Who,
except for hackers and geeks, really likes a computer?
Do you, good reader, (at least once in each session spent in front of your
computer) experience feelings of pure rage and feel like throwing your computer
out the window, or off Dave Letterman’s famous six-story building?
Don’t feel bad. This is a common grievance for all users, even advanced
ones.
As computer software and hardware companies continue making more complicated
and better operating systems, the amount of problems increase. Recently, Windows
2000, which is the business version of its industrial strength operating system,
was released to an unsuspecting public with an astounding 63,000 bugs!
Better call the exterminator!
Then again, what do we expect? If competition demands thousands of
customizable features in an operating system, don’t we realize that will
multiply the likelihood of glitches?
What if all we wanted to do was surf the Internet, send e-mail and do a
little chatting?
The problem for most non-technical users is that while companies claim to
create easier computers, it still remains an elusive dream.
But I don’t think this dream will take forever to be realized. There is a
new breed of Internet-enabled computers just around the corner.
Look at our old machines
While modern PCs remain complex and bug-laden, consumer voracity for Internet
access will one glorious day produce simple, easy-to-use domestic devices to
access the Web.
Think it’s a fairy tale? Consider two other information-spreading machines
that today enjoy widespread popularity–the television and the phone.
Do you complain when your television suddenly stops working without cause, or
when your phone freezes unexpectedly when you are dialing into a radio station
to win a contest? No, because it doesn’t happen.Televisions and phones–like
microwaves and other common appliances–have become reliable through years of
innovation. Because they are so ubiquitous today, any maker’s model had better
work without major flaws or a consumer would simply buy another one.
Think about it: the manufacturer of a phone or television wouldn’t stay in
business long if it gave up the ghost as much as Windows or Apple does!
Remember the Newton?
If you want a more recent example, consider the personal digital assistant
(PDA) as a case study of how a usability problem was overcome with dedicated
research into what a consumer needs.
The dawn of the PDA was dominated by the Apple Newton, which debuted in 1993.
At the time, the clunky unit was a marvel of advanced technology. Its plastic
pen-activated screen came with handwriting recognition, "contact
management" for phone numbers and addresses and a long-lasting battery, or
so Apple promised.
Problem was, none of it worked very well, especially the machine’s
purported ability to recognize its master’s handwriting, which Apple said was
the greatest thing since sliced bread. For some reason, the company disregarded
a simple truth–everybody’s handwriting is different. (We’ll acknowledge
there were diehard Newton fans who mourned Apple’s February 1998 decision to
cease production.)
Enter US Robotics in 1995. The company (which is now owned by 3Com)
introduced a new generation of PDA that you may have heard of–the PalmPilot.
It promised to do all of the same things the Newton did (which by then had been
abandoned by Apple during its restructuring efforts in 1998) but with one major
change.
Its handwriting recognition recognized the fact that people all have
different penmanship. So instead of trying to do what only could have been
accomplished using vast computational skill and power, it insisted that users
learn its way of writing, which it called Graffiti.
Today, the PalmPilot is the standard by which all other PDAs are compared.
The product is into its fifth iteration (the Palm VII) and continues to be
scooped by on-the-fly executives and students alike. In recent weeks, Palm
Computers spun off from its parent company and saw its initial public offering
of shares nearly quadruple in value on its first day listed on NASDAQ.
3Com discovered a break-through way of thinking about usability. Instead of
pandering and giving the consumer everything he wants, 3Com instead researched
what would be best for the consumer and told them.
Keeping it simple
So what will bridge that final gap to make Internet access truly easy and
painless? Something called Internet appliances or network computers will.
These are mini-computers that exist solely for Web-surfing and e-mail sending
and receiving. They are not overly complex, clunky and buggy machines, but
small, elegant devices.
Or at least they will be one day soon. Today, only a few pioneering companies
are manufacturing such things.
Many companies are experimenting with set-top boxes such as Web TV, owned by
Microsoft. These are devices that hook up to your television, much like a VCR,
and allow you to surf while relaxing in your comfy chair or couch.
Web TV is very simple for users because it is not a desktop PC, with all its
extra features and extra headaches. All it does is let you surf and send and
receive e-mail. It’s well suited for the user who doesn’t want to have to
worry about operating system bugaboos.
While Web TV is far from ubiquitous, the idea will be one day. Companies such
as ATI Technologies in Ontario have plans to create similar set-top boxes.
Typically, these devices are priced in the $200 range and are very easy to
use. The standalone devices are the size of a large phone, with a large display.
As well, other Net-enabled computers will make access simple as using the phone
or the television. (Although I’m sure the timers will still flash 12:00 when
the power goes out.).
Never out of touch?
Companies that started with cellular phones and computer modems such as Nokia
and Research In Motion have recently branched into wireless Internet appliances
that were well-made and well-received. The appliances allow users to surf Web
sites and receive and send faxes and e-mails, all through digital cell phones
and pagers. With them, you can check out your online portfolio, e-mail your
buddies or read the news most anywhere.
AOL, Yahoo! and others have all recently announced a way for users to easily
access their sites through cell phones. Herschel Shosteck Associates predicts
there will be 126 million handheld computers and personal digital assistants by
2003.
The big picture
However, at this point, wireless Internet access for the masses is pie in the
sky. While many companies have leapt on the bandwagon, none of them really knows
how it will work. It is hard for most people to imagine they’d be satisfied
viewing a Web page on a cell phone. Future phones will have to have larger and
better screens.
Will these devices ever be truly easy to use? Count on it. Technological
advances will allow the industry to overcome the practical obstacles. Customer
demand will ensure that they do.
While Internet appliances are just in the infant stages, one day soon they
will be just as common as a phone in most homes.
JOHN DUJAY is senior news editor for Global Television Network’s Globaltv.com
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