7 Days of iPad: Day 2 (in which the CO4 passes judgment)

April 7, 2010 in Journal with 10 Comments

Last night was the monthly meeting of The Council of Four, an unsecret society of maniacal writers comprised of myself, Matt Bronleewe, Chris Well, and Eric Wilson. Generally, we work out elaborate world domination schemes on a giant whiteboard strapped to Matt with duct tape, which he holds steady while quoting Shakespeare and Poe (though not at the same time). True story. Sort of.

This meeting was a little different. For one evening we turned our attention away from world domination to the burning questions surrounding the purported magic abilities of one, the iPad. So I brought my new toy as well as my Kindle for an e-reader/mobile device smackdown. It was an interesting conversation, especially since we all have varying experience with sundry gadgets. One of us (me) owns a Kindle, iPhone, and iPad. One of us owns a Kindle and iPad. One of us has used a Kindle, but doesn’t own any. One of us has neither used nor owned any of the devices. It was a fun time.

We talked until nearly 1:00 this morning, though not all about the iPad. There was some Dr. Who thrown in there for good measure. But, I wanted to share a few of the thoughts that came out of it. There are too many for one post, so I’ll focus on two key questions in this one save the rest for additional posts.

Is the iPad a “revolutionary” device?

Council of 4 says: Yes. Now, this is where the controversy begins because a lot of people will say that the iPad is simply a Venti, two pump vanilla iPod. It’s not as powerful as a desktop or laptop, doesn’t do the same tricks as a netbook, and won’t run X, Y, or Z programs at the same time. While all of that is true, it misses the point in my opinion. And that is this: the vast majority of computing devices on the market today focus on the primary context we’ve always had for PC’s, which is productivity. Work. The iPad, while it does have some productivity apps, doesn’t seem to be made for work the same way my laptop is. I don’t think this version was meant to be. I think that will come later.

So, what is it for then? The answer became clear when I handed it to Chris, who is a huge comics fan, and showed him the Marvel app. Simply put, the iPad is all about content consumption and eliminating the distance between media and audience. It’s about entertainment. That’s pretty much it. Now, is that in itself revolutionary? We agreed that it is because the user experience alone will be a catalyst for innovation. The Marvel app is a great example. It and the Comixology app, and all the others coming down the pike, will singlehandedly revitalize the comic space. Mark my words. And that’s just one industry. I talked just yesterday a game developer who laid out how he thinks his space will evolve over the coming months and years. He sees huge upside in terms of innovation and spillover influence beyond a single device. And keep in mind that the iPad and the umpteen other devices being developed are all only 1.0 releases.

Is it a laptop replacement?

Counci of 4 says: Maybe. It depends on what you use your laptop for. Will it replace my laptop completely? Not a chance. At least not yet. Will it replace my home computer? Probably at some point. It all comes down to what you use a computer for. If you’re like me and your computer is Centcom for your work day then an iPad or similar device just won’t work for you. But, if you only use your computer for web browsing, email, occasional word processing and viewing media (i.e. movies, pictures, etc.) then the iPad could easily replace your laptop. Easily.

In the few days that I’ve been using it, the iPad has fit a nice gap between my iPhone and my laptop. It’s perfect for taking to meetings and I can see this being my “on the road” device for short trips, and definitely for vacations. I’m going to test drive it while I’m on the upcoming book tour with Dekker. I’ll bring my laptop along as a back-up, but I plan on using the iPad as much as I can just to see what the experience is like. I’m not trading in my laptop yet, but that day may come if tablets improve, which they will.

There you have it. Revolutionary? Yes. A laptop replacement? Not yet. Debate away.

  • Jon Scott Smith

    It’s hamstrung. That is all.

  • http://deleted John

    i think, in time, it will be a laptop replacement, even if it’s not there quite yet. it will keep getting lighter and smarter. I do cgi, so it’s not going to be a replacement for my home comp. or laptop yet… but i am confident that it will replace both in time. In the mean time, i’ll wait for the next model before buying… i think….
    i want one.

    i’d use it for word processing, browsing, etc….

  • Kevin Kaiser

    I think a lot of folks are in wait and see mode, which is honestly where I would be if my iPad (and Kindle BTW) hadn’t been provided to me as a biz perk. It probably makes sense to wait for 2.0 for most people.

