On iPad 2
iPad announced; hardware improvements in line with expectations (thinner, faster, camera). Storage and price kept the same. Spec-wise, not much to discuss, but many small, incremental improvements were evident in the software, both iOS 4 and apps:
- iTunes library streaming to iOS devices on a local network.
- iPad screen mirroring to a television.
- PhotoBooth, GarageBand, and iMovie apps. None are heavily reliant on a keyboard, and therefore well suited to the iPad.
Then there’s the iPad Smart Cover, a case and screen protector in one, and a real “why didn’t someone else think of this?” product. It attaches to the iPad 2 via magnets, doubles as a screen-cleaner with its microfiber fabric, and folds up to create a stand. Won’t add as much bulk as a case.
Jobs’ closing statements do ring true: other mobile makers treat both the tablet and smart phone like a portable computers, but Apple’s reaching for something beyond. For the average person, computers are still too difficult to use. There are plenty of early-adopter nerds who would love today’s computer in their pocket, but Apple is at a point where they can sell millions of devices going directly to the mainstream — early adopter approval is no longer necessary.
Wanting smart phones and mobile devices to act like traditional computers sets up an expectation you can do similar things with them: copy files to and from, install your own apps, plug in whatever you want. But Apple’s minimalist aesthetic is all about reducing complexity. Some might see this as limiting choice and at worst, freedom, but it’s more about removing confusing options and making technology easier to use — installing an application as easy as an iTunes music purchase.
There are also lots of UI innovations going into iOS apps that wouldn’t be as readily accepted had they come in OS X first. Under the guise of a new device, iOS was able to make a clean break with traditional computer conventions — most obviously replacing a mouse with touch, but it’s so much more — replacing the browser with apps, tossing out windows, replacing files / folders with “rolls,” local storage for the cloud, etc. In retrospect, having an entirely new device (iPhone) made a lot of these new ideas easier to swallow. And some will make their way back to the desktop under Lion.
So all in all, not a very exciting announcement if you concentrate on specs, which increasingly matter less. But there were tiny hints indicating Apple’s take on the future of computing — beyond the browser, beyond the desktop, in this post-PC era at the junction of technology and liberal arts. Even if you disagree with this vision, you have to admire how they’re firing on all cylinders to provide it for us.
Oh, and this iPad 2 will sell millions. Obviously.