Now I'm back in the UK, and the iPad is no longer in my possession. I had it for about 3 weeks total. Of course, I still have access to it, but I really meant it when I said it was for my mum.
I've also made a point of saying that I'm not an Apple Fanboy, yet so far I've had very little negative to say about the iPad. That's mostly because the experience has been overwhelmingly good. But the entire point of this blog has been to look at the both the positive and the negative sides of the device, so I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the things that aren't perfect, clunky, or in some cases, pretty lame.
So where to start? Well first I think I should mention that many of the gripes I have are really to do with specific applications, so it seems a bit daft to write about those. I want to focus on the iPad and its basic functionality. However, there is one thing about the apps in general that I'm really not happy about, but I'll save that rant for the end.
Charging. The iPad won't charge from just any USB port. Not even any powered USB port. It seems to be really selective about which ones it will work with. Most of the USB ports that can charge my phone or iPod touch won't do diddlysquat to the iPad. In fact, at the moment, the only way I can charge it is by using the power adaptor that came with it. Apple says it will charge from a 'high-powered' USB port, but I've yet to find one. I have plenty of high power devices that will take a charge off a regular powered USB port, so that's pretty lame in my opinion. I suspect that were I to plug it into a Mac, I'd find that it charges just fine. Of course, I don't have a Mac, so I have no way of knowing. Can anyone shed any light on this? Additionally, when you do charge it off the mains, it takes ages. Great that its got a 10 hour battery life, but if you use it all up and then it takes 4-5 hours to get it back to 100%, that's not particularly brilliant.
Bluetooth. I mentioned early on that I couldn't connect anything to Bluetooth on the iPad. I still can't. It's clearly just there for things like keyboards and headsets (although I haven't tried those). Why can't I use it to transfer data? Moving pictures across devices like phones, with Bluetooth is really, really basic. It's been technologically possible for years. It's mobile 101! Seeing as there is an extreme lack of ports on the iPad, is that too much to ask?
Let's take a break for a moment to try this little scenario:
You've been on the road and your iPad is down to about 10% battery. You get home, you want to get the pictures you've taken on your camera/phone onto the pad, So... you connect your camera to your desktop, transfer the images, sync your iPad... hold on a minute.. you can't sync your iPad because it's charging off the mains! So you have to wait. For quite some time!
But what about WiFi, I hear you ask? Well, what about it? After all, there is no file manager on the iPlatform devices, so moving things onto it is a bit of a chore, even with apps to help you do it. All I want to do is easily get pictures into the photo album so my mum can look at them.
Hold on... what about the external keyboard with a - wait for it - plug for your camera? Yeah, that costs more money and I don't want to spend any more money. I already spent well over $770 for the pad and the case.
Glossy Screen. The screen looks absolutely great, but only when it's not being hit by direct sunlight (or any bright light source). Outdoors on a sunny day the iPad is practically unusable. And then there is the fingerprint issue, which to be fair, is quite unavoidable, but I do seem to be spending a lot of time cleaning the screen. Perhaps I should see a doctor about oily skin?
Safari. It's a great browser, but unfortunately its tagged as a different version on the iPad than on the iPhone or iPod touch. This means that many sites which have content that will work on the iPhone do not recognise the iPad as a compatible browser. Instead you get sent to the main site and if it's flash based, then you're out of luck. This is exactly what happens when you try to use the BBC iPlayer. Which brings me to my next gripe...
Flash. Or, should I say, no-Flash. Now it doesn't really bother me that the iPad doesn't support Flash. I don't give a hoot about it in technological terms. But it does bother me that I (or rather my mum) can't watch a lot of video that's on the web. I suspect that this will change over time - I honestly believe that Flash has been on its way out of the market for a while - but right now, it still dominates and I don't see that changing in the next few months. Yes, Steve, we know you hate flash and have clearly stated why. But what's the work around?
File browser. There is no file browser for any of the iPlatform devices (jail-breaking notwithstanding). Now, on the iPhone & iPod, this is less of an issue, because generally the devices are small in terms of memory space and the kind of files you have on there don't really need to be browsed. But the iPad is bigger and badder in all respects and has been touted as a replacement for laptops and heralded as the future of computing. So why can't I easily see what data is on there? Why can't I plug it into a desktop and read it like a USB stick? If I create a document on there, be it notes, a drawing, an audio recording or whatever, I have to email it somewhere to make use of it. Which is ridiculous. I just want to manage a few files. Perhaps move some music around. Get stuff off it onto other devices. You know, the kind of things people do with computers. Ah, if only there was Bluetooth... oh hold on, I already talked about that.
