Now Apple has always been a follower, never being the first to market with a new product. Instead they study the market and figure out what it is we want, instead of telling us what we need. Since the advent of computing, MP3 players, and the like, Apple’s foundation is built on doing things differently. I’ve always found it fascinating that even though they follow the market, they have a remarkable way of pulling 180° and manifesting themselves into a leader of the market. We’ve seen this with the iPod. We’ve seen this with the iPhone. Now, we’ll see it again with the iPad.
If you haven’t already heard (which I’m sure you have unless you live in a bubble) that Apple has introduced a new way to absorb media. You got your iPhone to communicate, your MacBook for work, and soon you’ll have your iPad in the middle. Now, a lot of you may feel that there is no use for the iPad, or maybe it doesn’t do enough to warrant its purchase. So I’m going to break it down and give you reasons why the iPad is here, and why it’s going to stay.
It’s not about the hardware, it’s about the content.
With the iPad you’ve got instant access to everything media. You want to listen to a song? Boo yah, fire up iTunes. Have some down time? Go ahead, choose from a plethora of games. Life is too busy and you can’t find time to sit down and watch your favourite TV show? Just download it to your iPad, and enjoy it on your train commute to work. Want to catch up on the daily news, or snuggle up with a great book? Don’t worry the iPad has you covered by offering you a library of books, newspapers, and internet browsing at your fingertips. I can keep going, but I think you get the point. So you’re asking yourself, “What’s the difference, I can already do that with my smartphone?” That may be true, but wouldn’t it all be better on a 9.7 inch screen? Yeah… I thought as much.
Forget waiting, let’s get down to business.
We spend 45 to 65 minutes a day just waiting. I mean just standing around waiting for a person; waiting to get to a place; or just waiting for a thing to arrive. This precious time spent waiting could be use to get something done instead of twiddling our thumbs. Carrying a laptop around to get in some work during these periods would be great, but its form factor doesn’t lend itself well in these ‘waiting’ circumstances. Instead we are waiting to get home, just to realize that if we weren’t waiting, we could be home relaxing, instead of catching up on some work. I say good riddance to waiting. Convenience trumps awkwardness, and carrying a laptop everywhere I go just isn’t in my taro cards. Here comes iPad to the rescue. Got 5 minutes to kill, respond to some emails. Got about 10 minutes, run through your powerpoint deck before you give that presentation. Hey, while you’re at it, you got time to manage your schedule and prioritize your day. We’re talking about precious minute’s people, not a game, not a game… and the iPad is here to give you some of those minutes back.
Reconnect with your publisher.
The iPad will offer a new way to consume newspapers, books, and magazines. We are used to surfing media websites immersed with not only text, but video and other interactive elements which have made the web a value-added medium for the publishing industry. The problem is the industry needs subscriptions to survive. The web became the source of free content, but this ad supported revenue model wasn’t strong enough to provide sustenance. Why pay for physical pages when you can get the same content for free, right? What is the value add of the paper publishing? I hate to say it again, but iPad to the rescue, offering more than what any paper or computer based medium can offer. The great articles and breathtaking photography are now married together with interactive content allowing not only absorption but full engagement of content. Paper can’t provide you that experience, and the computer doesn’t provide the same intimacy since you’re forced to interface with a keyboard and mouse. The iPad offers a better experience all in the palm of your hands. And on top of all this, now you can do all this without sitting hunched over a laptop. The iPad is just more conformable. Period.
So, in conclusion…
All and all, the iPad is not the most revolutionary device. It’s kinda of like an iPhone, only larger. This device is not only larger in size though, it’s also larger in user experience. It meets your smartphone and your laptop in the middle, offering itself as a source of organization and entertainment. Microsoft partnerships brought the tablet computer to the market first, but they treated the tablet as a modified laptop instead of it’s own separate entity. Apple has followed its predecessors providing a product that already exists, but managed once again to manifest themselves as a leader by showing others the way to success. So I say, the Apple iPad is here to stay and is here to show us a new way of absorbing media. We may have known that we wanted a better experience, we just didn’t know how. And now, I think we’ve found a middle ground.
