I don't have much to add to the deluge of memories, tributes, slights, and commentary unleashed by the untimely passing of Steve Jobs this past week. But I did have opportunity last year to take part in one of those product-debut extravaganzes that Jobs excelled in arranging.
When Jobs announced the iPad, I was underwhelmed. Computer manufacturers had been trying to sell tablet computers since the early '80's, when Radio Shack sold its TRS-80 laptop as a tablet. Now Apple was going to be selling what appeared to be an iPod touch with an overactive pituitary gland. I had a laptop, a netbook, and an iPod Nano, not to mention a Nook ereader. I did not need an iPad.
Yet as I heard more about this device, I became convinced that it could help me in my work. I was most impressed by the prognostications of how the device could handle large pdf documents, such as the transcripts I often used in my legal work. I decided to use the honorarium from one of my legal writing projects to buy the base model of the iPad.
I therefore reserved one of the iPads for purchase. And although I could have had the device delivered to me at home, I decided to reserve it for pickup at the Apple Store in Century City. Why not take advantage of some hands-on assistance with the iPad, if I needed it.
And then I decided, since the launch was on a Saturday, why not bicycle over to Century City and be there when the store opened? I was not falling victim to marketing, I convinced myself. It was only practical. If I got there early, I could pick up my iPad and have the rest of the day to familiarize myself with it.
No, I told myself as I stood in line early one Saturday morning in April 2010, I was not getting swept up in the excitement of the product launch. This was simply the opportunity to get involved in a cultural event.
And then, the doors of the store opened. And I shot the scene on my cellphone (not an iPhone, thank you) video camera:
No, no excitement at all.
Since that day, I've used my iPad for business. And pleasure. And just about everyday.
Jobs excelled in revealing to the world that it absolutely had to have devices it had no idea it needed. Will his successors be able to pull that off? We'll see.
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, June 13, 2010
E-asy Reader
The e-reader/ebook market is going in some interesting directions. The Borders chain is having financial problems, and one of the issues appears to be that it doesn't have an associated e-reading device, as Barnes & Noble does with the Nook. (It does seek the Sony Reader devices in it's stores.). Amazon and Barnes & Noble have expanded the points of sale for their respective devices; while a short time ago you could find them only at the respective stores, now Best Buy carries the Nook and Target carries the Kindle. Meanwhile, the Nook has expanded its functions. It now provides simple games (chess and sudoku), and a bizarre rudimentary web browser that is in black and white except for the small portion in the color touch screen. B & N has also been bribing Nook owners (and others with the B & N reader app) with free book downloads and food goodies at B & N stores.
The main force behind these changes is likely the iPad, on which I'm typing these words. According to Steve Jobs, the iBooks online store now accounts for some 22% of ebook sales -- rather surprising, because the selection in the iBook store is smaller than that on Amazon, and the prices often higher. Both Amazon and B & N have released apps for the iPad that enable folks to read any kind of ebook, whatever the seller, on the iPad. I'm quite impressed with the B & N reader app, which allows readers to select not only the font but also the margins of their books; see large-sized color covers; look up words on Google and Wikipedia; and share books between the Nook and iPad, as well as lend them to others with the app.
One of the biggest advantages of the iPad is color. Books with color photos show up in color on the iPad. So far, few graphic novels have appeared to exploit this capability. (Some manga creators and other GN publishers have also created standalone apps for the iPad that contain a single GN, along with special effects such as multilingual settings.). And magazines and newspapers look far better on the iPad than on other ereaders.
I'm not ready to ditch my Nook. It's still lighter and more portable than the iPad; has a longer battery life; and is easier to read for an extended period. But I'm interested to see where the ebook market goes -- especially when other tablet computers with features similar to the iPad begin to compete.
The main force behind these changes is likely the iPad, on which I'm typing these words. According to Steve Jobs, the iBooks online store now accounts for some 22% of ebook sales -- rather surprising, because the selection in the iBook store is smaller than that on Amazon, and the prices often higher. Both Amazon and B & N have released apps for the iPad that enable folks to read any kind of ebook, whatever the seller, on the iPad. I'm quite impressed with the B & N reader app, which allows readers to select not only the font but also the margins of their books; see large-sized color covers; look up words on Google and Wikipedia; and share books between the Nook and iPad, as well as lend them to others with the app.
