I fully "get" (as in, understand) why you may find laptops "boring" and the iPad world "exciting".
That does beg the question of whether it is "excitement" (expressed in tech innovation) that you crave, or that you admire/like what Apple has to offer in the world of the iPad?
But, again, I must ask, isn't there room for both?
They fulfill different needs, and I would hate to have to belong to a binary, monochrome, world where one could avail of a choice of only one or the other.
As for excitement, (and I get excited about Mozart) I haven't been "excited" by a computer since the late Mr Jobs removed that first MBA from an envelope.
Now, I used to be an historian by profession, (and I taught Renaissance and Reformation history for several years at university) so, I have long accepted (acknowledged) that this tech revolution is as least as revolutionary and transformational as the introduction of printing, moveable type and paper to the "early modern" world of Europe, five hundred years ago. That means I fully recognise the extraordinary - world-changing - nature of what we are living through, and experiencing, and I am awed by it.
However, the revelation of that first MBA was (with the exception of the iPod - I love music) the only time I can admit to a stupefied - and silenced, awestruck - feeling of what you would recognise as that quivering sense of electrified excitement on the unveiling of a new product in the tech world.
For, I marvelled at that first MBA, and swore to myself that - before long - I would have one. And I did. And loved it.
This is such a wonderful way of thinking about technology, and the awe that comes from it. I felt very similarly about the original MBA (pull it out of an envelope — just unbelievable!). Over the last years, however, I have somewhat lost that awe. Perhaps it lies in the iterative nature of product design in tech these days (of course, it always has, but nowadays iPhone releases are just that). The “next big thing” is still a little away, and I sometimes wonder whether I will ever again feel the way I felt the day I saw the first MBA and “its” envelope.
That said, I do agree with OP
@BB1970 wholeheartedly. I have actually felt very similarly about laptops for a while. I am quite surprised that the general design of laptops has not changed significantly. I saw the comment above mentioning that the design “just works for most people” — and, I guess, I am a little disappointed as I never felt like it worked for me. Having the keyboard connected to the screen seems awfully restrictive. Hands are bound to be close to the display. A laptop really is trying to be
the portable all-in-one device, but I wonder whether there aren’t other portable and just as capable solutions.
I do see that there is a space for laptops, and for people who want and need them. But I am surprised that there is no competition to laptops that attempt to be equally powerful. Of course, Surfaces exist, but they look and feel like an afterthought to me. (I have used them a handful of times, and the experience is not ideal in my view. They are not bad devices, just not for me.)
I am typing this from an iPad Air with a Magic Keyboard, which has been my combination of choice for a while. Until now that I just got a new Starlight MBA (OP, it’s a really nice colour!). There were things I wanted to do that my iPad couldn’t. Neither is perfect for how I would like to work, but both together are pretty good.
Finally, I do not share the old-school mentality of “computers must be open, accessible, and fully customizable”. I couldn’t care less whether my macOS menu bar is black, white, blue, or Naples yellow. I don’t need to install apps just to see how hot my processor runs. If there’s one thing I don’t want then it is thinking about computers like cars, that need servicing all the time. The iPad was made for people like me in that regard — but it is just a little too limited in other ways.
I wouldn’t know what my ideal device would like — but if there was a company I’d trust to come up with something new, and truly exciting, then it would be Apple.
