So it's called the "iPad". Ever since Steve Jobs killed the Newton in 1997-1998, I've been thinking about how the Knowledge Navigator concept that led to the Newton would come to fruition at a later time, and the previous post shows that my thoughts aren't so far off the mark, usually. We're there now, and it's certainly quite a bit different from what the Newton was, but hey: What _hasn't_ changed in those 12 years in computing and mobility?

I personally did quite a bit of rumour-mongering in the years after the Newton was killed, but some of my thoughts that are visible in macosx.com forum posts - see: this link - are spot on references to what actually became the iPod touch, the iPhone and now the iPad. Apparently, I wasn't so far off to call QuickTime a very central element of the "navi". You could say I was wildly guessing about, but hey: It could also be that Steven P. Jobs read my thread back then and thought: Hey, that guy has the right idea, let's do that. ;)

The web-sphere is full of iPad-bashing and iPad-praising, and quite certainly, the iPad _will_ divide the world between those who simply don't need one and those who'll love one (and will keep hanging on, until it gets better and better...). If you think back to the introduction of the original iPhone, you'll certainly see that in the time since then, it hasn't changed much lookwise, but it's gotten a *lot* more interesting with 3rd party applications plus GPS etc. If I think about what 3rd party app developers will be able to do with the iPad, I see it succeeding without much doubt. OmniGroup has already committed to developing its apps for the iPad. (Its Mac apps, that is!) Add to that a little Bento or even FileMaker. Heck: Even Adobe could provide some form of Photoshop Elements to the thing. But more important than what Microsoft or Adobe might do on the iPad, is what new and upcoming developers will do on it. The iPhone showed that innovative application developers can not only thrive on such a "limited" platform, but that they can actually improve the world (wow, don't go over that cliff, fryke...) with things like a 4-track recorder or a finger-drawing/-painting app etc.

My father never much liked computers, although he had to use them in his line of work (an accountant). Since his retirement, he's found his way from the Windows world to the Mac, and while he never got his head around a mobile phone, he's in love with his iPhone (and my mum wants her own). I bet they both would love the iPad.

The iPad might not be the answer to all of everyone's worries, but it truly *is* a computer for the rest of us. It'll do so many things so well.

Two important things at the end of this post: 1.) Flash has to die. It uses far too many processor cycles for what it actually enables you to do. For video, HTML5 will take care of that in a much nicer way. The other stuff: Go CSS3 or standalone apps. Move over, Flash. 2.) That missing front-facing camera: You're going to buy the iPad that comes after this iPad, I guess. It's not _that_ much of a problem, really, although I, too would have expected the iPad to sport one. - posted by Patrick Armbruster @ 14:47 [article link]  5 comments