More iPad thoughts

I've become more and more excited about the iPad the more I think about it and the more I read about it. Why? I think it's an entirely new paradigm and will change the way we read and the way we collaborate.

I want to address one thing. One of the loudest criticism of the device is that it's an overgrown iPhone. You people are missing the point entirely. That similarity is part of the business strategy.

Which platform has more developers and more users – Mac OS X or the iPhone? Which platform has more similarities to the iPad? There are far more iPhone developers than OS X developers and they already know how to create software that takes advantage of a touch interface.

Now onto why I think it's a new paradigm in reading and collaborating.

Reading first. It begins with a newsflash; I read more than just books. I read articles, presentations, transcripts, and even my own writing. I spend the majority of my time on my laptop reading. I love my Kindle but it has limited utility for me, which is why I find myself taking it fewer and fewer places. It's a form factor that begs for other types of content than just books but it's hard to use it that way. I used it to load it up with interview transcripts. I stopped because when you are dealing with 25 to 30 project interviews, it becomes laborious to manage. That means it's back to the laptop.

I hear complaints that it's hard to read on an LED screen. I don't know about you but I spend most of my workday reading on my laptop. I don't see how it's going to be all that different. Even when I read a lot of books, I rarely read all day. I read for a couple of hours and then I did something else. I don't think I'm all that unique in that behavior.

I know the iPad's lack of multitasking is getting panned but I think it's a good thing. It's hard to read on one's laptop without getting a barrage of stimuli – email, IM, and that 'oh I forgot I need to.' So I'm looking forward to interacting with all of my reading material in an easy to use, easy to annotate format with fewer distractions than my laptop.

Onto collaboration. Let's face it; the personal computer is personal and individual. Someone needs to own the keyboard and mouse/trackpad regardless of the screen size.

Imagine being about to work on a presentation or view a website and being able to have two people interact with it equally. There's no more 'click there... no there.' The other person can just point at what they really want to see. No more misunderstood directions or awkward passing the computer or keyboard back and forth. Working with other people becomes a lot more natural since the iPad will be more of a shared tool than the domain of one person. In the world of work and education, it will be huge.

The iPad is not an iPhone. Its' size means it will be something entirely different, even if it appears familiar. This device will revolutionize the way we interact with information. Nah-sayers just don't realize it yet. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

iPad. Jack of all devices.

I'm not sure why that came to mind. I've only now had the chance to really catch up with the iPad announcement.

Disappointed and excited. About the same way I felt about the iPhone 2.0.

I think it was impossible for Apple to really deliver everything on everyone's wish list and you can see that on the gadget blogs. Yes I am annoyed about the lack of multitasking, no camera and the weight — a tad heavier than I would like.

But I'm writing this post on my phone and I know how I would use the iPad. Sometimes I just don't want to use my laptop, usually when it comes to reading. Case in point, I get a lot of PDF's that I have no real way to read comfortably. On the iPhone it's too small and I get annoyed. Printing it out is fine for a few pages but it's not a true solution for a book. It's cumbersome to read on a laptop due to the page orientation. I've actually turned my laptop sideways a few times but that never lasts. For books, magazines and PDF's this thing is a blessing.

LOTS of people will say there are many solutions out there that would do this. That's true. But there's always a compromise. To me, Tablet PC's are too heavy and the battery life has really been awful. And the interface was never designed to be functional without a stylus or a keyboard. Both areas are getting better but they have a long way to go.

I have more thoughts but I want to think some more. I'm excited and frustrated. But that's a good thing with Apple. They make you think.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

GQ on the iPhone

Yes that's the front cover of the GQ app for the iPhone. Looks very much like Maxim.

So I'm testing it out. I must say it's interesting. To be honest, I think I prefer getting my magazine content this way. I find it easier to read on the go. When I travel around NY, I rarely bring books with me anymore. I just try to do as much on my phone as I can.

One thing I don't like is GQ is pushing their print subscription hard. I wonder why. I would easily purchase a subscription to the iPhone app and not have to worry about the paper. Plus it appears there is content that is not in the app and I am reminded of that fact constantly.

Otherwise it's a good app. Entertaining. Looking forward to traveling with it.

Baba and the current manufacturing model

Samsung recently came out with – or announced – Baba, an operating system that they will use to 'smarten' their devices and reduce their dependency on the likes of Microsoft and Google.

This made me think for a moment. Is the software/hardware model that Microsoft built and perfect irrevocably broken? Sure Windows 7 has redeemed Microsoft but other parts of the Windows platform has not done well. Windows Mobile/Embedded is being replaced with Androids in areas that Microsoft thought they had the right to win. Even Google has put their own skin in the game, albeit with a well-known hardware partner.

When it comes to mindshare and influence, isn't it better to own the entire ecosystem? What is the benefit of sharing the spotlight with others?

Waiting for the other shoe to drop

jkontherun.com is one of my favorite gadget sites not because it's a spec-a-thon like Gizmodo and Engadget can be but because it's written from a user perspective. He talks about gadgets that he actually uses in his day-to-day life and I find that perspective more credible than the 'we used it for a week and here's what we think.'

He has been in Vegas for CES this year and he had an interesting quote re: the iSlate or whatever Apple will announce.

It is clear that the months of rumors about the Apple tablet have gotten a lot of companies concerned. The conversations I had off the record with reps at several companies indicated that it is expected that Apple will bring something unexpected to market with its tablet, and that has many competitors concerned. Thus the race to get slates to market before Apple does is considered important.

I do think being first-to-market is not going to help them. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 device and actually had specs that appeared underpowered when compared to the competition. It was the total package that clinched its' success. I think the iSlate is going to be the same thing. It's not the form factor that people will be talking about; it's going to be the total package.

Apps, good for what ails ya?

iPhone, myPhone
Originally uploaded by JNad

CES news is out and I've never seen so many devices begging for developer love.

From large companies to rinky-dink ones, it appears every device moving forward will have applications, and by extension, app stores. It would be great if it weren't kinda silly.

It seems as though the dominant wisdom is that it is the App Store that made the iPhone. That's wrong-headed thinking.

Apple built the App Store on top of a very large iPhone/iPod Touch user base drawn to an outstanding product. There were millions of both devices in the hands of consumers before Apple released the SDK. When it was released, developers jumped on it. Who wouldn't want to write something for an installed base in the millions? The potential market was just too large to ignore.

So for companies hoping that an App Store/Apps will save your product, I think the question that needs to be answered first is – what makes this product so exciting that consumers chomp at the bit to get their hands on it? If the answer is 'very little' or if the answer contains reams of specs that the average consumer doesn't care about, no amount of app-age will help you.

Slates without prices

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you had a fun time. I did. Mostly.

CES is on and it seems as the the 'slate' is THE form factor. What I have found to be most interesting is everyone's making the announcement – knowing that Apple's slate is likely right around the corner – but no one has any firm release dates or even price tags. I find this interesting, to say the least.

I think it's also interesting that Apple is choosing to wait out the storm. Shrewd move on their part. There's just too much noise and a lot of it is very interesting, I must add.