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iPhone and Web 2.0
This blog is about Web 2.0, so why would I blog about Apple’s new iPhone, even though I think it’s a wonderful step forward for usable technology?
Because I think of it as a Web 2.0 device.
Its only button is the Home button (note the browser-centric name), which takes you to a page, sorry, “screen”, that has a bunch of user-selected widgets, sorry, “icons”. Just like Netvibes or Pageflakes or Google Personalized Home or whatever.
And it runs a “real computer” operating system, Mac OS X, with a “real browser”, Safari.
That’s where I already saw laptops/desktops headed for most users. Now I can see the iPhone accelerating the process: people will have their iPhone, and also their “iPhone with a keyboard and a bigger screen” for when that’s more useful. People with two devices find life much easier when they both work the same way.
“One more nail in the coffin of the personal computer”, I gloat.
Because I think of it as a Web 2.0 device.
Its only button is the Home button (note the browser-centric name), which takes you to a page, sorry, “screen”, that has a bunch of user-selected widgets, sorry, “icons”. Just like Netvibes or Pageflakes or Google Personalized Home or whatever.
And it runs a “real computer” operating system, Mac OS X, with a “real browser”, Safari.
That’s where I already saw laptops/desktops headed for most users. Now I can see the iPhone accelerating the process: people will have their iPhone, and also their “iPhone with a keyboard and a bigger screen” for when that’s more useful. People with two devices find life much easier when they both work the same way.
“One more nail in the coffin of the personal computer”, I gloat.
posted by Rohan Jayasekera | 1:56 a.m.
2 Comments:
When I got my first Palm device nearly 10 years ago I thought at the time that it would be nice to have a docking station for it with a full size keyboard and display, much like the stations we have for out laptops.
The idea of an instant-on PC was appealing for quick short tasks, without waiting for the PC to boot.
Of course then Palm devices didn't support large displays or network connectivity so it wasn't really possible.
Now with these Windows Mobile devices or the iPhone it might be possible. Could one of these replace a laptop now?
I'd much rather carry around an iPhone than a laptop for sure!
Gord Irish
Gord, I've been thinking the same thing. As more and more people obtain smartphones and use them for Internet activities when they're on the road, some of them could save money by avoiding buying a "real computer" and instead just plugging in a keyboard and display when they happen to be at home.
It would be helpful to have more music storage than the maximum 8 GiB of the first iPhones, but that'll be coming. Backup will also be essential, but I think backing up over the Internet is the solution there. Speaking of which, when at home an Internet connection is most conveniently obtained via WiFi (which the iPhone includes).
Thanks for the comment!
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