Raise of hands: Who wishes that more than one person could use an iPad securely?
Some of the best things I love about Apple also sometimes become the things I hate: Love the durable MacBook Pros with single button trackpads, the Magic Mouse with functionality despite the single smooth surface, and easy user interfaces. But the MacBook Pros with Retina Display come saddled with difficult-to-upgrade (or nearly impossible) memory and SSD drives. And the Apple TV, which lost its hard drive, has turned into a castrated little set top box that’s utterly dependent upon Apple services and pristine WiFi to work well. The end result? Sometimes when you relentlessly pare things down you take away their power, their flexibility, and what do you get in return? A cheaper cost of entry?
If there’s one wish I have for Apple for 2013 and beyond, it’s that it’ll keep things simple . . . but start considering that many of its best fans and advocates could appreciate a little more power, a little more pro, a little more control without having to resort to case cracking and hacking. Oh, and an example? Samsung’s Android-based HomeSync Media Hub not only sports a 1TB hard drive, it will let you create up to eight profiles for various members of your household. I like that, a lot, and not just because it would make it easier to hide South Park from elders and children.
For more on this, as well as a bit of a rant on the woeful lack of control over an iPad, particularly for parents and those people willing to hand over their iPad to friends, check out “Apple’s Obsession With Simplicity Can Really Complicate Things.”
