I'm a little saddened today as I watch every single website and big box retailer sell out of their HP Touchpads at $99 a pop. I'm even more sad- and a tad angry, because it means that the tablet wars are going in the same direction as the cell phone wars have- leading to a big war between Apple and Android. Not that we couldn't see that coming from 50 miles away, but I like to root for the underdog- especially when the underdog has a great product that's overshadowed by the "majority rules" thinking by those who think they know the tech world. Seriously, when's the last time you've seen a retailer give a non Android/Apple device decent floor space, or even the last time one of them has talked up a Windows or WebOS phone? But I digress.
Long story short, HP's decision to ax the Touchpad after 49 days was a bad one. Here are a few things they could have done differently.
1: Back To School Tie In
With school just around the corner, HP should have taken advantage of the buzz around tablets and colleges and taken a page from Apple's book. For years, Apple offered an iPod with the purchase of a computer during Back To School season. While making a $500 tablet a free tie in would be stupid, HP should have turned it into a way to reduce the price and get the tablet some much needed word-of-mouth publicity. If a student buys a laptop whose base price is $XXX or more, they can throw in a Touchpad for just a mere $200 or $300. College students are impressionable, and for each student that has something, they're bound to run into 100 students who at least give it a second glance.
2. What About The Phone?
HP's WebOS platform was actually cool. Although their phones were too small for me, some of the things they could do were pretty awesome. Like Blackberry phones and tablets, HP's mobile front had the ability to communicate, something that iOS and Android haven't done (or at least marketed) effectively. WebOS tablets, like Blackberry's, could notify you when your phone was ringing, but WebOS could also share things between the phone and tablet by placing the phone on top of the tablet. For example, if you have a webpage pulled up on your tablet and need to leave it behind, you could place the phone on the tablet, and it would pull up the website on the phone. Pretty neat stuff. iPads sell because their commercials show what the product can really do; I wish they had based their commercials off some of the tablet's cooler technology rather than have Lea Michele and Russell Brand hawk the basic features that come on every tablet.
3. Sell it at $99 initially
Yes, I typed that right. Bear with me here. Companies are incredibly focused on the bottom line nowadays, but you really can't do that when you're entering a brand new market with stiff competition. For example, when 2K Sports geared up to put out NFL 2K5, they notices that they were losing market share to Madden. So what did they do? They one upped Madden on just about every possible facet of the game, including an ESPN license and a cool camera perspective where gamers could control a player by only seeing what the players see- through the facemask. But the biggest thing they did? The game was only $20, compared to Madden's $50. Dropping an Andrew Jackson on the game was a far smaller investment, and it got 2K Sports some publicity and exposure, which is what you need more than anything when entering a new market. Those first couple of years, the bottom line should not be so important. 2K Sports got out of the game, however, when EA Sports went and got the exclusive NFL license, making them the only show in town, not because of sales. If HP sold the Touchpad at an introductory price of $99, or even at $199, they would have gotten some serious publicity. All the "deals" sites would have carried the ad, and even if buyers were late coming to the party, the word of mouth from the initial sale would have been monstrous.
Fire selling their tablet at $99, HP has only confirmed that the tablet wars are about to seriously change. Android tablets aren't selling that hot, and they may have to undercut themselves to boost sales. We'll see what happens soon, but HP's decision to kill off their tablet (and their phones, for that matter) was, for lack of a better word, stupid.
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
A Hard Tablet To Swallow: Why HP's Tablet Liquidation Was A Bad Idea
Monday, November 22, 2010
It seems that over the years, gadgets get smaller, faster and more efficient. Just 15 years ago, people had big, clunky computers running Windows 95 (and even then, we thought those computers were small). Now, gadgets like the iPad are small, nimble, and pack more features than ever- not to mention that they're affordable. If you're young (like me) and are a professional (like me) and own an iPad (like me), then here are 12 apps that will help you streamline your workload, your class work, and your personal life.
1. iWork, $9.99 per app
iWork may be on the expensive end of the office suite spectrum in the App Store, but let me tell you- you get what you pay for. Apple has put together a robust, effective trio of software options for the iPad. The best part? You can buy all three apps separately at $9.99 a pop. Keynote is the best of the three, as putting together presentations on the fly is simple and fun. Pages and Numbers are great as well, and they serve their purpose. All three can import and export documents as iWork files or Microsoft Office files. My only complaint is that iWork uses a limited number of fonts, so not all documents translate well.
