iPad Observation: Takes Time To Appreciate

The iPad is easy to love. I love it the moment I got it at the Apple store and opened it up while I was there. In fact, you can see the looks on the faces of the new owners. Smiles all around.

But once you take it home, that's when you start getting to know each other.

I loaded up with a lot of iPad specific apps but I was itching to trying out the iPhone apps as well.

Still, I was trying to get to know to know the iPad. It was not easy. The biggest problem I had was trying to compare it too the iPhone. I think that was a mistake. Just as the iPhone changed the smartphone market, elevated it to a whole new level as some would argue, the iPad is creating a whole new market segment in mobile computing and possibly redefining how we consume media.

I am typing this post up on the iPad right now and even typing will take time to get used to.

In time, I will not only love the iPad but also learn to appreciate what it can do.

Almost Time

We are about to be let in. Up to 150 in line at the Apple Store in Manhattan Beach.

There are supposedly plenty of iPads for everyone.

The stamp they put on my hand is smudged

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David Letterman On The iPad

That's right.  The iPad made it to the Late Show.  Is that a big deal?  Well, at a chance of being ridiculed?  Sure.  You'll never see Steve Jobs there but you will see the iPad.

Here's a clip:



Sorry, as you can see, the video got cut off. You can watch the video directly on Youtube here.

Source: MacDailyNews (Must bookmark them if you haven't already)

iPad - You Can Make Birthday Wishes On it!

Check out this video of the iPad in this espisode of Modern Family. Pay close attention to the candles in the cake displayed on the iPad's screen. Enjoy.

No iPhone Rumors, What's Up With That?

iPad this. iPad that. Magazines and ebooks. It's all anyone talks about these days. What about the next iPhone?

In the past, I've said that I would not report on rumors. But seriously, there have been a dearth of rumors regarding the iPhone lately. I'm sure things'll start trickling out once the iPad is on the market and the excitement surrounding it has some time to simmer a bit.

There have been supposed e-mails from Steve Jobs to users but mostly, they point to the OS rather than the hardware.

There is a job posting that Apple made public: they're looking for someone who can work on HSPA+ and LTE. That is hardly a surprise given that after 3G as we know it now, we can look forward to HPSA+ and LTE.

And with T-Mobile's parent company talking about selling the iPhone some time in late 2010 or early 2011, it's a good bet that Apple will try to take advantage of HSPA+ if the iPhone does come to T-Mobile USA.

Beyond that, 3G sprinkled with LTE is likely to happen. But that's 2011 and beyond. As I've said at Onxo, supercharged 3G is what AT&T has subscribers to look forward to.

So, that's where we at with anything on the next iPhone at this time. No rumors, crazy or insane.  But we'll have the iPad to look forward to.

iPad Craze: Just Warming Up

Once Apple announced iPad pre-order on March 12 and availability on April 2nd, the stock took off.  I don't understand it.  It's been known for about a month already that the Wi-Fi only iPad will be available at the end of March, and the 3G version a month after that.  So, that alone doesn't explain why the stock price was propelled to an all-time high.

I've got a theory.  There is suddenly a realization that the iPad is something special.  In the last few days, there have been a lot of talk about iPad spawning a whole new segment of mobile computing.  One or two posts even went as far as to suggest that the iPad will change the PC market for ever.

One school even made available to its students the option of getting and iPad or a Macbook.  iPad or Macbook?  Wow, and the iPad isn't even out yet.

Furthermore, a survey released suggests that there is a lot of pinned up demand for the iPad in the ebook market.  Changewave's survey suggests the iPad will likely outsell the Kindle even though it is more expensive but definitely not as revolutionary as the iPad in terms of technology, OS, and app store contents.  Over the next 90 days, 40% of respondents will buy an iPad while 28% continues to look at the Kindle.

I think that's a good sign in pointing to a potential success of iPad.  Fine, what I'm about to say may be taken as that of an Apple mobile fan but it's safe to say that the iPad will sit comfortable at the top of Amazon's best seller list, outselling the Kindle (and yet, the Kindle will magically continue to occupy the position as the single best seller at Amazon).

What's more, the same survey indicated that more than 50% of those who own an ereader will switch to an iPad or aren't so sure they made the right bet in an ereader-only device.

Plus, we're still one month away from the general public getting their hands on the iPad.  Apple's publicity machine will go into hyper-gear starting next week, drumming up a media frenzy not seen since the original iPhone's debut.

I'm almost positive we'll see a new media event to talk about the iPad as well as new features on the next iPhone OS.  And this will escalate interest in the iPad even more.

If a similar survey is conducted two or three weeks from now, we will likely see greater interest in the iPad.  I would also suggest another survey be taken after the iPad's release and see if this has also created another halo effect for other Apple products.

There was a lull the last few weeks of Apple rumors and updates.  That just ended with today's iPad pre-order news and a new party is just about to get started next week.  And we're all invited.

More at Appleinsider.

iCal Idea: Apple Should Add More Social Features

I started using Momento as a personal and private Twitter.

But what I also started doing is using iCal to document where I've been and what I've done and who was there.

But then I realized it would be great if Apple integrates Twitter and Facebook into the calendar.

Right now, I have to tweet, update Momento and iCal, and deal with Facebook. Since I've got a testy relationship with my Facebook experience, I rather deal with it by other means. For instance, I use Tweetdeck on the iPhone rather than access Facebook directly.

Hence, I thought about iCal.

Futhermore, I think it would be cool for Apple also make the other applications in its iLife suite more sociable.

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