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April 04, 2010
iPad: The day after
Background: I owned an iPhone for a month until I left it in the back of an airplane seat and I never replaced it. My kids share an iMac and have their own Macbooks and one of them use an iPhone. While I use my Macbook daily, until yesterday (April 3rd) I had not used iTunes in what has to be a couple of years. I’m the lazy dad whose kids make his playlists and who are kind enough to upload it to his iPod nano before trips.
My reason for ordering an iPad may have been different than most people. From my perspective I appreciate how special it is to be able to hold a piece of pop culture in my hands. Knowing the history of the iPod and the iPhone I had no realistic expectation iPad 1.0 would have any chance to live up to it’s hype. What I knew I was purchasing was a Steve Job crystal ball into my maybe immediate future. I was paying for the opportunity to hold in my hands and use something which had the DNA to become a working prototype for a future where the worlds of MICE (Media / Internet / Communications / Entertainment) converge.
I ordered the WiFi only iPad with no false hopes of using the iPad to replace anything I already had. My hope was to find a use for iPad 1.0 with it’s expected flaws. It didn’t matter much to me that the iPad had no video camera or support of flash. I support Apple’s support of HTML 5.0 and while there may be some sort term issues, if Apple can help make HTML 5.0 the norm, I am in favor of it.
April 3, 2010: iPad Day
I waited at home yesterday for UPS to make that delivery. While waiting for the delivery I spent time on Apple.com and I took my time watching the videos for a number of apps which I planned to download and try out for myself.
I became a little obsessed tracking the shipment of my iPad from China on March 30th and I knew it was on way to my home the morning of April 3rd. When the iPad arrived, the man from UPS said something to that effect that he had the one package everyone was waiting to receive today.
When I first opened the box and took out my new iPad, it wasn’t obvious to me how to turn it on or why once I turned it on why I had to immediately connect to my iMac to connect with iTunes version 9.1. Then I realized my kids still had iTunes 9.0 running (how silly of them) so I had to download and install an update. I guess it was awhile since any updates were installed since I ended up installing 11 of them. This process took the first half hour of fun away from the experience.
Finally the iPad was connected, registered and I downloaded about 5,000 songs. Now what? My two quick impressions were that the iBook application was amazing and that there was no way I could use the iPad while lying on my couch. The iPad was a device whose software keyboard had some getting used to. I used Safari to go to Gmail and I decided I really didn’t like using Gmail on Safari on my iPad. Mostly because of the software keyboard issues. I tried going to twitter but for some odd reason I was never able to log into my account. It took me downloading a couple of twitter clients for the iPad before I was able to send out my first tweet. For the record I did order the external keyboard / docking station for the iPad but it did not arrive when my iPad did. My hope is my issues regarding the soft-keyboard will go away by me getting used to using the software keyboard or the arrival of the hardware keyboard, whichever happens first.
In the 24 hours since the arrival of my iPad, I had a chance to give the iPad to my kids who were quick to point out that I accidently filled my iPad with songs I never would listen to and who were kind enough to download and share some of their iPhone / iPod Touch games. The big WOW came from them when I showed them the iBook application, followed by another WOW when they realized they could download and continue reading “A Tale of Two Cities,” a book they were both reading at the moment for school, on the iPad.
All-in-all I’m not an unhappy iPad owner. iPad 1.0 has lived up to my expectations. After feeling it and touching and and using it albeit briefly, I believe this is the device that in time will change the way many of us interact with the media. But it might not be until iPad 2.1 that others feel this way. I have no buyers remorse and I really do appreciate the opportunity to touch and experience the future.
This said, I can only imagine the frustration of friends who purchased iPad 1.0 believing it was a productivity tool and something that could immediately replace a laptop and/or Netbook. At the moment I’m not so sure about that. Unless your concept of using a Laptop is just to read digital books or newspapers, play games, or watch TV shows and movies via Netflix, you might be a little challenged as a user.
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Did you purchase an iPad? Have you had a different experience? I’d love to hear from others and learn from you. Which have been your favorite apps so far?
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Tags: iPad, Apple, iBook, <Jeff Keni Pulver
Posted by jeff on April 4, 2010 02:07 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Seriously, even if the ipad was just a big iPod touch... That's totally excellent!!!!
Having used various Slate PC's for the last decade, it's still been an enormous pleasure to use an iPhone... It's smaller and does a lot less, but it works and works well... Nothing else really matters that much!
The ipad is a welcome addition of screen real estate and larger keyboard... The only two things that the iPhone really can't provide... So evev if it were a big iPod touch, that's just excellent... People just don't seem to grasp that, it's a portable media device that now allows you to type longer documents with ease (if you haven't figured out the value of the ipad case yet, that explains any gripe you would have towards the on screen keyboard).. Get the case, type at a natural angle and enjoy the couch!!!!!
