In a few hours, Steve Jobs is expected to unveil the latest Apple gadget that will change the course of human history forever.
That gadget, as you undoubtedly know by now, is the tablet computer, which is expected to be named either the iSlate or iPad. (If it’s not a tablet computer that Jobs unveils, there could be rioting, looting, mass chaos in the streets, along with – even worse – snarky posts from bloggers with a false sense of entitlement.)
And while the world waits with baited breath for what is clearly the most important speech that will be made today (wait a minute…), there is one faction of society that is already anticipating being less than impressed with whatever Jobs unveils.
“I don’t understand why everyone is making such a big fuss,” said Oatis Wheaton, a loaf of Orowheat bread, who clearly believes that the tablet has a long way to go to compete with he and his sliced brethren.
Sliced Bread Not Impressed with Apple Tablet
“I heard someone say the other day that ‘Oh, the Apple tablet, it’s going to be the best thing since sliced bread.’ Oh yeah? Well I don’t think so. People keep trying to find something better than sliced bread. But they can’t.”
As you might expect, there was more than a slight tinge of jealousy in Wheaton’s voice while he discussed the tablet. He can see his turf being intruded upon, and he doesn’t like it.
Honey White, Wheaton’s longtime pantrymate, agreed with his sentiment.
“We just hope that when Mr. Jobs unveils whatever he is going to unveil, that people remember us,” she said. “I think they will. We survived the iPod and the iPhone, and we will make it through this.”
“Yeah,” Wheaton interjected, “because at the end of the day, all of that crap is great if you need to make a phone call, surf the web, check sports scores, shoot video, take pictures, etcetera, etcetera, but – and correct me if I’m wrong – I don’t think there is an iPhone app that slices your bread for you. Is there? Huh? Nope. And I haven’t heard any rumors that Apple is releasing some kind of Swiss Army tablet or anything called the iSlice.
“So great, enjoy your i-gadgets, but until they release an iSlice, you’ll still be S-O-L when you want some toast. That’s why we will always be the greatest.”
How Could Tablet Influence Blogging Process?
While the concerns of sliced bread are understandable considering the hype surrounding Apple’s tablet computer, which has taken on a myth-like stature, the question for the rest of us is how will the tablet could influence blogging?
Right now, obviously, it is too early to tell.
I use the WordPress app on my iPhone from time to time and have had some relative success posting quick blurb posts. I have also used Posterous some, which allows for pretty easy posting from email. (In fact, come to think of it, I need to use that more often.)
The problem for me is typing.
Like most of you, I would assume, I love typing on a normal keyboard. I have a lot of experience, it comes second nature, and I can rattle off a pretty decent amount of words per minute accurately without even looking down at my fingers. I very much enjoy and appreciate this skill, which has taken years to cultivate and greatly enhances my blogging (at least, I think so.)
Needless to say, typing on the iPhone is quite a bit slower and I am not exactly sure how it will be improved on the tablet. I suppose you could get an external keyboard, but that would defeat the purpose and make the tablet no more convenient than a laptop.
In addition to typing, I’m sure there are myriad other challenges and opportunities that I’m not seeing. I figured we better talk about it from a blogging angle because, let’s be honest, there is no more important story on earth today than this.
When something comes along that could eclipse sliced bread, the world waits with baited breath.
What other ways can you see the tablet computer potentially influencing the blogging process?
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* – “Sliced Bread Rules” photo credit: Zazzle.com
* – Apple Tablet photo credit: The Tatty Truth
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At the end of the day most of us use computers so that we do not have to show off our terrible hand writing. I love Apple, but I have about as much need for a tablet computer as i do writing in cursive.
I didn't think about handwriting being part of the tablet process. Good point. I definitely would not be excited about anything that involved more writing than typing.
We went through this same thing at Microsoft when we introduced first generation tablets. Yes, the technology is much better today and Apple is much more in tune with its users. Still, there are a couple of hurdles.
Writing with a pen sucks. I truly despised writing until two things came together: learning how to type and the introduction of computer keyboards. I tried back at MSFT to be a "good Microsoftie" and bring my Tablet into meetings. Frustrating because note taking was so slow.
The second hurdle is reality. Apple has a vision of replacing books in schools. We've seen in the past when every student issued a computer and they purposefully break it so they don't have to do homework. And if not malicious, there are still problems that books don't have.
I'm a huge fan of Apple and have a great deal of respect for their ability to change the mobile world with the iPhone. I hope I am wrong on my pessism on this Tablet concept as we need to keep the computer world moving and others in the market aren't doing it for us. (e.g. MS Outlook calendar requests, updates, cancels, and suggestions still come as email to your inbox. 15 year old concept that should have evolved 14 years ago.)
I think a lot of it sounds good in theory, but I am having a hard time envisioning it in reality. Of course, I would not have thought that the iPhone would be as awesome as it is. We really won't know just how useful the tablet will be until 1-2 years down the line when we see what kind of applications and functions it has evolved to be able to do. My iPhone is now an indispensable tool for me; can the tablet become the same? I doubt it…but am certainly intrigued to see.