I already mentioned that I have many other gripes with particular applications, but I'm not sure that's a fair thing to talk about in this piece. For instance I could go on for ages about Google Docs being utterly useless on the iPad. For one thing, it detects Safari as a mobile browser (but the iPlayer doesn't, grrrr) and you can't edit anything! Why, Google, why? No, don't get me started on specific apps. There is however one general thing that I want to grumble about with regards to the currently available batch of apps...
Cost: OK, so it's no surprise that developers are trying to get as much as they can out of the early adopters. And to be fair, those developers that have developed an iPad version of their apps should be reimbursed their costs. Yet, I can't help feeling that those of us who have already paid for iPhone versions of a particular app should at least get some kind of discount on an iPad version. A dollar off maybe? Just to show a bit of goodwill? I already paid $4.99 and now the developer wants $7.99 for an iPad version of the same app!
Look, I know there's this idea that the early adopters are fools and have lots of money to chuck around, but: a) that's not true, and b) we are your ambassadors! Don't milk us for every penny we have! If you already have an iPhone version of your app, then converting it to the iPad isn't that big a deal. And it was the iPhone & iPod users that helped pay for you to do it, so why are you charging us even more to use it? You know who we are. I'm sure you have a list of who's already paid into your development coffers. Come on now, give us a squeeze!
OK, so that's it... for now. If anybody out there has anything they'd like to add, please feel free to leave a comment.
Next: Being Pad-less
26 May 2010
18 May 2010
10 - My mum & her iPad
As I told you all very early on, one of my prime reasons for buying an iPad was my mum. When I returned from living in Japan, I showed her my iPod touch and she was clearly taken by it. She loved the simplicity of the interface, and in particular the photo browser, but thought it was too small - both for her eyesight and her not-so-dexterous hands. She's 70, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and does not speak English as her first language, so being easy-to-use is probably the biggest selling point for her where technology is concerned.
But, as I also have mentioned, she's not a technophobe. From a very young age, I can remember that it was always my mum who sorted out technology in our house - from tuning the television, to setting up the hi-fi, to programming the VCR. In later years, she has learned to use the DVR (to the point where I'm probably going to need to upgrade it to a model with two tuners and a bigger hard disk), the DVD player, SMS on her mobile phone (she uses emoticons and shorthand like a teenager) and most recently, the desktop computer. She uses FireFox, Gmail, the BBC iPlayer, internet radio and Skype.
It wasn't all plain sailing. It took her a while to understand the virtual nature of where things are stored, and she's never quite got her head around tabbed interfaces. Still, she's managed to surprise me a few times by adopting features without my help, and discovering functions that I was previously unaware of.
A few months ago, when I was visiting her and had a laptop with me, she enquired whether that would be a good way for her to use the internet. The problem with the desktop workstation is that it's not conveniently located. It's in the guest room. If someone is visiting, she can't really use it, and in general, it doesn't fit well with her daily household routine. We quickly established that the laptop wouldn't be a better solution. It was it too bulky and heavy for her to use comfortably. She also couldn't get her head around the trackpad and didn't like having cables trailing everywhere. She decided that she would to stick with using the desktop workstation.
Then, back in February, I showed her some of the tablet concept videos from Conde Nast and the iPad demos by Steve Jobs and that St. Ives fella. Her eyes lit up with keen interest. In fact, her comment was, "Why don't you get me one of those?"
Told!
It was surprising to me then, that when I returned from the USA two weeks ago and presented her with the iPad, along with several other gifts, she didn't even blink. In fact, she was far more interested in the jar of "Goober Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirl" that I'd brought back. (Americans, you can't get such nonsense in this country, but my mother, who worked as a chef for American kids for years, loves peanut butter & jelly sandwiches!) Of course, I was quick to show her my holiday photos and videos on it, extol its virtues and explain that she was probably the most advanced pensioner in London by having one, but for the most part, she was unfazed and put it down in a corner.
