Occasionally, at the library I attempt to help older people whose careers never put them in front of desktop computers. There’s a lot of abstractions connected with computers they simply can’t understand, much like many of us would be lost if we were to suddenly find ourselves on an 18th century farm. They’re one of the groups that’s likely to be delighted by iPads.
The trend that’s led to the iPad has been going on for about ten years. With applications such as iTunes and iPhoto, Apple began to develop applications that didn’t require people to either understand or spend the time klutzing with traditional computer concepts. Where are your iTunes music and iPhoto files stored? If you’re like me, you don’t know and don’t care. Both apps provide a superior way of dealing with music and photos than looking for files scattered through dozens of folders. They make it easy to find/play/see, which is all you really want to do.
The iPhone has carried that concept even further. With but a few exceptions, apps only know about the files they work with–you can’t even make them look at other apps files because the iPhone UI is almost devoid of ideas like folders. And yet at the same time, every app that needs to do so can interact almost effortlessly with certain key apps. Need to send someone a picture you’ve just taken? Your photo app knows how to get an email address from the Address Book and send it through the Mail app. No fumbling around with dragging files hither and thither and opening other apps. Equally helpful, apps when closed can retain their former status down to the finest detail. Each evening after going to bed, I’m reading Riddle of the Sands. When I touch Stanza, an easy to spot icon on one of four screens, it goes to that book and the page I was last reading. It could hardly be easier.
Similarly, when I update apps in iTunes, I only need click a few buttons and the OS handles all the details, with every app update being the same. No fussing with any of a dozen schemes for app upgrading and installing. And little or no worrying about security issues. The app store does the screening for me.
I’m not saying that something isn’t lost in all this. It’s certainly less versatile. But for older people who didn’t learn computers, for younger children who’ve yet to develop the mental skills, and for those creative or busy types who don’t want to clutter their minds with details like, “Now where did I put that document?” the iPad is likely to be a delight.
What I’m less certain about is just how important the greater portability of the iPad over a laptop will prove to me and others. When I write at the University of Washington, I see a lot of students using netbooks because they’re less trouble to lug around campus. They may find an iPad a better idea, particularly if it can substitute for several of their textbooks too.
Whether that portability will matter to non-students is still uncertain. For me the iPad remains something I can’t put in my pocket like my iPod touch, so it can’t be with me all the time. I have to carry it in a bag and a bag is something I have to remember to keep with me. And my writing tends to be of the “Now I will go to X and write book Y” sort. If I’m doing that, the difference between packing a MacBook and packing an iPad isn’t that important. But some writers and people in kindred fields whose creativity comes in flashes while they’re on the go, may prefer an iPad over a MacBook. An iPad is about the size of a larger format but not very thick trade paperback. It can travel with quite a bit of other ‘stuff.’ A MacBook tends to takeover any bag it is placed in, particularly if accessories like a mouse and power supply are included.
Finally, we should never forget that sitting at a desk looking at a large vertical screen isn’t a particularly natural state, however much our jobs may force it on us. Reading, watching videos, browsing the web, and writing short answers to emails will go much better sitting in something comfortable with an iPad in our lap.
Want proof? If the typical computer viewing format is such a good idea, why didn’t we build gadgets that’d let us read books, magazines and newspapers held up in frames in front of us? Why did we adopt the practice of sitting in soft, comfortable chairs, placing what we’re reading in front of us either on a table or in our laps? With the iPad and the Kindle, we’re merely returning to what we’ve been doing for centuries. And if sitting at a desk in a straight-backed chair staring at a fixed distance straight ahead is so great, how come we don’t do it at any other time? Why do we call that “work” with a groan?
I readily admit that the iPad will be far from the most powerful and versatile computer. There will always be things it won’t be able to do or do well. But it is likely to prove the most comfortable to use, and there’s something to be said for comfort.
–Michael W. Perry, Seattle
I remain sceptical.