iPad Changes the Game

The last few days have been exhilarating for all of us new iPad owners. Apple has unleashed a new device on the world that is no less paradigm shifting than the original Mac was 25 years ago. There are more positive reviews of the device than you can swing a dead cat at. If I were to read just two, I would make them Jason’s and Andy’s.

I’m not going to do a thorough review. Instead, I plan on sharing just a few observations and then returning in a month to write about how the iPad fits into my life.*

Game Changer

I suspected it before. Now that I’ve used one a few days, I’m convinced. I’ve written before about my experience with tablet computers. Apple finally got it right. Others will catch on. The answer is not trying to bolt a mouse based operating system on a tablet. You have to start from scratch.

I’m already getting real work done on the iPad. I wrote a brief today (and this post) using Pages and a bluetooth keyboard. I see myself in the not so distant future without a laptop. I won’t be alone.

The iPhone App Myth

While Apple certainly gets marketing traction saying how many apps will run on the iPad, you will want to get iPad native apps whenever possible. The iPhone apps look remarkably Atari 800 on the iPad. I’ve only kept those few that I can’t live without (SimpleNote and OmniFocus). While you are waiting for your favorite apps to get an iPad makeover, don’t forget about Safari. Mint and Dropbox, for example, work just fine in Safari and both experiences are better than a pixelated iPhone application.

Transparency

My most surprising observation of the iPad is how transparent it is. As transformative and revolutionary as this technology is, it gets out of the way extraordinarily fast. Flipping through RSS feeds, catching up on Instapaper (my own personal iPad killer app), or tweaking a Keynote presentation are so seamless that you forget about the iPad entirely. This isn’t just true for nerds like me. This was proven by my Mother.

My 80-year-old mother is amazing. She grew up in a small factory town in Massachusetts where they often caught dinner in a lake behind the house. During her lifetime she has seen the world go from buggy whips to the moon and from the radio to the internet. Nothing fazes her. I handed her my iPad and she started flipping through the pages of Winnie the Pooh. Even though she has never showed any interest in computers, she became absorbed with the content and forgot she was using something electronic. Then, as she was turning the page, she did something very natural. She licked her finger and turned the page. I grinned. This technology is so natural that you forget it exists. That is why the iPad is going to change everything.

  • There may also be a Mac Power Users episode very soon where Katie and I address the iPad in detail.

20 Comments iPad Changes the Game

  1. mail@christian-hoelscher.de

    I am so looking forward to my iPad in Germany. I can’t wait for the announcement when it will be available.

    Thank you for your very personal blog post without repeating everything we already do know about the iPad. It was very enlightening to read your impressions and to read your point of view! I agree, this device has the potential of being a game changer. It may very well change the computer landscape like the iPhone did before with the mobile phone landscape.

    One question: do you have any WiFi issues? What is your opinion about the iPad’s WiFi signal reception? Is it ok?

    Reply
  2. mail@christian-hoelscher.de

    I am so looking forward to my iPad in Germany. I can’t wait for the announcement when it will be available.

    Thank you for your very personal blog post without repeating everything we already do know about the iPad. It was very enlightening to read your impressions and to read your point of view! I agree, this device has the potential of being a game changer. It may very well change the computer landscape like the iPhone did before with the mobile phone landscape.

    One question: do you have any WiFi issues? What is your opinion about the iPad’s WiFi signal reception? Is it ok?

    Reply
  3. mail@christian-hoelscher.de

    I am so looking forward to my iPad in Germany. I can’t wait for the announcement when it will be available.

    Thank you for your very personal blog post without repeating everything we already do know about the iPad. It was very enlightening to read your impressions and to read your point of view! I agree, this device has the potential of being a game changer. It may very well change the computer landscape like the iPhone did before with the mobile phone landscape.

    One question: do you have any WiFi issues? What is your opinion about the iPad’s WiFi signal reception? Is it ok?

    Reply
  4. mail@christian-hoelscher.de

    I am so looking forward to my iPad in Germany. I can’t wait for the announcement when it will be available.

    Thank you for your very personal blog post without repeating everything we already do know about the iPad. It was very enlightening to read your impressions and to read your point of view! I agree, this device has the potential of being a game changer. It may very well change the computer landscape like the iPhone did before with the mobile phone landscape.

    One question: do you have any WiFi issues? What is your opinion about the iPad’s WiFi signal reception? Is it ok?

    Reply
  5. mail@christian-hoelscher.de

    I am so looking forward to my iPad in Germany. I can’t wait for the announcement when it will be available.

