Nathan Myhrvold was on the radio saying words to the effect of “The real Computer revolution is yet to come. Computers are at the stage now where automobiles were at the first part of the 20th century: they are significantly hard to use.”

That’s an appealing standpoint, but from that point of view there are a couple of observations:

1. Macs are significantly easier to use than most other computers
2. Nobody really knows what “a computer” is for - we find a washing machine easy to use, and it contains a computer. We find a phone pretty simple to use, and it contains a computer. We find a lift easy to use and it contains a computer.
3. The car was difficult to use because of a lack of features. Before synchromesh you had to double-declutch to change gears. Before vacuum advance you had a small lever on the dashboard that required constant adjusting to the speed and driving conditions. The computer is difficult to use because of unexpected features - in the interaction between human and machine the machine often takes the lead. This relates back to the point above.

The early automobile was so simple that a reasonably smart person could know every moving part within a year or two’s maintenance. The computer is so complex that the shop that sold you it is unlikely to be able to give you positive advice on many faults you might experience.

So the car of yesterday had a distinct advantage over the computer of today. Everybody knew what a car was for. It was for being a carriage without the overhead of keeping horses. What is a computer for? Is it a TV? a Video? A radio? A musical instrument? A games console? A communication device? An archive? This is the big challenge for the computer, and it does not have a clear answer.

Though the answer seems to be converging on “A computer is for filtering spam and blocking porn and viruses”.