And so it begins

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has unleashed his review of the iPad.

He's been an Apple fan for quite some time, so it's no surprise he received one to review, or that his review is generally positive.

What's particularly exciting for me:

• 11.5 hours of battery life while playing video
• Keyboard in landscape mode is competitive with cramped netbook keyboards (but as a touch typist, I'm still skeptical)
• Quote: "Apple's custom processor makes it wicked fast."

I'm planning a trip to Florida mid-May; I think I may have to pick up a 3G version for the trip.

Update: There are several more reviews out tonight. See MacRumors.com for the full list. All sound positive from the bullet points on the linked page.

Update #2: This review from PCMag is much more in-depth than others I've seen.

Apple, Flash, and DED

Daniel Eran Dilger: often caustic, frequently partisan, and usually right.

The blogger has been on a tear lately, dealing with iPad myths and the conflict over Flash in particular. Today's entry is instructive, emphasizing the open/closed argument of HTML5 vs. Flash, and the curious blinders that many tech writers have when it comes to all things Apple.

Daniel is particularly good at constructing narratives from older technology news that make trends clearer (especially recurring foibles), and then creating meta-narratives from his own previous articles; I highly recommend perusing the links he includes in today's piece.

Media options in the Age of Apple

The New York Times Media & Advertising blog has an interesting summary of the tension between content providers' desire to ride the iPad train and their fear of becoming trapped, and mentions some of the issues I've touched on in the last few posts, including the idea of an iNewsstand which might (although probably won't) include the micropayment idea I'd like to see.

Of iPads and Guided Tours

Since Paul of Paul's iPad has linked to this blog for iPad commentary, I feel compelled to offer more up.

Today, Apple unleashed its Guided Tours for the iPad. Some thoughts on the videos...

Printing, or Lack Thereof

Perhaps the most important fact I've learned from watching the iWork tours: printing does not appear to be an option, yet.

I think the hue and cry for printing will mount. Certainly, if Apple wants this to be a serious business device, it will have to be addressed.

My best guess is that, since the iPad is primarily oriented toward consumers, and since many (most?) home users don't have networked printers, printing wasn't considered a high priority for the initial release.

Apple releases new features carefully (see: copy and paste), which is often a nuisance but usually results in a better experience in the long run.

iWork, My Oh My

The sheer visual appeal of the iWork suite leads me to a few conjectures.

First, iWork.com (still in beta) had better be ready for a significant number of new subscribers. I'd never visited the site, although I was vaguely aware of it; I think it'll be a popular tool for iPad users who also have a Mac and would like to edit documents on both computers.

I also think that iDisk and MobileMe may get more of a workout for similar reasons. Since performance of Apple's cloud solutions has been an issue in the past, I sincerely hope that their new massive data center in North Carolina is up to the task of serving millions of iPad users.

Accessories, Accessories, Wherefore Art Thou Missing?

Availability of accessories will, I think, also be an issue. Typing extended documents in Pages will be much more pleasant with a keyboard, but the keyboard dock won't be shipped until mid-April.

I could use my case to prop up the iPad for my existing bluetooth keyboard, but the case isn't due to ship until the 3rd, which means a few days (at least) of case-less iPad work.

Where's Calendar?

I firmly believe that the calendar and contacts applications will be big hits on the iPad, yet there are no guided tours for those.

Both applications need a back-end service to take best advantage of their features, and I wonder whether Apple is concerned about getting too many people interested in MobileMe before the data center opens.

Or perhaps it's simply a lack of time/resources/desire to create more videos.

iBook, Therefore I Am

Before my iPod, I rarely bought music[1], but that changed very quickly once I had easy access to $.99 songs. I suspect the iPad will similarly impact my book buying habits.

Today, I use the library for most books, and the rest are usually purchased from used book stores.

Particularly if good technical (O'Reilly? Please?) and reference books are readily available in the iBookstore, I can see myself acquiring the purchasing habit. Just one or two novels a month bought online would dramatically increase my current intake of fiction (unless you count re-reading the Harry Potter books a few times too many).

And if self-publishing is easy enough, what could this do for the poetry world? (I don't want to think about how awful self-published novels could clutter up the iBookstore, just as the App Store is increasingly burdened with subpar software.)

The Future

I really hoped that the iPad would bring a micropayment system to newspapers and magazines: while I appreciate free content, I would be eager to help keep vibrant journalism alive by paying a few cents (or more than a few) for every Economist or Atlantic Monthly article I read. (This is the year I finally subscribe to the Economist, I swear.)

Please, Apple, will you make my dreams come true? I'm sure you're getting burnt out on trying to get media publishers to let you sell their wares at reasonable rates, but this is another fight worth waging. It's time to help the news world recover from their free-content-induced hangover.

