I agree. The writing is on the wall... err... iPad. It's up the the individual to read it, but this is where computers are heading. Not completely, but simplified computing devices, IMO, will be the majority of sales from now on.
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Apple Stores Replace Kids' Table iMacs With iPads
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I agree. The writing is on the wall... err... iPad. It's up the the individual to read it, but this is where computers are heading. Not completely, but simplified computing devices, IMO, will be the majority of sales from now on.
To see Apple's cares you need only look at the MacRumors Buyer's Guide.
See the iPhone / iPad section? If one of those dots is ever colored red for more than a month, heads will roll. Remember the original white iPhone? Touch and mobile is an area of huge growth and hence their core focus. iPod should really be in its own section (it does not drive growth like it used to, thus they don't care to update it often).
They are somewhat concerned about portables because laptop growth has outpaced desktop growth for many moons now, so it's worth their effort to focus on. The MacBook Air gives them a leadership position in the laptop space and they don't want to give that up.
But desktops? What an annoyance to Apple. It's not an area of explosive growth and it's not an area where they really lead anything. Maybe the iMac did at one point. The Mac Mini is an interesting niche (perhaps call it a "hobby"). But the Mac Pro? 639 days and counting without an update or even announcement of one. That has to be the most neglected, red-headed step child, bitch-slapped product Apple has ever sold (besides MobileMe).
The only reason Apple has to care about desktops is that they still turn a profit for the company. But they would rather have you buy a device in a growing area to give them marketshare, mindshare, *and* profitability. Bonus points if they sell you an iOS device (since they get even more lock-in).
Focusing on growth means Apple can define a market. Profitability is a side effect of their focus in growth markets. Apple would rather spend effort convincing the desktop crowd they don't need desktops anymore rather than updating them and trying to make it a growth segment (see also: the last 10 years).
I agree; I work in IT in a school. The kids can barely even hand write notes. Sure, some 8th graders are doing geometry stuff I didn't do until my sophomore year in high school. But I'd be seriously surprised if they could even do basic arithmetic without a calculator.
I just spoke to one of the custodians I work with and he said that on cloudy days, his daughter would say that she's bored. I guess she has 3 rooms dedicated to her toys and stuff and she's bored?!? Kids today are so spoiled.
While I don't mind the use of technology to augment your life, it shouldn't be a replacement.
[/rant]
Did your mum not teach you any manners?
If you have nothing nice to say its better to not say anything at all.
How ironic is it that Apple is finally gaining significant PC market share, and they no longer care for it?
My daughter was opening things she thought looked interesting and interacting with them at two. If your idevice is tidy-ish then they do learn this stuff themselves. My daughter looks through folders to see if I've added any new apps.. She's 4 this week. She's not just doing stuff I've shown her. I think a lot of kids can instantly see a pretty picture (say the butterfly icon for "Paint My Wings") their curiosity will get them pressing it, and if the iPad has the right apps on, it really doesn't need any reading comprehension at all.
It's just up to the Apple stores to make sure they've got appropriate apps.
I think the much larger culprit here is texting, not PCs or tablets. Kids today communicate without the need for proper english or actual face-to-face communication. There was even a joke on Community recently about someone being born in the 80s and therefore they still use their phone to make calls. I have two high school english teachers in the family, and I constantly hear about kids handing in papers with text speak.
How ironic is it that Apple is finally gaining significant PC market share, and they no longer care for it?
I wouldn't say they no longer care for it. For all we know Apple may be redoing the whole Mac line-up. I believe there was a story on this a while back too.
I can't get into Eriden's head, but I don't think he was intending to be rude. I read it more as a jokey way of saying that your perception of a kid's ability to just figure stuff out trumps the ability to read. At least that's how I read it.
