John Gruber has a short link post up at his Daring Fireball site, talking about Paul Graham’s interesting idea on what we should collectively call iPhones, iPads, and Android touchscreen devices After a few seconds it struck me that what we’ll end up calling these things is tablets. The only reason we even consider calling […]
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Gruber’s Great Line about Great ‘Tablet’ Apps

Dec 3rd 2010 by

DeepGreenChess

John Gruber has a short link post up at his Daring Fireball site, talking about Paul Graham’s interesting idea on what we should collectively call iPhones, iPads, and Android touchscreen devices

After a few seconds it struck me that what we’ll end up calling these things is tablets. The only reason we even consider calling them “mobile devices” is that the iPhone preceded the iPad. If the iPad had come first, we wouldn’t think of the iPhone as a phone; we’d think of it as a tablet small enough to hold up to your ear.

The iPhone isn’t so much a phone as a replacement for a phone.

I think that makes a lot of sense. Gruber’s line following on from that is also spot-on I reckon:

Graham’s piece reminds me of what I consider the central hook to a great app for these tablets: that it should seem, when you’re using it, that the entire device was meant for it. E.g., a good chess game for the iPhone should make the iPhone itself feel like a chess playing device. When you’re in Mobile Safari, it feels like you’re holding a dedicated web browsing device. Only when you’re in the Phone app does the iPhone feel like a phone.

I’ve never thought of it that way, but that is exactly how it feels when you’re using a great iOS app.

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