Computer evolution

It has been an interesting couple of years for computers. PC sales have taken a dump because of tablet sales, and presumably because you don't have to replace your computer every year to keep up with the software. It's wild to think that my phone's CPU is 40 times as fast and has 256 times the memory of the first PC I bought myself in 1995.

I chased the continuous computer upgrade cycle for the next 11 years, when I bought the first Intel-based Mac, the MacBook Pro. I also bought a Mac Pro that year for my desktop. Both lasted me three years or more. Same can be said for the replacements.

The tablet trend seemed weird to me, but only because I'm probably not typical in the way I use computers. The iPad had been out for a year before I bought one, and then I didn't use it all that much. I replaced it with the updated version eventually, but only because I got a great trade-in deal, and I wanted the contract-free cellular hot spot capability. I also bought a Surface RT last year almost entirely out of curiosity.

I see why people like tablets. They can surf for porn on a small and convenient device, check e-mail and play Angry Birds. It's a use case that I engage in mostly when I go out to lunch by myself, but I didn't even start that until last year when I started working at home. Most of what I need a computing device for involves software development, so a full computer is what I need.

Things are finally getting interesting though, in terms of computers. Apple started to push the boundaries of super portability with the MacBook Air back in 2008, but it wasn't until the last year or two that they finally were stocked with high performance parts. The more important benchmarks, like RAM and disk speed, are essentially just as good as those in the higher end machines, like a Retina MacBook Pro. Only it's much lighter and portable, and that's why I bought an Air last year.

While I'm sure I can get a lot of mileage out of the machine, I'm also intrigued by the computers coming out now. I'm starting to see that the Windows RT tablets, specifically the Surface RT, might just be an interim step. Those machines don't run standard Windows, or any standard Windows software, because they run on low-power portable CPU's. The forthcoming Surface Pro runs the full Windows on an Intel CPU, in a package that's only slightly thicker. That's intriguing because it's very much a full computer, nearly tablet sized. With the highly regarded Type Cover, it's very nearly a laptop.

Still, the Air is ridiculously thin and light, and while it doesn't have a touch screen or more pixels, it's still the most highly functional computer I've ever had, especially in relation to its size. I can't wait to see what comes next.