“I have seen the future of home computing, and it is the iPad. I’m convinced of it,” Kenneth van Wyk writes for Computerworld.
“When I got my iPad, I immediately installed several software packages on it. Most of it was for entertainment (e.g., Netflix, ABC Reader), but I also installed a couple of apps that could at least ostensibly be used for business (e.g., Pages, Keynote). Each installation was simple: I ran the App Store application, found the tools I wanted, and clicked the purchase icon. Within moments, each package installed,” van Wyk writes. “The installation process gave me absolutely no choice as far as where the software would reside on my iPad. In fact, I had no choices whatsoever beyond yes/no to purchase the apps.”
“Once the apps were installed, I was able to get some of my Keynote presentations and Pages documents over to my iPad via an iTunes synchronization to my MacBook Pro,” van Wyk writes. “But here too, I had absolutely no way of controlling or choosing where the documents were placed on the iPad. Once I synchronized the device, the documents appeared for their respective applications.”
“For many of my fellow techies, the words ‘lack of choice’ are the kiss of death for a device like this,” van Wyk writes. “But for the average consumer, ‘lack of choice’ can be interpreted as ‘simple,’ by and large. And to get to the masses, simple never hurts.”
van Wyk writes, “The result of all this is a platform that is simple, intuitive and highly usable for common home computing tasks… And, even though I am not an average consumer of high-tech devices, I have absolutely no need to understand the underlying organization and architecture of the iPad. The apps I’ve installed just plain work. How can that not be a boon to the consumers of the world? …I’m convinced the model that Apple has laid out with the iPad is the future of home computing.”
Full article, which discusses how iPad’s model will “virtually obliterate” malware (including lazy Adobe’s Flash), here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dow C.” for the heads up.]
The “server ranch” (too big to be a farm) in North Carolina will service iPad’s in the future. Sync everything from the ranch.
But how do you do precision work like photoshop or illustrator. It’s easier to use those tools guiding a little arrow with a mouse. I couldn’t do any fine detailed art with my fingers and hands blocking the screen. I need to be able to see through my finger to where it’s touching the screen. Very difficult for that kind of thing. I think people see the iPad as a cool device that does lots of things which it is. But is limited when it come to actually creating anything that goes on it, books, movies etc. You may be able to play Final Fantasy on the iPad but you’d have a hard time writing the game on the iPad. I think bigger desktops will still bea round for the heavy work. Maybe the average Jo won’t need one in the future.
Relax I’m still buying one (iPad).
Simple… Your 2 dollar calculator is a computer. It just does one thing only.
@Pauly
I am sure you are aware that their are art programs for the iPad, many of which wee originally developed for the iPhone.
One artist did a New Yorker magazine cover using “brushes” on the iPhone.
The greater space of the iPad offers even more opportunity.
We have only just begun begun to see the potential of iPad apps.
I fully expect that in the near future I will be able to do, just about anything on an Apple tablet, that I can do on my Mac, including graphics and enjoy doing it.
This is where Apple is heading. It’s not that the Mac will go away. The tablet will be the future Mac. The notion of laptop and desktop will fade away.
Don’t worry Mac fans, you will love the new Macs.
Bring on the cloud computing.
Many people don’t see the real “Halo” effect that the iPad is creating. Much like the iPod did early on, the iPad will even more to create a “Halo” effect. Before the low end Mac was the Mac mini, now it’s the iPad. Think of it. Most people just use computer for email and surfing.
The iPad is the new ‘Gateway Drug’ to the Mac platform. Mac OS X will be going to touch soon, perhaps OS 11. Apple is just preparing all of us for an easy transition.
When you replace the existing computer ecosystem that has developed over 30 years and more you can hardly do that in whatever development cycle the iPad has seen so far, surely only an idiot would recognise that simple fact. What Apple has done is start a new paradigm for the personal (for now) computer rather than simply try to add on more and more complexity and bloatware to an existing and ancient computing philosophy which even existing tablets have tried to do.
This is a brave decision that is only possible because at all the preparatory work they have done with itunes, iPod, Touch, Apps store et al. It will of course take years to develop this concept into a whole new computing concept to replace what we have now, again a blind man would sense that. But it will come over time, for now the basis of that eventual revolution is based on what Apple has taken years to develop for the iPods to ensure the initial success that it will need to develop into so much more. This is the bigger view that many unimaginative people on here and thankfully and more importantly those stuck in the PC ecosystem from MS down can’t see. I am happy to let time prove who has more vision.
This headline I completely agree with. If they add an IR port and 2 cameras…then it would be perfect.
just my $0.02
eha, agreed this title. yeah, maybe many people will say bad things about iPad but for many folks, they still want to have my an iPad and enjoy with iPad. Actually Im a iPad fangirl too.
well, wanna learn more iPad info, its video and audio formats, features, apps, games things that, can go to this iPad column: http://www.ifunia.com/ipad-column/index.html