Thread: iPod touch
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nostatic nostatic is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: SoCal
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Made in China bothers you? You better go through and toss out most of the stuff in your house. And car for that matter. How about Hencho en Mexico? Is that ok?

You have taken the luddite/anti-tech/digital-backlash position. That is fine. I understand that quite well actually. Hell, I actually study it. The bottom line is that there are a TON of things that you don't *need* in the world. Take a look around your kitchen, bathroom, living room, garage, etc. Do you need power tools? Do you need a food processor, electric can opener, microwave oven, etc?

Of course one doesn't *need* the iPhone. If you go to a 3rd world country for awhile, you can see the things you actually do need to live...and it is a pretty small subset of what most Americans own. The question really is, given that you have disposable income, does something make your live easier? Does it give you enjoyment? Does it increase your productivity? Note that these are not necessarily overlapping things.

When I take inventory of my "stuff", I find that I am in excess in some areas that *I* care about, and in deficit in others I don't. I'm into technology, and in fact, get paid (in part) to know wtf I'm talking about in the area. Plus I live a very digital work and lifestyle. Could I live less digital? Sure, and I actually am trying to do that. But my iPhone allows me to be connected when I want regardless of location. That is important to me, increases my productivity, and makes my bosses happy. And if I don't want to, I don't have to answer/look.

If you accept that this type of digital connectivity is important to you, then you have a number of choices. Plenty of products out there vying for your attention. And while I value performance and capabilities, I also have a strong sense of aesthetic. To me, form and function cannot be separated. As such, the design of the technology is important. Not just shiny fluff, but serious thought put into how things work, and the analog (person) digital (device and data) interface. To me, Apple consistently does this better than any other company out there. So it invariably becomes a pretty easy choice. I still will look at some of the other offerings, largely because I need to keep up on them. But when I play with them, I find them lacking. Kinda like having to leave your 911 in the garage while someone tries to talk you into a Corolla.
Old 12-31-2007, 01:27 PM
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