+1 for ‘muggles’

Interesting piece. I wonder, in particular, about the display technology. Are the eInk displays better enough for you to carry an extra device? ‘Better’ can be measured on at least two axes – visual quality and battery life.

My own feeling is that the LCD panels are likely good enough, and the ability to carry a single device that lets me read purchased books, PDFs or Office documents, as well as surfing the web, watching video and playing games is preferable to carrying a dedicated eBook device.

The implication is that a convergence device is the end-point, as eInk isn’t going to work for video or games any time soon. If this is true, the eInk guys are toast.

As for whether iPad will be successful, I think it’ll likely be a great media consumption device. But, a big issue with it is the (mobile) authoring of email, which is, I assume, a significant function of netbooks. If they can get the keyboard thing sorted out, they have a netbook equivalent-ish with better media consumption.

Something to consider – the Windows CE-based laptops & tablets from the late 1990s. I built one of these – the Compaq Aero 8000. They were far from successful, as you know. Is the iPad a rerun – a cut down OS in a non-pocketable format? Hmm.

Killian.

I’m not surprised by the difficult birth. Most of the car manufacturers seem to be stuck in the past.

I think for most people all they want is a way to plumb their mp3 player into the car’s speakers (and controls). I love it that the Sony head unit in my car can play stuff off my BlackBerry (or iPod) via BlueTooth, and that when I hit the <> button it skips to the last/next track.

GPS is also an area of concern. I’ve yet to see a built in system that works any where near as well as my little Tom Tom (and try getting a downloadable Homer Simpson voice for your OEM system).

The longer term issue is that we recycle these devices (phones, mp3 players, PNDs) much quicker than the life of a car – another factor that I feel leans towards enabling integration via open interfaces rather than building stuff in.

Perhaps there is a place for building a display in (particularly when HUD becomes commonplace), but the intelligence should be supplied by the owner rather than the manufacturer.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/myford-touch-yields-three-screens-and-a-ford-from-microsoft-auto/

Nick