The Apple iPad: Info and Reactions From Across the ‘Nets

I was a computer science major before I was a law student, and an unabashed geek for over a decade before that.  As you can tell from looking at my tag cloud and category list, I love anything tech, and Apple tech in particular. On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the iPad.  Opinions at this stage are varied, and tend to fall somewhere on an impression bell curve between “It’s a giant iPod Touch.  Woo,” and “Bow to the Utopia Machine.  Its Glory is Absolute.” And of course, do not forget the outliers who are certain this brings us all one step closer to the Singularity that will either (a) end human civilization; (b) create a paradise unimagined by men.  In either case, a machine utilizing nano-bots to assemble fresh artisan chocolate cakes daily in every home would be involved.

As usual, I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle (except for that singularity thing; they’re way out there beyond the orbit of Pluto, and my metaphors are effectively smashed).  I have some thoughts on the matter, but as I don’t have time to write them at the moment, I thought I’d link to some particularly thoughtful posts by Learned Persons of the Internet.  Or, at the very least, people who get retweeted a lot.

… It was either this, or a post ranting about hot pants, which are evil.  I figured you could all do without another volume of my unending diatribe on the worst item of clothing ever conceived by any sapient species.  For now.

I’ll update this page periodically as new articles catch my eye.  Enjoy.

1. “iPad” by Joe Hewitt, developer of the extremely popular Facebook iPhone application.  Excerpt: “Most of the iPad reactions I’ve read have been negative, but I have been completely satisfied with what Apple announced. iPad is exactly the product I’ve been wishing for ever since I wrapped my mind around the iPhone and its constraints. While the rumor mill was churning with all kinds of crazy possibilities for the Apple tablet, I mostly rolled my eyes, because I felt strongly that all Apple needed to do to revolutionize computing was simply to make an iPhone with a large screen. Anyone who feels underwhelmed by that doesn’t understand how much of the iPhone OS’s potential is still untapped.”
2. “This is why it’s worth learning about advertising” by Rory Marinich.  Looks at the iPad as a product from a professional advertising/marketing point of view.  Excerpt: “Apple’s not actually selling a computer. Or a flash drive or multitouch. They needed to make those things for their product, but that’s not what the product is. The product is, simply put, a magical screen that can do anything you ever want it to, no matter what that is.”
3. “The iPad: What You Need to Know” by Macworld.  A more consumer-oriented (though still fairly tech-inclined) list of Frequently Asked Questions, probably worth reading first to see if it answers your tech questions before you dive into more detailed coverage.
4. “Apple iPad: The Definitive Guide (So Far)” by Engadget.com.  Engadget is a great technology news and analysis site, and this appears to be the nexus of their iPad coverage.  definitely worth checking out if you’ve got technical questions about how the thing works and what it actually does.  Aside from, you know, magic.
5. “Hands-on with the Apple iPad — It Does Make Sense” by Andy Ihnatko @ Chicago Sun-Times.  Mr Ihnatko delivers a well-reasoned, calmly deliberative column on his firsthand impressions of the device (he was at the launch event), touching on the device specs, the design philosophy, the probable market, use experiences, and more, delivered with his typical mix of playfulness, expertise, and style.  Excerpt: “The iPad is too different, and the day is too early, to make any sort of call on the success or failure of this thing. At worst, Apple will be faulted for atypical conservatism. At best, the iPad will be likened to the first Mac, which combined hardware and UI elements that were familiar on their surface, but which had finally been combined in the right way to produce a satisfying stew that everybody else will leap to copy.”
6. “Nothing Creative” by Tim Bray, Sun MIcrosystems employee, and co-editor of the XML and XML Namespace specifications, and former co-chair of the Atompub Working Group, among many other impressive technology pioneering endeavors.  He has been and continues to be deeply involved with making the plumbing of the Internet actually work.  He delivers a short, concise, and to the point critique, arguing the iPad will be a failure as a device for creating content.  The comments following the post focusing on the nature of what it means to be creative in general, and specifically with a device like the iPad. Note: I’m not excerpting from this, because it’s so short and to the point I can’t figure out how to create a respectable excerpt without copying the whole thing and or ruining it, and I’m not going to do that.
7. “iPad: IPS Screen Technology Explained” at Macworld.  If you’re like me and had no idea what IPS LCD display technology was or why it was worth including in the iPad (and worth mentioning in a keynote speech otherwise almost entirely devoid of detailed tech specs), you’ll find this little article interesting.  Short Version: awesomely bright and crisp with a 178-degree viewing angle.