The Chromebook is out. I’m sorry, but after all the nonsense that’s going on with Google and Facebook and each one’s attempt to become the other, I can’t pledge myself to a computing device that relies on logging into a data miner to make it work. Besides, the only thing the Chromebook brings to the table is Flash and a keyboard.
The iPad is the default winner for vacation time, when a) I don’t need work resources like ARD access and b) I need something I can pull out of the bag and fire right up. That said, I think it might just get passed by the 11″ MacBook Air once they go Thunderbolt. But it’s still not worth paying for myself, especially when reading books and RSS can be done with the Kindle (along with some light Wikipedia work) and the iPhone holds for everything else.
Thing is, the iPad just slaughters everything else for reading, especially reading PDFs. Screen size matters. A lot.
The reason this will become important shortly is twofold:
1) iCloud is coming to replace MobileMe, and with it iDisk – heretofore the most important piece of my ongoing backup solution. Just drag links, pics, documents, etc. to an aliased folder on the desktop and see them magically backed up to iDisk – which will not now be doable. Oh yeah, just use Dropbox, you’ll say – the same Dropbox that removed passwords from access control for a few hours? Thank you NO. Maybe for just random stuff, but it’s not a long-term solution for replacing iDisk if iCloud doesn’t have that same remote storage capacity.
2) I might be inheriting a MacBook Air at work. It would replace my existing laptop. The performance boost and weight loss would be PHENOMENAL, but I would be giving away my 320 GB hard drive, and with it my 200GB home directory (which is 80% iTunes content). This means moving the bulk of my operations to the home Mac mini, which itself has a hard drive that’s straining at the seams…
On the other hand, synchronizing the iPhone at home over the local Wi-Fi is supposed to be automatic and easy with the iOS 5/Lion combination. I’m kind of counting on that. I’m also really counting on being able to use Back To My Mac for a while longer, though I don’t know what the future is there either…
But all this is worth it if it cuts my computer weight in half. Given how bad my shoulder has been lately, it’s totally worth looking at alternative arrangements. And to be honest, it won’t suck to get my personal material off my work computer…