Apple apparently has given up on people who prefer function to form and is selling totally based on form. That's cool, the consumer market is generally pretty ignorant if not downright stupid, and easily swayed by branding and advertising, so this is probably a good long-term strategy.
But it got me thinking about how I'd like to see a computer that's to be used as an appliance.
How about changing my options? Give me long cords (and appropriately robust protocols that can support them) so I don't have to cram my peripherals close to the box. Put a wireless link on my keyboard so I can sit in my livingroom with the keyboard on my lap. Give me light LCD or flat panel displays that I can put anywhere. Make it something that I'm not going to hide away in some dark office because I can use it in more places than that.
How about a light weight 6"x9" web browser with a decent sized cache?
How about some sort of reflective display technologies so that I can use screens in my house to display art or otherwise be a part of the decor when I'm not using them? I've got a bunch of PhotoCD scans that I'd love to see more often. Reflective because they shouldn't dominate the room the way an emissive technology like a CRT (or even a strongly backlit LCD) does when it's turned on.
The thing is I've got too much crap cluttering up my house already. Make the computer inobtrusive, help me combine assorted appliances (how about a 5 CD changer so I can put it on my stereo rack?) to minimize the visible impact of technology.
Let's "think different", and change the way we can use the computers, not just how they look.
Friday, January 08th, 1999 danlyke@flutterby.com