Geek Luddites and the New Computing

01Nov2010 [links]

In Geek Luddites, Watts Martin talks about reactions to the Mac App Store announcements, with an important reminder:

The model we’re moving toward, though, is premised on the idea that computers shouldn’t require routine tech support. Again, look back at game consoles: an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 is a fully programmable computer with networking capability, offline storage, removable media, the whole shebang, yet all of that is invisible to the user. What file system does a Playstation use and what directories does it put your downloaded games in? The correct answer is: “Who gives a shit?”

Meshes with my thinking about the iPad: it represends a new mode of computing in which users don't need to know there's a computer involved.