History Unfolding:The iPad
My girlfriend is out with her friends tonight and I just spend a wonderful evening in front of the computer watching another little bit of history unfold: Apple just introduced the iPad. Apart from a debatable name it is the next step in the evolution of computers.
Why so?
Always on
One of the big advantages of the iPad is that it is an “always on” device, like the iPhone, just at a reasonable size. It does everything I want it to do at home quickly: I can read the morning paper on it, check my mail, play music, watch videos, check out stuff on the net and order pizza; all without having to boot up a “real” computer.
The stores
Apart from generating billions for Apple the stores make this product special. There’s really not much to go into here. There’s a book for that, there’s a song for that and of course there is an app for that, whatever that might be. ‘nuff said.
Pricing
My first thought was $499? Fantastic! Then a double take, when the price for the premium model was announced: $899?? Are you kidding me? I can get a decent real laptop for that price! I was slightly disappointed, but once I thought it through I came to the conclusion that the basic model will be just fine. I don’t need the 3G, I got that on my phone and laptop when I’m out and about. The office and my home are both covered in WiFi. I also don’t need the storage, my movie and music library will not be housed on this little device and 16GB is more than enough for a whole bunch of books, email and pics.
Battery life
If the 10 hours hold up, that’s fantastic and more than enough to read the paper or watch YouTube while on the toilet. If not it can charge while sitting in the dock or plugged into the wall, I’m not that bothered.
Gaming
Will it be a great gaming platform? Maybe not. I don’t see it replacing my Wii or the PlayStation, but it will be great for casual gaming. A quick game of Bejewelled while waiting for the pizza I just ordered on the iPad and a nice round of scrabble while eating it sounds mighty fine to me…
eBook reader
If it’s a good ebook reader remains to be seen, but before I go out and buy a (ugly) single purpose tool, as available on the market currently, I’m gonna take my chances with the iPad.
Missing in Action
So what about all the things it’s missing, like a camera, the ability to make phone calls and multitasking? The truth is I don’t really miss them in any way. What would I do with a camera on this device? Video chat, that would be cool, but I’m sure the next generation iPads will have a camera built in and until then if I really need it I can plug in a USB cam. Phone calls? Do you really see yourself using this device as a phone? Don’t be ridiculous. And one thing I really like about my iPhone is its lack of multitasking. I can do one clear cut task after another and so far have not really missed anything. I am a big fan of Raskin’s “information appliance” concept read more about it in this great article over at gizmodo and thus I find the lack of multitasking a bonus feature.
Bridging the gap
Where does the iPad fit in? Will it replace my work horse desktop PC? Hell no. Will it replace my trusty MacBook Pro when I hit the road? Hell no. Will it cover 90% of my everyday household computer needs? Oh yes! Will it impress the hell out of my customers when I go to make a presentation with it? Oh yes! As web design and photography guy I think it will be perfect for presenting my projects and can’t wait to do so!
Watching history unfold
Now is it really such a revolutionary history changing piece of hardware? Not really, it’s just a very well thought out and usable gadget. Everybody will be intuitively using it, just like the iPhone. It will integrate seamlessly into our daily life with our always connected attitude. And once you have it you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Although I sound like a hopeless fan boy up to this point, the true magic happens when my girlfriend will pick up the iPad once it hits our living room and after beleaguering me for buying another expensive shiny toy with no real purpose will refuse to give it back to me.
Now I’m not trying to belittle my girlfriend here, but her geek level is way, way below mine and while she is tech savvy she would most probably not go out and buy the iPad for herself, but once she’s been brought in contact with it she will understand the power and simplicity of it. That is what I am grateful to Apple for: realizing my geeky utopian vision of the future, one step at a time, in such a way that every one get’s it and making it look sexy along the way… :D
So what’s your take on this new gadget?
