With the release of the Apple Ipad there has been much discussion around the disruptive impact it will have on the publishing, media and gaming industries. The effects are already starting to be felt as Apple has sold an astonishing 450,000 units since the April 03 launch. One interesting thing to watch will be the iPads impact on human behavior online. The advent of blogging and the movement from the request/respond web to the more interactive web 2.0 allowed us all to be publishers and content creators. The openness of the development tools and the distribution of API’s has allowed us to create online experiences with less effort and greater functionality. These advances encouraged makers and creators to grow and explore.
In many respects the iPad is not a device that places an emphasis on creation but rather on consumption. Apple is taking steps to rigidly define the development environment for iPad application builders. The strict control around application development and the lack of input devices such as a camera and USB ports will also have an impact on content creators. In a world where multimedia publishing is available from a smartphone, the iPad will require another hardware device to achieve such functionality.
The iPad is great at allowing us to consume media. It provides slick, intuitive access to gaming, video, audio and iPad formatted content. Will this move a generation of content creators to become content consumers? Could the reason for the popularity of the iPad be the same thing that made the television a hit? It turns us into compliant consumers of media where we have quick and easy access to our content. Is the ability to be a couch potato on any couch the freedom we expected from our mobile devices?
Yes, I realize the tools to build apps for the iPad will evolve. Yes, peripherals such as keyboards and head sets are available. Yes, a camera may come out with future versions, but at its heart the iPad is the most passive way we have had to access the web in a long time. It makes it easy to turn from content creator to content consumer.
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