fascinating!
- This is an amazing fact. We had this product. It was designed for business executives. And the biggest obstacle, one of the biggest obstacles, we had for selling the product was the fact -- believe it or not -- that it had a keyboard. I was in sales and marketing. I saw this first-hand. At that time, 1982, business people, who were in their 40s and 50s, did not have any computer or keyboard in their offices. And it was associated with being part of the secretarial pool or the word processing (remember that industry?) department. And so you'd put this thing in their office and they'd say, "Get that out of here." It was like getting a demotion. They really were uncomfortable with it.
I can believe this, but I also wonder what you could do with those laptops besides word processing. It's not like you could surf the web or email in your fantasy football picks to your pals. I'm sure most spreadsheets were either on paper or not compatible.
It was essentially a word processor is my guess. Although, it probably had some computing skills too. A giant, 12 pound calculator.
This article brought back to mind the typing class I had to take in middle school. Did you have this too? It wasn't called "typing" though it was called "keyboarding". I remember being proud that I was one of the fastest in the class. I really enjoyed typing... still do. It's pretty amazing how little I write with a pen/pencil these days.
Keyboarding. Ha. I mentor a lot of young students at work (by young I mean high school-undergrad age). I'm not that much older than them, but the idea of keyboarding to them might as well be carving on stone tablets. I'm not a terrible typist, but these kids, who have been IMing since they could talk, have the typing skills of an advanced secretary. But alas, they'll never know the joys of counting the number of characters in a line of text so that you can backspace half that amount from the center of the page to get centered type. What a skill that turned out to be; thanks public schools!
A computer is essentially a calculator (as the word says), so my guess is, even tough the target group probably didn't use it, it could also do lots of other things. Like huge calculations, games and even some surfing and networked working. The internet didn't exist yet for general use, but smaller networks like Telenet, Tymnet, Merit Network, ARPANET etc. were in use since the 60s/70s.
Listen up technologists!
- ..even the most money-hungry, wannabe apolitical technologist needs to understand the role that social power plays in technology adoption.
This is bizarre. Imagine that you would get a cutting edge machine, all yours to do whatever you can imagine, but using it requires you to do something you don't normally do and makes you uncomfortable (I don't know, be creative), would you do it?
Of course, I am still young (and somewhat flexible), but I cannot imagine that you wouldn't want to use this kind of equipment. I mean, think of the possibilities...
Haven't you given up on a piece of soft wear that is just too esoteric and complicated? I know there is statistical analysis soft wear that I gave up on, I did find something else to take it's place, but probably would have benefited from using the harder to lean one.
I don't really give up on software. I am kind of a computer/software hobbyist and I like to figure that kind of thing out. I do however see where you are coming from. When the interface is too unfamiliar, adoption of new technology is hampered. It's like the new interface of windows 8. Too unfamiliar, thus people don't want it.
I agree, but at the same time they were seeing something we don't. They were seeing a fundamental shift in their world. No longer would they be dictating letters to be written and sent off, nope. They would be the ones writing these letter and physically generating content, not just ideas. This is a huge shift and one that for many men of that time would be hard to embrace. Me... do women's work? Obviously, it was eventually unavoidable. I think we saw the same push back with email. Not for sexist reasons but for the fear of change. It's now unthinkable that someone would refuse to use email in a business setting but there was a time when people would only write/type letters. Old habits die hard, regardless of the new possibilities.
I personally think that we are used to the changes. I mean, look at the speed with which new inventions come. 5 years ago, nobody used a touch screen on a phone. Most people wouldn't have dreamt of a small computer in their pocket which can also be used for calling. Nowadays the changes come so quickly that most people are used to them. I agree that these changes might not be of the same calibre as the keyboard was to businessmen, but then again, they weren't prepared for change in the technological tools they used.
I would tend to agree except I do think there was a sizable amount of people that initially refused to transform their phones in to personal computers. These people still exist, right b_b? Most of them don't do so because the technology scares them but because they don't want to interject more "connectivity" in to their lives. -There's probably some truth there. Either way, they weren't prepared for the change and it was a barrier to entry for them.
Actually, I am one of the people who doesn't have a smartphone (and doesn't really want one). I see that smartphones are awesome toys, but the reasons I don't wan't one are simple. First is cost. €200,- is way too much for a phone and that is a cheap phone. And secondly, I have a perfectly fine phone. When it stops working, I'll have a look at another one. I am getting a bit tired of the "I must have the latest and greatest thing" culture which is developing. I mean, lying in front of an Apple store just to get your hands on the latest iPhone while you bought a new one 6 months ago. It is madness.
I agree, it would be strange to buy every single iteration of a device just because it exists. My wife is still using an iPhone 3Gs and it works fine. I use a 4g but it has to do with when our "plan" allows us an upgrade at a discounted price. We are both "due" for an upgrade now and are waiting for the iPhone 5. Since we get a hefty price break, I think we'll both get one.
I equate it to adult toys. (no not that kind)
Smartphones: Toys for when you are bored on the toilet, in bed or even in public!
I was out with some friends last night sitting around a table and at one point someone needed some useless fact that only tangentially contributed to the story at hand. Immediately, 4 of them busted out their phones and began searching for the answer. My pal Will turned to me and said, "what did we do before smartphones" and I responded, "we actually had conversations".
That is pretty much what happens nowadays. Instead of thinking or forgetting about a small fact, we now look them up. Try imagining you would look everything up in the encyclopaedia during a conversation. Takes the speed out of it.
My grandparents always had an encyclopedia and a dictionary within arms reach of their dinner table. I recall them using it several times a meal during conversations. Great memories.
Seriously? My grandparents also had an encyclopaedia near the dinner table, but they never used it. And I mean never. I think I was the only one who opened it at all...
Well, in my defense the main reason I didn't want a smart phone was because I didn't want to pay another $30-40/month to have internet access on the go when I'm already paying Comcast $55/month for home service, and I'm rarely not at my home or office. But, then I realized that if I bought the phone outright, that T-Mobile only charges $60/month for unlimited everything with no contract, which is less than I was paying at Verizon for just talk/text. The phone will pay for itself in less than a year, so really, I was just practicing good finance!
A savvy consumer! Nice work b_b, would you say that you are "more connected" now? If so, do you find this a benefit or a hindrance? I have a good friend that has no cell phone provider but has an iPhone 3GS that he uses only in Wifi spots. He doesn't want the constant "tether" that connection brings.
Eh, whatever strikes me at the time. This morning on my walk to work I had "Quinn the Eskimo" radio going. I'm a product of the grunge era, so a lot of that (although "Grunge radio" on Pandora is some weird rap station), sometimes I go for the Elliott Smith channel. Lots of singer/songwriter type stuff.
While they may not have cornered the residential market, their patents would eventually make the Compass Company a lot of money. According to Wikipedia they eventually were bought by Radio Shack. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_Compass