Chris Clark trying to defend Facebook messages over email:
It’s been a recurring theme this week, but the Pro users of yesteryear’s products, the people with the biggest investment in old technologies, are not the people who should be calling the shots in the design of their successors. These are the people who complain that an iPad can’t have third party software installed from anywhere but the App Store, ignoring the massive convenience and security gains the policy affords average users.
I think this statement is massively off base:
- Plenty of “Pro” users that I know (myself included) are more than happy with the App system Apple has in place.
- There is a relatively small user base that Jailbreaks when they are not happy.
- Others will just move to a “open” ((Yeah, right.)) system like Android.
- Lastly I would argue that Steve Jobs is a “Pro” user so by Clark’s account — Jobs should not be allowed to design future systems.
That means that clearly millions of people are wrong for buying products that Jobs makes? I think the problem here is that Clark is using the word “Pro” and “Power User” when he should be using the definition: “Niche Users”. He and his friends clearly are a niche where they are best served by something other than email. I am no fan of email, but I certainly don’t agree with what Clark is arguing.
People keep sending me emails about this article and I can’t say that I agree with anything that he is saying in it.
People are not flocking to Facebook because they want better email — they flock because they want to see what their ex looks like now. Facebook is not popular because it is a communication tool — nor is it an underutilized communication tool — Facebook is popular because people like to spy on each other.