Btw, this comment was written on my iPhone... (Ipad is in my sites hands at the moment)... That's how easy these Apple portables are to use!!!
Those who don't get it, have never used one. In a nutshell.
Posted by: Ipad at April 6, 2010 02:29 AM
The problem isn't the iPad. its the people out there who don't realize what you do. but thats what makes it a piece of pop culture, isn't it.
It's like the nickelback of computers.
Posted by: useless at April 4, 2010 08:45 PM
Thanks for your review. I would like to add some comments.
I am going on 24 hours with my iPad. 2 hours to set up because I synched 1300 photos. Email clients (yahoo and exchange) took 8 hours to start sync'ing - possible first day jitters?
Love it. Try weather bug or Imdb or abc viewer to see the possibilities. Netflix shows the real potential of what an around-the-house streaming viewer should be. IBook is gorgeous and the attention to detail (drag a page slowly to watch it turn like a physical book) is amazing.
I've moved to two-finger typing on this screen keyboard even though I am a fast touch typist. Not sure about that adaptation long term, but not too bad. I'm not sure that matters, because as other reviewers have mentioned, this is a media consuming device, not a creating device. (possible exception of twitter which I don't care about)
It is almost certainly going to become my primary email machine because my email use is 80% consuming, not creation. And a lot of my reply emails are short, with a few being long which I will probably do on my notebook.
I am a long time iPhone user and Tivo user and my reaction to the iPad is similar. This device is done very, very well and it will be easy to integrate into my life as a tool, bringing me pleasure as I use it. I am capable of being a power user and I am on my regular notebook, but I live my life in many modes not as a power user at all, but as a media consumer and I want great interfaces with great, crisp screens and cool devices. Worth every bit of the premium I am paying.
BTW, my iPhone has been on my person 24x7 since the day I got it. If you were able to lose it and adapt, then you want something very different than I do from technology and you will probably soon give your iPad to your kids and go back to your Blackberry and WindowsXP with Outlook for email. There are people who just don't "get" the difference. Those who do will really like the iPad, even at 1.0.
Typed on the iPad. I'm at over half my notebook speed.
Posted by: Tim at April 4, 2010 08:01 PM
Jeff, I bought and love my iPad. It's already changing the way I consume and soon will be creating content.
I'm really looking forward to using it as a tweeting station for the #140Conf NY on April 20/21. Now, I dont have to schlep my MacBook Pro, worry about battery life, and just focus on listening, engaging and watching for trends in the StateOfNow.
Though 24 hours into the process, i think the iPad is actually the StateOfNow machine.
Give it some time and discover the differences.
Also, try the new NY Times app and the new ABC TV app. It's really elegant and well done.
Posted by: Alan Weinkrantz at April 4, 2010 03:23 PM
It has been an interesting week following all the feedback regarding the iPad launch. From the reviews to the philosophical debate of supporting Apple's tyrannical control over their devices and app store.
I appreciated your tempered response and just the general understanding of how media is changing because of devices like the iPad, iPod and Droid platform. It's an exciting time to be a technophile or someone that follows the media industries closely.
I didn't have the money for the iPad at launch and was quite green yesterday reading friends talk of the new device but as you said I think for a device to be this sharp at launch it can only get better and will wait for version 2.
Posted by: @joewhitmarsh at April 4, 2010 02:10 PM
Funny, me being one of the first to comment on your helpful piece. Funny, because I haven't taken the plunge and purchased an iPad yet. I'm pretty sure I'm waiting until the second gen iPad, when there's a camera and either peace with Adobe and support for Flash or widespread use of HTML5.
But that's all to the good, as I have too many unanswered questions about the iPad. Primarily, I'm interested in book design for the iPad--not ON the iPad, as it's clearly not up to the task for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is screen real estate.
How do we tote this thing around? In a brief case or what? Do we really lug it around in addition to a laptop then?
I'll be interested in reading other readers' comments.
Posted by: Stephen Tiano at April 4, 2010 02:06 PM
Jeff this is pretty much exactly what I thought. Thanks for honest opinion, I'll wait. I love my iPod touch more than bacon.
Posted by: Ellen Cagnassola at April 4, 2010 01:59 PM
Great post man. I like how you're impartial to the whole thing, accepting the flaws and the affordances at the same time. I would love to buy an iPad but I opted to buy an iPod Touch for the time being until the iPad 2.1 comes out. I live by the rule of thumb that says you should never buy a first generation Apple product.
Posted by: Siyabonga at April 4, 2010 01:56 PM
Very nice. I actually didn't buy an iPad but I wish I did. After seeing everybody else's reviews the iPad doesn't seem like a big iPod touch anymore. But the only people who are criticizing it are the ones who didn't get it. I'll probably get it when the price goes down. Anyway, great blog and keep doing what your doing. cya
Posted by: David at April 4, 2010 01:55 PM