Bill Gates on the iPad - and his envy of the iPhone | Hacker News Reader

Bill Gates on the iPad - and his envy of the iPhone

guardian.co.uk

27 pointsprat11 comments

Gates is obviously really guarded here. The inspirational Bill from the 2007 D5 interview (http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070530/d5-gates-jobs-interview/) would be stoked on iPad.

I think he knows that the iPad is what a tablet "should be" but can't say it.

Or, perhaps he honestly believes that the stylus and keyboard are important.

I wonder if he is unaware of iPad keyboard support, or if he's hoping that other people are unaware of it (and will overlook the inaccuracy.)

I also wonder if the lack of a stylus alone would make the same difference for him.

Or maybe a built-in keyboard is what he really thinks is a necessary element. I wouldn't agree with him, if so.

Plus, the iPad has a stylus that ships with every user. Multiple, in fact.

Can you hand-write with your fingers?

I don't see why not. If the screen is big enough, just magnify the input field and any "finger strokes" within it.

Dan Bricklin was working on something like this for the iPhone, and it'd be a natural fit for the iPad. http://danbricklin.com/log/2009_12_05.htm#notetaker

It may be a natural fit for the iPad, but it isn't a natural fit for humans. Wasn't that the whole point of the iPad?

I also look at my dad's fingers, which have enough thickness that he can't comfortably press buttons on smaller devices. I have girlish hands :) so I can manage it, but really ... you're actually implying that we should throw away hundreds of years of using a pen?

I've never used a desktop or laptop with a pen. I've never felt one was missing. I recognize the value of pen input for graphic designers (among others, no doubt) but the world has found a way to suit those people without baking the pen concept into the core design of the computer.

Normal people can't touch-type ... and you also can't write on your laptop while standing on your feet.

I really don't see why we are arguing here.

I think the point of a stylus or mouse is precision. It only has a side effect of being a familiar writing device.

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