One of the biggest advantages of the iPad is color. Books with color photos show up in color on the iPad. So far, few graphic novels have appeared to exploit this capability. (Some manga creators and other GN publishers have also created standalone apps for the iPad that contain a single GN, along with special effects such as multilingual settings.). And magazines and newspapers look far better on the iPad than on other ereaders.
I'm not ready to ditch my Nook. It's still lighter and more portable than the iPad; has a longer battery life; and is easier to read for an extended period. But I'm interested to see where the ebook market goes -- especially when other tablet computers with features similar to the iPad begin to compete.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A week with my iPad
As promised, here are some thoughts on the iPad I bought last week (on which I'm writing this very post, using the onscreen keyboard).
Positives: The screen is gorgeous. Pictures and (non-flash) video are delightful on it. It's particularly useful for streaming video, such as the anime simulcasts on Crunchyroll using the Crunchyroll app (I hope the iPad optimized version of the app comes out soon) and ABC shows (again, using the ABC app).
Negatives: It won't replace a laptop or net book for creating content. The onscreen keyboard is nice and large, but still doesn't replace a physical one-- especially when you have to switch keyboards to pull up numbers or symbols, and when the device limits the keys available (such as when I type in the web browser window, and the device won't give me a spec bar). The limited multitasking and the Balkanization of the apps are also limiting -- each app has a different method for transferring data to and from the iPad and there's no guarantee that stuff pulled in through one app will be available for other apps. It's not as useful for book reading as my Nook; the Nook is lighter, easier to work while handheld, and has that e-ink display that can be read for a longer duration.
Overall, I'm happy with the iPad, and excited to see what app developers will come up with for this new platform.
Positives: The screen is gorgeous. Pictures and (non-flash) video are delightful on it. It's particularly useful for streaming video, such as the anime simulcasts on Crunchyroll using the Crunchyroll app (I hope the iPad optimized version of the app comes out soon) and ABC shows (again, using the ABC app).
Negatives: It won't replace a laptop or net book for creating content. The onscreen keyboard is nice and large, but still doesn't replace a physical one-- especially when you have to switch keyboards to pull up numbers or symbols, and when the device limits the keys available (such as when I type in the web browser window, and the device won't give me a spec bar). The limited multitasking and the Balkanization of the apps are also limiting -- each app has a different method for transferring data to and from the iPad and there's no guarantee that stuff pulled in through one app will be available for other apps. It's not as useful for book reading as my Nook; the Nook is lighter, easier to work while handheld, and has that e-ink display that can be read for a longer duration.
Overall, I'm happy with the iPad, and excited to see what app developers will come up with for this new platform.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
My iPad Adventure
As I mentioned in a previous post, when iPads became available for reservation at Apple stores, I reserved one at the Century City Apple Store. The e-mail informed me that I had to pick it up between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. With the media whipping itself into a frenzy about the device, I decided to show up early if I woke up early Saturday morning. I did, and I did. I bicycled over and showed up at Century City around 7:15 a.m.
I headed to the Apple store, where an employee promptly showed up and informed me and the two other folks waiting outside that the actual line was elsewhere. She led us to the line, which was actually all the way across the shopping center plaza from the Apple store -- just west of the pedestrian bridge over Avenue of the Stars. She divided the people there into reserved and non-reserved lines. We in the reserved line had the advantage of a concrete curb (albeit a cold one) to sit on.
Almost immediately, there was a ruckus. Apparently a gentleman in a black sport coat took his place at the front of the unreserved line. Folks at the front of the reserved line stated that they had been there since 6:30 a.m., and this fellow was not there before those just behind him. I didn't listen to all that went on, but he purportedly said something to the effect of what are you going to do about it. The security guard who was present looked disinclined to step in unless blows were thrown, which seemed likely in light of the insults hurled by sleep-deprived, excited Apple fans. Eventually the man relented and went to the back of the line -- a mere seven people back.
A little after 8 a.m., Apple employees hauled out a table and some airpots with coffee, along with condiments, and invited line-folks to indulge. One fellow promptly filled his thermal mug, which earned him an admonishment from an employee.
