Comments on Text Patterns: definitive iPad thoughts

I don't normally post to these threads but enjoy t...

2010-02-05T12:59:58.178-06:00

I don't normally post to these threads but enjoy the content. However, in this case I would like to bring up one issue.

I don't hear anyone talking about how economical and functional this device could be as a satellite to an iMac.

Imagine, the family iMac with multiple profiles or maybe a couple of Macs in the household. Two or three middle to high school aged kids in the family. For those folks, this device will be great for web usage, research and homework. Many households will find this device to be an excellent solution to their young students needs rather than buying kids a cheap PC laptop that is plagued with the typical PC performance and software issues or the more expensive MacBook.

At $9.99/each for the iWorks components that's a bargain compared to MS Office. I assume Instant Messaging will work on this device so that will be an attraction for kids and parents. I do wonder if some consumers will decide to go with a basic cell phone and this device instead.

I think this device will be a winner with multiple purchased for situations like the one I described.

Good point, Julana!

2010-01-31T20:11:40.861-06:00

Good point, Julana!

I think there's a number of people with cognitive ...

2010-01-31T18:47:16.728-06:00

I think there's a number of people with cognitive or fine motor disabilities that are going to be given access to software in a way they haven't been with a keyboard or in Ipod/phone.

Great commentary and analysis! I hope that you'll...

2010-01-31T10:30:46.069-06:00

Great commentary and analysis! I hope that you'll permit some counterpoints in an extended response. And I think you should reconsider your position on the overall feel of the device, something I'll get to at the end.

Typing

Many pundits said that the iPhone's keyboard wouldn't work and should have been a physical one. They were proven wrong. Similarly, I will wager that this keyboard turns out to be quite good--agreed, not the same as full physical keyboard--but the comparison should be with cramped, tiny smartphone and low-end netbook keyboards. It'll be much better than those.

Music

Right, you won't go jogging with it as you would with an iPad :-), but you could exercise next to it or listen to podcasts and you wouldn't have to be sitting down. That depends on its volume, but there will be speaker accessories.

Photos

Many do spend more than we do with their picture albums. The iPad will bring back an easy way of showing off photos; and the desktop photo display when not in use will be cool, too. Sure, looking at photos might only be a portion of time the device is used -- but isn't the same true about photos on your desktop or laptop computer?

Movies

OK, different aspect ratio, but two people huddled together on a couch will enjoy the iPad much more than a laptop! The viewing angle is great, there won't be a hot keyboard in one person's lap, etc. The screen is reportedly gorgeous, so it could be a great movie viewing platform.

Web Browsing

Ah, come on now. The Flash critique is overrated and ignores the downsides-- the crashes, the problems, the slow downs, etc. With html 5, Flash will prove less needed--and with this device more web sites will turn to Quick time and other renderings-- or Adobe will finally get its act together and clean up Flash's problems.

Calendar

On this incredibly, multipurpose device, of course, we want our calendars--in fact, it's more like an old fashioned calendar and the display options are much better than on any smartphone. With easy multi-touch, and multiple calendars, everyone in a family can keep track of everyone else's schedule. In fact, with this app, the iPad may become date central and the iPhone or IPTs a satellite accessory.

Getting Work Done

Who wants to do work, anyway? :-)

Actually, the redesigned iWork apps are incredible and will help productivity. Now, *you* may be into copy-and-paste writing (although that's truly frowned upon in the academic world and so is surprising coming from a professor), but switching between apps is easy! So, this one was an over-stated critique. In any event, this device isn't being marketed as a laptop, workplace device--at least not for many offices. It will be great though in many arenas--school, medicine, stocks, etc. And much of the public will use it for their everyday at home computer.

Overall Feel

This matters far more than any individual feature one dissects. There is a magic to the multi-touch interface and scaling it up to the iPad size does qualitatively change the game.

Just watching that New York Times demo shows the power--and wonder--of the device (embedded color video, touch to change the number of columns and the text automatically reflows, etc.). Textbooks will be great on the thing. Add in the ebook and gaming experiences and you've got a winner!

Alan, I hate to say it, but, you just don't get it...

2010-01-31T00:22:07.341-06:00

Alan, I hate to say it, but, you just don't get it. What a poor article.

I'm a Windows guy, but I was blown away by the ipo...

2010-01-30T21:19:12.784-06:00

I'm a Windows guy, but I was blown away by the ipod touch after looking at a friends--and so I bought one. The ipad seemed like an intriguing idea, but from reading about it it seems pretty useless to me as a college student. I'd much rather have a Kindle or a netbook and ~$200

I totally agree that laptops are better at most th...