Footnote

1. And no, I didn't download music for free: I simply didn't listen to much. I'm a firm believer in paying for copyrighted content, even if I think copyright law has been woefully perverted to the benefit of corporations over citizens.

iPad and Flash

Yesterday, I mentioned the two perceived "killer" flaws of the iPad: the absence of multitasking and Flash support.

We've already seen push notifications added as a way to handle some of the needs that otherwise would be handled by multitasking, and it's safe to assume that competitive pressures and Apple's strong desire to provide a compelling product will lead to more such enhancements. Personally, I'm content to appreciate the products as they are now, and trust Apple to handle future changes with their customary aplomb.

Flash, on the other hand, will likely never be seen on the iPhone OS devices.

What Is Flash?

Flash is a proprietary technology that drives much of the interactive content on the web. Seemingly every major automobile manufacturer's website is purely Flash, for example, and a great deal of the advertising content on the web is conveyed using Flash.

Displaying and interacting with Flash content can only be done by installing and running software from Adobe, typically integrated into your web browser for convenience.

For years, Mac and Linux computers have been treated as second-class citizens by Adobe, resulting in Flash software that's buggy, insecure, and a heavy burden on a typical desktop computer. Flash under Windows is much less processor-intensive, but not much less buggy and insecure.

What's The Fuss About?

Flash's absence on the iPhone is a minor annoyance to most, since browsing the web on that device is an exercise in compromises anyway[1].

The iPad, however, is a much more serious web browsing platform: the Internet in your hands. Many argue that the Internet is incomplete without support for Flash.

Why Apple Can "Block" Flash

Apple's general-purpose computers (MacBooks, iMacs, etc) are just that: general-purpose computers. You can install anything you want or can write yourself, and Flash is available for all of the major web browsers.

iPhones and iPads, however, are not intended to be nearly as flexible[2]. Without jailbreaking an iPhone, many activities common to a desktop or laptop computer are simply impossible.

The control that this gives Apple includes the ability to deny Flash a seat at the table. Its web browser doesn't support the Flash plugin, and Apple constrains the software that can be installed onto the devices through iTunes and the App Store.

Why Flash Is Missing

To my knowledge, Apple hasn't made any formal statements about Flash, not even verifying that it will be missing from the iPad. However, reports from a recent internal Town Hall meeting at Apple indicate that Steve Jobs feels that Flash is buggy and archaic.

Certainly, Steve seemed to take great pride in not quickly moving away from the missing Flash content on the New York Times website when introducing the iPad.

Here are my suspicions on why Flash seems to be verboten.

New Interface, Old Paradigms

A finger is distinctly not the same as a mouse. The mouse is a precision instrument that doesn't obscure the screen, and a computer can tell exactly where a mouse is at all times, even when no buttons are held down.

A virtual keyboard is distinctly not the same as a physical keyboard. There's no meaningful tactile feedback, for example.

What does this mean for Flash and the iPad? It means that much of the existing content on the Internet that is Flash-driven is going to behave badly, or be completely unusable, on a purely touchscreen device.

For example, if you move your mouse over much Flash content, the mere presence of the mouse in the vicinity is sufficient to cause different behavior. The flash content may scroll, or pop up video controls, for example.

Furthermore, many Flash interfaces expect the user to click on small controls; when the "click" is a large, clumsy finger, the user may not be able to see the controls, much less manipulate them properly.

My credit union uses a Flash login screen, so that it can measure the rhythm of my keystrokes as an additional layer of security. I don't know for certain, but I sincerely doubt my typing rhythm will be the same on an iPad as it is on my physical keyboard.

Battery Life

By asserting control over the software on the device, and by disallowing a mechanism for swapping out batteries, Apple has set itself up to blame when battery life is less than ideal.

No matter how frugal with battery life the Adobe Flash plugin may become over time, it is certainly not perceived to be friendly right now, and Apple doesn't wish to give Adobe the ability to kill the iPad's/iPhone's battery while users are simply browsing the web.

Crashes

Similarly, Apple wants your phone to always work (not a bad approach for a device that will be expected to work in an emergency). Apple can't control the quality of the web browser it provides on the device if it also supplies Flash along with that browser. Apple doesn't want to relinquish that control.

Open Standards

One of the primary reasons Apple has survived the Microsoft onslaught (and in recent years thrived) is the open nature of the Internet.

Microsoft attempted and failed to define networking on its own terms, allowing UNIX, Linux, MacOS, and any number of alternative systems (including many that have yet to be created) to peacefully coexist. As long as your computer can comply with open standards, you can participate in the Internet.

