I was really impressed with JP Teti’s analysis of how the iPad has opened up computing to more people than ever. So many tech writers focus on the iPad’s limitations and Apple’s “walled garden”. Few of them write about how it has made personal computing more accessible to a broad audience. I don’t agree with all of Teti’s points, but most of his arguments are sound. Here’s an excerpt:
The iPad is actually opening up technology to more people. None of this crap about it being closed is accurate. By giving people freedom to explore the app store without having to worry about anything (except their wallets), Apple has possibly made the best move they could make — by locking down the iPad’s installation sources. That’s the one that’s the most helpful for the general state of technology. Apple is encouraging people to explore and play around. The iPad only does less than a regular computer to us geeks. To everyone else, it does more. This is what Motorola and Google and Samsung and BlackBerry and everyone else, with the sole exception of Apple, do not get about “open” computing. It’s powerful, but for ordinary people, it’s too powerful.
Tech writers — especially those in San Francisco — often get caught up in their own little world. It’s funny that an eighth-grader was able to see something that escapes so many people that are paid a lot of money to cover Apple products.
