I really am getting sick of the iProducts (Apple’s naming convention, not the products themselves).  It’s just overplayed.

I heard it a million times before the official announcement: no actual product could live up to the hype over the iPad before its release.  Well, I hoped the iPad would suck, but I was still disappointed by how mediocre it is.  They’ve released a product somewhere between a smart phone and a netbook, but with fewer features than either.

As a Google kool-aid drinker, I have held my breath with the release of their latest products – particularly Google Wave and the various iterations of Android.  And with the release of both, was initially disappointed.  I was foaming at the mouth for a Wave account until I got one, and realized that I had no one to Wave with.  Even after I got some friends on there, I found I had no reason to use it.  Not to say that Wave is not a phenomenally promising product and will be very useful for some people – I’m just not one of them (much to my own dismay).

Android, when released on the G1 (a phone I still proudly own) was, in reality, just OK.  It was closely integrated with my Google account and all the Google products I already loved, which was actually the main selling point for me; but the OS was still missing a lot of polish and key functionality.  The hardware was sluggish and (OK!  OK!  I’ll admit it!) kind of unattractive.  Android, however, has a silver lining.  I can’t recall a product that has evolved and grown so quickly and so well.  With each update (each only months apart) the OS became more and more impressive.  Not just acceptable – actually impressive; From the Cupcake and Doughnut to HTC Hero’s Sense UI, to the Droid and now with the Nexus One, Android has grown up.

So, it was mostly as I suffered and grew with Android that I realized that Google’s style was to release everything in beta, and constantly improve it from there.  It worked for Gmail.  It worked for Google Docs.  It worked for Android (Google Voice has been pretty much amazing since day one and is still getting better).

So, I was surprised by how Google-ish the release of the iPad was.  I was used to Apple following the formula of impressive products with even better marketing; and salesman extraordinaire Steve Jobs as the cherry on top of the feeding frenzy frappé.  Apple failed on every point here (well, we’ll have to wait and see with the marketing), and frankly I’m trying to figure out who they think is going to use it.

I think highly of the ability to “enjoy the little things”, including reveling in thoughts and imaginings that might often be considered childish.  There’s great beauty in that.

I’m not the first, and I certainly won’t be the last to say this, but there’s no point in expecting some event or milestone in our lives to bring us happiness, in saying “I’ll be happy when I’m done with school” or “I’ll be happy when I can get married.”  Be happy now.  Be a happy person, bring your joy along with you, and let those milestones reflect your own personal growth along the way.

Thanks for joining us for another edition of “Jake’s Deeeeep Thoughts”.

_Jake

As with most debates, the Mac vs. PC debate has moved away from the issues – at least for me.  It is no longer about actual quality of a product, it has boiled down to the fact that I don’t like Mac users.

Of course, after making such a bold (and rude) statement, I have to backpedal a little.

I don’t dislike all Mac users.  One of my great friends (and former roommate) is probably the biggest Mac fan I’ve ever met.  I work with a few people who love Macs and they have valid arguments as to why they prefer them.  My beef is with the very vocal minority who act like their use of a Mac makes them superior human beings.  Particularly if they are the “email and word processing only” crowd.  Congratulations: you just spent $2,000 on a typewriter.

It doesn’t help that, having worked in IT, most of my interactions with Macs have been to fix them when they are broken.  Then, as I am in the process of very painful troubleshooting, the owner of the broken Mac will lavish praise upon it: you know, how it just works… except for now.

I consider it an inevitability, however, that I will one day own a Mac.  Or at least a Hackintosh.  So, someday I may change my tune.  Until then, I don’t find it’s worth the money just to satiate my curiosity (a good friend did buy one to see what the hullabaloo was about, and he regrets it, for what it’s worth).

If you think we’ve got pent up angst about Mac vs. PC, wait till Jason and I get going on iPhone vs. Android (which will be interesting, as he and I are on separate sides of the aisle on that debate).

_Jake

You would think that as an artist I would lean towards Mac for my everyday usage, especially for drawing, web design, and other digital media creativity.  I definitely understand how it’s simple to use, “it just works”, interface is attractive to the Apple congregation.  The thought of just turning the computer on, having everything set up, no tweaks, no confusing settings adjustments, get the task done and get out, is a huge appeal to some.

I, however, love to tweak and fine tune things.  I am a bit of a control freak, and love to have say over as much as I can on the operations of my PC.  So, I am going a little against the grain when it comes to digital media creation, by not using a Mac.  In this area, I do not believe the PC to be inferior in any way.  I am not claiming that one platform is better than the other, a PC is definitely my preference.