So I Oooo'ed and Ahhhh'ed along with everybody while reading about Apple's new iPad. But apart from a desire to develop remote control apps for XTension on it I really couldn't see how I might actually use one. When I lug my laptop off with me it's so I can do development and I need REALbasic and XCode and all the ancillary things that go along with them. Those things, while they compile for the iPad (well not RB yet but one can hope) they don't actually run on it... So it would be nothing but a plaything for me if I were to buy one. My plaything budget, while it has increased over the years, has not grown to the point where I can pick up $500 toys without some planning.
So I put the idea out of my head.
Then last night as I was reading teh intertubes in bed, I began to think wistfully about our next family vacation and remembering past family vacations and I have brought my laptop along on all of them. I like to be able to log into the house remotely and make sure the cat lady has come when she said and that sort of thing and add a little extra randomness to the vacation light programs. But I also then tend to do actual work. I like my work so this isn't really a problem for me. If I only brought an iPad along I'd still be able to do all those important things like logging into the house and getting my email and VNC and all the rest, but I would be prevented from actually doing any real work. Since the compilers wouldn't be sitting there taunting me to come and accomplish something I would be able to eschew work with a clear conscience.
I'd have access, I'd have books and the web, I'd just not have to do any work. An enforced vacation without having to leave all my connectivity behind. Now that might just be worth the entry price someday.
Course.. the problem is that I can pretty much do all that with my iPhone now...
Ryan McLean (unauthenticated)
Jan 30, 2010 11:35 AM
Did you see the posts I put up on my blog? I can seriously see -- whether it's through dedicated apps, or some kind of VNC solution that dups your Mac into thinking there's another display hooked up -- a day when the iPad (Which frequently comes out of my fingers as iPod or iPoad) becomes an extension of your keyboard. So maybe in a programming program you have a whole screen full of buttons, or maybe a navigation pad to jump to different parts of your code. Since I don't use those programs I don't really know, but you get the idea.