Shall We Call It "Curated Computing?"

medcalf writes "Ars Technica has an opinion piece by Sarah Rotman Epps on the iPad and other potential tablets as a new paradigm that they are calling 'curated computing,' where third parties make a lot of choices to simplify things for the end user, reducing user choice but improving reliability and efficiency for a defined set of tasks. The idea is that this does not replace, but supplements, general-purpose computers. It's possible — if the common denominator between iPads, Android and/or Chrome tablets, WebOS tablets, and the like is a more server-centric web experience — that they could be right, and that a more competitive computing market could be the result. But I wonder, too: would that then provide an incentive for manufacturers to try to lock down the personal computing desktop experience as well?" And even if not, an emphasis on "curated computing" could rob resources from old-skool computer development, as is already evident at Apple.

Comments

She makes a good point ...

[gstoddart]

From TFA ...

a mode of computing where choice is constrained to deliver less complex, more relevant experiences. Let me repeat that, because it's the essence of the Curated Computing experience: less choice; more relevance.

This pretty much gets to the crux of things. Yes, you can't do everything with this device. But the things you do want to do are more usable, and better designed.

Additionally, tablets should be positioned as complementary to the rest of a product line. Even though there have been many claims to the contrary, it is unlikely tablets will eliminate laptops, or even netbooks, at least in the short term. So consumers need to see how this device fits into their life in a new way.

This is a different device for doing different things differently than you do them now. It's not going to replace the machine I do my professional work on. But sitting in the back yard, or in my recliner, or what have you ... it allows passive web surfing, reading a book, or propping it up in the kitchen like a cookbook with a recipe I got off the web.

I'm really interested in one of these once the price comes down a little. The early adopters are shelling out money for them now, but I can see a lot of people eventually getting one of these.

Re:Then what's an "Android pod touch"?

[iluvcapra]

I think you've got a typo in yer second one, but in the first case X is something like an Archos, and in the second Y is a JooJoo, or an Adam, or any one of the many, many tablet computers we've seen over the past decade. What, these are terrible products? You don't say. You can hack an Archos or any number of Intel tablet PCs to run Linux, then you're free as a bird. What people really want is for someone else to do all of the work of creating the perfect development and distribution system for them, so they can reap all of the benefits.

Or any netbook, really; aren't people on slashdot constantly telling me that a netbook replaces an iPad for better value?

Whenever someone complains about the iPhone OS on slashdot, what they're really saying is "Android phones and Linux tablets are so terrible, that I'd rather complain about the fact that the best smartphone/mobile OS out there comes with a bunch of restrictions that only apply to self-righteous and moralistic geeks who spend about 10x as much time complaining as the do developing."