2. Bento, $4.99
Bento, to put it best, is a database app. That means that tasks like billing, inventory tracking, and other information strongholds can be stored here. If you have the Bento program for your Mac, you can sync data between the two.
3. Zillow, FREE
Are you a young professional looking to relocate? Tired of your dorm, that crappy apartment, or even your city? Check out Zillow. You can set parameters for what type of housing you're looking for, how much you like to pay, and Presto! Zillow pinpoints all your search results on its map, complete with address, pictures, and the realtor's contact information. Even if you're looking for a full fledged home, Zillow tracks not just homes on the market, but homes that aren't but have a "Make Me Move" classification as well. Highly recommended.
4. Linked in, FREE
Linked in is actually an iPhone app, but since all iPhone apps are compatible with the iPad and the screen size can be magnified, I'm counting it in this list anyways. It does all the basic features that you can do on the website, and that's all you'll need- after all Farmville and your professional life should never meet...unless....you work for the company that created Farmville.
5a. Pulse News Reader, FREE
The best customizable news reader on the iPad, hands down. For the longest time, I used Flipboard, which is also pretty awesome. My biggest gripe with Flipboard, however, was that it wouldn't allow me to import blog feeds. Pulse allows me to import blogs, tweets, Facebook pages, and full fledged websites (Pulse finds the RSS feed). This is the only third party app in my dock, and for good reason.
5b. Flipboard, FREE
UPDATE: Flipboard was named the iPad App of The Year for 2010, and for good reason. I blasted Flipboard in my blurb about Pulse, the app directly above this one, but a major update to Flipboard added blog/RSS capabilities, as well as a slew of other improvements that really make this app the quintessential digital magazine. This should probably be the first app you download when you receive your iPad, but if you're not into the magazine style, try Pulse.
6. Skype, FREE
Here's another iPhone size-doubled app. Okay, so you may not have video. But you still have free Skype-to Skype voice and IM chatting. In addition, most Bluetooth headsets are compatible, so this app is still versatile. In addition, you can make calls to any phone line for merely $2.95 a month. With multitasking causing Skype to update its app to be iOS 4.2 compliant, you can keep it running in the background while you work, and it will notify you when a call comes in. In addition, Skype has added video functionality for those who use the app on an iPhone/iPod Touch. With cameras being added to the second generation iPad, this app will increase the value of the iPad to not only the casual users, but also to the corporate world.
7. USA Today, FREE
USA Today is the canned comedy routine to Pulse's Second City improv. While there's no customization of USA Today other than the weather settings, there's still a lot to like here. The layout is superb, and a free app that sends you national headlines straight from the paper itself every morning is a nice change from the overpriced Wall Street Journal.. Last month, I stayed at a hotel that left free USA Today papers at the doors of all guests. I fingered through the paper, and at the very least, all of the headline stories were already on my iPad version. They weren't shortened "free versions" they didn't require a subscription to read, and I got all of the same pictures, except mine were crisper. The app also includes the daily USA Today crossword puzzle-what more could I ask for?
8. Kayak, FREE
In the past year, Kayak has gotten a lot of publicity, and rightly so- they're trying to compete with the more established Expedia and Travelocity- no small feat. In essence, they're no different than either of those two sites...except in the app department. Looking at the screenshot above is a good representation of how to describe the app- it's informative. You've got a small search box, a map, a list of previous searches, and a hotel slider to the right with options for your destination city. The cherry on top is the Explore feature- it allows travelers to broaden their horizons. Say you want to travel over the summer, but you don't know when. Just set your parameters to June-August, then select your preferred activities, price, and temperature, and Kayak fetches the lowest flight for every qualifying city. Most excellent.
9. Blackboard, FREE
Most college students have to use Blackboard at one point or another, so it's nice to know you can have it at your fingertips. Blackboard is a college file-sharing program that allows teachers to post announcements, class materials and grades. Not much else to this app, but it gets the job done when you're trying to use your iPad as a super-student assistant.
10. Dropbox, FREE
Dropbox, a file sharing app, is a great way to store important files online that you;ll need access too elsewhere. The great part is that you can add users to your dropbox, effectively creating the perfect collaborative software. You can upload your part of the proposal, while Mike and Sue can download it from their end and add their parts and re-upload. It's like having a download base without needing a website!
