iPad review: Information wants to be free

Apple's iPad is all about social freedom and information on the run

“Information wants to be free,” said Steward Brandt, famously, in 1984. I believe that the Apple iPad is one huge leap forward in this respect (not free as in gratis but free as in freedom). As most people know, iPad availability in Europe has been delayed, but thanks to a friendly customer of mine I finally managed to get my hands on one to try it out, and I think I’ve understood most of what this device is all about. You can read my quick review here, but here’s the most important part (and hang on – this part does get a bit philosophical):

So what’s the essence of the iPad? I believe the best analogy is this: The iPad is to the Information Society 2.0 much what the mobile phone was to telephony. The iPad is the quintessential mobile information device that you can take with you or use whether you slouch around your house, visit your friends, or run around chasing business. Its essence is not only personal freedom but social freedom – the iPad is also very much about sharing information on the go.

If you argue that you can do the same with a laptop, you’re not really into what the iPad does (try it out for a while and you’ll quickly find out) because the iPad stands alone in a universal usage space of its own creation. The iPad is comfortable to use nearly everywhere and in any situation, while laptop usage space is similar, but still something clearly more restrictive. If you argue that you can do the same with a smart phone, then you’re closer to the truth, but smart phones are limited by their screen size (to work as phones they can’t be longer than the distance from your ear to your mouth). I believe that Apple have hit the nail right on the head: The iPad sets interactive information free, just like the mobile phone set telephony free. That’s the real genius of it. The rest is details – and I’m sure Apple will sort those out too.

An iPhone on steroids

The iPad is very much an iPhone on steroids, so if you liked the iPhone, chances are you’re going to love the iPad. Interacting with the iPad touch-screen feels simple and natural, and this is part of the essence of this device, as it was with the iPhone. The layout of buttons – there aren’t many of them - is nearly exactly the same as the iPhone, and the operating system feels like kind of a mix of OSX (as on my MacBook Pro) and that of the iPhone, so no big surprises there. It is as intuitive as all Apple operating systems, and should be easy to use for anyone. That’s also what Apple still does better than anyone else out there: Adapting computers to human beings. A lot of others still got it the wrong way around.

The pinching and moving commands work exceptionally well, and are lightning fast to the touch, which is a big plus for this device. Video clips and photos look great and load quickly. You could comfortably watch a feature film on this device. The iPad may not do multi-tasking, but it’s “tasking” is top notch.

A social computing device extraordinaire

The iPad will flip the image over very quickly depending on how you orient the unit. Sometimes this is unpractical, so the clever folks at Apple put in a neat little screen lock toggle switch on the side. It’s simple, and exactly what you need when you pass the iPad around for people to see your pictures and presentations. This is another important part of the essential nature of the iPad – it’s very much a social device – a portable screen for showing friends, schoolmates or business partners your latest ideas, photos, and what have you. This is the 2.0-way of passing a photo album or magazine around. Spot on, Steve Jobs. You can also connect the iPad to a projector to do business presentations or show photos on your flat screen TV – personally I’m looking forward to the projector part.

The reader holds the key

Unfortunately the iPad I got my hands on did not have a reader app as such, but I have no doubt that this will be a killer. I’m probably one of the few people in the world who has read all of “Robinson Crusoe” on my iPhone (yes, amazing but true, this was indeed quite possible and not even uncomfortable using the “Classics” book app from iTunes).

As a journalist and consumer of vast amounts of literature – professional or otherwise – I would love to make the iPad my number one repository for “printed” matter. That does not mean I’m going to throw out my books or tear down my bookshelf. It just means ready access to a lot of essential written material while I’m on the road – and that’s worth a lot to me. On the negative side I am not totally convinced that it will be fast and easy to load documents. Without a USB-port on the unit, you either have to use the Apple sync cable (same as for the iPhone) or, if this is allowed, a WiFi connection. Here the devil is in the detail, and as I’ve not tried it, I will have to suspend judgement. No doubt the folks in Cupertino have some clever solution in mind.

Touch-screen keyboard that works

I was also happy to see the relatively big touch-screen keyboard. It is - at least for me – nearly as quick to use as a regular keyboard, and that is a huge plus (I’ve never been quite comfortable with the iPhone keyboard, which I think is to small). A well functioning touch-screen keyboard means that the iPad will comfortably replace my MacBook at least for shorter periods of time and if I’m not doing any super heavy work on it, and – let’s face it – the iPad is both a lot sexier and a lot easier to carry around in a small backpack or case. Nothing would suit me better than being able to carry most of my computing essentials in this neat package. As a reporter on assignment the iPad may indeed work quite well even when you need to enter a longer story via the touch keyboard.

To Skype or not to Skype?

A lot of the future success of the iPad will depend on the attractiveness of the apps, but I have every reason to believe that Apple & Co. will deliver the goods also on this front. Also, apps for the iPad are likely to be a lot more interesting because of the bigger screen and the super smooth operation of touch-screen commands, like flipping and turning images.

The iPad does not have camera, but it does have a microphone, which means that you should be able to Skype from it. Sadly, I could not get this to work – as I understand it, the Skype-out (calling regular phone numbers) will work, but it appears that computer-to-computer voice Skyping has been barred (this is unconfirmed, so if anyone has more information, please pass it on). If someone invented a suction-cup handle to stick onto the back of the iPad, you could probably hold it to your ear like a gigantic iPhone (just watch – someone is actually going to do produce something like that) and make a successful call. The tiny built-in speakers provide quite a good level of sound.

Do we need 3G connectivity?

The WiFi connectivity works smoothly as expected, and (should I really say admit to this as a mobile network consultant?) I’m not so sure that 3G mobile will add a great deal of value. I suppose in the end the value will depend on your usage pattern. I find that I’m nearly always around some WiFi hotspot anyway, so unless you expect to use your iPad in the woods or on the beach, I don’t see a big need for 3G. Sadly, 3G data coverage is usually bad in those places anyway. Others swear to the convenience of 3G data services, so don’t take my word for it. The two wireless technologies might eventually work very well together once the industry decides to use WiFi offload and IPv6 – then we can finally stop caring about what network we’re using as everything will be seamless [read more about this here].

Date: 21-04-2010

Author: Claus Hetting

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