As a sort of celebration of the long-awaited introduction of the iPad to the Polish market, I wanted to post something here, because I haven't posted in a long while. Since then, many of my friends bought iPads, mostly to show photos to their clients or to play games or to show off a little ;) I, on the other hand, needed to invest money in something else, so I still haven't got one yet.
In the meantime lots of people around the web and among my friends are still bashing the iPad as something completely useless, closed, overpriced etc... While I can imagine that the paradigm shift that comes along with the iPad is difficult to grasp for some and that the iPad is still kind of dependent on another computer with iTunes installed so you can move your mp3s and photos there, the possibilities it gives are worth the effort.
Some people don't need the iPad, but they would jump at the opportunity of having a Macbook Touch - a tablet computer with a multitouch flippable screen. I'm pretty sure that this is coming in 2011, along with the Mac OS X Lion and the Mac App Store, as Apple will bring the CocoaTouch layer over a full-fledged OS. So it will be the best of both worlds for some power users that need the ease of use of the iPad, but the power of the real laptop. And, as is the tradition for Apple, such a "Macbook Touch" will be the first working implementation of a tablet computer, even though it's a concept well known for years now. So far, however, tablet computers had awful touch screens, were heavy and clunky, plasticky to the max and of course - they were mostly running Windows, which is a mouse-oriented OS which is not ready for multi-touch input (I did see some features in Windows 7 dedicated to multi-touch, but the hardware didn't catch up).
People tend to forget that Apple is responsible for bringing the graphical user interface to computers. They are also responsible for building a first really personal computer and the first working mobile computer too! And that they are the biggest mobile devices company in the world now. It didn't happen because of the "hype" and "marketing" that so many PC folks are accusing Apple of. It happened because they brought along the best and most innovative products. And it doesn't matter that many of their ideas are not entirely new - what matters is that they are the company that brings about the first fully working implementations of some brave concepts.
The future of personal computing is the iPad. Just ask Alan Kay.
On a side note, i want to recommend something to all of You - a blog that i just can't stop reading - http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ - the guy who writes this really has a lot of smart things to say about technology, especially Apple-related.
I constantly bump into arguments with "power" users regarding the deficiencies of iPhone and iPad - that it doesn't have multitasking, can't run OSX apps, that the App Store is limited. Those people totally miss the point about the iPad - it's not a computer per se, it is not meant to be one - it's a totally new kind of device. And it is the simplicity and seeming limitations that made iPhone so successful. That what people want. 99% of people. Going towards simpler computing is the key nowadays - a key to more intense computerization among our society. If we want more people to use internet or email or some productivity applications, we cannot expect them to fall in love with a complicated computer with a geeky operating system that throws difficult words at the user, just like priests in catholic church. And guys at MacRumors put it very well: "Apple's iPad has been felt to represent this shift to an easier computing paradigm. The iPad is essentially the iPhone OS on a larger form factor, but it's that larger size that introduces new possibilities that encroach on the functionality of current desktop/notebooks." I suggest you read this very interesting article from NYTimes, the beginning made me laugh - i remember those times!: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/why-cant-pcs-work-more-like-iphones/ Cheers, Adam
Hello, recently i have come across news about an upcoming tablet, loveably named "Adam", from a company called Notion Ink. I must say, it looks impressive. Just skim this article - http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-hands-on-0969281/ Some media, notably Polish PCLab, posted this news with a very hostile message - "iPad looks like a toy compared to this" and just totally laughing at and bashing the iPad. Interestingly enough, the people at Notion Ink were not so hostile, just pointing out strengths of "Adam" - http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-flash-ipad-comparison-app-competition-0873197/ - it is great, surely, and Notion Ink are making the best they can to offer not just a plain product, a device, but a whole experience, by cooperating with content providers and developers. Unfortunately i don't think they have that much of a punch in the industry to be thoroughly successful, but I wish them the best of luck - the more companies compete with each other, especially bulky big Goliaths like HP versus the underestimated passionate Davids like Notion Ink, the better for us. However, this article by PCLab (in Polish - http://pclab.pl/news41090.html) has caused me to reminisce a nice sketch by Monty Python about killing a mosquito: Why did this come to my mind when reading that article? Well, they claim that the iPad looks like a toy compared to Adam. It is indeed partly true. But I see it as exactly what Apple are trying to obtain here - it's not a COMPUTER. It's a new kind of device. A communications device with a simple interface. It's not meant to be a COMPUTER. It's meant to be more a TOY. Why? Just look at this video: This kid