In 2011, I own less. My devices have converged and everything I need is available in two products:
1. A Macbook Air 11" with 4G of RAM and 128 G of SSD running Mac OSX 10.7.2. The only software I've added is Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. Nothing more.
2. An iPhone 4S on the Verizon network. For 2012, I've concluded that CDMA is the best network in the US, while GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G is the best network in the rest of the world. The iPhone 4S is the first Apple product that enables me to leverage both technologies. I've retired all my still and video cameras, my dictation devices, and most importantly, my Blackberry.
Starting in 2003, I was one of the first adopters of Blackberry technology, carrying the trusty 850 which was basically a push email device that looked like a pager.
From 2003-2011, I've sent over 3 million emails from these devices. Unfortunately, my current needs are more than text messaging. I need to read complex documents, access numerous web resources, and run a rich array of local applications.
The simplicity of owning two devices is that I carry only two small power supplies, a VGA dongle, and less than 3 pounds in my briefcase.
The iPhone weighs 4.9 ounces
The Macbook Air weighs 2.38 pounds.
The user interfaces, software applications, and engineering on the two devices is very similar, which means a fast learning curve and great synergy.
It's amazing that in 2012 I will not own any music equipment, any video equipment, any camera equipment, a desktop, or a land line phone. All I will own is an Air and a 4S.
As with many things in life, less is more.
Two years from now, my parsimony of devices (2) may converge further to a single device. My prediction is that it will not be a Blackberry, which by 2013 is more likely to be associated with fruit sellers than IT organizations.
Excellent post as usual, John. I'm just curious, as a CMIO, I'm surprised you don't have Windows 7 installed via Bootcamp on your MacBook. Surely your health system still uses (archaic) legacy windows software like the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you tried giving keynote presentations from your phone with a VGA output cable? Horice Dedui from Asymco.com does this routinely.
if you have sent 3 millions emails in 9 years, it accounts for about 1000 emails per day or 50 per hour....
ReplyDeletesounds a little extreme :)
-- joh
Hi John, Quick question: What are your favorite and/or most usdeful iPhone 4s apps? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou really listen to all your music on the built-in speakers?!
ReplyDeleteThanks John, insightful as always although I would have expected an iPad to make the cut. Do you use any form of tablet or ebook reader?
ReplyDeleteMy wife owns an iPad2. As I'll write about next week, I still enjoy the tactile experience of reading a paper-based book. Call me old fashioned!
ReplyDeleteI can only say thank you for your candid & concise analysis of the current state of EMR/EHR adoption. I am a huge proponenet but it is not a one size fits all solution for every practice. I repeatedly remind people in my life and career that we have lost sight of the real purpose of healthcare and that is caring for the patient. All our hoo haa about quality, quantity, cost, re-admission, ACO, PQRI, MU, PCMH!!! We are doing nothing but increasing the overhead of physician practices, overwhelming the caregivers with rules, regulations & reporting when what they need and want to be focusing on is their patients. Instead of improving & simplifying processes we are burying our caregivers with the business of healthcare. I am pretty sure this is not why our physicians went to med school! Let's focus on making & keeping people well.
ReplyDelete