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I <3 my netbook
29/1/10 17:16So, in the last few days I've seen Steve Jobs ragging on netbooks because "they're not better at anything than a laptop, they're just cheaper" -- and also, a woman interrupting my casual net-browsing at Barnes and Noble to quiz me on the specifics of my computer because her 15-inch laptop was too big and heavy to carry around.
It was the first time I noticed there's a really big gender divide between the people who say, "Why would you want a tiny cheap underpowered laptop?" and the people who say, "Yay! It's a tiny cheap laptop!"
Dell was astonishingly wrong-headed with their "I use my computer to track my diet!" ads, but maybe they weren't totally off-base. I mean, who do you sell a tiny computer to? People with smaller-than-average hands. (I always hear, "You would never want to type a whole novel on a netbook," but I did just that... without exacerbating my tendinitis). People who would rather carry purses than laptop bags. People who carry around so much stuff on a day-to-day basis that a couple of pounds really makes a big difference.
I hate to step into the territory of really egregious gender stereotypes here! But I'm tired of the typical geek talk that says "Everyone who doesn't share my standards is obviously wrong" -- it's blinkered, and it's a little sexist too when, hey, you don't actually know enough women to think about what they might want from a computer. (Besides it being pink.)
It was the first time I noticed there's a really big gender divide between the people who say, "Why would you want a tiny cheap underpowered laptop?" and the people who say, "Yay! It's a tiny cheap laptop!"
Dell was astonishingly wrong-headed with their "I use my computer to track my diet!" ads, but maybe they weren't totally off-base. I mean, who do you sell a tiny computer to? People with smaller-than-average hands. (I always hear, "You would never want to type a whole novel on a netbook," but I did just that... without exacerbating my tendinitis). People who would rather carry purses than laptop bags. People who carry around so much stuff on a day-to-day basis that a couple of pounds really makes a big difference.
I hate to step into the territory of really egregious gender stereotypes here! But I'm tired of the typical geek talk that says "Everyone who doesn't share my standards is obviously wrong" -- it's blinkered, and it's a little sexist too when, hey, you don't actually know enough women to think about what they might want from a computer. (Besides it being pink.)