GRCP 210 IPad Studies

Monday, April 25, 2011

Should I get the iPad or iPad 2?

After seeing the 1^st generation iPad, I decided to do a little research on the newest iPad. I found that the second generation iPad (the iPad2) that was just released on March 2, 2011 and was said to have many improvements over its predecessor. It now has a much better Dual-Core Apple A5 processor vs. the 1^st generation iPad. Apple is stating that this new processor is twice as fast for CPU operations and up to nine times faster for GPU operations. It also has a bigger battery, weighs less and is about 33% smaller in dimensions than the original iPad. The memory was bumped up from 256 MB to 512 MB, and now has a 720p HD still and a 30fps video camera with a 5x zoom and a new type of environmental sensors. It also has a much steeper price tag.

iPad: 16GB Wi-Fi only model was selling for $299 & the 16GB model for $399.

iPad 2: 16GB Wi-Fi only model was selling for $499 & the WIFI+3G 16GB model $629.

Are the improvements on the iPad 2 worth it? … Should you run out and get the newest biggest thing out in the iPad technology? Well, I guess that would be up to you and how you value the dollar for these types of upgrades. However, for me… I don’t believe it would be worth running out to get one for almost double the price of the original. Especially when they are now talking about the iPad 3! Just think, you run out and get you iPad 2 and pay the extra funds just to find out that the iPad 3 will be release in a few months. As for me, I think I’ll wait for the iPad 3. Keeping up on technology is expensive!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-vs-original-ipad-whats-changed/

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

My 1st visit with the iPad

When I was first told that we would be exploring the iPad device, I was intrigued. I had not used one yet and was curious about all the hype I was hearing on this device. I know its been around for a while ever since Steve Jobs used it to demo a project on stage, and every one was asking “what was that device you used to control this presentation?”

After getting my hands on an iPad I saw that the layout and controls were much like my smart phone (G2). The touch screen and apps were very similar in design with just slight difference. I could see how this would be the way to the future for most customer orientated businesses as it is very portable and programmable with a variety of applications. It’s also much smaller, lighter and thinner than most laptops, which would make it essential for business meetings. It is also great for recreational use, but in my opinion this type of technology would be better suited for the business parameters. However, both sides of the coin (business and personal recreational users) would be well taken care of with one of these devices, especially with the upgraded 3G versions.

One of my favorite recreational apps on the iPad was the Urbanspoon. This app would tell you all the restaurants in the area of your choosing by cost or review. Or you could find them by reviews on a restaurant. You can also download and watch a movie peace. Also the Angry Birds app is pretty fun and addicting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad

http://www.macworld.com/article/147051/2010/03/ipad_details.html

Who really invented the tablet? The reflective power of Apple

Is the Apple iPad the very first tablet to hit the stage?

Computer scientist Alan Kay mocked up the first one in 1968 – Dynabook. It was never actually built, but it was designed and conceived to be an educational tool for the future, for children. Tablet computers have physically been around for a good 20 years. In the late 1980s early pen computer systems were mostly built around handwriting recognition and they generated a lot of excitement. In 1991 the pen computing hype reached a peak: the pen was seen as a challenge to the mouse and pen computers as replacement for desktops. Microsoft saw a potentially serious competition to Windows computers, so it announced Pen Extension for Windows 3.1 and called them Windows for Pen Computing. Between 1992 and 1994, a number of companies introduced hardware to run Windows for Pen Computing or PenPoint, and among them the IBM ThinkPad. The initial enthusiasm soon turned to criticism because of disappointing sells. The problem was that most of the pen tablets resulted difficult to use and weren’t able to compete with desktop PCs. Pen computer companies went bankrupt and by 1995 pen computing was dead in the consumer market.

That, however, wasn’t the end of pen computing. Bill Gates had always been a believer in the technology, and in multiple occasions he has stated that slate computers were going to be the “future of computing”. In 2002 Microsoft reintroduced pen computers as the “Tablet PC”, but they proved expensive and clunky to use, failing to gain foothold in the market. Even so, this move opened the market for slate computers, mini-laptops, notebooks and netbooks. Then in 2007 came the Amazon Kindle, which lacked web surfing and computing capabilities, but it renewed the interest for super-slim format leaving the field wide open for Apple.

All this history made me realize where the power of Apple truly lies. Apple has been able to see the potential of old discarded technologies and put them back in the market at the right time. Apple understands what these technologies can do, it updates them, and it makes them more user friendly and practical, while giving them a very attractive look. Apple’s secret weapon is its marketing and branding strategy: Apple products are considered to be “cool” and “trendy”, and if you buy them that’s how they will make you feel. That’s how it’s been for the iPhone, the Macbook, and the iPod, and that’s how it’s going to be for the iPad and iPad2: shiny “new” stylish toys.