Fair enough. But does anyone really know how to use anything unless they've been taught/shown the fundamentals? Hey, both of my older kids (4 and 6) can go into the Apple store, pick up an iPod touch, swipe around to find Angry Birds, and play it. They were able to do this two years ago, before they could read. Yeah, they must have seen me playing on the iPods/iPads before, but they quickly recognized what the various gestures did, what the angry bird icon looks like, and what the Play button looks like.
Anyways, I forgot my point, so I'll shut up for now.
This was never about knowing how to use the iPad. Just knowing how to operate it. The bottom line, a young kid can operate an iPad without knowing how to read.
I have to agree with you on this one. But the scope of this thread is about kids using iPads at the store. They'll have a much easier time using the iPad by themselves than using the iMacs.
I agree. It frustrates me how so many people & corporations now (although corporations are "people" now) seem to only care about maximizing profit and seeing that as the only indicator of success.
As I said, I work in IT in a school. In my district, we have probably close to 1,000 Macs, 4,000 kids and staff members. While iPads do make the kids more interested in stuff, what about all the backend, infrastructure stuff like servers? We still have a bunch of xServes that do our web server and Open Directory stuff. This summer, we're switching to Active Directory, which is going to be a real pain in the a$$ to migrate to and manage. And unfortunately, we don't have enough room to just go with a bunch of Mac Pros or even Mac Minis.
And if iOS is really the future of Apple & computing, where's xCode for the iPad?
I apologize for ranting, but I'm just tired of the whole "Money is the only thing that's important" and "Oh, you're a minority? We don't care about you" mentalities.
Oh they do explore. I agree there. But that's not really the same thing. That's not the same as saying they really have a firm grip on how to use the thing. I think that comes with the ability to read, and it also helps to grow their ability to read. My daughter is now discovering so much more about the iPad. She figured out that the folder with Angry Birds says "games" and so now that action makes sense to her. She realized that all of her apps are in a folder with her name on it. When a notification comes up, she's no longer confused. Instead she tells me what it is. Now those actions have meaning for her, instead of being memorized actions. Now she understand how the whole thing is laid out and why.
Tonight, try asking your daughter to open iTunes and find a certain album and play it. Ask her to go into your settings app and turn off wi-fi. Ask her to bring up a webpage. One still needs to be able to read to really know how to use the thing. I'm not talking about curiosity and simple tasks.
We all know that kids can do certain things in iPads. No one's arguing that. Again, a monkey can notice that an app wasn't there a minute ago and is there now. What we're discussing is simply a difference in defining when someone truly "knows how to use a computer." Everyone I know can play either chopsticks or the Jaws theme on a piano, but that doesn't make someone a pianist.
I absolutely agree that in the future, tablet and touch devices will rule for most activities. I also see value in Apple using iPads for kids b/c accessible etc.
I just think writing off desktops and laptops as "not the future" overlooks their use for a lot of "heavier" uses (word processing, programming, etc..) They may be a small portion of overall "computer device" sales, but not insignificant nor unimportant. I analogize to heavy duty trucks. Most drivers in US do not need them, but some do for certain tasks, and thus companies sell them (at a profit). More profit in other lines, but not serving a segment of the overall computer market seems shortsighted and I am worried a lot that Apple is hellbent on iPads and iPhones, and see only MBA as future computer that anyone will need. Guess we'll see......after all, my first Pc was an IBM that weighed more than all my computer equipment combined now!
I just think writing off desktops and laptops as "not the future" overlooks their use for a lot of "heavier" uses (word processing, programming, etc..) They may be a small portion of overall "computer device" sales, but not insignificant nor unimportant. I analogize to heavy duty trucks. Most drivers in US do not need them, but some do for certain tasks, and thus companies sell them (at a profit). More profit in other lines, but not serving a segment of the overall computer market seems shortsighted and I am worried a lot that Apple is hellbent on iPads and iPhones, and see only MBA as future computer that anyone will need. Guess we'll see......after all, my first Pc was an IBM that weighed more than all my computer equipment combined now!
