If I had to pick a single dichotomy between, say, a MacBook and an iPad, it would be that the latter is optimized for consuming content in a way that the former is not. The iPad is primarily an output device.
The fact that the keyboard is a bit of an afterthought is telling. Yes, you can create presentations, spreadsheets, emails and documents, but there's no denying that it's awkward in a way that reading a book or surfing the web on the thing is not.
It's a bit like when the Walkman was introduced without a record function. It didn't spell the end of tape recorders, but it recognized that people spend vastly more time consuming music than producing it.
I think the fact that it's locked down the way that it is is orthogonal to the consumption versus production question. It's as though this Walkman will only play studio-mastered tapes. Which is why I'm rooting for some credible competition to come along and force the issue.
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If I had to pick a single dichotomy between, say, a MacBook and an iPad, it would be that the latter is optimized for consuming content in a way that the former is not. The iPad is primarily an output device.
The fact that the keyboard is a bit of an afterthought is telling. Yes, you can create presentations, spreadsheets, emails and documents, but there's no denying that it's awkward in a way that reading a book or surfing the web on the thing is not.
It's a bit like when the Walkman was introduced without a record function. It didn't spell the end of tape recorders, but it recognized that people spend vastly more time consuming music than producing it.
I think the fact that it's locked down the way that it is is orthogonal to the consumption versus production question. It's as though this Walkman will only play studio-mastered tapes. Which is why I'm rooting for some credible competition to come along and force the issue.