Posts tagged iPad

Why the iPad is important

Apple announced its new “casual computing” device yesterday — the iPad. Of course I think it’s cool, and if I had the spending money, of course I would get one. But you know what? I have a laptop, and I have an iPhone. There is a gap for something in between, but it isn’t that large. There are a few things noticeably missing from this device:

• A camera — nothing pointing out or in. This leaves no room for videoconferencing
• Multitasking — What if I wanted to watch Hulu while working on an iWork document?
• Telephony capabilities — Some of them access the AT&T 3G network — can we make calls with it?

Hopefully, we’ll see these in future generations, and hopefully by then I will be independently wealthy and can buy one. Or three.

Jon Armstrong, a tech blogger (and husband of Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com) wrote a great article about why the iPad is important on his blog, Blurbomat.

It’s nutty to think about “casual” and “computing” in the same sentence, but gamers said the same thing about Nintendo’s Wii. Pros looking for a new form factor portable tool are likely not the target. Nerds are not the target. People who read or want a less formal computing experience are totally the target. [Link]

Well said, Jon. I can totally this being used while sitting on the couch and catching up with my Google Reader feeds. I imagine I could use this to update my Tumblr without firing up the ol’ laptop. But when it comes to heavy typing, graphic designing, or even gaming (which I don’t do a whole lot of), that’s where my computer will come in.

I look forward to seeing how this changes and adapts to the needs of its customer base, and how our language and worldviews change and adapt to it.