In computing we sometimes speak of a computer or an application our mom could use. It may sound flippant but actually it is a lofty goal and a sign of success when we make something accessible to people who are not tech geeks. When the Macintosh was introduced it was promoted as the computer for "the rest of us." While the Macintosh and later Windows did greatly expand the number of people who found computers accessible and useful neither fully encompassed "the rest of us." Giant applications, inconsistent user interfaces, creeping complexity, and predatory viruses have all conspired to make Windows and to a lesser degree Macintoshes harder for non geeks to approach.
In a triumph of design and execution that must warm the hearts of Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive, and all the other people at Apple a 99 year old woman in Oswego, Oregon named Virginia Cambell is now a happy Apple customer. The iPad is the first computer Virginia has owned. According to the Oregonian here she asked her daughter to get one for her.
The backlit display allows her to read despite her glaucoma. She also composes her poetry on her iPad.
To this technology-ninny it’s clear
In my compromised 100th year,
That to read and to write
Are again within sight
Of this Apple iPad pioneer.
She even has a viral video on YouTube: