Did anyone really think Apple wants us replace our iPhones or MacBooks?
I actually think it hits my sweet spot better than either its bigger or smaller cousins. It won’t replace my other stuff, but I definitely picture this as my primary device.
Apart from a couple of hours I spend writing every day, most of my technology use is for reading or otherwise consuming content, and I’d be a lot better & happier doing that on one of these babies. I definitely welcome, with open arms, something that blends the different reading & viewing experiences into one continuous spectrum — if only because I enjoy seeing old assumptions get plowed under.
I felt my thinking about digital publishing shift immediately while I watched the demo.
I’ve been trying to imagine the full potential of e-books for a few years, without getting a solid grip on any breakthrough hypotheticals, suddenly we have the heuristic we need to realize what the potential is and make real progress towards it.
As someone in the process of looking at publishing formats, I was struck with the sense of, “Here’s what I’ve been looking for.”
Note: it’s the exact same feeling I had when I first saw Google Wave and real-time FriendFeed (and the original, for that matter). We know how those have turned out. Resisted at first, not massively successful, but strongly indicative of where things are going.
As of last night the whole field of possibilities has faded into the background behind the question, “how can I optimize my content for the iPad”?
I can imagine slapping a label on my premium stuff saying “Best viewed on an iPad.”
Don’t underestimate the power of interacting directly with content (at least when it’s good content, and the device is actually usable). It’s very seductive. Non-touch displays seem broken after I’ve been using touch for a few minutes.
Seductive and useful, especially for richer learning experiences (always my rule-of-thumb for where the web is going):
Textbooks are different animals than e-book novels and business books, in ways that current e-readers can’t handle. For starters, you don’t read a textbook’s pages serially from first to last. You need to be able to jump around, skip, skim, and flip back and forth between chapter review and chapter content. A textbook’s content should ideally be dynamic from year to year, not frozen in time like a novel.
As for the tradeoffs — no camera, no Flash, not a lot of memory, no background apps — we’ll get over those, at least until the next generation. Personally I don’t need that stuff. Most “normal” people don’t either, and 95% of the population probably isn’t conscious of half of them.
Apple really impressed me here on their willingness to eliminate features we’ve come to take for granted. They’ve emphasized a specific set of needs and a unique experience where other companies would have tried to please everyone with a recognizable laundry list of gewgaws.
Remember this is the company that changed the game with a music device that appeared to have only one button.
It’s important to eliminate some aspects in order to affect the way people perceive and approach something new — so they don’t bring along too much baggage from other devices, creating barriers to fleshing out the unique value of the new thing.
On a more speculative note, I see the iPad ushering “interoperability” into the conversation as a big buzzword (on the same level that “real-time” and “location-based” are now).
Syncing has gone from being a useful feature to become an essential feature and is moving towards eventually becoming one of the top two or three priorities a device has to really get right.
Beyond syncing messages and contacts, sometimes I’ll want my tablet to know what’s on my TV, so when I’m watching news or sports I’ll have stats and background stories cued up for me within arms-reach. And I’ll want my TV to know I’m using my tablet so the screen won’t be cluttered with infographics.
And there will be uses most of us can’t even imagine yet until we get our greasy fingers on these things…
That’s just my 2¢ for now, as a guy who’s normally pretty apathetic about new gadgets (it fits BrianFrank.ca insofar as it’s about changing mindsets and exploring new opportunities — which it very much is about).
Related Posts:
Tagged as:
apple,
change,
culture,
design,
gadgets,
innovation,
ipad,
publishing,
strategy,
technology
iPad: Setting the Table for Tablets
by Brian on 01-28-2010
in commentary,media,web
Did anyone really think Apple wants us replace our iPhones or MacBooks?
I actually think it hits my sweet spot better than either its bigger or smaller cousins. It won’t replace my other stuff, but I definitely picture this as my primary device.
Apart from a couple of hours I spend writing every day, most of my technology use is for reading or otherwise consuming content, and I’d be a lot better & happier doing that on one of these babies. I definitely welcome, with open arms, something that blends the different reading & viewing experiences into one continuous spectrum — if only because I enjoy seeing old assumptions get plowed under.
I felt my thinking about digital publishing shift immediately while I watched the demo.
I’ve been trying to imagine the full potential of e-books for a few years, without getting a solid grip on any breakthrough hypotheticals, suddenly we have the heuristic we need to realize what the potential is and make real progress towards it.
As someone in the process of looking at publishing formats, I was struck with the sense of, “Here’s what I’ve been looking for.”
Note: it’s the exact same feeling I had when I first saw Google Wave and real-time FriendFeed (and the original, for that matter). We know how those have turned out. Resisted at first, not massively successful, but strongly indicative of where things are going.
As of last night the whole field of possibilities has faded into the background behind the question, “how can I optimize my content for the iPad”?
I can imagine slapping a label on my premium stuff saying “Best viewed on an iPad.”
Don’t underestimate the power of interacting directly with content (at least when it’s good content, and the device is actually usable). It’s very seductive. Non-touch displays seem broken after I’ve been using touch for a few minutes.
Seductive and useful, especially for richer learning experiences (always my rule-of-thumb for where the web is going):
As for the tradeoffs — no camera, no Flash, not a lot of memory, no background apps — we’ll get over those, at least until the next generation. Personally I don’t need that stuff. Most “normal” people don’t either, and 95% of the population probably isn’t conscious of half of them.
Apple really impressed me here on their willingness to eliminate features we’ve come to take for granted. They’ve emphasized a specific set of needs and a unique experience where other companies would have tried to please everyone with a recognizable laundry list of gewgaws.
Remember this is the company that changed the game with a music device that appeared to have only one button.
It’s important to eliminate some aspects in order to affect the way people perceive and approach something new — so they don’t bring along too much baggage from other devices, creating barriers to fleshing out the unique value of the new thing.
On a more speculative note, I see the iPad ushering “interoperability” into the conversation as a big buzzword (on the same level that “real-time” and “location-based” are now).
Syncing has gone from being a useful feature to become an essential feature and is moving towards eventually becoming one of the top two or three priorities a device has to really get right.
Beyond syncing messages and contacts, sometimes I’ll want my tablet to know what’s on my TV, so when I’m watching news or sports I’ll have stats and background stories cued up for me within arms-reach. And I’ll want my TV to know I’m using my tablet so the screen won’t be cluttered with infographics.
And there will be uses most of us can’t even imagine yet until we get our greasy fingers on these things…
That’s just my 2¢ for now, as a guy who’s normally pretty apathetic about new gadgets (it fits BrianFrank.ca insofar as it’s about changing mindsets and exploring new opportunities — which it very much is about).
Related Posts:
Tagged as: apple, change, culture, design, gadgets, innovation, ipad, publishing, strategy, technology