Pat Dryburgh

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Humans suffer from a subjective viewpoint. We see the universe with us at the center of it. It’s almost impossible to gauge anything outside of our own desires…when we size up a new gadget such as the iPad we consider first and foremost: “What good is it TO ME?”.

User experience designers, however, cannot long suffer this fate. We must design (and hopefully critique other designs) from a more objective viewpoint.

Apple’s iPad: For what Audience? - 52 Weeks of UX

First, I can’t get over how great this site is. Second, the writers have nailed it when it comes to geeks like us critiquing the iPad. Sure, there are a ton of things I would love for it to do, but I can almost guarantee that adding those things would simply confuse the person that this device is actually intended for.

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I have to say, I have a lot of thoughts running through my head regarding Apple’s announcement today. However, I am not qualified nor do I have the time to rehash everything there is to say about it. Lucky for me, I know lots of people who have lots to say about it:

  • David Kaneda gives a brief rundown of the iPad: its software, hardware, and accessories.
  • Kyle Baxter postulates, as I do, that “for a lot of people, like students and normal computer users, this could be their only computing device.”
  • Elliot Jay Stocks comments that “the pessimist in me sees the e-book functionality as the iPad’s core, with all the extra stuff added as fluff to make it appear that it’s not just an e-book reader. I guess I was expecting a bit more.” I disagree with his thought that the e-book is the core of the iPad. Apple sees this as a true replacement for a laptop for those who don’t need Pro level software and hardware.
  • Kyle Meyer agrees: “We (geeks) aren’t Apple’s target audience with the iPad.” My mom would not just love this device, she would thrive on it. No more file system headaches, no more “how do I do this” questions. She doesn’t want the headaches that come with traditional computing. An iPad paired with the keyboard dock would be the perfect computing solution for her and countless millions like her.
  • Lastly, Chris Bowler questions what this new device, and the direction it seems Apple is heading, means for the desktop (or laptop) experience:

It seems clear that all this technology will trickle down to (or take over) the desktop at Cupertino. But will it be open or closed? I shudder to think of OS X (or it’s future derivative) as closed, when it’s the third party ecosystem that brings me the most enjoyment on this platform. And this ecosystem is a result of the openness of the OS.

I hope that the iPad is a success, because as I stated above, I think it could dramatically improve the computing experience of a lot of people. That can only have a positive affect on those of us who work to create amazing experiences on the desktop, web, and mobile platforms.