iPad, oh my!

iPad

Demographic

Two classes? GTDs and the rest of us?

The iPad is rather super: but it is interesting to think about the demography it will suit. Most of the adverse comments that have been voiced are from the nerds and GTD classes, looking for an upgraded iPhone with all the bells and whistles to improve productivity. But there is another audience, which is the browsing classes, the reading, "I have time for this" classes. Who is that? Students, educators, retired people, coffee shop housewives, relaxed professionals, researchers, library freaks... Those with a need to read and have of necessity time available, in no rush to GTD (Get Things Done, in case you are wondering). It is also for newbies for whom computers are a nightmare and impossible to understand, because the iPad is simple. No nerds here, no need to understand things like GHz, CPU, HDD, USB, Drivers, Viruses, etc. It may marginally improve the life of the GTDs (Reports, Spreadsheets, Presentations, lots of new touch-apps) but they will still have to carry around a mobile.

3G issue

The iPad has two versions WiFi or WiFi+3G radio. The issue of 3G or not to 3G will divide us. The fact that Apple has decided to unlock the 3G access and let any SIM or provider in, will mean a lot to those that travel in Europe where every country has its own SIM and it costs a fortune to get data access outside your SIMs national boundaries. So unlocked means we can have SIMs, which will be PAYG, for each country. But do I need 3G, always on? Maybe not, not for students, not for educators, not for retired people who can go to the nearest cafe hotspot.

Or my solution, I use a MiFi hot spot (MiFi 2532 model, very good) with unlocked SIMs and this provides a mobile battery powered WiFi network in my pocket, the advantage is that both my wife and I can be connected at the same time, for the cost of one subscription.

Newbies paradise

But if I was a non-computer user that wanted to catch up with the internet and all that jazz is all about, the iPad is for me.

HARDWARE ANNOUNCED SO FAR

[Apple]

Probably will be updated before sales in 2-3 months time.

- 9.7inch touch screen and very good resolution (1024x768) for books, magazines, video and games (Have you seen the wonderful presentation from Bonnier proposing a touch interface for magazines? Here it is on Vimeo, Bonnier.

- 10 hours battery life (1 month on standby!), non exchangeable battery like the iPod/iPhone

- Speaker & microphone (good for Skype calls, but no video...)

- WiFi as standard, 3G as future option (unlocked- at last!!!! PAYG, but Mini-SIM)

- Bluetooth for audio output or Keyboard input. (There is a large on-screen keyboard and other input windows like a number pad for spreadsheets).

- 16-64GB flash storage, but how does the file system work? Can I access it? (Will they please put in a document library - not a Finder, but a document management library. It has Spotlight searching, but I need a classified document library, please, please).

- Syncs iTunes and charges via 30pin/USB to your Mac. (No standalone USB charger input which has been standardised for all mobiles and promised by Apple... why not?)

- It is 0.5" thick (or thin as you like it) and weighs 0.7Kg.

APPLICATIONS

Known about so far are

- Safari web browser

- Mail email programs

- Photos display program, with camera import

- Video Quicktime?

- YouTube direct access

- iPod music player

- iTunes store, music, Movies/TV

- Apps Store

- Maps (Google)

- Calendar

- Contacts

- Notes

- Spotlight search

The BIG additional deal is iBooks with a book store. These are in epub format (no mention of the DRM issues), or it can also read PDF. Most publishers of books will get on-board for the colour display. Excellent for the education market with textbooks and on-line learning. Teachers must get to it and put their stuff on their local school nets (web pages, videos and epub/PDF). Newspapers will love it as the new medium for text and video pages.

iLife issue

Wonderful demo, Pages, Keynote, Numbers. Productivity programs redesigned for the touch interface. I think that Apple decided to push the envelope to prove that even work-like programs can be ported to a touch only interface. And it sounds as if they have made a very good job of it. It also serves as a demo to developers of how to implement the new touch, non-mouse, non-menu, paradigms. Expect announcements.

