“During [last week’s] iPad event, which largely played out just as the rumors foretold, Apple did do something unexpected: They unveiled a version of the word processing, spreadsheet and presentation suite iWork redesigned for the iPad’s 9.7-inch touchscreen. It’s easy to write off iWork’s inclusion as a minor perk only for business types only, but don’t. The suite’s fully-redesigned touch interfaces actually reveal more about Apple’s vision of the future of computing than any other element of their new tablet,” John Mahoney reports for Popular Science.
“I used each iWork app [during Apple’s hands-on session for the media after Steve Jobs’ presentation], and while I couldn’t spend enough time with them to come to a definitive conclusion, they definitely surprised me… each appeared more than capable of offering a similar, if not much improved experience, over their desktop counterparts,” Mahoney reports. “And for that, all credit is due to multitouch.”
“The apps, especially Keynote and Pages, function almost as light versions of far more advanced software like Adobe’s InDesign,” Mahoney reports. “PopSci’s art director probably won’t be ditching InDesign for an iPad any time soon, but having a large tablet of the future flat on a desktop could merge the benefits of working digitally with an interface that feels more like working with a pencil and paper.”
“This is significant. It’s the underlying concept behind all touchscreen interfaces–removing the mouse and pointer’s layer of abstraction to get us back to working with our hands. Most previous attempts at a more natural and expansive touch interface have been hampered by too small a screen or inelegant design,” Mahoney reports. “The iPad has neither.”
Mahoney reports, “And in choosing productivity apps as the first test case for these new interfaces, Apple is providing a familiar stepping stone into the world of interacting with nothing-but-touch in software we’ve been using for decades.”
Full article here.
iLife is next…
The end of M$ Office is niegh! Once people try out the iWork suite, they will never go back to M$ Office again unless they have no choice! Even publishers will end up using iWork to publish for the iPad because of the flexibility in document handling it has.
Indesign is inferior to iLife! as people will soon find out, add that to Apeture and you can see were the road is heading. Sorry about wrong spelling in the previous submission!
@Crabapple – You’ve got more apologizing to do… ‘Apeture’?
I want iLife next, specially iWeb.
@Crabapple,
I’m not sure what you’re getting at comparing Indesign to iLife, but even if you meant iWork and more specifically Pages, you’re incorrect. One is a professional document design and layout tool, with features professionals need, and the other is an amateur tool missing most of the features professionals need.
That said, the iWork apps are really excellent software. Not only are they awesome for anybody who isn’t a designer by trade, they’re quite adequate even for some amateur designers.
The key to iWork, and to some extent iLife and even the iPhone and iPad, is that Apple is making technology accessible and usable. They’re making audio production, video production, photo editing, page layout, and presentation accessible. Not only are they making it accessible and usable, but they’re making it easy to do great looking work, and trust me, that is NOT an easy accomplishment.
Go Apple!
Isn’t iPad just a less feature version of MacBook air? Just wondering since so many comments about the end of laptop era has arrived.
That’s Apple’s strength. Simplifying our interaction with computers. Now they are doing it again. Soon the competition will follow and that’s a win for every computer user.
OmniGroup has some great apps coming for the iPad as well. I can’t wait to see how they implement multi-touch with their drawing and graphing software.
http://blog.omnigroup.com/2010/01/29/ipad-or-bust/
Finally an article that gets it precisely correct!
People like R2 will never get it till they can play Pandora in the background while working in iWork. I think Jobs should mandate that Pandora will never, ever play in the background forever on any Apple products just to piss off users like R2. lol
What Apple is doing with iWorks is exactly what they did with the original Mac. It was so new they had to provide the first usable software. First to make it usable. Second to show other developers how to do it. MacWrite and MacPaint set the bar quite high for developers new to the platform. The same is true with iWorks.
Long slow death of the mouse
If one earns money with ones skills, does that not make one a professional? Just because iWork is intended for a particular user doesn’t mean it can’t be used in a professional environment.
