After waking early yesterday I managed to get onto all the live feeds as the Apple event was going down and my good friend Steve J was showing the world his (Jony Ives') latest creation. My first impressions are it is a super slick device and will in time redefine personal computing. It looks like the ideal computer for someone like my Mum but could fit comfortably in my lounge room. My problem is I have an iPhone and a Macbook - do I really need something that goes in between? Maybe I do but I won't know until I try it out. The user interface looks super slick and the native apps like the calendar, email, Safari and photos get me excited. Video will need to be seen before I comment. I think the killer part of the iPad will be the reader. Reading beautifully laid out and interactive newspapers, magazines and books is what's going to make this gorgeous little thing soooo popular. The little footnote at the bottom of the iPad Features section on the Apple website worries me though - "iBook store not available outside US". Hopefully there will be content deals for the rest of us because otherwise it will severely restrict the iPad and severely diminish my desire for one. As for the name - I know there have been many jokes going around but iPad makes sense and fits beautifully with Apple's brand. It just looks right printed on the back of the device. My original pick was iPad but all the pundits poo-pooed it early on and I was swayed. What other are saying about the iPad - John Gruber from Daring Fireball:
It is fast, fast, fast. The hardware really does feel like a big iPhone — and a big original iPhone at that, with the aluminium back.Stephen Fry:
The moment you experience it in your hands you know this is class. This is a different order of experience. The speed, the responsiveness, the smooth glide of it, the richness and detail of the display, the heft in your hand, the rightness of the actions and gestures that you employ, untutored and instinctively, it’s not just a scaled up iPhone or a scaled-down multitouch enhanced laptop – it is a whole new kind of device.Anthony Agius (MacTalk Australia):
Apple is my favourite band. The iPad is their latest album. Even if it's not their best I'm still gonna listen and enjoy it for what it is. At the end of the day, if the iPad doesn't suit you, just be glad the iPad exists for others and keep enjoying your current tech.Exactly right Anthony. It's been amazing to see all the people upset that it wasn't a completely open thing running linux with 20 ports that did your dishes for you. The first generation iPad won't be the device for everyone but it's going to be a kick-ass device that improves the lives of many. I believe we will see the iPad evolve over the years - in ten years from now it will be as similar as the original iPod is to the latest gen iPod Touch. Apple is unashamedly about refining and controlling user experience - and it is a beautiful experience. If it doesn't suit you, that's fine. Apple is more than happy for you to go and buy something else that gives you everything you want. In the meantime, those of us who believe in the Apple experience and how it can improve our lives are on board the Apple train with Mr Jobs stoking the engine and in the end that's going to be the major motivating reason why I'll be getting one of these puppies - I just want one!!
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