is barely speaking yet and can use the iPhone. Well, so i know many people, including my mom, grannie, aunt and a few neighbours, who just don't comprehend regular computers. They hate the complicated operating system, they hate the mouse, the huge and complex keyboard. Too many icons, too small text, error messages, weird names for everything... I also hate PCs fitted with Windows or Linux because they are built for users that already have a bit of knowledge about using a computer. COMPUTERS are UNINTUITIVE, HOSTILE, COMPLICATED. That's why even using a Mac is such a pleasant experience, because you just have to think less. It is not really "better" in everyday tasks like Apple claims - it is just much, much easier, especially for starters. And i can imagine extremely many people wanting the iPad and being able to use it even though they don't really like computers. They will ask for "iPad" not for a "tablet computer", just because of the word "computer" in that expression. I will be able to teach my mom to operate the iPad, but i can't teach her to understand her Vista-based Sony Vaio laptop. Which is utterly crappy, btw, even though it's supposedly a very good one (a top version of the F line). So yes, Adam is more powerful and gives way more bang for the buck than iPad. But it's more like a computer. It may run Android and it is good (although everytime i use an HTC device with Android it crashes on me). But if it is to run Linux or Windows... Meh. It doesn't make sense. Same holds for upcoming tablets by HP, MSI etc. Most of them will not run Android but Windows. And that's awful. Unless each of these companies comes up with an overlay on top of Windows, similar to maybe Media Center or Front Row which will simplify the most common tasks, those devices are doomed to be weirdo-geeky stuff that is very short-lived. And there goes one more problem - iPad and iPhone, regardless of models, have been and will be extremely coherent devices. They will not entirely change from model to model or will not be extremely varied. Market-life of Apple products is a bit longer than others and they are relatively similar. Companies like Nokia or HP will just release 10 models, very differentiated, just to confuse customers. They are not offering real choice - they offer confusion. People don't want that much of choice - too much freedom is never good with people. Nokia seems to be unable to comprehend it. This again reminds me of WW2 - why Germany lost it? Because they produced too many models of tanks. Russians had only one - the T34. Not very good but easy to drive and maintain. Very universal. So what the N900 is more powerful than the iPhone. It's like a Panther tank. But the iPhone is simpler, coherent, less features but better ease of use. So yes, the iPad will not have many features and will be quite pricey and will require you to have access to iTunes Store to be able to get some additional applications for it (which is next to impossible in Poland). But still, i believe that its simplicity will be its key feature and will turn people towards touch-operated computers, if they need stuff like cameras, GPS, HDMI on their tablets. But this is essentially not a computer. Have a nice weekend! Adam
A screenshot from a Polish news website with embedded advert for an auctioning service. PSP Go seems so much more tempting now that it has App Store ;)
Today after reading some things here and there on the Internet totally bashing the iPad (I guess it's a good dollar these days, just like pseudoecology bullshit in the form of tungsten-free CFL lightbulbs which maybe less power-hungry but contain mercury and caused China to reopen their mercury mines - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211261.ece ), I was thinking - what will I use the iPad for, how will I use it, what do I need it for?
To be honest - I don't know yet. But i wanted to pinpoint a few things that I could find useful if the iPad was available tomorrow. 1) iWork Touch The funny name i just came up with, but it is a very nice and portable work platform. I don't do a lot of work in word processors now, but Keynote and Numbers could be used right away, without the need for the bulkiness of a laptop. 2) Hypothetical iLife for the iPad. Just imagine iLife being transferred to the iPad and multi-touch-enabled. Now this is more fun than iWork and we know it. Multi-touch Garage Band - how cool is that? With several instruments simulated on this great touchscreen? Amazing! If you can connect a camera or plug in the SD card (and you can thanks to this forgotten accessory - http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2005/06/ipod_photo_connector_hack.html which is promised to be available for the iPad too) then iPhoto and iMovie in simple versions could be made for the iPad too. 3) Calendar I must use a calendar, a big one where i can note all my tasks, notes etc. A simple iPhone To-Do application won't do. And a physical calendar is heavy and i often forget it. When i saw how Calendar looks like on the iPad my jaw dropped. 4) Notes Now although i don't use word processors much, i do however like to take notes. And many people don't notice one very interesting feature of the iPad - it is the quietest/most comfortable note-taking or email-writing device for meetings/conferences etc. Especially if fitted with this simple sleek folding case (i dont really dig that keyboard thing although it will be useful for many people) -