During the wait, I read the novel BONESHAKER on my Nook. I had prepared myself for catcalls from the Apple faithful for bringing another tablet device to an iPad event. I had nothing to fear. The woman behind me was reading from her Kindle.
As we waited, a man and woman in front of me pulled out a stack of postcards and began distributing them to the crowd. The cards advertised a note-taking app to be released in the future for the iPad. Another fellow in line, who ran a tech blog, interviewed the app developer. Using postcards to advertise electronic apps seemed so, well, 20th Century.
As the 9 a.m. store opening neared, store employees stated they would take the reserved line up in groups of 10. At around 9:45, they would start admitting those in the non-reserved line. They said they had only a few non-reserved iPads, but would be getting a new shipment in mid-day.
I was #9 in line, so I ended up in the first group to be taken to the store. They marched us over. Several group members were taking videos with their iPhones as we walked. The employee charged with our group parked us in front of the store. The store windows, formerly blacked out, were now filled with demo iPads on pedestals, their displays spinning. As we waited, several people tried to join the back of our line; we had to gently tell them that the actual line was far to the east of us.
I joined the folks taking videos -- except that I was using a Droid. Once again, the feared catcalls failed to materialize.
As we waited, employees brought out a selection of cases, from Apple and third-party vendors. We passed these from hand to hand; the poor woman behind me ended up holding a stack of them, which she dutifully passed back to the employee.
Then, we were let in. (The Blogger version of this post has a video of our entrance, which I also posted on Facebook yesterday.)
.
They let us past a rope one by one. An employee found my name on the reserved list, and pressed me to order accessories. I picked an Apple-made flat case, and a VGA adaptor. She then handed me my iPad, and another employee set it up on an instore computer. The employees directed me to download the iBook app, which is free but for some reason isn't included on the device. I then became the guinea pig for a trainer who was giving iPad tours; he sat me down while he gave his Keynote presentation on the device (complete with canned notes he was reading for the first time). As he talked, I heard repeated rounds of applause for each group of ten customers. The applause was getting less and less enthusiastic as the employees' initial glee started wearing off.
Once I was out of the store, I felt a creeping sense of paranoia about my new acquisition -- and the possibility that an iPad-crazed shopper might swipe it. I stuck it in my backpack and biked home.
How do I like the iPad? Well, I've been using it since yesterday, and I'd like to use it a bit more before I give my opinion. My preliminary take: It's fantastic for consumption; not as useful for creation. After all, I'm typing this on my desktop computer.
I headed to the Apple store, where an employee promptly showed up and informed me and the two other folks waiting outside that the actual line was elsewhere. She led us to the line, which was actually all the way across the shopping center plaza from the Apple store -- just west of the pedestrian bridge over Avenue of the Stars. She divided the people there into reserved and non-reserved lines. We in the reserved line had the advantage of a concrete curb (albeit a cold one) to sit on.
Almost immediately, there was a ruckus. Apparently a gentleman in a black sport coat took his place at the front of the unreserved line. Folks at the front of the reserved line stated that they had been there since 6:30 a.m., and this fellow was not there before those just behind him. I didn't listen to all that went on, but he purportedly said something to the effect of what are you going to do about it. The security guard who was present looked disinclined to step in unless blows were thrown, which seemed likely in light of the insults hurled by sleep-deprived, excited Apple fans. Eventually the man relented and went to the back of the line -- a mere seven people back.
A little after 8 a.m., Apple employees hauled out a table and some airpots with coffee, along with condiments, and invited line-folks to indulge. One fellow promptly filled his thermal mug, which earned him an admonishment from an employee.
During the wait, I read the novel BONESHAKER on my Nook. I had prepared myself for catcalls from the Apple faithful for bringing another tablet device to an iPad event. I had nothing to fear. The woman behind me was reading from her Kindle.
As we waited, a man and woman in front of me pulled out a stack of postcards and began distributing them to the crowd. The cards advertised a note-taking app to be released in the future for the iPad. Another fellow in line, who ran a tech blog, interviewed the app developer. Using postcards to advertise electronic apps seemed so, well, 20th Century.
As the 9 a.m. store opening neared, store employees stated they would take the reserved line up in groups of 10. At around 9:45, they would start admitting those in the non-reserved line. They said they had only a few non-reserved iPads, but would be getting a new shipment in mid-day.
