Janine’s blog

My daughter and her boyfriend are visiting from London at present and while in town purchased the latest Apple portable - the MacBook http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html -. It really is a beautiful thing and the integration is amazing. I think it is interesting to consider the form follows function aspect of the Apple phenomemon. Although it is true that you can often buy equivalent functionality and more in other brands, there is no denying that if you are a person who values the aesthetics of the things you own, the Apple devices are simply beautiful. Maybe it’s a girl thing…………..

There have been several writers over the years on the matter of (wo)man’s relationship with computers. My own recent (last 6 months or so) in depth experiences of iTunes and Picassa to organise my music and images have given me a new appreciation of this. Your computer becomes an extension of yourself, a constant companion - but with greater possibilities that the physical collections. Once it takes on this role in addition to being a workhorse, the aesthetics start to matter a whole lot more. In supplying Tasmanian teachers with laptops, the Department of Education has provided the opportunity for this personal as well as professional impact on all teachers. Well done DoE!  This should contribute to integrating ICT in learning and teaching - at a very minimum in getting out of the way and letting kids get on with it!

I am having a fantastic long holiday mostly at home and I indulged in some sale shopping the other day. One of my purchases was a book iPod therefore I am - $10 from Dymocks. I remember reading a review of it when it first came out. I suspect I could have written it!

So whilst some people might mock those who “overspend” on Apple devices, I would gently suggest they indulge in the pleasures of owning simply beautiful things once in a while and being willing to pay a bit more for it. Those who understand why women pay lots of $ for pieces of art (aka shoes and handbags) will understand!

Janine
(who loves iTunes and Picassa on her DoE supplied Windows machine, and who probably will buy an iPod just because…)
[posted to tas-it mailing list