11. iStudiez Pro, $1.99
the iPad may have the iCal app, but it can't track your school assignments and their respective grades, now can it? iStudiez has an assignment tracker, notification when they're almost due, and you can personalize the grading scale (Sure, Mom! Of course a sixty percent is an A minus!), since every school varies. It may not be totally necessary, but for two bucks, it's a nice addition to your home page.
12. CourseSmart, FREE
Textbooks are way too expensive, not to mention that you don't hold on to half of them after the end of the semester anyway. CourseSmart is here to remedy that. For 180 days, you can rent an e-textbook and use it to your heart's content. The app allows you to highlight, take annotations, and much more. Even better is that most textbooks normally cost between $60 and $85. Since a new textbook normally costs $200 and you sell it back for around $100, you still lose $100. So why not save a little more for you Broke College Student Fund?
If you were to download every app on this list, you could have a professionally stocked iPad for about $40, and that's not a bad deal. Most of the financial weight comes from the iWork suite, and not everyone will download the whole trio of apps. If I missed an app that you think is worthy of this list, or if you think an app on this list isn't so great, add a comment to the post!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
I've come to the conclusion that an iPhone user has no choice but to download Angry Birds. Sure, to some of you, this may be crazy game-loving Jeremy stuffing more content down your throat, but believe me on this one- you will thank me later.
At 99 cents, Angry Birds doesn't require you to make a huge financial decision, yet it comes jam packed with content which the developer, Rovio, keeps updating. All in all, the game touts 195 levels and counting, and let me tell you, conquering them is no easy task.
Here's the very odd plot: A group of birds are watching over a set of unhatched eggs. The birds are so protective that the second a mosquito lands on one, the birds then proceed to give him a mob-style beating. While this beating is going on, a set of pigs nearby are eating grass. Seemingly unsatisfied with their meal, the pigs spot the eggs and decide that the eggs would make a better meal. So they steal the eggs and the birds, horrified that they let such a thing happen, become angry and vengeful. Hence, Angry Birds.
Anyways, the pigs have retreated to structures made of glass, wood, and stone in what eventually escalates to a twisted version of The Three Little Pigs.. At the start of each level, you're given a set amount of birds and a slingshot. Your job is to launch the birds at these structures and "kill" the pigs living inside them. Make no mistake, these birds are on a serious kamikaze-type mission.
To help you out, each bird has a different ability. The basic red bird works like a cannonball, while the yellow one thrusts itself at a high velocity. The blue bird splits into three, another acts as a boomerang, and another acts as a ticking time bomb. The structures start out easy enough, but as you gradually move through the game, things start to pick up. You may be given birds that really aren't suited to take down certain structures. The structures are made of more stone than wood or glass, and the structures themselves are more architecturally sound in that they use a lot of triangles and reinforcement so that it takes quite a bit of damage to topple them.
Make no mistake though- this game is addictive. Because a level can take you less than a minute to complete, it's easy to pick the game up and play anytime you have a couple of free minutes. Like I said, it's 99 cents, and if you have an iPad, the HD version is $5- a steeper investment, but considering the larger screen and better graphics, it's still worth it. Either way, there's a reason why this game has been a top seller since it's release, and I hope you buy it and find out why for yourself.
At 99 cents, Angry Birds doesn't require you to make a huge financial decision, yet it comes jam packed with content which the developer, Rovio, keeps updating. All in all, the game touts 195 levels and counting, and let me tell you, conquering them is no easy task.
Here's the very odd plot: A group of birds are watching over a set of unhatched eggs. The birds are so protective that the second a mosquito lands on one, the birds then proceed to give him a mob-style beating. While this beating is going on, a set of pigs nearby are eating grass. Seemingly unsatisfied with their meal, the pigs spot the eggs and decide that the eggs would make a better meal. So they steal the eggs and the birds, horrified that they let such a thing happen, become angry and vengeful. Hence, Angry Birds.
Anyways, the pigs have retreated to structures made of glass, wood, and stone in what eventually escalates to a twisted version of The Three Little Pigs.. At the start of each level, you're given a set amount of birds and a slingshot. Your job is to launch the birds at these structures and "kill" the pigs living inside them. Make no mistake, these birds are on a serious kamikaze-type mission.
 |
| The Three Little Pigs this is not. |
To help you out, each bird has a different ability. The basic red bird works like a cannonball, while the yellow one thrusts itself at a high velocity. The blue bird splits into three, another acts as a boomerang, and another acts as a ticking time bomb. The structures start out easy enough, but as you gradually move through the game, things start to pick up. You may be given birds that really aren't suited to take down certain structures. The structures are made of more stone than wood or glass, and the structures themselves are more architecturally sound in that they use a lot of triangles and reinforcement so that it takes quite a bit of damage to topple them.
