Just got one of the best shipping notices ever. Both the 16 and 32 GB iPads I pre-ordered shipped today … it still says “by April 3, 2010” but they are at least on their way. Could they get here early? Did I mention I am excited?
iPad
Yep
I pre-ordered a 32 GB wifi iPad, a standard dock, and a VGA adaptor. I thought I’d share the results of my totally unofficial quick Twitter poll from the other day where I got (a whopping) 32 responses … eight have have pre-ordered iPads with six of those being wifi only. Another eight said they would be buying an iPad with half going for the wifi only. Seven aren’t at all interested in buying an iPad. We shall see.
Yep
I pre-ordered a 32 GB wifi iPad, a standard dock, and a VGA adaptor. I thought I’d share the results of my totally unofficial quick Twitter poll from the other day where I got (a whopping) 32 responses … eight have have pre-ordered iPads with six of those being wifi only. Another eight said they would be buying an iPad with half going for the wifi only. Seven aren’t at all interested in buying an iPad. We shall see.
1Password and iPad
I hope it comes as no surprise that we're planning, plotting, and otherwise scheming to bring 1Password to the iPad in a big way. But if you are surprised, well… surprise! I hope it's good news, because we're really excited about our progress. So excited, in fact, that we feel like sharing some of our design concepts with you.
I am hoping one can also use the bookmarklet in mobile safari on the iPad to fill usernames and passwords while in the middle of browsing workflow. The thing about this post is that it shows off how developers can rethink their applications so they actually fit the iPad … it has me even more interested to see what people come up with fo this unreleased device.
Opportunity Cost
But it's almost as shocking that the Times Company is having a discussion over this question at all. Really? You're going to ruin this little gift from Steve Jobs? You're still not sure if you're ready to commit to this internet thing? Sigh.
via gawker.com
I have to say that if the newspaper people blow this opportunity I believe they'll look back in a few years and wonder what happened to their business. In a lot of ways it parallels so many of the conversations we hear in higher education around the adoption of new technology and teaching practices — behind it all is a fear that holds people back from taking the right risks. I get there are millions of dollars at stake with the iPad and potentially new subscription models, but at some point someone has to take the step and see what happens … I wonder if anyone is ready to make that leap?
ThinkPad
Did the naming of the ThinkPad create as many giggles as the Apple iPad name? That just dawned on me.
Mule Design Studio’s Blog: The Failure of Empathy
I went back for a second helping of Avatar this Sunday. There’s a scene early on in the movie where one of the scientists walks across the lab carrying the “mobile computer slab of the future.†We’ve seen one of these in almost every sci-fi movie of the last 50 years. It comes free with a jetpack, I suppose. Except this time, one month later, my 12 year old son turns to me and whispers “Look Dad, it’s an iPad.â€
When I saw Avatar with my friend and colleague, Scott McDonald, the iPad hadn't been announced yet but we both looked at each other and had an unspoken, "that's what the iPad is going to be like" moment. I think, like Gruber noted in his post that, "Mike Monteiro gets it."
Real Life Social
The iPad is real-life social in a way that a phone and a laptop just aren't. You really can just hand it to someone to show them what you mean: share photos, videos, writing with real people right next to you. I can see using it to learn with a child, share pictures with my mother, discuss house remodeling, and many other tasks normally done with paper.
In the office, the iPad offers a middle-ground I've found lacking in electronic devices. Bringing my laptop into meetings puts up a screen between me and others, is a hassle to unplug and carry around, and can be personally distracting. Taking my iPhone to make notes makes people think I'm bored of the meeting and sending text messages to friends instead. So normally I choose paper, and tend to lose my notes afterwards.
The iPad is a device that will find fans not only in a family setting, but in a creative setting where collaboration and comment is in person. Criticized for not being open because of digital rights management, the iPad is actually very open, in the sense that it erects few physical barriers to sharing.
I like the idea of "real life social," but I depend so much on the web for much of my social networks. I am really lucky that I do work in a place that I like the people I am with and that it is relatively open and social. I wonder how it plays out in a situation like what @Robin2Go wrote about yesterday? We are living in such splintered social times. All of these conversations are really interesting to me.
I do like the idea Edd mentions in that second paragraph … laptops and cell phones in meetings have not only become the norm, but a huge crutch. With an iPad I wonder if we'll see the birth of shorter standing meetings — where we can get together with our devices and never even have to sit down — just get to business and show each other our ideas. I have no idea, but not having my colleagues hiding behind screens may be an interesting change brought about by devices like iPad.