5) Remote desktop/access to PCs/Macs over the network At my company we have a computer which carries out the surveillance tasks. Sometimes when I'm walking around the premises I would love to view what's up everywhere, even if i'm outside or having lunch or something. Also, I may want to show someone in another part of the premises a look of a certain file in Photoshop or do some small corrections - with iPad's huge screen i could easily navigate to a PC or a Mac and do "remote desktopping". 6) Hypothetical cable or wireless control over cameras If you don't know who is Philip Bloom, you should google him. He's a cinematographer who's best known for enlightening many filmmakers around the world to using HD-video-enabled DSLRs. Now what was the first question Phil asked on Twitter when iPad was released - he asked if he could use it as an external monitor/control for a camera. And by using the iPad Camera Connection accessory or wirelessly, the software is almost ready - http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=38 :) I bet that Canon can be directly interested in providing an iPad specific application to control the camera (eg. timelapse control or just big screen viewing for focusing in LiveView mode). 7) I could sell my iPhone Yes. I don't talk over the phone that much and SMS messages are a thing of the 20th century, plus when I'm at work i have a regular phoneline (don't want customers to call me on my mobile). If i have a 3G-enabled iPad, all the things i normally use the iPhone for are not so great anymore, the screen real estate in the iPhone, although much bigger and nicer than in other phones, is nothing compared to the iPad. Ok, seven is enough for now, out of which 5 are real. Obviously i see many more uses for the iPad right away, but these are my personal and the most basic ones. Cheers Adam
Hello again, this is a short, abridged repost of something i wrote on my private blog. It was originally entitled "A few thoughts on why iPad is great, really". However, i just would like to cut out a few important bits from there and add some videos to show you how the multi-touch-enabled mobile communications device like the iPhone has brought some amazing possibilities to medicine and science, but that those specific applications can be really appreciated when the iPad comes out and they can be operated on a larger screen and a faster device. Ok, so the iPad has been announced recently and practically everyone on all sorts of forums are expressing their disappointment. Most of them however are either putting forward some totally unrealistic claims or they just didn't read the tech specs carefully enough. Others are just plain dumb creatures with no imagination and should be sent to the moon to dig for water. Seriously though... My only slight disappointment is that the keynote wasn't focused so much on the tremendous importance of this device for the key target customer group of Apple mobile devices. I'm thinking about students. And I mean students of all sorts - from primary school to phd students or even professors. (...) The most frequent complaint that the people have about the iPad is that it is just an oversized iPhone or rather an iPod touch. Well, I couldn't agree more, but i don't think it's a bug ;) It is truly a feature! People sometimes forget how revolutionary was the iPhone and its sibling, the iPod touch. (...) It's the platform that really matters - a device with a mind-bogglingly good multi-touch interface. The most natural way of interacting with devices - just by touching them. There are no limits put on developers or users by the daunting presence of physical buttons. Physical buttons are so twentieth century. Instead you are getting a huge screen, which is more important than those buttons that you really don't use that much in mobile devices when you browse the web or flick thru emails or photos. So now we have a bigger iPod touch. No big deal you might say. But there is something i read recently that is extremely important about this device. Alan Kay, an inventor that is said to be responsible for creating the concept of mobile learning, reportedly told Steve Jobs once "make the iPhone 5 by 8 inches and you'll rule the world". And actually, i couldn't agree more. The multi-touch interface with a screen of that size, combined with applications written by developers from all over the globe, from so many different branches of industry, science or entertainment… This gives way to amazing opportunities. I mentioned some great apps and accessories for the iPhone and the iPod touch that are already available. Being still a phd student i'm especially interested in using the iPad for learning, teaching and for science itself. All students now have laptops or netbooks. When i started my studies 10 years ago, many of us didn't even have a mobile phone. Then when we were finishing our studies, traveling for students exchange programs, some of us had laptops. Those were big and expensive devices, but they boosted our possibilities as students, our mobility and access to knowledge. Right now, in just another 5 years, all students start their education with a mobile phone in their pocket and a laptop in front of them. Paper is gone, heavy books are gone. Reports are being generated digitally and sent via email, no printing is involved. Even photocopies are a bit of an awkward thing, when basically everything is online. Enter iPad. The students before now had a small choice - either a laptop which is either a silly netbook with cramped keyboard but it is light and small or a bigger laptop which does everything but is big and heavy. Now they have a device that has WiFi and show me a university without WiFi access and i'll file and official complaint. So, right from the moment they pick up the iPad they have everything they need to browse the internet for inform ation, produce written reports and make presentations on the fly, check/send email and in between classes they can watch youtube or movies or listen to music or play games. That is all they can do on their own. Just a few examples of apps that the students can use