It's been seven months since the Apple iPad went on sale in the US, and almost 5 months since the iPad I ordered turned up at my front door. Despite being 5 months old I still get people coming up to me in restaurants asking me can they have a look at the iPad and what do I think of it.
My usual answer is to explain that while the iPad is a computer it needs to be thought of more as an appliance. If you can cope with the iPad's application model then it is capable of doing 90% of the tasks people typically use a laptop for, but its great advantage is that it hides the fact that it's really a computer and focuses on the task at hand, all while being small, wonderfully portable and offering battery life that no portable computer can offer.
Looking back it's interesting to recall the many predictions of impending failure that greeted the launch of the iPad. Most of the negative reviews revolved around the cost of the iPad, missing features and the proprietary nature of the iPad. What has become clear since the iPad started to make its way in the hands of end users is that the things the iPad does well more than make up for those limitations. A lot of those negative reviews missed the fact that for a large number of people the computer actually gets in the way of the things we want to do with our computers. Whether it's the 10 minute boot time on a corporate laptop or the constant battle with virus, malware and system updates on our home PCs before we can get to the task at hand, there are few devices in the home nowadays that require as much attention as our computers. With the iPad Apple is offering a device that can perform a wide range of tasks very well rather then the traditional PC platform that can do anything, but requires a lot of management. Ignoring those who have ideological issues with the iPad or Apple, there will always be a group of users for whom the iPad won't work, either because the 10% of activities the iPad can't do are too important to them, or they believe they are too important.
My usual answer is to explain that while the iPad is a computer it needs to be thought of more as an appliance. If you can cope with the iPad's application model then it is capable of doing 90% of the tasks people typically use a laptop for, but its great advantage is that it hides the fact that it's really a computer and focuses on the task at hand, all while being small, wonderfully portable and offering battery life that no portable computer can offer.
Looking back it's interesting to recall the many predictions of impending failure that greeted the launch of the iPad. Most of the negative reviews revolved around the cost of the iPad, missing features and the proprietary nature of the iPad. What has become clear since the iPad started to make its way in the hands of end users is that the things the iPad does well more than make up for those limitations. A lot of those negative reviews missed the fact that for a large number of people the computer actually gets in the way of the things we want to do with our computers. Whether it's the 10 minute boot time on a corporate laptop or the constant battle with virus, malware and system updates on our home PCs before we can get to the task at hand, there are few devices in the home nowadays that require as much attention as our computers. With the iPad Apple is offering a device that can perform a wide range of tasks very well rather then the traditional PC platform that can do anything, but requires a lot of management. Ignoring those who have ideological issues with the iPad or Apple, there will always be a group of users for whom the iPad won't work, either because the 10% of activities the iPad can't do are too important to them, or they believe they are too important.
Enjoying photos on an iPad while on holidayThe iPad's ability to perform a subset of normal computing activities better than any other device was brought home to me during a weeks sailing Holiday this year. I had previously travelled with a 15" laptop so that I could view and backup photos taken during the holiday, but this year I used my iPad to view those photos. While this is a task that is easy to do on a laptop, a laptop is a rather intrusive device and isn't the easiest thing to hold in you hand. But this year I found that the iPad was being passed from person to person around tables in bars and restaurants. Never had so many people been able to look at photos I had taken on the day I had taken them, and I believe that it was because the iPad was so easy and convenient to use. But as great as the iPad was for sharing photos, I had to bring a Netbook running Linux so that I could backup those all important holiday photos. While the iPad and Netbook together were smaller and lighter than the 15" laptop I used the previous year, there was still that 10% of tasks required an additional computer.
I have started travelling abroad for work again and a computer is important not just so I can do my job but also as a communication and entertainment device. My company provided laptop is simply a work tool and is not the easiest of devices to live with, so when working abroad I tend to leave my work laptop locked in a drawer or chained to a desk and use a second laptop for the things I want to do. Over the years I've had laptops of various sizes running Windows, Linux and OS X that I used to entertain me and keep me in communication with friends and family. I've always been comforted by the fact that had I wanted to, I could do almost anything with these machines. But it was on rare occasions that I actually did anything that required the power of a 'real computer' and I never weighed that 'freedom to do anything' against the fact that I was lugging unwieldy laptops and accessories through Airport security twice a week.
So for the next few weeks I will be conducting an experiment. While working abroad I will travel with only my iPad. The corporate laptop will be chained to my desk and everything I want to do while outside the office will be done on an iPad. I will read books, watch movies, make blog posts, communicate using email and Skype, all while using only an iPad.
I don't think tablet devices like the iPad will replace 'fully functional' computers, but I truly believe that for most of us they offer a easier way to do the things we actually use our computers for today.
I have started travelling abroad for work again and a computer is important not just so I can do my job but also as a communication and entertainment device. My company provided laptop is simply a work tool and is not the easiest of devices to live with, so when working abroad I tend to leave my work laptop locked in a drawer or chained to a desk and use a second laptop for the things I want to do. Over the years I've had laptops of various sizes running Windows, Linux and OS X that I used to entertain me and keep me in communication with friends and family. I've always been comforted by the fact that had I wanted to, I could do almost anything with these machines. But it was on rare occasions that I actually did anything that required the power of a 'real computer' and I never weighed that 'freedom to do anything' against the fact that I was lugging unwieldy laptops and accessories through Airport security twice a week.
So for the next few weeks I will be conducting an experiment. While working abroad I will travel with only my iPad. The corporate laptop will be chained to my desk and everything I want to do while outside the office will be done on an iPad. I will read books, watch movies, make blog posts, communicate using email and Skype, all while using only an iPad.
I don't think tablet devices like the iPad will replace 'fully functional' computers, but I truly believe that for most of us they offer a easier way to do the things we actually use our computers for today.