I'm sorry but I can't accept this mentality yet. I know this is somewhat dated but I feel it is still relevant:
Apple Mac Sales Could Sustain a Fortune 500 Company by Itself
When we see a slowdown with Mac OSX development, and I think this upcoming WWDC still shows a commitment to OSX, then I'll begin to truly worry.
How ironic is it that Apple is finally gaining significant PC market share, and they no longer care for it?
Sounds like girls. You work really hard for one, but they only are interested when you found another girl who is prettier.
I don't think he intended to be rude either. I think this whole thread is taking my comment way out of context. I think your post here actually put it back into context, so thanks.
No, and that is why everyone starts off using computers that way. But once a person can read, we can start teaching ourselves. We can sit down at the computer and figure it all out on our own. That is where I believe a person starts to really know how to use a computer, for more than some memorized commands and icons. Our kids can only find Angry Birds because they were shown.
I'm the one who made the comment, so I can honestly say that I was talking about knowing how to use and understand the iPad, not just operate it. A kid can operate an iPad and find Angry Birds without really knowing what they're doing. Again, a kid can drive a car without a single driving lesson. That doesn't mean he knows what he's doing behind the wheel.
Oh I totally agree there. iPads are far more kid friendly than Macs. That's why I started my daughter out on it, because she can operate it without being able to read. I just don't fool myself into thinking that she now knows how to operate a computer just because she can find Angry Birds or notice a new app.
People took my comment so far out of context. I said it because someone was arguing that computers in the classroom and in kid's lives would hurt their ability to read and write. What I'm saying is that it will do the opposite, it will make sure that they can read and write. I wasn't talking about finding Angry Birds, and yet now that has somehow become the litmus test for computer literacy. I'm talking about using iTunes, writing a term paper, using email, browsing the web, doing any sort of work, and doing all the things that adults (and young adults) use computers for. When your kid is 10, if she can't read she'll still be finding Angry Birds and no one will be impressed.
So basically, I'm talking about using a computer to actually do things, not throw birds and pigs. Computers won't replace the necesity for literacy. It will enhance it.
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Agreed. This move was such a no-brainer I'm surprised they hadn't done it already. The interaction between a tablet and the user is so much more natural than mouse + keyboard interfaces, especially for kids.
The two Apple Stores here haven't had a kid section for many years now. It's just tables with products on display and then the Genius Bar. It's not something that makes sense in really crowded stores even if it's welcoming to their customers. It's a electronics store, not a cafe.
And yeah... Being someone who was raised on MS-DOS/BASIC/Windows 3.1/MacOS I have no desire in IT in general. I don't think learning how to code at a young age is necessary. It's about teaching kids how to use the technology to do stuff other than hacking/downloading/watching videos. I learnt how to read and write on these machines, but I also spent most of my time on things like MacPaint/KidPix/MS Paint and grew up using technology for creative things. And to this day I don't use the computer for anything more than just creative work and writing. YouTube is boring, I don't know how people spend hours on it.
And yeah... Being someone who was raised on MS-DOS/BASIC/Windows 3.1/MacOS I have no desire in IT in general. I don't think learning how to code at a young age is necessary. It's about teaching kids how to use the technology to do stuff other than hacking/downloading/watching videos. I learnt how to read and write on these machines, but I also spent most of my time on things like MacPaint/KidPix/MS Paint and grew up using technology for creative things. And to this day I don't use the computer for anything more than just creative work and writing. YouTube is boring, I don't know how people spend hours on it.
Locked down iPads
I was at my locale apple store on Monday waiting for my laptop and wanted to check something on the web. I picked one these up form the table and tried to find the browser and could not find it, went in to the system and there was no option for it there either, it like is never existed on the iPad.
DP
I was at my locale apple store on Monday waiting for my laptop and wanted to check something on the web. I picked one these up form the table and tried to find the browser and could not find it, went in to the system and there was no option for it there either, it like is never existed on the iPad.
DP