iPad’s secret weapon: 5 reasons why it’s ideal for productivity
Since the unveiling of the device last week, it seems like everyone is praising or criticizing Apple’s upcoming iPad as a pure media consumption machine. That, or bemoaning the absence of Flash.
As first impressions go, that’s not far off the mark. The iPad’s larger form factor is ideal for consuming and sharing iTune’s vast media library and it appears to be made for that singular purpose.
However, I believe we are all underestimating the productivity potential of the iPad. Here are 5 reasons why I think the iPad is ideal for productivity and not just for media consumption:
1) The IPS LCD panel tech
This allows for a viewing angle of 178 degrees and a ridiculously good image quality. That means any images, diagrams, or documents can be easily readable for anyone near the iPad holder.
2) 1024×768 resolution
This means you can fit a lot more detailed information on the screen. I predict you will see native iPad productivity apps that will take advantage of this additional screen real estate in new and innovative ways. More space means less full page transitions and a better user experience for manipulating complex documents.
3) The 0.5″ thick and 1.5lbs form factor
Big deal, you say, it’s just lighter and smaller, nothing game changing here. Well, think about it this way: when was the last time you tried to pass a laptop around the boardroom/meeting room? If you tried it, you’d find it was bulky, heavy, and unwieldy. Well the iPad’s form factor makes it easy to pass around and the bigger, wide angle viewing screen just makes sharing that much easier.
It’s perfect for collaborative work and small groups without a need for a projector. Better than a laptop because you can’t just lay a laptop screen flat on a table.
4) Multi-touch
Yes, this is not new and it already exists on the iPhone. However, since the iPad is more like a desktop/laptop platform, we will be seeing some really unique user experiences due to the combination of multi-touch with single page app designs (unlike the hierarchical, multipage iPhone apps). In combination with the larger screen, this will allow for productivity apps that are built for collaboration among multiple people on the same device.
5) The blazing fast A4 processor
This processor runs circles around the iPhone and the current crop of netbooks. Heavy processor dependent apps that weren’t possible on the iPhone will now see the light of day on the iPad because of the A4.
Bonus Reason: Apple says so
They’re not releasing the iWork suite of apps for the iPad on a whim. This is to showcase how productive you can be on the iPad. There’s a good reason why they didn’t even attempt to bring these apps over to the iPhone; they were saving them for the platform that will make them shine, the iPad.
Conclusion
As an iPhone developer, I’m obviously going to buy an iPad on day one but the hardware doesn’t nearly excite me as much as the potential of new iPad-only apps. I’m certain there will be some truly innovative productivity tools that may change your life and mine.
We at Endloop are already working on some awesome ideas for iPad apps, so keep your eyes peeled to this blog. 
Great post Ken! I also have found it surprising that people are assuming that this is solely a media consumption device. Apple did brand it that way to some extent in Steve’s keynote. However, your points draw light to the fact that maybe people are not ready for that leap yet and therefore Apple is marketing it this way in order to get this device in the mass market. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the laptop/desktop of the future. Your points make it obvious and the inclusion of peripherals like the dock make it even less of a question in my books. I’m still holding back my ‘real’ post on the iPad until I get my hands on one (won’t be too long I assume).
-DC
Good points but I have some real reservations about the iPad, including:
- Lack of ability to cradle it in one hand. The beauty of the iPhone is that you can have it sit in your hand and use the other hand for finger typing and navigation. The iPad is too big for this, so you’ll either have to lay it down on a table or on your lap to type or navigate. This, by its very nature, will make the experience less personal and intimate.
- Lack of ability to thumb type. The iPad is too big to cradle in one hand and type with the other (see above) and too wide to hold with both hands and thumb type. Again, it seems that the only way to reliably use the keyboard is to lay it down on a surface or on your lap and resort to a typical two handed QWERTY typing method. Again, I think this will limit the usability and intimacy of the device.
- Ergonomically, I believe the iPad may end up being very awkward to handle. Smooth edges and backplate may make gripping the device extremely difficult and I suspect we’ll see lots of cases of dropped iPads and broken screens.
Since none of us have really handled it, let’s wait to see if the ergonomics and utility of the iPad can match its potential.
@Jason J.
Jason,
I’ll address your points 1 by 1:
1. the iPad can be cradled in one hand, that’s what the super-wide bezels are for, so you can hold it without touching the capacitative touchscreen.
2. I’ve also read that in portrait mode, you can thumb type but it’s slower than the iphone due to the larger width.
3. You may be right here, we’ll have to wait til we get one in our hands to see if it is that ’slippery’
Regards,
Ken Seto
@Dave Coleman
“There is no doubt in my mind that this is the laptop/desktop of the future.”
