Apple and Google are both amazing companies that do their own thing very very well, but they are both on opposite sides of the spectrum. Apple believes that having complete control of all of the hardware and software leads to a better user experience. Google has always had a more open approach and I have always favored the concept of making the OS do what I want however I want, that was until the Logitech Revue!
Flashback ~3 years ago when I was on a business trip and got to see the logitech revue and Google TV for the very first time. I was astounded to see this amazing little box that could smart search all of television and on demand libraries while browsing the web all at once. An amazing piece of convergence tech from a well established PC peripheral company and powered by Google’s Android OS. It was one of the last things I purchased while I was still working for a major electronics retailer.
It now sits there gathering dust, my tiny Roku Box routinely gets more use these days. The last update Logitech released for it simply broke the unit, apps frequently vanish from its app drawer, including but not limited to Chrome and the Google Play store. The device is a great example of what happens when you make an OS and allow a manufacturer to do whatever it wants with your then half baked idea, a shitty device. This is the kind of experience that can quickly sour someone on a product of service or even a brand!
Looking into a laptop shortly after christmas with a small pile of Best Buy giftcards I could have easily plunked down $250 on a chromebook. Its super light, inexpensive and has gotten relatively good reviews. Coming off of my disappointment of the Revue though I had no intention of investing in another expiramental piece of hardware fueled by a half baked concept. So after weighing my options and eliminating the super cheap chromebooks it was surprisingly easy to go with a mac air over ultrabooks that are far more expensive and made of cheaper materials. Granted some of them use a Core i7 and are faster but that’s not what I was looking for I wanted something small, light and portable and would either take a beating or be cheap enough that I wouldn’t care if I had to replace it. Once the Chromebook was out of the picture the Macbook Air was the only real alternative.
I made this post on my Macbook Air, and so far aside from things being “different” I have very little to complain about the battery has held up the unit is small and light enough for me to make posts during my commutes and any other place I come up with something to write about. The trackpad has made me a believer that PC hardware manufacturers just don’t get it. I actually enjoy using it instead of cursing and wishing for a mouse. I still have quite a few head scratching moments as a fumble through the OS like the first time I put my hand down a girls pants (6th grade in earth science class, thank you very much) but instead of thinking its all “stupid and wrong” I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and waiting until february to make the decision to install windows. That part is mainly because my GF, my lover has talked me into it and I can’t deny such an amazing person such a simple request. I don’t see myself buying an iPhone anytime soon and I ditched Safari for Chrome ASAP, but Google’s approach to software and seeing multiple lack luster or “me Android devices announced at CES has really soured me. Maybe they can win me back with Google Glasses, but these days I just can’t shake the feeling that its going to be what Android was and Google TV is, a half assed idea that will be amazing in 5 years.
