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Whomp-whomp: AI PCs make users less productive
(www.theregister.com)
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I guess we don't have to worry about our data because the people selling us the machines tell us that our concerns are a misconception.
Also kind of the manufacturer to tell us that their gimmick is not, in fact, a gimmick
In theory, an "AI PC" (please imagine giant eye-rolls along with the scare quotes) has the hardware to run models locally instead of shunting stuff off to OpenAI or Anthropic for processing. So in theory, it's more private and secure than similar functionality on a "traditional PC".
In practice...wtf knows what Windows is doing anyway? Or what it will do with the next OS update? Same for macOS. On the Mac side, Apple keeps talking about their local AI and private cloud AI, and yet they're still partnering with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration. I don't want to use anything that even has the capability to send my shit to OpenAI, for the same reason I don't like to put poison in my fridge no matter how clearly labelled it might be.
Ultra book is not a gimmick. Foldable phones are NOT a gimmick. Touchscreen laptops ARE NOT gimmicks. Dear God why does no one listen to us when we say our "features" aren't gimmicks!?
I actually love my foldable Razr. I never could afford one as a kid, and the smaller form-factor is actually really nice.
You're allowed to like gimmicks!
What makes them a gimmick IMO is that they're sold as "this will change your life and the way you work", but really it's just that a subset of the audience for the gimmickless product thinks they're kinda neat.
I got a razr because the zenphone got huge. What I didn't expect to love are the big bezels on the internal screen (to allow it to close) they stop the fleshy bottom of my thumb from touching the screen, an issue I've had with previous phones.
It truly is bizarre to me how smartphone aesthetics have somehow outweighed practical usage and ergonomic comfort.
It's kind of like the main "screen rectangle" smartphone evolutionary tree has largely gone down the road of the "Red Delicious" apple, which is bitter, mealy, mushy, has a leathery skin and is a terrible snack overall, but keeps being bred and bought in large numbers simply because it's the iconic "pretty" red apple.