Links:

Anatoliy Ivanov reflective response

The IPad has had a lot of success because it is like a laptop, and an e reader. On the IPad and IPad2 you can get access to PowerPoint’s, worksheets, and word documents, you can have Internet access through 3g networks and Wi-Fi hotspots. IPads can also let you enjoy many books that you can easily download eliminating the need for an e reader. Here is an article that supports this: http://www.silicon.com/technology/mobile/2011/03/17/ipads-success-cuts-laptop-and-e-reader-sales-39747148/

I think that tablets well eventually eliminate the need for laptops, because they well become just as powerful, and have the same capabilities. IPads are small and compact, and the touch screen just makes it fun and entertaining to use. IPads in business would be great because people have fun and are working at the same time, both aspects are good for businesses and the employees. Ipads are also very appealing and in some cases very simple to uses making it a great tool to have in a business. Imagine having access to the internet, power points, word docs, excel sheets, and much more on a cool device. IPads also have a very long battery life which is a big factor when a sales person is traveling, or a business person is traveling, that way you have access to the things you need for long periods of time.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/01/27/ipads-are-booming-in-big-business/.

The Ipad2 is a great addition to a business because you can have a business conference anywhere now. The hd camera on the front of the ipad2 is great when you use skype or other software for video conferences.

Take a look at the specs of an Ipad 2:http://osxdaily.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-specs/

To use the Ipad with its apps take very little resources making it an efficent device, i think that because of this it is very successful and also that is why laptops might be a thing of the past.

http://www.spetnik.com/a/news-story/id:800478010,story:analyst_ipad_2_success_means_trouble_for_competitors_in_pc_tablet_markets

My iPad Experience

With all the fuzz surrounding the iPad, from here to Italy and a little everywhere, I was quite curious of interacting with this new tool. The first time I actually held one iPad was last quarter, for another class, so this one was my second time touching one. My very first response was “this is way heavier than I expected”: for some reason, considering its portability characteristics, I imagined it to be way lighter and easier to hold with my hands, almost closer to a phone than to a laptop. It is lighter than a portable computer, but it sure is far from a smartphone’s light weight and it therefore needs to be set on a table or laid in your lap for a comfortable use.

Right after this very “sensorial” response, I started playing with it and figuring out its main features. Browsing through the different applications came pretty instinctive to me, maybe because I’ve been around touch screen technology before, so I knew how to click on the icons, write text, turn pages, drag objects, zoom in and zoom out, and so on. Those movements are all pretty natural and, in my opinion, don’t involve a lot of thinking. The only action I remember being told about was the finger movement to scale an image up or down, by spreading or pinching, something I didn’t really figure out on my own when using a smartphone. And after having seen the “Touch Gesture Reference Guide” by lukew.com, I have found out there are way more movements than I thought there were, when dealing with touch screen technology.

While interacting with the iPad, I have been able to find a big flaw: there’s no back button. Or, to be more specific, the back button is not very easy to find: the only button located on the front of the iPad is placed on the bottom (if held vertical) or on the side (if held horizontal) of the tablet. This button brings you back to the desktop, taking you out of the open application. For some reason this button doesn’t seem very intuitive to me: the first time I saw it I asked someone what it was for. On the other hand, if you have an application open, and you just want to go back to the previous screen without closing the app, it’s quite hard to find a way to do so. Every app is different, so some do have a “back” link you can tap, but some don’t… and that’s exactly when, on a smartphone, you would click the phone’s back button. This important button is missing on the iPad, or maybe I haven’t found it yet… and if that’s the case, they should make it more visible.

Anatoliy on the visceral and behavioral aspects of using the iPad.

Using the Ipad was very entertaining, relaxing, and understandable. When you first start using the Ipad you get the screen that tells you to slid the arrow to open up the user interface. Once your on the main screen everything is very simple to understand. You got you web browser and you different apps. The biggest surprise that I had was that the more you played with the Ipad the more you got to understand the device, but then again i used the iphone and I have had interaction with the iMac. There could be problems with this device if a user has not ever touched a computer or smart phone. Now days almost everyone has had some kind of computer interaction so I think that learning the iPad would not be too difficult. It was entertaining and relaxing because it has some functions of computers like for example view photos on a large screen, sending emails, and having internet access on a large screen.

iPad, the next generation?

When you see an iPad commercial they make it quite clear that you buy an iPad for the apps. For good reason too, the apps that run on the apple platform are far better in quality and overall experience than those on other platforms. But Apple did not create these apps, and there is no reason why the quality of apps on other platforms such as android can't eventually reach the same level. Eventually it will come down to the interface of the device itself to determine a leader in the tablet industry. IOS has been an extremely solid platform ever since its release on the iPhone in 2007. But for a company that prides itself in its innovation, I find it interesting that Apple has only made minor changes to the basic interface since it was introduced. The iPad 2 only adds cameras and a slimmer chasis, with very little changes to the interface (making it hard for some to justify paying extra for). While it's always good policy not to fix what isn't broken, there are some very efficient elements on other platforms that Apple could take note from. For instance, the android platform features widgets or in other words simpler versions of a larger app that simply run on your home screen; So you can check the weather, check your facebook, or even post to your facebook, and many other functions without actually entering an app and waiting for it to launch. While this feature is not supported for all apps, it is convenient for basic information and communication apps. It would be nice to see Apple implement some form of quick access of information to their interface. Also, IOS recently featured the ability to multitask between apps, but I feel like the multitasking could have been better designed like that of WebOS running on the Palm (now HP) devices. In conclusion, I think that IOS does extremely well what it was designed to do, but its simplicity isn't always the most efficient design for a platform created for media consumption. At four years old it may be time for an interface overhaul; preferably one that makes media consumption even easier while retaining the simplicity that Apple is famous for.