"Manual computers, like the Mac and Windows PCs, will slowly shift from the standard to the niche, something of interest only to experts and enthusiasts and developers."<p>It's interesting because I imagine that many of us would likely not be enthusiasts, experts, and developers had it not been for our "manual computers".
Perhaps the fact that I only prefer to drive manual transmission cars is a good indicator of why I am not overly thrilled about iPad. I have often wondered about the ratio of automatic/manual drivers of the HN crowd.
Abstraction isn't just a matter of degree. It turns out that abstracting away the transmission in a car works fairly well. But no car I've ever seen abstracts away the brakes. In fact, most cars sold today have hydraulically assisted brakes, to give the user even <i>more</i> control over them. Apple just seems, IMHO, to be abstracting away a few things I'd like control over.