After iPad's First Impressions

It’s almost poetic how much people enjoy watching someone who was practically given the status of a new-age messiah, finally deliver a product that to a large majority, is a lemon. Yes I’m talking about Steve Jobs and the iPad here.

The problem started with the launch of Slate PCs at CES 2010 - handheld touchscreen computers that were capable of running Windows 7 in all its glory and possibly have enough power to play high-definition content and even games to a large extent. If only Steve Jobs would have given his infamous keynote before the news about slate PCs hit the fan, there is a possibility that it wouldn’t have been the flame-bait of the year that it is now.__STARTQUOTE__Even though the iPad doesn’t seem too hot right now, intelligent applications can make it the must-have device of 2010.__ENDQUOTE__Even at Tech2, we were quite open about the iPad’s shortcomings in our articles. But as with everything else, every story has two sides. Even though many may call it a giant iPod Touch (among many other names), there’s a lot of good that comes with that. Here are a few good uses for an iPad that I can think of.

Artist’s Pet Pad – Creative applications may be the first thing that comes to mind but the iPad could be the best thing that ever happened to artists. The iPhone screen is definitely too small to actually let users draw or paint their masterpieces the way they imagine it (though some talented people did manage to create brilliant art on it). But with the screen enlarged to iPad size and with the same amount of multi-touch sensitivity, the art apps would be a lot more accessible to even casual users.

Miniature DJ console — Without getting into the nitty-gritty’s of how a real DJ console can never be replaced by something as miniscule as the iPad, it will definitely make a better option for home DJs or musicians who want to try mixing different tracks in real-time. The bigger screen will make it easier to cue tracks and you can even have a little scratch pad that would be a lot more maneuverable than an iPhone or through a mouse.

Business Productivity – Of course there can be some serious applications with the iPad as well. The word processors and spreadsheets are pretty much perfected in their current formats, but other functions like notes, mind mapping, flowcharts, etc. are still done better on paper than using the keyboard+mouse combo. This is where the iPad could change things forever.

In-Car Computer – While this concept is not that popular here, abroad, an in-car computer interface that handles everything from the car entertainment, to GPS, to even climate control, is quite popular. With the iPad giving you an intuitive interface on a giant screen, the in-car computer can finally have a smart and responsive interface with a humongous application support. 

These are just a few real-world  functionalities that I can imagine for the iPad, but I’m sure there are a whole lot more that application developers around the world are already working on. Even though the iPad doesn’t seem too hot right now, intelligent applications can make it the must-have device of 2010.