dispatches from a digital marketer

While on a recent cross country flight I sat next to a man who was enjoying his newly acquired iPad. As we casually conversed, he used his iPad to create a photo album of pictures of his young daughter, elegantly edited and burnished.  An obviously proud father, he spent nearly an hour working and reworking the photos into shape, and finally into a well arranged album. And then he picked up his IBM Thinkpad and went to work.

That got me thinking: is the iPad, at least in its current version, a tool for creativity and expression, and less a tool for work or business?  Is it more a left brain rational and analytical versus right brain intuitive and random distinction? And if so, will the iPad make the leap to become more of a work-oriented platform?

The enormous consumer adoption of the iPad makes me think its uses are primarily right brain.  And a further proof is the continuing growth of the purchase of other Apple products, especially MacBooks. So for now, iPad addresses a consumer interest in creativity and expression.  Later, particularly as the move to web-based or cloud hosted applications grow, the iPad will migrate toward a more tool-like instrument.

One final thought: my colleague seated next to me on the plane had no difficulty moving between his Wintel laptop PC and his Apple iPad. Has the distinction between competing operating systems finally been eliminated, and interoperability finally achieved a level of success?

So today Apple launched their new iPad, to much fanfare and industry anticipation (hype?). And the contending question seem to pit the product’s success on the issue of whether usability offers more value, or whether utility overcomes usability. The iPad certainly continues Apple’s ingenious ability to keep usability at its most simple and effective.  And with the continuation of their ‘open systems’ approach that allows independent developers to create new applications, the distinction between usability and utility is blurred.

That said, there are some real challenges to the iPad becoming a full time use-it-anywhere device. I’ve already replaced one iPhone after having dropped it and I suspect the issue will be the same with the iPad. And what about the environment we use computers in: desks loaded with coffee mugs and water glasses, papers that slide on to floors with just a touch, and other opportunities to shorten the iPad’s life? And should we ever buy the first release of a new product?  Certainly more and better is to follow. And at a reduced price point. There’s a cost associated with being a ‘early adopter’ of technology.

All that said, I’m confident we all will follow the market’s acceptance of the iPad with great interest. And as for me, I’m leaning toward the usability side of the equation.