Except, that is, where Flash is concerned: to display Flash content, you have to wait for Adobe to bless your operating system, or you have to find a way to simulate an operating system that Adobe already supports.

As far as I can tell, there are only three (probably soon to be four) companies that can realistically break this unfortunate dependence on Adobe: Microsoft, Adobe itself, or Apple. Google may join those ranks in the near future.

Microsoft would happily replace Flash with its own Silverlight proprietary solution, but that doesn't result in a more open future for computing.

Apple is pushing for the evolution of the HTML standard to include the features that Flash provides so that anyone in the world can write a web browser or operating system that can interact with the rest of the world.

Apple's only real bullet, its only chance to break the Flash codependency, is its mobile operating system and devices.

Despite Apple's relatively small market share in computing, the content providers of the world know that Apple customers are desirable. Apple has a 90% market share of retail computers over $1,000, and its smartphone share is rising rapidly. Apple customers and their money matter a great deal to the business that turn a profit on the web.

If Apple puts Flash on its mobile devices, its only bullet is spent, and while Flash will probably eventually die, that day will be a long time in the future.

If Apple can build up a base of hundreds of millions of affluent consumers who don't have access to Flash content, Flash will probably die much, much faster.

And the world will be a better place.

Further reading

Flash

• http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/02/01/ten-myth-of-apple’s-ipad-2-ipad-needs-adobe-flash/

Multitasking

• http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/02/17/ten-myths-of-apple’s-ipad-9-it-cant-multitask/


• http://smokingapples.com/opinion/multi-tasking-iphone-ipad/

Footnotes

1. A slower processor, a small screen: the web browsing experience on an iPhone is far better than anything that existed in the smartphone space before Apple turned the market on its head in 1997, but still a far cry a "real" computer.


2. Apple has proffered explanations for the lack of customization and flexibility on iPhones, including the desire to protect the cellular networking infrastructure from rogue software. I, and many others, feel that by constraining the iPhone and iPad, Apple is attempting to create a much more user-friendly experience for its customers by sacrificing the needs of power users. Those users can always use general-purpose computers to achieve their ends.

iPad thoughts

One week to go.

Very few gizmos are met with the sheer quantity of punditry that is obligatory for a new Apple offering, and the iPad is no exception.

I doubt I can make points that haven't been made elsewhere countless times, but for my own part, here are my hopes and concerns for the new device.

What I'm excited about

Mobility

Repeat after me: a tablet is not a small laptop.

And this is a very, very good thing.

A laptop is a self-contained, luggable[1] computer. It's quite useful when you're seated somewhere. It's virtually useless, even treacherous, when you're standing up, walking around, or doing pretty much anything else.

A tablet, on the other hand, can be useful both when seated and not. I use my iPhone when I'm sitting down, but perhaps even more so when I'm walking.

In my office, I frequently walk around to talk to co-workers about problems I'm having, or problems they're having. Do I take my laptop with me? Once every couple of months. Maybe. I don't generally take it to meetings, even.

I took it to meetings before I had my iPhone, but now that I can keep an eye on email without my laptop, why bother?

An iPad? That, hopefully, will be a whole 'nother story. I figure I'll nearly always have my iPhone when I'm wandering through the office, and the iPad will be with me closer to a quarter of the time, maybe more, because I can just grab it and go, and it's useful without sitting down.

Proximity

When I'm reading on my home computer, I like to lean back and relax. However, that takes me farther away from my screen, so I'm forced to adjust. I can enlarge text, but I can't enlarge graphics quite so readily without magnifying my screen[2].

Furthermore, although I have a bluetooth mouse, it's still a pain to navigate when I'm not in close contact with my desk, especially when I'm navigating through a series of pages with small navigation links (e.g., webcomics).

The iPad will be a perfect "kick back and relax" type of device, especially if/when content migrates from webpages (that are too often not designed for convenient navigation) to iPhone OS applications that are designed for the touch format.

Which leads me to...

Navigation

Serial content on the web is a disaster. It doesn't have to be, but it nearly always is.

Look at Dilbert. Move back a month, and try to navigate forward one day at a time. Notice that the forward arrows move around[3] on the page even on this minimal interface, so there's no place where you can leave your mouse and count on the next action working.

On proper iPhone applications, you swipe, or tape the right side of the screen. That's serial navigation in a nutshell, done right.

How much would I pay to have Gunnerkrigg Court in a native iPhone/iPad application with proper navigation? Quite a bit, even though it's free on the web.

It's all about the experience.

The Experience

Using a well-designed touch application under a well-designed touch operating system on a piece of beautifully-designed touch hardware with a large, colorful screen is a pleasure.

How many times have you said that working with a computer is a pleasure? Not often, I bet.

Today, I have everything but the large screen, and I am desperate for that last, missing piece.

