The iPad

 Yeah, it's inevitable.  You knew I was going to write about it.  It's just so cool! 

Unless you are a PC fan boy and despise Apple products, you have to agree that the iPad has some pretty cool tricks up it's sleeve.

I don't have a very good attention span on my best of days so I'm just going to warn you now that this might be a random stream of consciousness. 

Some of the bigger complaints I hear are that the iPad is just a giant iPod Touch.  Um… well, yeah!  But what's wrong with that?!

As most iPhone/iPod Touch users will tell you, they LOVE their device.  It does virtually everything but what they don't like about their iPhone or iPod Touch is the small size.  Typing anything longer than a tweet can be cumbersome and reading a few pages can strain the eyes.

That's how the iPad will shine (among other things.)

To address the argument about it being just a big iPod Touch, I recommend you read this article but be warned, their is some language: http://jeffcroft.com/blog/2010/jan/28/ipad-thoughts/

Ok, what else are people crying about? Oh right, lack of Flash support.  A lot of sites today use a good bit of Flash.  Not necessarily the best ones but the ones that I like to visit (Netflix Watch Instantly, Hulu, YouTube, Network TV sites, etc.) use Flash.  So the iPad, this multimedia device can't play even half of the videos/tv shows/movies that are online! 

Stop worrying about Flash!  HTML5 is making some great strides in just a short amount of time so I think in a few months, a lot of sites will use it in some way and in a few years, 90% of the Flash sites you visit now will be HTML5 or maybe a mixture of both. (just a guess)

But really, don't cry about no Flash support.  This is not a "computer."  This is not Microsoft 7 or Mac OSX.  I would direct you back to the fact it's a giant iPod Touch.  Did the iPod Touch (or iPhone) have Flash?  No.

Read this article on Flash support: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/adobe-flash-ipad

Another thing to keep in mind is that iPad isn't made for creating content but consuming content: http://mashable.com/2010/01/28/what-we-learned-about-apple-yesterday

But I believe that if you're smart, you can still create content. There are apps that let you adjust and manipulate photos (i.e. Photoshop), apps that let you edit video, apps that let you edit audio, apps that let you make slideshows… See where I'm going with this?

Are you stuck between an iPad and a Kindle?

Read this article on the iPad being a Kindle killer: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/28/top-10-reasons-ipad-kindle/

This is what I think Amazon should do: If Amazon wants a fight, they need to lower their price drastically.  They should have lowered their price as soon as the iPad was announced as a way of causing some defectors to switch sides and drop the iPad. … But they didn't and iPad launches tomorrow.  Oh well.

What I'm bummed about:
- No front facing camera for a video chat
- No multitasking

Those are really the only things that I can think of because I don't own one yet and haven't been able to give it a good try.

Things to think about:
- How awesome would it be to get high res magazine subscriptions on the iPad?!  And I'm sure there would be embedded videos and other extra tidbits for you to inexact with.
- This may not be a big deal for you but I have a bunch of stickers on the back of my MacBook Pro.  With more real estate on the back of iPad, you can customize with your own stickers and stuff!  By making it "your own" the device suddenly becomes more personal for you possibly making it more indispensable. Just a thought.

I haven't worked out the exact workflow but I use a few ways to store files online that can be accessible from almost anywhere.  Using Dropbox, my Mobile Me iDisk and Google I have tons of documents, videos, pictures available without having to keep them stored on my iPad locally.  This is where people are going to get creative.  Storing, accessing, and uploading their stuff to the "cloud."

Problems & Solution
- It doesn't make calls: http://mashable.com/2010/01/27/voip-3g/
- It's not a real computer.  I can't make documents & presentations: iWork
- It doesn't have the ability to edit video or make slideshows: ReelDirector for editing video, Animoto for slideshows, Strip Design for home made comic books, Photoshop/Camerabag/Color Magic for photo editing… the list could go on!


Apps I'm Excited About:
- Instapaper
- X-Plane HD
- Flight Controller
- Kindle App
- Log Me In
- Google Earth
- Tweetie (and even Tweet Deck)
- OmniFocus
- (theres probably more but I haven't looked at all the iPad apps yet)

If I buy one I'm going to get the lowest model.  The Wifi only 16GB iPad.  Why?  Well, as much as I would love to have the best of the best and room for expansion later, I have a 16GB iPhone now and even though I could run out of room, I am just fine with keeping it organized.

Why no 3G?  I have an iPhone.  I don't want two data plans.  My iPad will be used mostly in places that have Wifi already and the number of places that offer free public Wifi is growing every day.

I plan on buying an iPad as a way to not have to buy a new laptop.  It can do pretty much every single thing I need a laptop to do and it's immensely cheaper.

If you're stuck as to whether or not you should get one, its going to come down to this:  It either works for you or it doesn't.  I don't see a lot of middle ground.

For most people, it will probably just be a luxury item. For others (and I believe the minority) it's going to be a powerhouse of computing rivaling a laptop or even desktop computer.


Random iPad Articles and Stuff:

- 12 Things to know about the iPad (really breaks down the basics): http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/ptech/04/02/ipad.preview/index.html

- This made me want it more (seeing it actually handled): http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/holding-ipad-pictures

- TechCrunch - Everything iPad: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ipad/

- Funny Hitler iPad Meme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4

- Mashable iPad comprehensive guide: http://mashable.com/2010/01/27/ipad/

- Good article on showing usefulness of the iPad, in this roll as an IT support: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/30/some-thoughts-on-using-the-ipad-as-an-it-support-tool/

- An answer to how many icons in the dock: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/30/how-many-icons-on-that-ipad-dock/

- Cost/benefit of iPad and competitors: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/30/infographic-cost-benefit-analysis-of-the-entry-level-ipad-and-s/

- Which data plan should you buy? http://gizmodo.com/5459770/which-ipad-3g-data-plan-should-you-buy