Last week Apple launched a new low-cost laptop called the MacBook Neo. Much of the commentary about it focuses on the fact that it was built to a price and the compromises that entailed.

These commentators know nothing of compromise.

Let me tell you about the ZX81, the early eighties computer that inspired the name of this site¹.

Disappointed that the Neo has sRGB rather than P3 Wide Colour? How about two colours? Only 8Gb of memory. Could you manage with 1Kb? Dual speakers? How about no sound at all? A mechanical trackpad? What if pressing a key made the screen flicker?

The flood of new so-called smart watches continues. Some people seem to love theirs, others remain to be convinced.

Count me in with the unconvinced, though only because the current ones seem to be poorly conceived.

Marco Arment says:

Portability is critical to modern device usefulness, and there are only two classes that matter anymore: always with you, and not… Smartphones dominate always with you.

I think this gets to the heart of why the current range of devices — both those for sale and also those just announced at CES — just are not very compelling.