    Thank you for your very personal blog post without repeating everything we already do know about the iPad. It was very enlightening to read your impressions and to read your point of view! I agree, this device has the potential of being a game changer. It may very well change the computer landscape like the iPhone did before with the mobile phone landscape.

    One question: do you have any WiFi issues? What is your opinion about the iPad’s WiFi signal reception? Is it ok?

    Reply
  6. durbrow@gmail.com

    Was your grandma able to change the size of the typeface or color for better viewing? Does your iPad come with any "assistive" technologies that might be useful for the elderly?

    Reply
  7. durbrow@gmail.com

    Was your grandma able to change the size of the typeface or color for better viewing? Does your iPad come with any "assistive" technologies that might be useful for the elderly?

    Reply
  8. durbrow@gmail.com

    Was your grandma able to change the size of the typeface or color for better viewing? Does your iPad come with any "assistive" technologies that might be useful for the elderly?

    Reply
  9. durbrow@gmail.com

    Was your grandma able to change the size of the typeface or color for better viewing? Does your iPad come with any "assistive" technologies that might be useful for the elderly?

    Reply
  10. durbrow@gmail.com

    Was your grandma able to change the size of the typeface or color for better viewing? Does your iPad come with any "assistive" technologies that might be useful for the elderly?

    Reply
  11. john@johnchandler.org

    David,
    Would love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle experience. That would be my most important comparison. Since I know you have a Kindle, I’m curious how the the pluses and minuses of each are from your experience so far.

    Reply
  12. john@johnchandler.org

    David,
    Would love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle experience. That would be my most important comparison. Since I know you have a Kindle, I’m curious how the the pluses and minuses of each are from your experience so far.

    Reply
  13. john@johnchandler.org

    David,
    Would love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle experience. That would be my most important comparison. Since I know you have a Kindle, I’m curious how the the pluses and minuses of each are from your experience so far.

    Reply
  14. john@johnchandler.org

    David,
    Would love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle experience. That would be my most important comparison. Since I know you have a Kindle, I’m curious how the the pluses and minuses of each are from your experience so far.

    Reply
  15. john@johnchandler.org

    David,
    Would love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle experience. That would be my most important comparison. Since I know you have a Kindle, I’m curious how the the pluses and minuses of each are from your experience so far.

    Reply
  16. eddiesmith78@gmail.com

    I’m normally not a "gen 1" adopter of anything, but something about the iPad really struck me the first moment I saw it. I received mine in the first batch on April 3, and I have been loving it ever since.

    First of all, the screen is just beautiful to look at. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of the screen. Only Apple could achieve this. The device feels like a large, highly polished version of what began with the iPhone. It will be difficult for competitors to match the responsiveness of the iPad.

    Here are just a handful of things I really like about the iPad:

    * Web surfing feels so natural in Safari. Pages load as fast as a desktop web browser in my experience.

    * E-reading is here to stay. Even if you’re a Kindle owner, you can access, read, and annotate your full Kindle library using the Kindle app on the iPad. It’s really fantastic, and some people even feel that the iPad Kindle app is better than the Kindle itself.

    * Instapaper on the iPad. . wow. This is what reading web content is all about.

    * Evernote on the iPad. . . another wow. It truly feels like a digital clipboard.

    * One thing I didn’t anticipate initially is how great the Photo app would be. Yes, it’s just a large version of the iPhone photo app, but it’s so nice being able to pull out the iPad to show off vacation or family photos when you have friends over. We’ve all experienced this frustration. . . you want to show pictures to your party guests, so you go get your laptop and try to clumsily pass it around the room. Or maybe you pass around your iPhone and let people see them one at a time. The iPad is SO much better suited for this.

    Reply
  17. eddiesmith78@gmail.com

    I’m normally not a "gen 1" adopter of anything, but something about the iPad really struck me the first moment I saw it. I received mine in the first batch on April 3, and I have been loving it ever since.

    First of all, the screen is just beautiful to look at. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of the screen. Only Apple could achieve this. The device feels like a large, highly polished version of what began with the iPhone. It will be difficult for competitors to match the responsiveness of the iPad.

    Here are just a handful of things I really like about the iPad:

    * Web surfing feels so natural in Safari. Pages load as fast as a desktop web browser in my experience.

    * E-reading is here to stay. Even if you’re a Kindle owner, you can access, read, and annotate your full Kindle library using the Kindle app on the iPad. It’s really fantastic, and some people even feel that the iPad Kindle app is better than the Kindle itself.

    * Instapaper on the iPad. . wow. This is what reading web content is all about.

    * Evernote on the iPad. . . another wow. It truly feels like a digital clipboard.