Apple has produced a peerless ecosystem of hardware and software. I hope that the iPad brings that experience to a large, new audience.

Speaking of which...

The Audience

How many times have you wondered where you saved that file, or what hidden dialog box is preventing the window at the front of your screen from responding, or why the application shortcut on your desktop no longer works?

How many times have you been huddled over your computer trying to get your anti-virus software to find and kill the latest piece of junk that's preventing you from getting anything done? Or watched a friend or relative try to do it for you?

As a computer professional, I desperately want people who don't want to understand the inner workings of their computer to not have to.

The iPad is a big step towards that dream. Its application-centric instead of document-centric design takes away the flexibility that a desktop or laptop have, but in exchange it offers a huge win in basic usability.

Give an iPod touch or iPhone to a three-year-old, and they'll be able to use it right away. Give an iPad to a grandmother who wants to be able to keep in touch with her family, tell her that she doesn't have to worry about modems, anti-virus software, or misplacing important files...

I'm betting she'll thank you.

Especially given its...

Large screen

Many pundits criticized the iPad for just being a large iPhone.

Well, duh. The iPhone and iPod touch are marvellous devices hindered primarily by their small screen. The screen size makes them highly portable, but for old fogeys like me, I want a bigger screen!

Even with my recent acquisition of progressive lenses, I still find the screen difficult to read at times, and there are any number of applications that could be much more enjoyable with a large screen. Mind mapping with iThoughts is already quite pleasant; using it on a larger screen should be an utter delight. Playing Civilization Revolution (assuming it doesn't crash every few minutes) can kill countless hours on a small screen; if 2K Games revises it for the iPad, I'll be absolutely thrilled.

And reading any book I want on a graphically-sophisticated, handheld device? Mmmm.

Appliance, Appliance, Appliance

I really think that, given some creativity from developers and businesspeople, the iPad will be a huge hit in the business world.

Mount one outside your conference room for displaying its schedule, allowing new meetings to be slotted into open slots (or existing meetings to be canceled), and it can provide any number of other functions as well.

Realtors, take these with you to meet clients, and you can offer 3D views of houses you're selling, perform searches for other homes in the area, pull up a history of home prices in the neighborhood, etc. Sure, you can do all this with a laptop, but how much easier will it be to share this information with 2 or 3 other people if you're all seated around a flat display on a table instead of having everyone huddled around a small laptop display?

Retailers, give these to your floor staff. Need to find out if you have an item in stock at this location or a different one? Piece of cake, especially with a camera or other scanner to read barcodes.

Concerns

Really, I don't have many personal concerns for the device. Would I like to be able to run Pandora in the background while I browse the web? Sure. But I'll always have my iPhone with me, even if I'm not near a computer to provide my music.

I do have a few concerns that I would like to see addressed to assist with more widespread adoption. So for the benefit of those who have yet to fall in love with the device...

iHub

The iPad is not a computer in the traditional sense, and it still requires a full-fledged computer for backups and upgrades.

Moreover, there are websites which won't work on the iPad for a while, until the web design world fully acknowledges the fact that Flash simply isn't going to work on Apple's mobile devices[4].

I encourage Apple to help move the device to a new audience of users who just want a simple computer to keep them in contact with the outside world by providing something similar to the AppleTV: an appliance that runs iTunes and Safari, purely for the sake of providing the management features that the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad lack.

Apple could make this "iHub" even more useful by removing the need for a display. Plug in an iPad and use it as a dumb display while the iPad is syncing with the device.

Multi-user Support

To some degree in the business space, and to a much larger degree in a family household, the ability to have custom sets of applications and content for different users would be very useful.

On the other hand, Apple may have decided it would rather just try to sell each household several iPads.

Footnotes

1. Yes, I know "luggable" was once used to describe extremely heavy computers that resembled large laptops.


2. Hold down the control key while using the scroll button on your mouse in MacOS X. Easy, but magnifying the page generally leads to more awkward navigation.


3. Don't see it change locations when using the top arrows? Try moving from February 9th to February 10th, or July 31st to August 1st.


4. I'll probably post a note about Flash in the near future, but suffice it to say that I'm a fan of open web standards, which means I'm emphatically not a fan of Flash.

Conseco Fieldhouse

Farewell Claude

Claude Sifferlen was a tremendously talented jazz pianist who passed away Thursday. I enjoyed watching him perform with Frank Glover–a talented jazz artist in his own right, but it was Claude I went to watch at the Chatterbox.

What impressed me most about Frank and Claude on a personal level was that they always seemed to have something to talk about together onstage, despite the fact that they performed as a duo for decades.

Claude will be sorely missed by many jazz fans in central Indiana. Rest in peace, maestro.