So, the iPad has been released... about 10 years after the first tablet computing systems were but Apple's version is supposed to be the 'game-changer'?
Microsoft and other computing companies have been playing around with tablet technology for years. I remember my first year of University - A young me steps out from high school where computers were simply beige boxes, covered in dust running on networks that never seem to be working to looking at 4th year architecture students sitting in lectures using their little stylus on things that look, well, pretty much like the 'revolutionary' iPad.
Now, having not read *any* of the media what so ever on the iPad, I had a quick discussion in the studio that seems to have lead to a few questions, the main one of course is:
What is it for?
Well, considering I can do all my calendaring, email, internet access and design work on my laptop, it can't be for any of those things. I can make calls, access a very small portion of the internet, play heaps of time-wasting games and look up train timetables on my mobile - so those functions are out for the iPad. Hmmm, so it leaves me with this in between space; an object that doesn't fit comfortably in my bag like a phone would, something where I still need my laptop to do 'serious' tasks, but... and here's the clincher, if I did get an iPad I'd have a shiny new screen that's slightly bigger than all those wimpy iPhone users... okay, a shot at iPhone users I know, but it really does beg the question, where does this new release from Apple sit in terms of functionality?
Some of course have mentioned that it will take on the kindle - the eReader; well, the harsh reality of information digestion is that the human race is responsive to the texture of paper, the weight of pages bound together in pretty covers. As I've been making my way through Emigre No. 70 (funnily enough, a book) looking at graphic design through the mid 80s, a time in which computers only just begun their foray in to graphic design, I stumbled across a quote which read something like;
"Print will never die, people aren't buying just the information, they're buying a one on one relationship with an author, an experience. When you're reading a book there's something personal about it, like this person is just writing only to you." (I'll get a more accurate quote up soon)
Now, I don't have statistics on the uptake of Kindle in the US or Australia for that matter but despite Oprah's brand alignment with the product, the fact is that people still enjoy books - you know, those things with paper pages, all bound neatly together? Those tactile items that can take on an infinite amount of looks, weights, paper-stocks etc, those attractive objects that don't require a $70/month subscription to a large telecom to be able to interact with, get a source of information from or be entertained by a story within. The thing with books is that you know that if you make the $20 purchase for it, they'll sit on your shelf until the day you die, always ready for a re-read - as good as it was when you were 20 years old or 70 years old. Can the same be said for eReaders?
Sure, it may seem weird that an interaction designer - a guy who makes his living in the digital world, is touting the good points of books but the books aren't the issue; it's a simple matter of design, breaking it down to form and function; and I'm not sure whether the iPad is actually bringing any new function to the digital space. Form? Yes, no doubt there; and kudos to the Apple brand - all of their machines look fantastic. But it needs to go beyond that, there needs to be something more.
The longer I spend as an interaction designer the more I see that interaction design is bigger than just a computer and a web browser; it's the way humans use objects and more importantly, the emotional engagement they have with an object or experience, whether they're digital or not. At this point, the humble book seems to have it right; there's hundreds of years of data to suggest that people simply like books. Companies like Amazon wouldn't exist if that wasn't the case. Have their sales decreased since the advent of the eReader? If you haven't found a way of improving the functionality, form or pure emotional connection of the interaction between a human and the printed page; then all you're left with is a marketing campaign for an object that doesn't quite fit yet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the iPad is completely useless here. The marketing and product availability of the iPad will indeed create some ripples in the digital world. I strongly believe that gone are the days of single touch intefaces and mobile computing is definitely the way of the future. I'm glad we have companies like Apple who focus on the aesthetics of the machine as well as the user experience, and, I'm sure the interaction design in a user interface/operating system sense is great - but is it better at helping perform the tasks we would normally do on a laptop, mobile or with a book? Well, we'll just have to wait until March (it's release date in Australia), to see.
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