I don’t own any iWhatevers
Earlier this week, the new touchy-feelie was introduced to the public, and I realized that I’m falling behind on new toys.
Seriously, I go from day to day without an iPod, or an iPhone, or an iPad (either the old one or the new one). How do I get from dusk to dawn in this app-happy world? Actually, just like I did before the Corporation introduced something that serves only to send them more money.
I’m not being hypocritical here; if someone put a new iPad in a box and sent it on over by courier (too fragile for postal service), I’m whisper thanks and play with my new toy. Just because. But from there to sending a cheque to the Store? From there to opening an account to pay for Apps? Not in my immediate future.
Here’s why. I type. All the time. My friends at Google require that I ask a question, in letters and other printable characters. And the iWhatever only handles vague digit drags. I gave up fingerpainting eons ago as a way to communicate. If I had to go back to an “onscreen emulation”, I’d be reduced to babbling incoherently.
Things aren’t any better with cellphones. Especially in a Twittery world, where the keys on certain phones require that you do multiple taps to get two-thirds of the alphabet. By the time I’ve expressed myself, it no longer matters. And voice recognition treats my mumbling with disdain.
I wonder if I can retrofit some sort of touchscreen to my netbook and pretend to have an iWhatever?
