A Few More Predictions for the iPad
The blogosphere is lit up with talk of the iPad a day before it comes out.
Some believe it’s far from perfect while others anxiously await the iPad’s arrival. Only time will tell how well the iPad sells, how easily people can use it and how they use it.
Respect the User
Some four years ago, I bought a Palm Pilot. I had just landed my first job as a journalist and desperately wanted something to keep up with all my new contacts.
I think I used it four times. I ended up scribbling my contacts in my reporter’s notebook, and transferring them to a text document for easy electronic transporting.
Why?
It didn’t fit into my life. Palm failed in a way with its devices.
It was faster to just scribble the name when on location and in a rush. The text file proved easier to get to and navigate than my Palm device.
Is it just Hype?
I think the Apple iPad could suffer the same fate.
Here’s my thoughts on the iPad:
- It could end up being a nice around-the-house kind of computer, perfect for checking email or browsing the web.
- It could be too big for people to carry it with them everywhere.
- As Cory Doctorow pointed out, Apple has made a killing on closed off devices and applications.
- However, the iPad might fall short of expectations because it doesn’t embrace the free/open-source mentality that’s gathering steam on the web.
- I don’t think it will save the news industry. The news is no longer a commodity. Anyone can distribute news these days, so journalists still have to figure out how to make the news they gather more valuable than most.
Final Word: No technology is perfect, so the iPad won’t be the be-all, end-all some may think. It will have its fans and detractors. I’ll give it chance, but would have to try one extensively before ever buying one.
Note: This post is a short assignment for my class in Contemporary Media Issues about the iPad and its release.