You know, there’s a dimension of computing I kind of stopped caring about a bit: weight.
My first laptop computer was a MacBook, and the thing weighed 5 pounds. At the time it was one of the lightest computers one could buy. But things have progressed now. My 2010 iPad 1 weighs a pound and a half and, now, that feels heavy to me.
I have been intrigued by the iPad mini not so much due to its screen size – I’m open to a smaller one – but because of the weight. I tried one out at the Apple Store yesterday and I’ve got to say that it’s impressive. I tried an iPad 4 immediately afterwards and it felt like a bulky big thing (even though it still weighs about the same as my iPad 1 – just 30g lighter). This lack of weight is noticeable when you just grab it, but it’s also noticeable if you’re holding the thing for a long time. Like, say, during a movie on Netflix.
The iPhone 5 is similarly light, making my iPhone 4 feel like a brick.
So I can get behind this idea of lighter devices. At some point the things will become very thin and we’ll have a whole other set of problems. But what a time we live in where I’m talking about a pretty powerful thing that weighs 310 grams.
Posted in Consumer Commentary, Technology