
Why Can’t PCs Work More Like iPhones? - jlhamilton
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/why-cant-pcs-work-more-like-iphones/
======
megaduck
This idea's going to get market-tested real soon now. There's a _lot_ of
companies trying to replace the conventional desktop with something simpler.
During 2010 alone we'll be seeing the release of: Apple's iPad, Google's
ChromeOS devices, Intel/Nokia's MeeGo, Notion Ink's Adam, Jolicloud, the
JooJoo, Microsoft's Courier (maybe), and countless others.

There's also things that are already shipping, like Ubuntu's Netbook Remix and
the Litl netbook.

These products are all daggers aimed at killing traditional desktops in one
way or another. They've got a good shot, too: I've been using UNR as my
primary OS for over a year now, and it's met all my needs both as a user and
as a developer. I still keep around a MacBook for photo work, but it's been
almost entirely replaced by a netbook + phone.

We'll see who the winners eventually are. However, it seems pretty obvious
that Windows and OS X in their current form are doomed.

------
ax0n
The iPhone's OS is feature-poor and anemic, hence the lack of controls. It has
a very, very limited set of things that it needs to perform when you compare
it to a real computer. "math is hard, let's go shopping!"

~~~
wmf
This is true, but if most people don't use all the features of a real OS
anyway then you're better off removing them in favor of a really good
implementation of the few features people do use. And then you're right back
to iPhone OS: it does little, but it does that really well.

~~~
ax0n
I guess I don't see the point. Windows isn't hard to learn, neither is OS X.
Heck, even Ubuntu isn't too bad, if you only want to do three things with any
of them: mail, word processing, web surfing, for example. I've taught numerous
seniors how to do these things on a computer.

I don't get questions until they want to know how to do more with their
computer than they already knew. Using the iPwn model, I'd have to say "you're
shit out of luck, that's all this system can do." and I really don't see how
that's good for anyone.

~~~
netcan
I really think this kind of approach, 'I've shown them how to send an email
and they can manage it,' is missing most of the point.

They don't have a grasp of what they're doing. They know this. It intimidates
them. They're afraid of breaking something and need to ask for help all the
time. They _hate_ it. It's disempowering.

These are not some small minority. These are a lot of people.

An iphone can be picked up, used, and give a larger number of people a feeling
that they can understand how it works. They are in control. They don't need
any help. If they can keep that and replace more of the the desktop, they'll
want it.

~~~
ugh
Exactly. I see this all the time. This constant fear of breaking something,
the lack of confidence.

Good iPhone apps can feel as though you can understand them completely, even
to non-technical users. (It’s not automatic, though. Everyone who has ever
used Stanza knows that.)

The Browser (especially ones like Chrome and Safari) is pretty much the only
desktop app which can feel that way, too – at the moment.

~~~
Niten
I have to wonder how much of this is due to the limited capabilities of the
iPhone, and how much is just the psychology of "physically" interacting with
your apps.

~~~
netcan
I don't think it is primarily about the touch screen. It's probably a
combination of things many of them related to limited capabilities.

For example, the app store. Sure, they could allow some other channel for
installing apps that isn't restricted. Some apps would be available only for
this alternative channel because it's easier or freeier or better somehow.
They give instructions on how to install it. It's complicated. A user might
try to get something running on her iphone and fail. She might get her
daughter to help. The app has some quirks (that's why it isn't allowed in the
app store) When she uses someone else' iphone it's complicated and difficult
because it belongs to a"power user".

This adds up to the _feeling_ that the iphone is complicated and hard and
breakable and you need to know what you're doing with it.

It's naive to say "don't install unapproved apps" or stay in the non-power
user world. If it exists, people will be exposed to it.

Think of the early days of GUI. Lots of non computer people where shown how to
do something until it stopped working for whatever reason. At that point they
asked for help. The helper immediately opens up the command line and
demonstrates how you really need to know a little bit about the command line
to get some things done.

------
acid_bath
What a surprise: A media outlet looking to stay afloat lauds the unreleased
platform they hope to monetize.

~~~
jrockway
The New York Times?

(Maybe, just maybe... there's not a conspiracy here, and the author just
happened to write about something he found interesting. Nah... that could
never happen...)

~~~
acid_bath
It's not a conspiracy if they're right in the open about it. They're praising
a platform that does not exist yet, and what do you know, they have an app
that will be available (for $$$) at launch.

I don't mean to imply it some Big Evil Conspiracy. NYTimes is a business like
any other and they need to make money. NYT has a vested interest in the iPad's
success.

------
jasonlbaptiste
the ubuntu netbook remix interface is absolutely simple and easy to use. i
have it on my HTPC and it's best described as: "a big ass iPhone". My roommate
who has NO computer knowledge (she doesnt even own a computer anymore) uses it
with ease to browse the web, watch shows, use boxee, google earth, play
music,etc.

~~~
J_McQuade
I use it on my netbook, which goes more or less everywhere with me. It's not
only far simpler for, say, my dad (who is still slightly unsure whether
computers fall under the realm of science or witchcraft - both being bad), but
it also makes things easier for me. You can read that as "one less click to
get into emacs" if you want.

But on a serious note, the actual interface of the OS seems to be far less
important for tech-savvy people. I'm using Windows 7 right now, alt-tabbing
between a web-browser and emacs (finally getting around to exploring Clojure,
if you're interested), and would be doing exactly the same if I'd booted into
Linux this evening instead. 'Computer people' know what they want to do on
their machines and do it; and cross-platform is king for 'their sort of app',
these days.

My dad, on the other hand, thinks that computers are largely operated by
shout-recognition. He'd love an iPad. He can point at the thing, it does the
thing - he's not prepared to learn, to know or to think about it. That's the
market Apple will be aiming for; people who view computers as being more like
toasters than toolboxes - that thing they use to do that thing. And people
love toasters.

However, I genuinely believe that the likes of UNR offer a far better
compromise over-all, because most people start out with flailing and shouting
- it would be an awful shame to deny them the tools to move beyond that,
should they be so inclined.

~~~
netcan
When I first heard about it, Ihought it was a great idea. But where are all
the preinstalled NBR sales?

------
FlorinAndrei
Sure they can. But they're called iPads.

------
protomyth
In a lot of ways this would work for a goodly chunk of people. I think if
Apple did this, they should allow for alternate app stores and IT managed
deploys on an App Store model (all organization computers hook to the local
app store which hooks to various commercial app stores)

------
netcan
It's actually surprising that more innovation hasn't happened already,
considering how much of computing has moved into the browser.

Get a browser going on a machine and you have already crossed that barrier new
OS' once saw as the insurmountable.

------
andylei
i think they're right. even though they're much less customizable, most people
(read: people who don't read HN), prefer simple operating systems that
abstract away as much as possible.

------
jrockway
The Linux netbooks were/are very much like iPhones. There is a button you
press to view the web. There is a button to press to play music. That's it.