Make no mistake though- this game is addictive. Because a level can take you less than a minute to complete, it's easy to pick the game up and play anytime you have a couple of free minutes. Like I said, it's 99 cents, and if you have an iPad, the HD version is $5- a steeper investment, but considering the larger screen and better graphics, it's still worth it. Either way, there's a reason why this game has been a top seller since it's release, and I hope you buy it and find out why for yourself.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Yesterday, Steve Jobs donned his now-notorious black-mock turtleneck and light blue jeans, and took to the stage to show us what new and exciting products Apple was working on. I'm not sure what sort of reaction he was looking for, but I know that I was sorely disappointed.
Now Apple's not going to reveal some new OMG I GOTTA HAVE gadget every time Steve-O calls for another presentation. But the coup-de-grace, the newly redesigned Macbook Air, left a lot to be desired.
Let's go back to the beginning of the press conference and look at the other developments that Apple revealed. First, iLife '11 was shown. The new interface for iPhoto borrows heavily from the iPad's slick, near perfect Photos app. iMovie made a bunch of advances in making the product more user-friendly (as Apple has been known to do), as did Garage Band. For me, it was a push.
About a month ago, a German iLife '11 how-to manual was released on Amazon Germany, and the cover said that the book was to cover the basics for iLife on Macs, iPhones, and iPads. This suggestion made me excited at the fact that Apple would release a port for iPad. Imagine the photo, video, and music editing possibilities! Unfortunately, this did not come to be, as iLife '11 seems to only be for Mac. Fitting so much into a lesser powered machine with limited screen space and a touch screen is a daunting task, and it would require a totally separate design if Apple were ever to do that. Oh well, I'll just anxiously await iPad iOS4.
The second item on yesterday's docket was OSX 10.7, called Lion. The big change? Mac seems to be promoting this happy marriage between OSX and iOS. Lion will support many more multitouch gestures, a more iPad-like interface, and get this- an App Store. Anybody who thought that the two operating systems weren't going to touch each other's space is crazy. But this is a great step for Macs- before, you either had to go to an Apple Store or drown in a computer store's software supply to find Mac-compatible software. Now you can find a whole lot of it in one centralized place. Hopefully Apple sees this, and will offer a breadth of serious software, and not just ports of iOS games.
Now, on to the main event, the Macbook Air. I wasn't too excited for it, because I had a feeling that the only real changes were coming on the stat front, and I was partly right. It IS lighter and thinner than the first generation Air, with Apple finding a way to turn the device from anorexic to Ethiopian. I didn't care very much to hear the stats, as my $700 laptop's stats are double that of the Air's.
Then Steve Jobs said something that caught my attention: Instant On. Thanks to having solely flash memory onboard the device, turning it on would be no different than turning on your iDevice. It would be instant, with no more than a 10 second startup time if you were doing a completely off to on boot. Suddenly, Steve-O had me again. It was time for him to strike with a statement that would make me long for a Macbook Air.
Then, he said "We're going to competitively price the new Macbook Air". Mind you, the last time he mentioned competitive pricing, the iPad went from rumors of being priced at $1000+ to actually be priced at $500. With that statement, my guess was that the Macbook Air would start somewhere between $600 and $800. I was ready with my pen and paper to find a way to justify a new purchase.
$999. Let me say that again. $999.
Huh? Didn't he just say he wanted to COMPETITIVELY price the Macbook Air?
Granted, it is aluminum, and it is thin, and it is light, and it is pretty. But for $999, I can buy a white-base Macbook that has a larger hard drive, is just as portable, and can run OSX Lion just as well. Oh, and just in case I NEED to use a CD drive, it's there. CDs aren't THAT extinct yet. Their lifeline is slowly flattening, but CDs will be around and important for the next 10 years. It's still an Apple computer, just without a solid aluminum frame. Like mother always said, it's what's on the inside that counts.
So...basically...with only 64 GB onboard, no expandable memory, and no CD drive, the Macbook Air is still an overpriced netbook. Bummer.
So ends another Apple press conference. If you've got a Mac already, I think iLife '11 would be a great purchase if you're an editing aficionado, and the verdict is still out on Lion.
