As we come to the end of the year, we also come to the end of the 2010’s.  (Whether or not it’s truly the end of the decade, may be a technicality.  Some of my elementary school teachers would have said that the decade is 2011-2020), but for all intents and purposes many in the technology community are looking at how far we have come in the last 10 years.

I will just give you a few of my thoughts. I  will also ask you, how has your use of technology changed in 10 years?

-The iPhone was not Apple’s bread and butter in 2010.  In the USA, it was still an AT&T exclusive.  Verizon users were being pushed to get a DROID, which was special branding put on Android phones made specifically for Verizon.  Big iPhone competitors that year were the Motorola DROID, the DROID X, and the HTC DROID Incredible.  As a Verizon customer, I could not get an iPhone.  My first smartphone was the Incredible.   Everything opened up in early 2011 when Verizon came to an agreement to sell the iPhone on their network.  I got my first iPhone in the fall of 2013 and haven’t looked back.

-The 2010’s were also the decade of the iPad.  I acquired my first iPad in 2010. To be honest, I didn’t see much use for it in the beginning and I sold it in about 6 months.  Today, we see the iPad as the tablet done right.  It does not run a full, traditional computer operating system (now called iPad OS) but it gets the job done well enough for quite a few folks as a primary computing device and nearly everyone else as a “secondary screen”.   Want to use it in the hand?  You can check email, shop, bank, read books, and watch TV / video.  Want to use it with a keyboard?  It is a near laptop.  When Apple came out with the iPad Pro a few years back — they really blurred the lines between Mac and iPad. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, though I would still prefer a full Mac / Windows computer as my #1 device.  There was a lull in the iPad market in 2015 and 2016.  It seemed like it wasn’t going anywhere.  But then, Apple lowered the price of the “standard iPad”  (9.7 inch, now 10.2) to $329 in 2017 and sales have gone up like wild flowers.

-10 years ago — many people thought the PC (personal computer) would soon be dead.  Remember when netbooks were a big thing?  These were small – 9 or 10 inch — very underpowered Windows laptops that were meant for travel and quick browsing or e-mail.    I fondly remember — hacking a Dell netbook and putting the Mac OS on it.  It ran well for a while.  The keyboard on that netbook was excellent, though cramped.  Fast forward to 2019 and the PC is not dead.  The industry has innovated.   In late 2010, Apple released a timeless design with its 2nd generation Mac Book Air.   This Ultrabook design helped change Windows PC’s for the better.  No longer did a powerful machine have to be a big clunker.  Microsoft also got into the market in 2012 by releasing its own line of tablet computers called Sufrace.  The original Surface concept (which ran a limited version of Windows RT) was a flop, but the Surface Pro (which runs full Windows) has been a huge success.  This 12 inch tablet, with keyboard has aged with conservative design changes and is really the gold standard for small, sub-13 inch computers.   Consumers with simpler needs have moved to the smartphone and the iPad, in some instances – exclusively, but the PC market is still here.  The premium PC market is strong.

-During the past 10 years — especially 2016-19 — Apple lost its perch in the laptop market.  Beginning in 2016, they wanted to get so thin and light in order to shave a couple of millimeters that they released a horrible keyboard design.   Many claims of defects were made and lots of warranty work had to be done.  The problem became so bad that in 2018, Apple decided to give all owners of the new Mac Book Pros a 4 year warranty on the keyboards.  This special warranty now covers the late 2016 to 2019 13 and 15 inch Mac Book Pros and the 2018 and 2019 Mac Book Airs. Good news! Apple has seen the error of its ways and recently came out with a new 16 inch laptop with the old 2015 style keyboard.  Hallelujah! We can only hope that Apple will revise the 13 inch Mac Books (models my clients would be most likely to buy) accordingly next year.

-On a personal note, I just want to say that I have learned over the course of 10 years that not everything online is better.  10 years ago, I was actively pursuing my Bachelor’s degree online (with a few on campus courses mixed in).  That evolved into an exclusively online Master’s for the academic portion, with some in-person internship or practicum experiences.  It was a colossal $60,000 mistake.  Some day, I should write an article or short guide about online college studies.  Ultimately, what I learned is that online education is not appropriate for all learners and career objectives.  Just because it’s more convenient or you are a technologically savvy person or you can express yourself more freely by typing — does not mean an online degree is appropriate.   Online education would be appropriate for someone who is already established in an industry, even in an entry level way, and they are aiming for their degree (hopefully with the encouragement of management) in order to advance in that field.  Online degrees are right for someone with an established network that is using that degree to get a bump in pay due to that accomplishment (ie. a teacher getting a salary increase for a Master’s).  Online coursework would not be appropriate for someone looking to blaze a new path in a field where they have no relationships.   That is where I got lost in the maze.  I also believe formal college education is not right for everyone and that trade schools and apprenticeships are a very sustainable path for our young workers.  It makes me think of a picture that you have problem seen passed around in chain e-mails depicting two “learners.”   Jim — 4 year degree in Philosophy – $100K in debt, no job.   Joe — 4 year paid apprenticeship. No debt. $80K a year salary.   Today, Joe works for the electric company and cut off Jim’s lights for non-payment.  Sad, but could be very true.