COMMENTS

So my thoughts so far are:

1. Printing, have to have WiFi printing to network printer (e.g. connected to an Airport Express). It is no good just to upload a file to my MacBook then have to open and print it.

2. Need wireless syncing (WiFi or Bluetooth).

Personally I think Apple should implement the agreed USB socket as all other mobiles will do for charging only. The 30pin will still be needed for interfacing cameras, projector, audio etc.

What is needed is a separate Sync program, not through iTunes. One sync program for all, mobiles, ipods, iPads, then imagine sync like Time Machine, wireless and regularly as a back-ground process.

3. Mobile Me, iWeb would be good for blogging, hope MarsEdit ports to iPad... Apple need this in their iLife portfolio.

4. Really need a camera, front (640x480) for video calls. By the way what about iChat, is it still alive?

5. Strange choice to use Micro-SIM. Means I have to find a supplier... could mean a "lock-in"?

6. Sync from Aperture as well as iPhoto - probably will without some features. But definitely need a photo search capability, based on file names/titles/caption metadata.

7. Newspaper micro-payments system based on article/journalist basis.

8. Change the awful iBooks bookshelf first page, its terrible and old fashioned.

9. Integrate newspapers into iBooks, reshape it a general purpose paper replacement. Rename the app... iPub? One place to get all electronic publishing. Strongly encourage a common style of interface. Mix articles from various publishers into a tailored format and content just for me, pay journalists directly by micro-payments.

Integrate music, movies, TV, Apps, Books, News, Magazines into ONE new iStore. iTunes only for media playing.

10. The iPad introduces a replacement for the file system as we know it. Each app keeps its own files and displays them. Each app's files can be mounted on a networked Mac and on MobileMe's iDisk.

This is part way to my age-old proposals to have a document library within the system managing the files names and location.

What the iPad needs is a way to classify the documents...

11. Will the iPad be able to share its 3G internet connection by creating, for example, a local WiFi network? A thing the MacBook and others can do easily.

12. WiFi audio output to Airport Express connected loudspeakers.

13. Need a blogging app, the iPad is ideal for this while out and about. I would chose MarsEdit... should be part of iLife.

14. Another wish. Screen sharing, I mean I would like to see the screen of a headless Mac Mini on the iPad. That would be great for the music/media centre crowd.

So to summarise:

- Printing over WiFi
- Sync over WiFi, take sync out of iTunes
- Front camera
- Standard SIM?
- Sync of photos from Aperture + text search
- Newspaper micro-payments
- Integrate News, Magazines, Books, one reader & store
- Classified library for documents
- 3G tethering by WiFi or USB
- Audio over WiFi
- Blogging program

THE BIG PLUS, PLUS, PLUS - THE TOUCH INTERFACE

iPad has the most wonderful user interface, outshining all others and far ahead of any notebook. We, Joe public, are just getting our act together to appreciate what Apple has done for us in inventing touch controlled devices, from the iPhone onwards.

WILL YOU BUY ONE?

Well will you buy one?

Well will I buy one?

I will have to see. I have an ageing Macbook that needs replacing, the iPad cannot do everything I need the Macbook for. And I have an iPod touch for mobile use, which fits easily in my pocket... do I need the thing Apple says goes in between?

The iPad will be probably be an impulse buy, and I will may curse it for not doing the things that I need and have listed above.

I just can't make my mind up. But if I had a ton of cash I would buy one for everyone in the family. And that would be great if we could use it as a way of staying in close touch. A kind of family looking glass, everything in sync and video chats (3-5 at least).

End Note

A computer to day is not the hardware, and all tinkering that comes from the huge variety of this. It is software. A standard platform like the iPad will provide just what we need, a stable hardware implementation with an underlying safe and sceure operating system on which developers can build lots of new uses. And the user will benefit from this stability and flexibility.