By far, the iPad’s most wonderful feature, compared to laptops, is the fact that it turns on instantly. There’s no boot-up sequence. That one advantage makes the iPad an entirely different product from a laptop. Once powered on, the iPad doesn’t start begging me to update things nor force me to make decisions. It doesn’t remind me of all the ways it is protecting me. It doesn’t tell me to order printer ink or ask me to fill out a survey. A regular laptop is like your boss: always making you wait before giving you busy-work assignments. The iPad is more like a punctual lover. It’s always ready for fun.
[My laptop starts in less than five seconds, so I don’t quite understand Adams’s point despite enjoying his analogies. Does he turn his laptop off? Why? I never turn my computers off unless I’m traveling.]
I think one of the most interesting phenomena of modern technology is that when you buy a new computer, the people who sell it to you will, for an added fee, take all of the crapware off of it for you. Best Buy charges $75 to “optimize” a laptop, which means they’ll remove all the idiotic marketing software that causes it to run badly. It’s like they’ve taken the performance they’re selling you hostage.
“Sure, we told you that if you bought this machine it would run fast and well, but now that you’ve bought it we want to let you in on a secret. It won’t do what we said unless you pay us an extra $75.”
I pay it every time; it’s worth it. And every time I marvel that they just got an extra 10% or so out of me that I don’t calculate into the price when I’m making my buying decision.