Zero to sixty… if you drive a car, this is the measure of how long it takes you to experience the thrill of speed! More exotic vehicles accomplish this in less than 3 seconds, performance machines in less than 5 and most family cars in less than 7. If you’ve gone green, it may take around 10 seconds.
What’s my point? Gone are the days of turning a crank handle, warming the engine, engaging first gear without the aid of synchromesh… now it’s simply press the start button, engage the drive and you’re off!
People using tablets and enhanced e-readers are now experiencing the same thrill of speed as they access and surf the web. Most manufacturers and commentators are referring to device size, display size, color resolution, processing capability and power consumption to differentiate between these new products. The new reality is that the tablet fills the converged space between smartphones and PCs – its differentiation is about “instant on” and instant connection with simple readability.
The real rush of excitement I get from my new Nook Color comes from the fact that I press the button, it lights up, I enter a security code, select the browser and I’m instantly connected – all in just under 32 seconds. Try doing the same on your PC and “instant” doesn’t apply!
For this reason PCs operating on hard drives alone are bound to go the same route as cars with crank handles. The advent of low cost, solid state drives (SSDs) is revolutionizing the experience of the mobile Internet, tablets and PCs, and satisfying the desire for instant connection.