2010-01-30T15:28:43.098-06:00

I totally agree that laptops are better at most things, and iPhones are much more portable. However, I think the iPad has the potential to be a game-changer, or perhaps more accurately, a "game-creator". When the iPod Touch was originally announced, I thought the same thing. It doesn't do this, doesn't do that, and an iPhone would be better for almost every reason. Now, the iPod Touch is amazingly versatile and extremely popular. I use mine for everything.
My thought is that to some extent, people adapt to devices. I know probably hundreds of people who want an Apple computer but think that the price is too high. They are strictly consumers when it comes to what they use a computer for. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them bought an iPad.
In other words, I think that technology has finally advanced enough to make this breed of devices successful. We are going to see incredible new versions of this device over the next few years. I hate speculating about technology, and I am not completely sold on the iPad yet, but I would not be surprised if it turns out to be a major "game-changer".

I agree. The iPad, for all its innovation, brings ...

2010-01-30T12:26:33.086-06:00

I agree. The iPad, for all its innovation, brings personal computing closer to television-watching. User passivity, "channels" of content and functionality, etc.

This seems pretty much spot-on. One of my students...

2010-01-30T12:03:18.692-06:00

This seems pretty much spot-on. One of my students works in an Apple store and said that he and his fellow workers were mocking it after the intro.

I know you were using it metaphorically, I just th...

2010-01-30T11:31:17.147-06:00

I know you were using it metaphorically, I just thought it was a poor choice for a metaphor since, as you say, "There's a lot of everything on eBay."
Of course, I'm just being picky. I really think this is an excellent article and one of the most balance and fair looks at the iPad and it's use as a general-purpose computing device. Thanks for taking Gruber to task!

I can say Newton, but that doesn't bring it back. ...

2010-01-30T11:18:12.190-06:00

I can say Newton, but that doesn't bring it back.

Brad, don't take me too literally: that was a metaphorical way of saying that I suspect people will tire of their iPads after a little while. There's a lot of everything on eBay.

Jeff, I totally hear you, and I can think of similar uses for the thing myself. For instance, I'm going to be teaching for a couple of weeks at Regent College in Vancouver this summer, and wouldn't it be nice just to bring along the iPad with Keynote presentations and notes and all. Heck, I might even do it.

"I have a feeling that this time next year there w...

2010-01-30T10:39:23.975-06:00

"I have a feeling that this time next year there will be a great many iPads available on eBay."

I agree with you that I think the iPad will be a minor success, but the availability of them on Ebay doesn't really signify much as there are a number of MacBook Pros and iPod Touches available on Ebay.

Can you say "Newton?"

2010-01-30T10:19:11.913-06:00

Can you say "Newton?"

Professor: A logical, thorough, even-handed and ev...

2010-01-30T09:56:03.807-06:00

Professor: A logical, thorough, even-handed and even sympathetic review from a known Mac/iPhone advocate. Thank you. As I thought about it this week, whilst schlepping over-stuffed bags through major domestic airports, I did come up with one reasonable application for the iPad: Corporate drones like me, forced to carry their crappy Thinkpads around, but who still want to access to their personal email accounts and media (simply unavailable through most corporately-governed laptops) on something more substantial than their iPhones might be inclined go the iPad route. I have spent the week with both my HP laptop and my MacBook Pro on my shoulder. Even w/its limitations, using an iPad on the road is at least worth a look.

Matthew: that would be a nice move, but nothing of...

2010-01-30T09:37:20.603-06:00

Matthew: that would be a nice move, but nothing of the kind seems to be forthcoming.

David: I don't think any backlit screen will ever be good for long-form reading. Too hard on the eyes. Also, you can hold modern e-readers in one hand and use your thumb to turn the page, but it looks like with the iPad you'll have to hold it in one hand and swipe with the other.

Judicious take, as always. What Apple needs is a ...

2010-01-30T09:28:04.618-06:00

Judicious take, as always.

What Apple needs is a Microsoft Surface type product (that's cost-effective), so that we can drag text/photos/etc back and forth between multiple devices easily. It wouldn't solve the problems that come from being on the road, but it would help make it easier to have multiple devices that perform more narrow functions well.

Do you have any more thoughts on the iPad as an e-...

2010-01-30T09:27:42.686-06:00

Do you have any more thoughts on the iPad as an e-reader? I thought the footage of its book application looked great.