I have been a unbeliever of Apple products for some time now. I see that they work well, they are powerful and simple to use (though this is probably also their biggest weakness). However my usual criticism is of the astronomical (pun entirely intended) prices they charge for something which is the same as the same product with a picture of an orange on it rather than an apple.
Which is why I now feel a hypocrite as I type this blog on my new iPad.
Admittedly this blog is less about Apple and more about the use of technology in science, and I guess businesses as a whole. For the last few years I have found myself ever increasingly dependant on printers as a way to prove how clever I am to my supervisors. Rushing to their offices with a stack of of pretty graphs and data tables does make one feel very smug. Unfortunately however it also makes the environment feel a little bit sicker. I really do try to do my bit for the environment, but when it comes to this area of environmental heroism I find it hard to change.
So to change this habit I have bought an iPad. My aim is to start flaunting my pie charts on its beautiful high resolution screen, rather than on dead vegetation. I'm not sure how well the iPad is set up to do many of these things, especially how good it is and linking up to my unix based work machine, but I'm going to try. If all else fails, I will become the true master of angry birds.
I hope that just as apple seems to have introduced content for the iPad for people in business and education, such as university lectures, that someone will take this a step further and allow people to fully integrate their day to day work with a tablet. Not for cash in their pockets, but trees in the forests.
I still believe iPads are too expensive. But in a philosophical tone, isn't the cost to the environment even more costly.
No comments:
Post a Comment