JD Salinger and the Apple iPad
It’s been a poignant week. Steve Jobs launched the iPad, hopefully the birth of yet another creative conduit just as one of the greats sadly dies, American Author, JD Salinger.
Along with the many other thousands, i too held The Catcher in the Rye as my teenage bible. Holden Caulfield was my hero, my friend and my inspiration. As i waded through dark teenage years, The Catcher in the Rye, 48 hours in the life of a teenage rebel, held close, i too did not want to be phoney.
What really knocks me out is a book, when you’re all done reading it, you wished the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it.
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield in Chapter 3
So after many months of expectation the Apple iPad is unveiled. It’s not like i’m in any position to review the device, God knows just google the goddam thing and you’ll be overwhelmed by the contradictions. However, i can’t help but feel depressed by the SocMed wave that hypes and swipes at pretty much anything that’s news, or should i say, new.
We all know that Apple is a ‘one trick at a time’ kinda pony, so why the shock that the iPad does not have Flash, USB, 16:9, HDMI out…? Er, hang on, no 16:9 or USB? What is it, telepathic? And there i go, joining the masses with my amateur criticism.
All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield in Chapter 6
I read Stephen Fry’s blog on the iPad yesterday, along with a million others. He’s become the adopted son of Apple and flew out to San Fransisco to be at the launch. However, whilst Stephen’s blog reads as a semi advert for Apple, i urge you to skip to the open comments part. www.stephenfry.com It turns into a cattle market of self involved opinion. Pretty much as you would expect i guess. Stephen recently came out of his Twitter retirement to thank everyone for his recent award. No doubt he will disappear again until the iPad beds in. Is it ok to think that Stephen’s tweets were a bit dull? Is that ok, or should i not have said that?
People never believe you.
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield in Chapter 5
The iPad, as expected looks as hot as any other recent Apple product. However, i don’t immediately know what i would need it for. I can’t quite believe i said that. As a woman i wouldn’t justify the need of a pair of Jimmy Choo’s (unless i was married of course) Can’t i just have an iPad because it looks pretty? Will it be my reading device for iBooks? Will i download iCatcher in the Rye? I guess time will tell how it fits in. I read that it works like the iPhone in so far that it has to be synched to a central computer. Jeez that sucks, especially if you’re like the Barr-Sim household with multi users on multi machines with multi iPhones.
It’s funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to.
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield in Chapter 21
So why the sentiment? Well, because like Holden, my timeless friend, i still don’t know what i’m goddam doing, but these days i am far better at pretending i do. When i started uni, the first design project we were given was to design a set of books by one author. I chose JD Salinger, bringing him and Apple together within my own bubble. Catcher in the Rye and my friend Holden will go on to have different meanings to different generations for many years as will Apple. So who are we to judge?
Among other things, you’ll find that you’re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You’re by no means alone on that score, you’ll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You’ll learn from them – if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn’t education. It’s history. It’s poetry.
The Catcher in the Rye
Mr. Antolini in Chapter 24
Posted by S-J White 5 months ago in
About S-J White
S-J is a thirty-something creative director with a passion for design across both the modern marketing spectrum and film.