    * One thing I didn’t anticipate initially is how great the Photo app would be. Yes, it’s just a large version of the iPhone photo app, but it’s so nice being able to pull out the iPad to show off vacation or family photos when you have friends over. We’ve all experienced this frustration. . . you want to show pictures to your party guests, so you go get your laptop and try to clumsily pass it around the room. Or maybe you pass around your iPhone and let people see them one at a time. The iPad is SO much better suited for this.

    Reply
  18. eddiesmith78@gmail.com

    I’m normally not a "gen 1" adopter of anything, but something about the iPad really struck me the first moment I saw it. I received mine in the first batch on April 3, and I have been loving it ever since.

    First of all, the screen is just beautiful to look at. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of the screen. Only Apple could achieve this. The device feels like a large, highly polished version of what began with the iPhone. It will be difficult for competitors to match the responsiveness of the iPad.

    Here are just a handful of things I really like about the iPad:

    * Web surfing feels so natural in Safari. Pages load as fast as a desktop web browser in my experience.

    * E-reading is here to stay. Even if you’re a Kindle owner, you can access, read, and annotate your full Kindle library using the Kindle app on the iPad. It’s really fantastic, and some people even feel that the iPad Kindle app is better than the Kindle itself.

    * Instapaper on the iPad. . wow. This is what reading web content is all about.

    * Evernote on the iPad. . . another wow. It truly feels like a digital clipboard.

    * One thing I didn’t anticipate initially is how great the Photo app would be. Yes, it’s just a large version of the iPhone photo app, but it’s so nice being able to pull out the iPad to show off vacation or family photos when you have friends over. We’ve all experienced this frustration. . . you want to show pictures to your party guests, so you go get your laptop and try to clumsily pass it around the room. Or maybe you pass around your iPhone and let people see them one at a time. The iPad is SO much better suited for this.

    Reply
  19. eddiesmith78@gmail.com

    I’m normally not a "gen 1" adopter of anything, but something about the iPad really struck me the first moment I saw it. I received mine in the first batch on April 3, and I have been loving it ever since.

    First of all, the screen is just beautiful to look at. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of the screen. Only Apple could achieve this. The device feels like a large, highly polished version of what began with the iPhone. It will be difficult for competitors to match the responsiveness of the iPad.

    Here are just a handful of things I really like about the iPad:

    * Web surfing feels so natural in Safari. Pages load as fast as a desktop web browser in my experience.

    * E-reading is here to stay. Even if you’re a Kindle owner, you can access, read, and annotate your full Kindle library using the Kindle app on the iPad. It’s really fantastic, and some people even feel that the iPad Kindle app is better than the Kindle itself.

    * Instapaper on the iPad. . wow. This is what reading web content is all about.

    * Evernote on the iPad. . . another wow. It truly feels like a digital clipboard.

    * One thing I didn’t anticipate initially is how great the Photo app would be. Yes, it’s just a large version of the iPhone photo app, but it’s so nice being able to pull out the iPad to show off vacation or family photos when you have friends over. We’ve all experienced this frustration. . . you want to show pictures to your party guests, so you go get your laptop and try to clumsily pass it around the room. Or maybe you pass around your iPhone and let people see them one at a time. The iPad is SO much better suited for this.

    Reply
  20. eddiesmith78@gmail.com

    I’m normally not a "gen 1" adopter of anything, but something about the iPad really struck me the first moment I saw it. I received mine in the first batch on April 3, and I have been loving it ever since.

    First of all, the screen is just beautiful to look at. I’ve also been impressed with the responsiveness of the screen. Only Apple could achieve this. The device feels like a large, highly polished version of what began with the iPhone. It will be difficult for competitors to match the responsiveness of the iPad.

    Here are just a handful of things I really like about the iPad:

    * Web surfing feels so natural in Safari. Pages load as fast as a desktop web browser in my experience.

    * E-reading is here to stay. Even if you’re a Kindle owner, you can access, read, and annotate your full Kindle library using the Kindle app on the iPad. It’s really fantastic, and some people even feel that the iPad Kindle app is better than the Kindle itself.

    * Instapaper on the iPad. . wow. This is what reading web content is all about.

    * Evernote on the iPad. . . another wow. It truly feels like a digital clipboard.

    * One thing I didn’t anticipate initially is how great the Photo app would be. Yes, it’s just a large version of the iPhone photo app, but it’s so nice being able to pull out the iPad to show off vacation or family photos when you have friends over. We’ve all experienced this frustration. . . you want to show pictures to your party guests, so you go get your laptop and try to clumsily pass it around the room. Or maybe you pass around your iPhone and let people see them one at a time. The iPad is SO much better suited for this.

    Reply

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