05 - First Impressions

If first impressions count, then it counts double for technology. Like real-world human relationships, when you see or use a gadget for the first time, that initial first contact can be make or break your perception of the device forever.

Sitting down in an armchair or sofa with an iPad for the first time felt very natural. Much like holding a hardback book or thick magazine, and a lot more 'normal' than sitting with a laptop. I'd heard that it was quite heavy, but I found it quite comfortable in my hands, although I should out that I have monster sized mits, so that may have something to do with it.

I spent a little time setting up my mail and configuring the handful of apps that I'd loaded via iTunes and then... 'pling'. What was that noise? Oh look, an email...

I'm the kind of person who can't leave a phone ringing or an email unread (and often, unanswered). I turn my phone off a good deal of the time so I don't have to insult the people around me by rudely using it when I'm in their company. Did everybody hear that? Phone addicts, were you listening? Anyway, even though I was planning to do something else, suddenly I'm sitting there answering mail. It took a few moments for me to decide if I wanted to hold the pad in portrait or landscape format (I'm still undecided) but aside from that, the fact I was using a new device was lost to the job of communicating with a friend..

Then someone - I don't remember who - wandered into the room and asked if we were going to go hiking later that afternoon. Someone else pointed out that it would depend on the weather. Weather forecast? A few seconds later we had that answer via the Accuweather app.

The weather wasn't looking particularly good so watching a movie was put forward as an alternative. We found and used the Netflix app to order up the movie in question. Then I opened up a couple Google docs to reference a recipe I'd uploaded a few weeks earlier.

And so it went on. Without too much fanfare the Pad was totally incorporated into family life. When the adults weren't tinkering with it, the girls were playing Drop 7 & Flight Control HD. After dinner a couple of us sat and did the New York Times Crossword on it (in 49 minutes placing us 2200ish).

Now, you're probably wondering what the big deal is. Can't I do all those things on my iPhone, laptop or whatever else? Yes, of course I can. But, that's the point I think. There is no big deal. The iPad just... works. An hour down the line I was using it as if I had always owned it. And so were the people around me.

By the end of the first day, the iPad was sitting on the table, being used in turn by various members of the household: At first out of fascination and curiosity, but later because it was just a lot easier than any of the other devices in the house.

Whats on TV? Shall we watch something via Netflix? Let me check my twitter. A quick update to Facebook. All these things are pretty instant and accessible, with no resorting to manuals, scratching of heads or cursing. Just touch the icon with your finger and you are instantly there. OK, so it's not perfect - yes, there were websites that I couldn't access because they were built around Flash, but only a couple. And again, I'm used to that from my iPod touch.

Now, compare that experience to getting a new netbook or laptop. Or most new phones. I doubt that its that fluid. First you'd spend a lot of time with basic set-ups. Then you'd spend ages doing the latest system updates. Then you'd have to install the various browsers and plug-ins you need. There would be several restarts along the way. Then & only then would you be ready to use the device in a meaningful way.

OK, so that explains the netbooks and laptops, but why is the iPad so much easier & natural to use than even the iPhones and iPods?

On the surface it looks like a giant version of these items. In many ways it is. The feature set is similar, and interface is identical and so are the apps. but there are a few important differences, which make all the difference.

The bigger screen, whilst obviously more liberating, means you hold and use the device differently. Its readable at quite a distance, so it's a lot easier to share the experience with someone. Most small handhelds and smart-phones are essentially a one person device. This means that two people or more can do the crossword together, read a book together... a group can watch a TV show or a movie and all see and hear it equally well.

The bigger screen makes certain things far more comfortable to use - most notably web-surfing, but also email and anything else which involves a large quantity of text. Without changing the size of the text you don't have to scroll as much. Sometimes not at all. A small detail, but a very important one. How many times have you given up looking at a site on your phone because you couldn't see all the relevant information at once?

The faster processor means it's just... faster. A stupidly obvious statement, but with something like Google Maps it's important. Have you ever tried zooming in and out or scrolling a map on your smart-phone and its so slow you just abandon it? Or more likely, you put the device down and go do it on your desktop machine? And going back to the screen size, could you see it all at once?

Which brings me to digital comics. Two of the biggest turn offs to reading comics on a smart-phone have been size and speed. No matter how clever the comic app is at zooming panels and expanding dialogue boxes, most comics are supposed to be read with the full page in view. Which is nearly impossible on a smart phone. Even the largest text is difficult to read without zooming in. The iPad is nearly the same size as a standard print comic. That, combined with the fact that you can flip the pages nearly instantly ,makes it feel very similar to reading a paper version.

So, I ended the day reading an issue of 'Elephantmen' in bed and then, when I was done, popped it on the little charger base that my friend had pre-ordered for his own, yet to be delivered, 3GS iPad and went to sleep watching an episode of Lost which I'd bought from the iTunes store.

End of the first day... no bugs, problems, disappointments or other things that would make me doubt my purchase.

I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised.

Next: 06 - The nitty gritty details.