If the IPad is the future of computing, I am not sure I like it. Don’t get me wrong, I think the IPad is awesome, but it’s not a replacement for my Mac in any way shape or form. Unless they put OSX on it, allow virtualization,and let me put whatever software I want on it, it’s not a laptop but a netbook or an appliance or whatever you want to call it.
That said, I can’t wait to write some snazzy programs for it from my mac.
This is more than the future of computing. This is the new face of direct competion to the media corporations.
The print news will now be force to compete with a greater influx of self made news websites with iWorks creating the eyecandy.
I believe this device will have a marked change on the web. Cheap, fast, and highly mobile. The mark made will be far more than laptops and more engaging than netbooks to create content. If a web cam is added on the shipping unit, it will have huge social and business communication benefits.
The main benefit is the hours of battery life. It makes so much possible that now requires a more central location due to recharging.
Say bye, bye to the current status quo!
Ever since I got my iPhone my laptop usage went to ZERO! I love the idea of the iPad and think I may even dump the iPhone for one. With all the hands free laws and the fact that I am in a wifi zone 90% of the time I don’t think I need it anymore. Cheap pay as you go phone and a juiced iPad is what I am considering.
@Mac User this is not the immediate future for heavy desktop work but a glimpse of the way it will eventually be. At that time all the problems you state will be solved and a superior way of working will have become familiar and superior.
NCG598 certainly is one who does get the potential. A little lateral thinking works wonders.
The iPad is sensibly aimed at present to the easy things it can do well but as others have stated iWorks and iLife soon will show how things will develop. Adobe and Microsoft will be very scared that with this new if young platform their era of software domination will crumble even if they try to jump on the bandwagon. Fact is a new young innovative company will probably find it easier to make a great multi touch program for this device than the old cart horses can.
I guess really my question is this: Can I stream Pandora while using Pages? Because if not, that’s no future.
Jobs giveth the mouse, and Jobs taketh it away. Mourn for the mouse.
A few years ago I was blown away by the Jeff Hahn UI videos – now in light of the iPad and iWork they look fairly primitive.
Mama Apple to mouse: I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.
“The Mac is a toy”—but He who dies with the most toys wins.
@GeeOne
and I thought I was pedantic…
@ Splat –
Exactly! You and millions of others will be figuring this out over the next couple of years. For many many it will make sense to dump their $martphone and laptop, and pick up an iPad and a basic cellphone (with a decent camera?). Some will also want a big-screen desktop at home, and a MobileMe account. This is the direction that I’m considering, and I’ve been living on a series of Mac laptops for almost 20 years.
I am a road warrior catching a plane almost every other week to meet clients in boardroom reviews or workshops to develop strategy or systems or scorecards or risk reviews.
What’s wrong with my 15″ MacBook Pro (a pre-unibody model) is that two-thirds of the time, it is lugged around in case I need to refer to something on it for a critical item of information and the remaining one-third of the time because I truly work the MBP as a key tool for my workshops slides. Back in my office I use an iMac.
The iPad would really work for me in the two-thirds of the time when I am not running a workshop. An iPad with iWork would enable me to interact with six to eight senior executives in review meetings where I can call up any client related workpaper or presentation and display it on screen.
Or when I meet a prospect and I can pitch with a slide pack as I have in the past using a Palm Tungsten containing slides stored as jpegs. I had to replace the Tungsten when it died with my MacBook Pro and Keynote which I feel is a major overkill as it becomes too big a distraction in itself in the sales meeting. Fact is that prospects like spontaneity which the act of pulling out a sleeping MBP doesn’t permit. And while the seamless use of technology in the hands of an expert adds credibility, it is the sweetest icing on the cake particularly when the prospect commissions the work.
In other words, “Real personal computing” will happen when I can whip out an iPad and within three strokes (key, button or finger gesture) be able to display the business related item on screen for six or seven people in a review meeting. Or be able to access information relevant to a discussion (Spotlight on an iPad?).
And on top of all that, with custom software solutions (iWork, FileMaker and Bento, Omni products etc on an iPad) plus the bog standard stuff like iCal, Mail and Safari make the iPad one powerful business and personal tool.
I am looking forward to my new Capitalist Tool.