  • Jennifer

    I can’t wait until tablets improve. I believe that when they do all of our interfaces will change as well. I’m not sure if the ipad and other tablets will end up having a DVD-blueray race or a VHS-Betamax race (where both can co-exist peacefully or one will completly smash the other, respectfully). But tye point I’m trying to make is that I can see ipad technology being integrated into everyday life.

  • Nathan Ostby

    personally, i think the laptop replacement dealy is all up in the air. I agree with the fact it all depends on what you’re using your laptop and your iPad for. I was in the market for a laptop when the iPad reared it’s multi touch interface’d head, and was quick to jump in the iPad bandwagon. But after i stopped to think, i quickly jumped off. I’m a writer, and in order to write, i need a keyboard. Like, a hard keyboard; something i can feel click under my fingers, or the press of two keys as i screw up on that run on sentence that has been going on for way too long.
    that would have been easily fixable with the additional external keyboard you can get, or the wireless keyboard which is compatible with iPad. But what about a word processing program? download pages. what about printing? email the files.
    for me personally, it would have take too much to get the iPad to what i wanted it to be, when i could spend the money, like i did, on a laptop. so now i sit in front of said laptop for 3 hours a day, writing 1,600 words a day.
    i think the iPad looks like a break through in a lot of ways, but i think there are a lot of ways iPad 2.0 will be better.
    there’s my rant. xD

  • http://www.cryingdoll.com/ Brian

    personally, i think the laptop replacement dealy is all up in the air. I agree with the fact it all depends on what you’re using your laptop and your iPad for. I was in the market for a laptop when the iPad reared it’s multi touch interface’d head, and was quick to jump in the iPad bandwagon. But after i stopped to think, i quickly jumped off. I’m a writer, and in order to write, i need a keyboard. Like, a hard keyboard; something i can feel click under my fingers, or the press of two keys as i screw up on that run on sentence that has been going on for way too long.
    that would have been easily fixable with the additional external keyboard you can get, or the wireless keyboard which is compatible with iPad. But what about a word processing program? download pages. what about printing? email the files.
    for me personally, it would have take too much to get the iPad to what i wanted it to be, when i could spend the money, like i did, on a laptop. so now i sit in front of said laptop for 3 hours a day, writing 1,600 words a day.
    i think the iPad looks like a break through in a lot of ways, but i think there are a lot of ways iPad 2.0 will be better.
    there’s my rant. xD

  • http://www.supertucker.com/ William

    I can’t wait until tablets improve. I believe that when they do all of our interfaces will change as well. I’m not sure if the ipad and other tablets will end up having a DVD-blueray race or a VHS-Betamax race (where both can co-exist peacefully or one will completly smash the other, respectfully). But tye point I’m trying to make is that I can see ipad technology being integrated into everyday life.

  • http://www.irishearth.com/ Lee

    I can’t wait until tablets improve. I believe that when they do all of our interfaces will change as well. I’m not sure if the ipad and other tablets will end up having a DVD-blueray race or a VHS-Betamax race (where both can co-exist peacefully or one will completly smash the other, respectfully). But tye point I’m trying to make is that I can see ipad technology being integrated into everyday life.

  • http://www.bistrohawaii.com/ Simon

    I can’t wait until tablets improve. I believe that when they do all of our interfaces will change as well. I’m not sure if the ipad and other tablets will end up having a DVD-blueray race or a VHS-Betamax race (where both can co-exist peacefully or one will completly smash the other, respectfully). But tye point I’m trying to make is that I can see ipad technology being integrated into everyday life.

  • http://www.balticbeast.com/ Tony

    personally, i think the laptop replacement dealy is all up in the air. I agree with the fact it all depends on what you’re using your laptop and your iPad for. I was in the market for a laptop when the iPad reared it’s multi touch interface’d head, and was quick to jump in the iPad bandwagon. But after i stopped to think, i quickly jumped off. I’m a writer, and in order to write, i need a keyboard. Like, a hard keyboard; something i can feel click under my fingers, or the press of two keys as i screw up on that run on sentence that has been going on for way too long.
    that would have been easily fixable with the additional external keyboard you can get, or the wireless keyboard which is compatible with iPad. But what about a word processing program? download pages. what about printing? email the files.
    for me personally, it would have take too much to get the iPad to what i wanted it to be, when i could spend the money, like i did, on a laptop. so now i sit in front of said laptop for 3 hours a day, writing 1,600 words a day.
    i think the iPad looks like a break through in a lot of ways, but i think there are a lot of ways iPad 2.0 will be better.
    there’s my rant. xD