iPad: Week 1

"It's just a big iPod touch!"
"It doesn't run Flash!"
"You can't run more than one program at a time."
"I have a laptop and a cell phone. Who needs an iPad?"
"I don't understand what need an iPad fills. What's it for?"

These are just some of the comments I've encountered in relation to Apple's new iPad. I'll get to responses to those comments soon.

Released on April 3, I bought an iPad that day. Mind you, I did not pre-order one and, in fact, wasn't planning on buying one. I had more or less convinced myself to wait and let other early adopters (suckers?) try it out first. As with any technology, I'm certain the iPad will be faster, less expensive, and offer more features within a matter of months.

So why did I get one now? First, I'm into tech gadgets. Second, I am a budding Apple software developer. In order to better develop software for the iPad, it helps to have one. Third, while hardware is important, the Apple experience is largely about great software and this is where I figured the iPad would shine. I also expect it to be upgradeable to newer operating system updates, at least for awhile. Fourth, while tablet or slate computing devices have been around for years, I have a sense that Apple will be the first to get it right, at least in the sense of mainstream appeal and eventual permeation of the tablet market.

While tempted to write about the iPad soon after obtaining one, I decided to wait at least a week in order to live with the device for awhile in order to better understand what it can do and what place it may fill in the world. Also, while I'm usually protective of my tech gadgets, I decided to take a different approach with the iPad. As such, it is a family device, meaning, in my home, that it is shared among six people. Unlike an iPhone or iPod touch, which are largely personal devices due to their size, the iPad's larger screen combined with its multitouch-driven user interface opens up a number of possibilities that an iPhone, laptop, or desktop computer can't accomplish, at least not as easily or in the same way. Now, on to the objections.

"It's just a big iPod touch!"

No, it's not. I have an iPod touch and can say from first-hand experience that although the iPad may seem like a big iPod touch, it's quite a different user experience. In brief, the nearly 10-inch screen on the iPad makes a big difference.

First, the iPad is more inviting and easier to control via touch gestures. Second, given the larger screen the possibilities for more advanced and creative software (apps) are wide open. Apple is aware of this and, as a result, has added some excellent interface enhancements to help developers create great software. Third, the iPad is a real productivity device. Granted, its primary function is as an entertainment appliance, delivering quality multimedia content, but it's also much more. For instance, I've written this entire article while sitting on my couch and typing on the built-in software keyboard using Pages (Apple's word processor for the iPad, a $9.99 addition). The iPad can also be connected to a Bluetooth keyboard or Apple's custom keyboard dock.

"It doesn't run Flash!"

No, it doesn't. But you know what? In most cases it doesn't matter. Just like applications drive much of the interest and growth on the iPhone platform, they also do so on the iPad. As such, most users will run apps that bypass the need for Flash. Admittedly, if you anticipate using an iPad for web surfing, anything with Flash just won't work and given Apple's apparent hostility to Flash, I don't anticipate it showing up on the device. Ever.

With that said, most of those who object to the lack of Flash are technophiles, but that is not the target audience of the iPad. Instead, as I see it Apple is making an effort to reach mainstream users who have no desire to dig into the guts of a mobile device. Mainstream users just want to get things done, easily. In this regard, the iPad is a great success. So, no, it doesn't run Flash, but if my use of the iPad has taught me anything over the course of a week, it is that missing Flash is not that big of a deal on the iPad, particularly since apps drive most of its unique functionality.

"You can't run more than one program at a time."

Ah, yes, the objection that the iPad doesn't multitask, like a desktop or laptop computer or even other smart phones, is another one I ran into. Apple took care of that a couple of days ago when they announced iPhone OS 4.0, available for iPad in the fall, which will add multitasking to the device.

But for the sake of argument, let's look at the multitasking objection in relation to the iPad. In most cases, users are better off focusing on one thing at a time - something the iPad does really well and, I would add, is incredibly fast at doing so. Mainstream users are not, by definition, technophiles. They don't need to run a dozen apps at a time - something I often do on my laptop. Instead, these users want elegant simplicity. They want to check email, browse a few sites, read the news, check the weather, listen to music, watch movies or TV, and play games. None of these functions are impeded by lack of multitasking.

"I have a laptop and a cell phone. Who needs an iPad?"

Good question! First let me begin more broadly. As a philosopher of technology, I need to point out that no one "needs" an iPad, just as, philosophically speaking, no one needs a computer or a smart phone or a television or even an automobile. Technology, moreover, is in most cases not neutral. It brings with it inherent "baggage" that usually offers benefits as well as detriments.

With that said, the iPad is an in-between device. A desktop or laptop computer is overkill for most mainstream users. Also, such computers are often seen as devices for work, not leisure. Having used personal computers since 1980, I know the benefits and detriments they have and, despite many technological advances, computers today still have many detriments and, for the average user, cause many problems. The iPad is not like that. It works and it works well for what it is - a portable entertainment and productivity appliance with a unique and elegant interface.

Now let's look at the other end of the spectrum. A smart phone is first and foremost a phone. Given its primary function, a smart phone is small and so is its screen. See my earlier comments about how the large iPad screen really does make a difference.

"I don't understand what need an iPad fills. What's it for?"

In some ways, I've already touched on the area the iPad fills. It is not targeting technophiles, but everyday mainstream users. While it is primarily an entertainment appliance, delivering music, games, movies, and television, the iPad is also much more. The larger screen allows for practical productivity. As I noted, I've typed this entire article on an iPad while reclining on a couch. It's also a much more social device, meaning in this case that it is easy to share it and experience what it has to offer with others, not just in isolation as is often the case with using a desktop computer, laptop, or smart phone.

What can it do? It's a slate computer, but it's also in many respects a blank slate. It is a new canvas for developers to enjoy and express their creativity in new ways, with the ultimate beneficiaries being the end users. It is an ebook reader, a music player, a game system, a research tool, a companion for the writer, a canvas for the artist, a tool for the musician, an educational device, and more.

Is the iPad "magical and revolutionary" as Apple's promotional materials claim? That sounds more descriptive of a guerilla unicorn, but in short, yes, the iPad is revolutionary. It may not seem that way yet, but within a year tablet computing will be commonplace, as will multitouch interfaces. The iPad is not the first tablet device, and it won't be the last, but for now it is indeed the best.