The iPad is not a car
blog.benward.me
blog.benward.me
With the ridiculous commuting times people have in the US, it's no wonder many drivers don't want manual. On top of it, many people do not drive 2.5 hours daily due to sheer distance; it's because of traffic causing the pattern I listed above.
(Of course, the heavy traffic and long commuting time begs the question of why we don't invest more into public transportation. But, that's another clouded issue.)
I've driven manual for 22 years. Even a half an hour in heavy traffic makes me wish for automatic.
Edit: And driving a manual in SF certainly tests your clutch skills...
Of course, it doesn't get any easier driving a manual in stop-and-go traffic when everyone driving automatics are so much more prone to accelerate violently when traffic starts moving and then brake abruptly when it stops. And then they get annoyed when people with manuals are content to idle along in second which keeps the same average speed but periodically opens up large holes in front.
I do this (I have a game I play in highway traffic called Avoid Using the Brake), but I don't find that other motorists get annoyed. In fact I rarely even find that people cut into the big gaps - and if they do, it's usually just passing through en route to another lane.
I've driven manual for 15 years, but conceded to the wife asking (nay, demanded!) for an automatic on the last automobile purchase. It frees up one hand majority of the time and she doesn't have to think about it through turns.
For me, the benefits of an automatic are trivial compared to the joy of driving a manual transmission, with one great exception: stop-and-go traffic.
The process of driving a manual usually boils down to engaging the clutch partially, briefly, so that not too much fuel is wasted for each acceleration. My shins get tired after at least 20 minutes of this. You would think doing this routine every day would make it more tolerable. Surprisingly, it does not.
Now that I do not have to freeway commute to work, considering a manual for the next purchase. As already stated, they are more fun to drive.
On topic, I'd say this is why I do not prefer Apple's walled garden of simplicity. I don't want these choices made for me, necessarily. I like the fact that I can install any software I wish, at any time. As has been said uncountable times, the iPad is directed at certain types of users. I am not one of those types, and I doubt I would ever be. If I had disposable income (where I could afford to throw away $500 on an entertainment device), I'd buy one. My wife would love it, and I'd use it for idle surfing now and again. I might even make some interesting apps for Safari. Wouldn't want to learn Objective-C though, because what good is writing a program if your own computer won't even allow you to run it?
I've noticed the first one on pretty much every automatic I've ever driven, but mostly that's a "doctor, it hurts when I do this" sort of thing. If I turn from a residential side street (20mph) onto a larger four-lane road (45-50mph) and pound the gas pedal into the floor to speed up, then yeah, it's going to be jerky. If instead I just gently give it more gas and let it speed up a bit more gradually, it's nice and smooth. So the solution to that appears to be simply "don't drive like you're on a racetrack".
Indecisive gears are a problem I haven't seen on at least the last couple cars I've owned (both Ford); they've been just fine at picking a good gear for the speed and sticking with it.
http://www.gtspirit.com/2010/03/30/lamborghini-manual-transm...
The meat is at the end:
I’m not going to say that Apple are right to lock others out of defining how touch computing is going to work, but they can, and I think their belief is that they can do it better if they don’t have fight off contradictory ideas in the meantime.
Preceded by a lot of car talk, which you focus on. Put the meat up front. Besides, the meat of the article is about the irrelevancy of car analogies, but if people don't agree, they will discuss that portion. You can't discuss it and not expect people to respond.
Think about it this way, there are some people out there who have no good reason to really drive a car. They'd rather just aim. Perhaps it's the same with the IPad. Some people don't want to know how everything works, or how it's done. So long as it works and they can accomplish their goals, they'll be happy.
Both have a target audience that really doesn't need to be confused with extra bells and whistles that are going to add complexity for the average person that does not want to use the device for more than the intended purpose.
I really don't understand why everyone is angry that the iPad takes another step away from tradition of computing to help make computers more accessible to a broader audience, and requires less knowledge of how the computer works (which many people would be happy about, maybe not you or I, but people that do not have careers or hobbies tinkering with computers)
Because we think it means that an even larger % of users of our software will understand even less about "how computers work"™ and their expectations will be based on even shittier "apps" => will be even more unrealistic & difficult to "work around".
But it only travels to Apple-approved destinations.
No, only Apple approved OEMs are allowed to make spare parts and provider service.
You can make your parts or use "unapproved" parts by jail breaking, doing which you break your warranty.