I was #9 in line, so I ended up in the first group to be taken to the store. They marched us over. Several group members were taking videos with their iPhones as we walked. The employee charged with our group parked us in front of the store. The store windows, formerly blacked out, were now filled with demo iPads on pedestals, their displays spinning. As we waited, several people tried to join the back of our line; we had to gently tell them that the actual line was far to the east of us.
I joined the folks taking videos -- except that I was using a Droid. Once again, the feared catcalls failed to materialize.
As we waited, employees brought out a selection of cases, from Apple and third-party vendors. We passed these from hand to hand; the poor woman behind me ended up holding a stack of them, which she dutifully passed back to the employee.
Then, we were let in. (The Blogger version of this post has a video of our entrance, which I also posted on Facebook yesterday.)
.
They let us past a rope one by one. An employee found my name on the reserved list, and pressed me to order accessories. I picked an Apple-made flat case, and a VGA adaptor. She then handed me my iPad, and another employee set it up on an instore computer. The employees directed me to download the iBook app, which is free but for some reason isn't included on the device. I then became the guinea pig for a trainer who was giving iPad tours; he sat me down while he gave his Keynote presentation on the device (complete with canned notes he was reading for the first time). As he talked, I heard repeated rounds of applause for each group of ten customers. The applause was getting less and less enthusiastic as the employees' initial glee started wearing off.
Once I was out of the store, I felt a creeping sense of paranoia about my new acquisition -- and the possibility that an iPad-crazed shopper might swipe it. I stuck it in my backpack and biked home.
How do I like the iPad? Well, I've been using it since yesterday, and I'd like to use it a bit more before I give my opinion. My preliminary take: It's fantastic for consumption; not as useful for creation. After all, I'm typing this on my desktop computer.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
iPad, You Pad, We All Pad . . .
Ok, so I've become a slave to trendiness, and I've reserved an iPad for pickup April 3 at my local Apple store. I'm convincing myself that it's less of a commitment than actually buying one online; after all, I can simply not show up before 3 pm that day, and my reserved iPad will be thrown to the general population. And I did reserve the cheapest model, the 16 gig wi-fi-only model, which is all I think I'll need for it.
I do have a rationale. I'm receiving an unexpected honorarium for my work on the law book I update every year; and I figure I should plow the money into something that will help me in future work. I often have to read piles of documents (court papers, appellate records, cases) for work; and I'd like an easy way to read them when I'm away from my computer. I have a netbook, which is handy for creating documents when I'm on the run; but I need a surface to set it on when I'm using it, so it's not so handy for reading documents in, say, court, or when I'm traveling. I have a Nook, which I initially bought in part because it handles pdf files. But while the Nook is delightful for reading books on, it's proven deficient in handling pdfs, for a variety of reasons: non-searchable pdfs are too small to read; searchable pdfs don't flow right; and ocr'ed pdfs show up as junk characters. Plus, they take a long time to load. I'm hoping the iPad will be more useful for that purpose.
But who am I kidding? I'm buying it not only for that, but because Apple has managed to make it look so darned cool for reading magazines, watching videos, light Net surfing, etc. Just hook me and reel me in.
I do have a rationale. I'm receiving an unexpected honorarium for my work on the law book I update every year; and I figure I should plow the money into something that will help me in future work. I often have to read piles of documents (court papers, appellate records, cases) for work; and I'd like an easy way to read them when I'm away from my computer. I have a netbook, which is handy for creating documents when I'm on the run; but I need a surface to set it on when I'm using it, so it's not so handy for reading documents in, say, court, or when I'm traveling. I have a Nook, which I initially bought in part because it handles pdf files. But while the Nook is delightful for reading books on, it's proven deficient in handling pdfs, for a variety of reasons: non-searchable pdfs are too small to read; searchable pdfs don't flow right; and ocr'ed pdfs show up as junk characters. Plus, they take a long time to load. I'm hoping the iPad will be more useful for that purpose.
But who am I kidding? I'm buying it not only for that, but because Apple has managed to make it look so darned cool for reading magazines, watching videos, light Net surfing, etc. Just hook me and reel me in.
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