I've said it before and I'll say it again- if Apple wants to compete with Microsoft with a shot at taking out the competition, they need to competitively price their computers. If the Macbook line was priced from $600-$1500, people would be jumping over each other to buy Macbooks. With a $52 billion in cash just laying around, Apple has the means to price their computers at a point where they only make a tiny profit.
Maybe next time, Apple. Maybe next time.
Now Apple's not going to reveal some new OMG I GOTTA HAVE gadget every time Steve-O calls for another presentation. But the coup-de-grace, the newly redesigned Macbook Air, left a lot to be desired.
Let's go back to the beginning of the press conference and look at the other developments that Apple revealed. First, iLife '11 was shown. The new interface for iPhoto borrows heavily from the iPad's slick, near perfect Photos app. iMovie made a bunch of advances in making the product more user-friendly (as Apple has been known to do), as did Garage Band. For me, it was a push.
The second item on yesterday's docket was OSX 10.7, called Lion. The big change? Mac seems to be promoting this happy marriage between OSX and iOS. Lion will support many more multitouch gestures, a more iPad-like interface, and get this- an App Store. Anybody who thought that the two operating systems weren't going to touch each other's space is crazy. But this is a great step for Macs- before, you either had to go to an Apple Store or drown in a computer store's software supply to find Mac-compatible software. Now you can find a whole lot of it in one centralized place. Hopefully Apple sees this, and will offer a breadth of serious software, and not just ports of iOS games.
 |
| Mission Control, one of the new features of OSX Lion, allows you to see every open program on your computer at the same time. It's like an enhanced version of Alt+Tab. |
Now, on to the main event, the Macbook Air. I wasn't too excited for it, because I had a feeling that the only real changes were coming on the stat front, and I was partly right. It IS lighter and thinner than the first generation Air, with Apple finding a way to turn the device from anorexic to Ethiopian. I didn't care very much to hear the stats, as my $700 laptop's stats are double that of the Air's.
Then Steve Jobs said something that caught my attention: Instant On. Thanks to having solely flash memory onboard the device, turning it on would be no different than turning on your iDevice. It would be instant, with no more than a 10 second startup time if you were doing a completely off to on boot. Suddenly, Steve-O had me again. It was time for him to strike with a statement that would make me long for a Macbook Air.
Then, he said "We're going to competitively price the new Macbook Air". Mind you, the last time he mentioned competitive pricing, the iPad went from rumors of being priced at $1000+ to actually be priced at $500. With that statement, my guess was that the Macbook Air would start somewhere between $600 and $800. I was ready with my pen and paper to find a way to justify a new purchase.
 |
| It's so thin, you could probably attach it to a handle and use it as an ax in the winter to chop some firewood. |
$999. Let me say that again. $999.
Huh? Didn't he just say he wanted to COMPETITIVELY price the Macbook Air?
Granted, it is aluminum, and it is thin, and it is light, and it is pretty. But for $999, I can buy a white-base Macbook that has a larger hard drive, is just as portable, and can run OSX Lion just as well. Oh, and just in case I NEED to use a CD drive, it's there. CDs aren't THAT extinct yet. Their lifeline is slowly flattening, but CDs will be around and important for the next 10 years. It's still an Apple computer, just without a solid aluminum frame. Like mother always said, it's what's on the inside that counts.
So...basically...with only 64 GB onboard, no expandable memory, and no CD drive, the Macbook Air is still an overpriced netbook. Bummer.
So ends another Apple press conference. If you've got a Mac already, I think iLife '11 would be a great purchase if you're an editing aficionado, and the verdict is still out on Lion.
I've said it before and I'll say it again- if Apple wants to compete with Microsoft with a shot at taking out the competition, they need to competitively price their computers. If the Macbook line was priced from $600-$1500, people would be jumping over each other to buy Macbooks. With a $52 billion in cash just laying around, Apple has the means to price their computers at a point where they only make a tiny profit.
Maybe next time, Apple. Maybe next time.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
This is my first blog post fully composed and researched on my iPad, so I thought it would be fitting to write a blog entry related to the device.
Remember the old Miss Cleo infomercials? I do. They were so funny. But past Miss Cleo demoing how she could identify the fathers of many babies, the best part of each commercial would be where some female caller would say "Miss Cleo, you da bomb!".
Miss Cleo may have been able to solve Maury Povich-esque matters, but Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, had a much more accurate and relevant premonition concerning technology of our time. Although he was about 7 years off in the title, this description of a device in the novel could very well be attributed to the Kindle or the iPad:
“When he tired of official reports and memoranda and minutes, he would plug in his foolscap-size newspad into the ship’s information circuit and scan the latest reports from Earth.
