On Feb 4, 2010, at 1:43 AM, Constance Warner wrote:
And, as the participants pointed out, without having the device in hand, there's not a lot you CAN say about the iPad [and similar yet- to-be released devices] in a public forum on the radio, without looking silly.
I don't agree. The iPhone gives us some great clues and all the revolutionary changes it brought will still hold. Add to this the Time Inc., YouTube video of what SI would look like on an iPad. Also add what we have seen with the Kindle. And the current problems of the news and media industry. I don't think it requires much of a stretch of the imagination to see that the iPad is going to be a very interesting device.
And speaking of silly--the Frontline program on the Digital Revolution (or whatever) on WETA last night. I agree that looking things up on Google is a lot faster than looking them up in the encyclopedia, and texting to your friends is a little faster than talking on the phone, but will we have a whole new type of human being, just because a lot of middle-class people have bought wireless plans and carry smartphones? Because students cheat by downloading a plot synopsis of "Romeo and Juliet" instead of getting it from Cliff's Notes?
I have not watched it yet, but I wonder if you are missing the major qualitative changes that even a small change in technology can achieve. Cell phones give ubiquitous connectivity. The ability to reach out to people at any time from any place changes how we organize our daily lives. Add to this mix Apple's apps innovation and you not have the same ubiquitous ability to reach data. Add to this GPS and you can become aware of your environment in a way that is wholly different. This is a big deal.
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