@davecoleman I respect your opinion Dave, but you are wrong. Further, to make such a wild statement clearly shows that you are out of touch with reality. I think the main reason you and @kenseto and other like minded folks strongly advocate the iPad, is because first and foremost you are iPhone developers who see $$$ in this platform, and secondly because you are Apple fans. I’m sure people will buy the iPad and your apps, but please for the love of God, don’t get too ahead of yourselves with ideas of world takeover.
Ken,
I see you’re points and politely disagree. I commented on a blog post you twittered yesterday about the device being a consumption device and not a creatino device.
I’d like to start with point #5: don’t talk about the IC until you get a chance to play with it. I don’t care how custom this processor is. Or how hyped it is, until I get achance to run it through it’s paces I could care less about Apple’s tech specs.
Multi touch hasn’t changed. This won’t cause a shift in user experience. Especially considering most apps will be ports from the iphone apps. The interaction will remain the same.
Bigger screen = more stuff does not equal better user experience. It will equal confusion as there’s now too much information on one screen.
Like I’ve said before, if creation to you is making spreadsheets, flowcharts, pie charts, slideshows than sure you may get some productivity out of this device. I don’t. I write code. I do graphic design. I need to install various fonts, I need layout applications, I need graphics applications. I need a vector application. The iPad can’t and won’t do that. Therefore, it’s not a creation device. For me.
I’ve also complained about the lack of Flash. It’s stupid that they don’t include it. It’s also stupid they don’t include Java, JavaFX, Silverlight, Ubiquity, open source video/audio codecs, or anything else we may use on the web. I can’t use Fontstruct or Aviary as they’re Flash. I can’t look at Processing apps as they’re Java.
Finally, it comes down to Apple’s business model. This device is not a phone. Which means people will be buying it for a certain reason: productivity, gaming, ereader, couch surfing. If it’s for gaming the only apps come from the app store. Obviously. Which means I have to buy the app. If I can only use a credit card to buy an app still Apple can FOAD.
I’ve got so many problems with this device that I don’t know where to start. And trust me, I’m not a Apple hater. You know that. There’s almost every product Apple has made in my house. There isn’t a single PC. I’ve been using Apple products since before OS X existed. This is a sit down at a bar kind of talking. Not a commenting in a blog post discussion.
That said, looking forward to what you guys come up with for the device.
Cheers,
Derek.
@Derek
For your line of work Derek, it may not have the same kind of potential. But not all productivity tools are about creating art assets.
As for multi-touch, like I said, by itself it’s not new but I think there is huge potential for collaborative apps that take advantage of multi-touch that wasn’t possible before on the iPhone.
Lay the iPad down on a coffee table and it’s a mini Microsoft Surface except it’s not $10K. Having multiple people being able to manipulate different elements of an app at the same time could make for interesting and new workflow enhancements.
And if you design the app well, you can take advantage of the bigger screen without adding confusion.
There’s no reason to assume that iPad apps will be poorly designed. The initial batch may need more tweaking but there are seriously talented designers and UX peeps in the iPhone dev space.
@Ken Seto
Don’t get me wrong, I love productivity tools. My iPhone is full of them. ActionMethod, Evernote, Dropbox, followed by newspaper apps.
I’d disagree with it being a mini Microsoft Surface. The iPad doesn’t have a flat back, so laying it down on a flat surface will cause it to rock (which could be a neat interaction if you use the accelerometer with it).
That said, the better interaction designers and developers will do great things. This device could be an interesting Open Sound Control device for DJs. Games could be awesome on it. Until I see some dedicated business applications I’m still gonna hang out in the consumption corner. Not saying I won’t cross to the other corner. Hell, I’d love this device to be a creation AND consumption device.
So, I don’t disagree with you (even though it sounds like I do), I think Apple created this device as a consumption device. That’s how they demoed it. Even though they demoed an iPad version of iWork. It was mostly a for consumers demo. It was also pretty obvious that they’re throwing this up as a Kindle replacement. Which I saw one yesterday and was absolutely blown away by how nice it is. The pictures on Amazon don’t do it justice. Third party developers will work there magic and unfortunately the awesome applications will be buried under the 90% of fart apps, T&A apps, the endless range of [insert any word imaginable] Wars apps.
I want the iPad to be awesome. I want the apps to fill in what I need. Aside from a reader for various forms of publishing, I’d love to see some killer project management. I’ve been playing with the SDK I’m getting better at Obj-C I’ve got some ideas for some apps. Maybe I’ll fix the issues I have with it by simply building the apps I want to see. Huh, that sounds like a good idea actually. Thanks for allowing me the space to rant and solve my own problems.