One by one he would conjure up the world’s major electronic papers…Switching to the display unit’s short-term memory, he would hold the front page while he quickly searched the headlines and noted the items that interested him. Each had its own two-digit reference; when he punched that, the postage-stamp-size rectangle would expand until it neatly filled the screen and he could read it with comfort. When he had finished, he would flash back to the complete page and select a new subject for detailed examination.
Floyd sometimes wondered if the Newspad, and the fantastic technology behind it, was the last word in man's quest for perfect communications. Here he was, far out in space, speeding away from Earth at thousands of miles an hour, yet in a few milliseconds he could see the headlines of any newspaper he pleased. (That very word "newspaper," of course, was an anachronistic hangover into the age of electronics.) The text was updated automatically on every hour; even if one read only the English versions, one could spend an entire lifetime doing nothing but absorbing the ever-changing flow of information from the news satellites.
It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient. But sooner or later, Floyd guessed, it would pass away, to be replaced by something as unimaginable as the Newspad itself would have been to Caxton or Gutenberg. ”
Note how freakishly accurate Clarke was with the description of what sounds more like an iPad than a Kindle, and his coining the term Newspad. I use the Wall Street Journal app on my iPad, and that is a pretty dead on description of the app. Even Safari, Apple's default web browser, fits that bill pretty comfortably. That is pretty unreal.
Many years ago, somewhere in the lineage of records, 8 tracks, and cassettes, American Bandstand emcee Dick Clark made a statement saying that one day in the future, people would not only be able to easily take their entire music collections anywhere they went, but would be able to pick and choose whatever music they wanted to listen to on their car stereos. That statement became true with the advent of MP3 players and satellite radios, but Arthur Clarke made his prediction farther back in the past with incredible accuracy. For that, I must say, Arthur C. Clarke, You Da Bomb!
Remember the old Miss Cleo infomercials? I do. They were so funny. But past Miss Cleo demoing how she could identify the fathers of many babies, the best part of each commercial would be where some female caller would say "Miss Cleo, you da bomb!".
Miss Cleo may have been able to solve Maury Povich-esque matters, but Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, had a much more accurate and relevant premonition concerning technology of our time. Although he was about 7 years off in the title, this description of a device in the novel could very well be attributed to the Kindle or the iPad:
“When he tired of official reports and memoranda and minutes, he would plug in his foolscap-size newspad into the ship’s information circuit and scan the latest reports from Earth.
One by one he would conjure up the world’s major electronic papers…Switching to the display unit’s short-term memory, he would hold the front page while he quickly searched the headlines and noted the items that interested him. Each had its own two-digit reference; when he punched that, the postage-stamp-size rectangle would expand until it neatly filled the screen and he could read it with comfort. When he had finished, he would flash back to the complete page and select a new subject for detailed examination.
Floyd sometimes wondered if the Newspad, and the fantastic technology behind it, was the last word in man's quest for perfect communications. Here he was, far out in space, speeding away from Earth at thousands of miles an hour, yet in a few milliseconds he could see the headlines of any newspaper he pleased. (That very word "newspaper," of course, was an anachronistic hangover into the age of electronics.) The text was updated automatically on every hour; even if one read only the English versions, one could spend an entire lifetime doing nothing but absorbing the ever-changing flow of information from the news satellites.
It was hard to imagine how the system could be improved or made more convenient. But sooner or later, Floyd guessed, it would pass away, to be replaced by something as unimaginable as the Newspad itself would have been to Caxton or Gutenberg. ”
Note how freakishly accurate Clarke was with the description of what sounds more like an iPad than a Kindle, and his coining the term Newspad. I use the Wall Street Journal app on my iPad, and that is a pretty dead on description of the app. Even Safari, Apple's default web browser, fits that bill pretty comfortably. That is pretty unreal.
Many years ago, somewhere in the lineage of records, 8 tracks, and cassettes, American Bandstand emcee Dick Clark made a statement saying that one day in the future, people would not only be able to easily take their entire music collections anywhere they went, but would be able to pick and choose whatever music they wanted to listen to on their car stereos. That statement became true with the advent of MP3 players and satellite radios, but Arthur Clarke made his prediction farther back in the past with incredible accuracy. For that, I must say, Arthur C. Clarke, You Da Bomb!
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