You Want 3G With That MacBook?

We’re about a month out from WWDC, which means the Apple rumor mill is ramping up. This year, people seem to be focused on the ways that Apple could—or should—make their notebooks more like the iPhone. This makes a lot of sense. Who wouldn’t want a laptop with GPS that could integrate with Google Maps?

But one thing that caught my eye was the possibility of Apple adding 3G networking to their portables.¹ Don’t get me wrong; I love this idea. I really love this idea. Ubiquitous Internet connection? Where do I sign?

Unfortunately, this plan has holes in it, but that’s not Apple’s fault. As they’ve done in the past, AT&T and other carriers will undoubtedly want users to pay for their phone connection and the connection their laptops will use. Two devices, two data plans, and those data plans aren’t cheap.

I know I’m being idealistic, but I’m waiting for the day when wireless companies aren’t allowed to run roughshod over customers by charging them unreasonably high prices for services that are sub-par (especially on the international stage). Per-minute billing is an outmoded idea, and text messaging rates are utterly ridiculous. But until customers finally stand up and say they are unwilling to accept the pricing strategies of the major telcos, things aren’t going to change.

Charging a customer per device by insisting that each device requires its own data plan is tantamount to saying that every computer in your house requires a separate Internet connection at a rate of $30 per month. I’m quite certain people wouldn’t stand for that, so why is it that we collectively allow wireless companies to set painfully high prices for similar services?

Sure, 3G connections aren’t designed for use as full-blown Internet connections capable of downloading video and audio to a laptop. At most, I’m sure AT&T would like you to use your iPhone’s data plan to download no more than five gigabytes per month. In fact, the terms of the contract state that your unlimited access is limited to five gigs. Handheld devices aren’t meant to suck down as much data as a full-size computer, so it’s reasonable for AT&T to expect you to use your data plan for moderate downloading.

With this in mind, I’d be willing to shell out an extra $10 per month to use a laptop with my current data plan. Networks have to be maintained, infrastructure has to be expanded, and these things cost money. Luckily, word through the grapevine suggests that AT&T is already amenable to the $10 price point for tethering.

While I’d love to pick up one of these rumored 3G-enabled MacBooks, the pricing strategy behind the data plan will determine whether it’s a feature I even bother to enable. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want AT&T to let me use my existing data plan for other devices with a very nominal fee tacked on. Not only would I appreciate it, but I’m sure their other customers would see it as a forward-thinking move and a step toward engendering some good will toward their brand. And these days, a company like AT&T could use all the brand-bolstering it can get its hands on.

The iPhone’s Distraction-Free Interface

It’s been a long time since I’ve used a device that let me do one—and exactly one—thing at a time. My computer has about a bajillion apps running simultaneously (seriously, I checked). In fact, it’s hard to use a computer today without getting—hang on a sec; Tweetie’s menu bar icon just turned blue…

Wait, what? Oh, right. Distractions. Computers provide us with lots of them.

So it’s a welcome change to use a device that lets me completely focus on one activity. I hadn’t realized just how distraction-free the iPhone was until Birdhouse came out.

After crafting a few tweets, I noticed I was giving the act of writing my full attention (even though I was only writing small bits of content). Nothing else was tugging at my attention from another window or a dock or a menu bar. The experience felt very similar to actual writing, and it’s as close as I’ve ever come to achieving that feeling using anything outside of pen and paper.

Taking a broader view, all of the iPhone’s apps let you do this (save for those that show distracting ads). When I use Tweetie, I’m viewing my friends’ tweets, or I’m looking at the trends list. When I have Evernote open, I’m creating a new note or viewing an existing one. It’s usually one app, one action, and one content type at a time.

I think this is related to the positive experiences users have had with the iPhone. It’s definitely why the iPhone is my platform of choice for vegging out on the couch. There’s something comfortable and relaxing about being able to settle into a single app at a time, almost like sitting down with a magazine.

Aside from making users comfortable, distraction-free computing correlates to faster completion of tasks, which gives users a feeling of accomplishment. “Look at how fast I found this restaurant.” “I just checked the feed stats for every site I operate in a matter of seconds.” And when you boost the user’s confidence in this way, he or she will quickly move from novice to expert without any coaxing. Once you’ve got a happy, confident, expert user, you’ve guaranteed yourself a customer for life.

This is why Apple is selling so many phones.

Distraction-free computing sort of came to the iPhone by accident because of the limitations of the phone’s hardware. It only has enough oomph to serve one app at a time, but instead of being a hindrance, it makes the platform more compelling (at least to me). It’s an example of less-is-more, and other small electronics manufacturers should be paying attention.

Hopefully, as the iPhone hardware evolves, Apple will be careful about what changes are made to the interface and the way users are allowed to interact with applications.

And should the iPhone OS spread to other portable tablet-sized or netbook-sized machines, I hope Apple continues to keep things simple.