How did they know my life?

jonathanmarcus:

The Foursquare squeeze: will it survive to check in on 2011?

Apple announced its new “casual computing” device yesterday — the iPad. Of course I think it’s cool, and if I had the spending money, of course I would get one. But you know what? I have a laptop, and I have an iPhone. There is a gap for something in between, but it isn’t that large. There are a few things noticeably missing from this device:

• A camera — nothing pointing out or in. This leaves no room for videoconferencing
• Multitasking — What if I wanted to watch Hulu while working on an iWork document?
• Telephony capabilities — Some of them access the AT&T 3G network — can we make calls with it?

Hopefully, we’ll see these in future generations, and hopefully by then I will be independently wealthy and can buy one. Or three.

Jon Armstrong, a tech blogger (and husband of Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com) wrote a great article about why the iPad is important on his blog, Blurbomat.

It’s nutty to think about “casual” and “computing” in the same sentence, but gamers said the same thing about Nintendo’s Wii. Pros looking for a new form factor portable tool are likely not the target. Nerds are not the target. People who read or want a less formal computing experience are totally the target. [Link]

Well said, Jon. I can totally this being used while sitting on the couch and catching up with my Google Reader feeds. I imagine I could use this to update my Tumblr without firing up the ol’ laptop. But when it comes to heavy typing, graphic designing, or even gaming (which I don’t do a whole lot of), that’s where my computer will come in.

I look forward to seeing how this changes and adapts to the needs of its customer base, and how our language and worldviews change and adapt to it.

The Media Convergence Forum updated their little infographic video in Fall 09. Here are some fascinating stats.

About computers:

“So what used to fit in a building, now fits in your pocket, what fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years.”

Wow.

Via jterm2010:

This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Music by DoKashiteru, “Home Tonight.” Design and development by XPLANE, http://www.xplane.com. You can follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/xplane