New gadgets have Boston University students talking about whether the products live up to their hype and about how the technology affects how we live.
In a Jan. 27 press release, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the new iPad is the company’s ‘most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.’
The iPad, which has many of the same capabilities as the iTouch and MacBook, is a touch-screen tablet that runs from $499 to $829 depending on the amount of memory.
Despite the advancements this new Apple product purportedly makes, not many BU students say they are taking the bait.
‘I think it is essentially a giant iPhone,’ said Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Miranda Hellman. ‘I also think ergonomically there are quite a few issues.
I am a big fan of Macs but I heard this thing has been getting horrible reviews.’ Yeah, it looks cool, but looks can only go so far.’
Nicholas Yung, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences said he agreed.’I think it’s so pointless because they already have stuff like that.’ Why would you need it?’
The Nook, a newly released Barnes & Noble gadget, is a potential competitor to Amazon’s Kindle. Both are devices that store books, magazines and newspapers and allow users to read them in a digital format.
The Nook is a $259 eBook reader that allows users to check out eBooks and offers free 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access ‘to over one million eBooks, Newspapers and Magazines,’ according to a press release.
The press release also said customers can access books they have stored on the Nook on their iPhone, PC or Mac.
The most common criticism students had of this eBook reader was that it did not have the same tangibility as books.
CAS freshman Jessica Maroney said although the Nook is a nice product, it’s not like reading an actual book.
‘I think it’s cool, but kind of sad because there is something comforting about just reading a book,’ she said.
Both the Nook and the iPad reflect the rapid technological advancements made in recent years, said computer science professor Mark Crovella.
As an example of the quick rate of advancements being made, Crovella cited the use of transistors in computers.
‘Every 18 months the number of transistors you can put in a given chip has been doubling, so that means that even the simplest computers we can use today are more powerful than computers ten years ago,’ he said.
Crovella also noted the benefits of developing new technology.
‘The fact that the mobile device is turning into a full-fledged computer is going to make a big difference in the development of the world,’ he said. ‘The penetration of computing technology into the population is going to dramatically increase, especially in the parts of the world with less access.’
While some people view these advancements as positive, others cast them in a more negative light.
‘Our society relies too much on technology,’ said CAS freshman Alexa Beychok. ‘Things don’t need to be as accessible as they are.’
‘I think that everyone is trying to hold everything at their fingertips ‘- no one wants to go out and seek,’ she said. ‘If people need to do research they’ll just do it on their laptops. No one goes to the library anymore. Technology just allows you to stay home.’
But Crovella said this rapid advancement will not last forever, and one thing affecting the future of technology is the materials used.
‘That is part of what has made technological changes possible,’ he said. ‘If we can make them practical, then we can continue to exponentially grow in that field.’ There is no question that advancements will end but it’s a matter of when, and it could be in ten years or past our lifetimes.’
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