Getting an iPad

Finally, I also went out to get an iPad. The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue had many on display but none to sell. Asking for advice I received the blunt answer to try elsewhere but to no longer bother here, that’s how monopolist’s behave…

Finally I was “lucky” to get one after a third try in Soho. “iPad!? – this line!” – the usual dialog of going through pro’s and con’s of product was skipped, everybody in the line was “lucky” to get one, they even limited “2 per day per person” which was checked by credit card…

Finally, I got to try it out. First disappointment you have to connect to a PC first to set it up, thus I just could use it as a fancy mirror in the beginning. Then, I had to get an US iTunes account which is a little bit tricky without a US credit card. Then, I actually could start it. Besides the wow about the nice screen and sharp image, the question really was what to do know? It’s nice to access the web more comfortably from the couch now, but is this really worth a device? I was immediately reminded about the single vs. multi-purpose device discussion [1]…

…also this video has some nice arguments against iPad: experience shows that devices should be single-urpose. Yes, the pocket exception, the Swiss Pocket knife you carry around, but no multi-purpose in the kitchen, single-purpose usually is more specialized, more targeted, more useful:

DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation Videos - G4tv.com

[1] Dourish, P. 2001. Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. Cambridge: MIT Press.