're on the subject of "Computer as appliance", I'll share a point of view I harbored for a long time.
I think a comparison of the computer, to any other "appliance", can be a misleading course, if taken too far. This has to do with the very nature of computers themselves and what they can accomplish if used effectively. Here's the bottom line: When it comes to manipulating information, the computer is an unlimited, "anything appliance". This is to say that a computer, mostly through software creation, can be used to emulate any number of "dedicated" information devices. The kicker is that the computer solution easily replaces the dedicated technology because it is superior in accomplishing the task. The typewriter is a well known example. In the world of appliances, this characteristic is unique. You've got computers in one column and every other "appliance" in the other column. This is extraordinary.
In my own life, my computer has replaced my typewriter, my filecabinet, my fax macine, my photo development lab, and my game machine. Furthermore, it acts as a secretary. It handles my phone calls. It controls appliances in my home. It's starting to supplant my radio with Real Audio and can be expected to do the same to my televsion in the future. It has replaced my accountant.
I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point. And, as I'm sure you've guessed, I use a Mac.
The reason I mention all this is the following. In order for my computer to do all this, I must interact with it. And to do that effectivley, requires a simple, effective, powerful interface and operating system. Without such an interface, my computer would be used like so many others I've come in contact with i.e., for 2 or 3 general tasks. In the near future, computers will be functioning in this manner and beyond, for the greater population. Fax machines and other such appliances will become extinct. It is at this point that an intuitive, capable interface will become of supreme importance. If this day were to arrive, would you bet on Apple's interface or MicroSoft's? Folks that say Windows has caught up with the Mac OS are, at the very least, suffering from a limited perspective.
It is true that price is always important when talking about appliances, but with the price of a good computer sinking below $1000, the real issue will become interface for these "anything machines", and Apple has always led that arena. It is only now that this leadership is blossoming in it's full importance, as computer control moves into everyone's personal life.
Regards,
Scott |
