Has it ever happened to you? You make a statement about a certain technology and how it's not for you, and then you eventually grow to love it? This has happened to me recently, and let me tell you, it is some seriously tech flavored humble pie. Given the pace of innovation, we're all pretty much bound to be proven wrong when we say these sorts of things, so why, oh why, do we persist in making such statements?
After the discomfort that I experienced when trying several different pairs of active noise canceling headphones, I pretty much wrote this technology off. Yes, a very foolish thing to do, especially given how incredibly in love I am now with my Bose QuietComfort 15s — I can't bear to fly without them. I broke down after reading the community response my headphone traveling post and after having friends insist that I give this technology at least one more try. It would be an understatement to say that I am so glad that I listened! With the long trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights I have done this year, they have been invaluable, and I don't think it's possible to go back to passive noise canceling while flying ever again.
Another bit of tech humble pie recently was served to me by my Android loving friends, due to me discovering an Android tablet that I actually liked. After being confused and frustrated by the UI and disappointed by the design choices of other Android tablets, I was struck by just how different the Nexus 7 is. The device is easy to use and is actually a pleasure to operate. I never thought the day would come when I would recommend an Android tablet to a friend… but that day came last week.
Other tech statements I have had to take back: "Netflix and other streaming services won't work out that well in NYC for those of us without fiber (ok, that one I am still kind of sticking to, thanks to terrible internet in the city)," "The Apple TV is not terribly useful," and this gem: "No way will two year mobile contracts catch on."
What about you — what's the tech humble pie that you've had to eat?
(Images: Joelle Alcaidinho)
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so why, oh why, do we persist in making such statements?
You mean like Apple fanboys/girls declaring that any phone that does not carry an 'i' before it is a worthless piece of dirt? I don't know why they do that, but I wish they'd cut it out already.
Do what my 72-year-old father does - he resists something for years, then tries it, then loves it, then all but claims credit for inventing it. Steve Jobs eat your heart out, the iPhone is all down to my Dad.
Refused to get an iPhone for a long time because I felt they are the main contributors to our obsession with upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. Putting more emphasis on developing new technology without a thought to what happens after we're done with it. The modern cell phone industry still makes me sick to my stomach, but I'd be lying if I said that Apple doesn't make a damn good cell phone. *sigh*
My first experience with anything Apple was quite a few years ago when I went to art school. Back then I used to build my own PC's, and the Macs at the school were buggy, slow, and couldn't multi-process well at all. I hated them. And swore off everything Mac. In my current job, many years later, I use a Mac, and slowly started to love it. I now own a Mac for my home studio as well, and even have an iPhone. This after YEARS of despising and talking down Macs. I took the blue pill I guess.
eReader! i swore that i was a paper only person & would never get an eReader. "i just like the feel of the book or magazine in my hand". i now read all my books on my Nook Tablet & get a couple of subscriptions on it as well. i do like that when i hear about a new book, i can check it out instantly from a library or purchase without having to go somewhere to find it. i also like less paper in my home!
I once swore I'd never get a cell phone but about 6 years ago I got one and my current model is no more advanced than the first little Nokia I had. I still only use it for voice.
Other than that I've been pretty good. I don't own a tablet, smartphone, etc. My Macbook is 6 years old, as is my iPod. My desktop PC is new but that's because I built it to game on.
BluRay for me.
Smartphones in general. Not that I was predicting they wouldn't be popular, I just didn't think they would be a big deal for me. I was also annoyed at people who were constantly on their phones at bars and restaurants, gathering in groups to show each other their latest cool new app. I kept my flip phone together with rubber bands until I got a Droid last year. Lo and behold, I now sing the praises of Swype far and wide. In my defense, people are always amazed when I show it to them, and my indifference to time-wasting apps like Angry Birds has stayed strong.
I also thought tablets were dumb, at least for people with smartphones and laptops, but I still kind of do.
Joelle - do you like the electronic noise insulation better than a passive one? I cannot bring myself to get these monsters when I can get in-ears for the same insulation in a smaller packaged, without batteries and digital distortion to my sounds/ music. What made you go with active NR?
I was definitely never getting an ereader of any kind. Absolutely not. Then I caved in and bought a Kindle. Now I've got rid of 90% of my novels, only keeping a few sentimental ones, which has made my house much less cluttered, and because I read a lot of foreign language books it's working out much cheaper than paying for shipping from Spain or Portugal. I love my Kindle, I just wish I'd waited a couple of months for a touch screen model.
I was a total PC person, and thought Apple was ridiculous. I refused to own any of their stuff.
And then I saw the iPod nano with the screen.
When my MP3 player died, I reluctantly bought an iPod Classic. Eventually, my pc died and I replaced it with a Mac, after I got disgusted with Windows Vista and found out that I could still run MS Word. Then my laptop died and got replaced by a Macbook. I bought an iPod touch, but coveted an iPhone; I ended up getting one. Last year I bought an iPad 2, because I was tutoring and the tablet helped me with my teaching.
While I still like PCs and think the Android is great, I'm glad I made the switch. It was the best move for me, and I think I didi it at the right time.
I also thought bluetooth ear pieces would never catch on, but I overestimated the desire of people to not want to walk around looking silly.. :)
I still don't use one. I tried in the car, but found I like the bluetooth speakerphone for the car much better.
I thought I hated the ipod until I went through so many cheap MP3 players that lasted less than 3 months. Now I want the real thing!
For some reason I was adamant that a GPS device would never help me. I had a horrible sense of direction and I would drive to my destination the night before so I had a "feel" of how to get there and wouldn't get lost the next day. This was back in the early 00's and many GPS units were still LED/ dual color - like an original gameboy.
Not until my brother demo'ed one to me how it worked and how I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost anymore is when I dropped $600 on a Nuvi 660 (2007). Now spending $20 on Navigon for iPhone is trivial when you have a true GPS with onboard maps in your pocket.
@jess13: I'm an avid Apple user and I have the exact opposite problem--constantly. I don't understand why it's not ok that some people just prefer PCs and some people just prefer Macs, the way people prefer one car over another. Why does one have to be "better," and why am I some kind of elitist hipster douchebag because I happen to like Apple products? Can't we all just choose the products we like without being judged for it? Grrrr.