on their own right now on their iPhones/iPods (so imagine how much richer and easier to use they can be on the iPad): Obviously the universities can do their part by preparing digital textbooks, tests, quizzes, internal or limited-access websites prepared for specific courses. But that will work on any laptop too. But now imagine what happens to students when their universities and school realize the power that is in that device. Apple has always been kind to students and educational institutions, so i think that the purchase of a number of such devices can be very easy and not so expensive. If they can prepare iPad specific applications that will support education within a specific branch or set of courses - this can really reinvent the way students acquire knowledge. Here is the iStanford app: There are already apps in the App Store that are aimed at students - for example I remember a keynote that included someone presenting anatomy atlas on the iPhone (link below). This is great both for learning stuff by heart, reviewing or just for referencing. Same holds for apps that can connect with other devices in the classroom via wifi or bluetooth and become wireless, remote interfaces. There are a lot of apps that aid learning, that enable learning to go mobile. There are apps that utilize the amazing multi-touch interface to enhance interaction with certain objects. Imagine learning physics using a big multi-touch interface. How much more fun can it suddenly become? Check out the first part of this video, the second part of will take you directly to the topic of the next paragraph: But let's forget students now. Or let's think about medical students after graduation ;) Doctors. The iPad is such a dream device for a doctor. Small and light enough to carry around but big enough screen to see a lot of information. Access to a patient database using the iPad's wifi connection can enable easy flicking through medical documentation, results of blood tests, Xray/CT/MR scans etc. Additionally, think about diagnostics when you have a clear presentation of live data from sensors mounted on patients or next to their beds. This is not a fairy tale. This is what we currently have, just packaged into this amazing device with such an easy access to all information. It's obviously great for businesses too. Carrying small devices that you can take notes with, check email on the go, wherever you are… all the things you do with the iPhone, but just better and bigger. And with VoIP enabled on the iPad and a bluetooth headset, it's basically a phone too. The iPad is here, or will be here soon. And within a year we are bound to see a plethora of apps and accessories that will transform this seemingly simple and modest device into a revolutionary device that it really is. Of course it could be a little cheaper but in all honesty - the basic iPad for $499 is not so bad, plus i bet that there will be special offers for students or educational institutions who will be able to buy iPads in bulk for a lower price. Cheers, Adam
for those who don't know me - i'm 30, i'm from Lodz, Poland, i'm a PhD student (which means researcher / teacher) in the Medical Electronics Division at the Technical University of Lodz. One of the key areas of research in our division are new forms of human-computer interfaces. This should give you a bit of perspective before we move on to the topic of this blog. There is a lot of talk these days about the new Apple product, the iPad. And it is a blog about this device, but from a slightly different perspective. The iPad seems to be getting a lot of bad press in spite of excellent marketing. On the other hand, i personally don't agree with most of the bad press, but i also don't agree with most of the marketing, as it focuses on web, email, photos and movies, and it doesn't really say anything about one great fact: iPad is the largest affordable multi-touch computer. The importance of that fact is diminished, but it is a proof of a change that is happening in the way we interact with computers. The fundamental difference is that we drop the weird physical devices we had to learn to use, like mouse and keyboard, and we can finally interact with the computer in the most humanly way possible - by touch. Why is it so important? The OmniGroup, creators of great software for the iPhone have recently said it just right on their blog: "Remember how Macintosh was intended to be the computer "for the rest of us"? That's what we feel Apple's iPad is: the best computing device for most of the things people use computers for. (...) It's the computer people can sit down and start using immediately, without training, whether they're 2 or 92." Touch is something we know from the moment we are born. And actually - it is multi-touch that we know, not some stiff-index-finger single-touch that has been proposed by several other companies in the last few years. And now i want to remind you about a video that has been shot before Apple released the iPhone and before Microsoft released Surface. It's Jeff Han of the NYU presenting what can be done with a large multi-touch screen. Another video is from a company Jeff Han created as a spin-off from NYU just to create really large multi-touch screens which have been since used for TV, education, design etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKh1Rv0PlOQ - just listen to the first sentence he utters: "I really think this is going to change the way we interact with computers from this point on." And it was in 2006! Before the iPhone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGDNFpOMcA - cool tricks with the Perceptive Pixel interface. So there, first blog post, i hope it caught your attention for now. More interesting stuff and not-so-well-known facts coming soon. Cheers, Adam
