brad garland

This interview is amazing!

Yes, this is a Playboy interview.

Yes, it’s from twenty years ago, so who flippin’ cares, right?!

But, I promise you, you ought to read this. Knowing what we know now about computers, the Internet and then listening to a 29-year old Jobs having to rationalize the personal computer, why to even use one, and even the need for a “mouse” is fascinating! Understand, this was 1985 so it was during a time that the Internet was only a network between government agencies, schools, and big corporations not to mention Microsoft was barely a company. It really showed to me what great vision and focus Jobs showed at that time and he never wavered. 

Since there hasn’t been much fanfare or any reviews talking about the iPad yet, I thought I’d start. If you didn’t find the sarcasm in that, stop reading now. I’m not interested in talking about the hardware specs, all the features, iPad apps, etc.  I’m interested in talking about the evolution of computing and technology advancement. 

I posted a quote a couple of days ago that I think is particularly relevant here by Sir Arthur Clarke:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

So, let’s talk about the magic and technology convergence through a couple of stories.

One from my buddy Brent Dixon featuring his grandfather via The Optimist:

Several ACU students attended the release event Saturday, including Drew Dixon, sophomore Biblical studies major from Sugar Land. Dixon was with several family members who traveled to Abilene for the holiday weekend. Randall Dixon, Drew’s father, and Al Dixon, his grandfather, huddled together around one of several display devices and took turns exploring.

“To an 80-year-old, it’s amazing,” Al said. “I very well might get one to have communications and information like that in any place you can think of. It’s wonderful.”

And another from the younger side of the age spectrum that has been trickling around the Interwebs the past few days where a 2.5 year old experiences the iPad for the first time:

To me, the iPad is no longer about being grouped with all the “techie” stuff. It’s removes all the setup, coding, or configuration and let’s people just play, work, or share.  So whether you’re an 80-year old male or a 2.5-year old girl, it just works and is immediately fun for you. That is magical.

Update: If you want a killer technical review, check Gruber’s review.