How many of those people regularly use excel at home though? Not a large percentage I would suggest.
I can see home user switching to ipad like devices simply because if their covenience.
I can see home user switching to ipad like devices simply because if their covenience.
For example, over 50 million Nintendo Wiis are installed in homes around the world, but nobody is clamoring for "Wiimote" apps at work.
The iPad surely has the potential to change the way casual home users interact with their computers... but I believe pg's comparison to microcomputers in the enterprise is a misplaced analogy.
Paul, if you're reading this, I urge you to spend a few days observing the 'knowledge workers' at a bank, claims processor, hospital, or real estate developer. Watch how they have memorized all the shortcuts and quirks of their custom line-of-business apps. You'll discover a class of users who want power and control, not simplicity and ease-of-use.
Doesn't "quirks" already imply that it's non-optimal? Shouldn't we think of applications and user interfaces which don't make someone remembering all shortcuts a "professional"? As stated by others before, simplicity and ease of use aren't strongly correlated to power and control.
That said I think you are right about other professions, e.g. anyone who works in IB for a large firm isn't allowed a mouse because it is much more effective to become efficient with the shortcuts.