A few days later however, I walked in on her with it sitting on her lap. She had the Google app open. I asked her what she was doing and she said she'd tried to get her email using 'the button,' but it was set up for me, not for her, so she was trying to get it another way. I realised at that point that the iPad was still configured for my use, so I spent a short while purging it of all traces of my holiday. I reset it to default and loaded the handful of applications I thought she'd be interested in: BBC news, an internet radio player, Skype, Epicurious, Jamie's 5 Minute Meals, Accuweather, and so on. I set the calender, contacts and mail apps to sync with her Gmail, and then added a small number of other things that I thought I would probably use when I'm visiting (Marvel Comics, Facebook, TwitBird). Finally, I loaded all of her photos from the desktop PC (several thousand) and a few of her favourite albums (the Beatles, Julio Iglesias, Paco Peña), gave it back and left her to it.
A little while later she said to me, "That thing changes my words! I can't send mail with it because it makes no sense!" Of course, she was referring to the auto correct & completion functions. As I said, English is not my mum's first language - she's Spanish - and her writing skills are not great. She reads and writes phonetically, so any thing she writes in English is always quite interesting. Recently, while I was away in the USA, she sent an email to me describing how great the weather was:
"hallo, is wed,and the most beautiful morning so am prep ear for water,the allotment.today it will be perhaps the Hooters day of the yer .but very wet for the weekend."
For those who don't speak Spanglish, the mail translates as follows:
"Hello, it's Wednesday and it's a most beautiful morning, so I'm preparing to water the allotment. Today it will perhaps be the hottest day of the year, but it will become very wet this weekend."
Aside from the comedic value of "the hottest day of the year" being described as "the Hooters day of the year," you can see that my mum's typing and punctuation skills are not great. In fact, this was a particularly good message from her! As far as she's concerned, her words make sense. And, if you read it in the voice of a little old Spanish lady, they do. They also make sense to a spell checker. In fact, I suspect she spell checked this particular one and hence we end up with words like "prep ear" instead of "prepare."
But, like predictive text on a mobile phone, auto-complete only really works well if you have a good command of the language in the first place. If your spelling is atrocious, then you end up with all sorts of junk. So I turned that off, along with auto-correct and the double space/period short cut function.
A few more days passed and once again I asked her how she was coping with it. "Is OK" she said with a smile. It took her a while to figure out how much pressure to put on the screen - how long to leave her finger on it - when she swipes and activates icons. There is no tactile response, so at first she would hold down her finger on an app icon and the screen would do that wobbly-interface thing. (Can that be turned off, by the way?) But she soon adjusted. Now she's reading her emails, listening to the radio, checking recipes, and enjoying her digital photos. She uses it in bed, in the kitchen, whilst watching TV and even on the balcony.
She's typing a bit better with it, but she's still not 100% happy with the keyboard. That doesn't surprise me. She's a two finger typist at best and it took her a while to learn to use a regular physical keyboard. The fact that the virtual keyboard doesn't have a number pad and changes the way you access the symbol characters is a bit confusing for her at the moment. But I'm sure she'll get there. The last time I asked her if she needed any help, she told me to leave her alone so she could explore the thing for herself.
Told!
This weekend my aunt was visiting and my mum was very quick to give her a demo. They spent a large part of Saturday evening reminiscing over family photos, surfing the net and drinking whiskey. Yup, that's right, surfing the net. I'm expecting a phone call from my cousins any time soon complaining that they are now expected to splash out big bucks for an iPad. But that's OK, they are all far better off than me.
I'd like to end with a question for you all....
Would your parent, or even grandparent, want an iPad? Would they prefer a regular PC or laptop? Or would they rather just leave technology the hell alone...?
Next: The not-so-good bits.
But, as I also have mentioned, she's not a technophobe. From a very young age, I can remember that it was always my mum who sorted out technology in our house - from tuning the television, to setting up the hi-fi, to programming the VCR. In later years, she has learned to use the DVR (to the point where I'm probably going to need to upgrade it to a model with two tuners and a bigger hard disk), the DVD player, SMS on her mobile phone (she uses emoticons and shorthand like a teenager) and most recently, the desktop computer. She uses FireFox, Gmail, the BBC iPlayer, internet radio and Skype.
It wasn't all plain sailing. It took her a while to understand the virtual nature of where things are stored, and she's never quite got her head around tabbed interfaces. Still, she's managed to surprise me a few times by adopting features without my help, and discovering functions that I was previously unaware of.
A few months ago, when I was visiting her and had a laptop with me, she enquired whether that would be a good way for her to use the internet. The problem with the desktop workstation is that it's not conveniently located. It's in the guest room. If someone is visiting, she can't really use it, and in general, it doesn't fit well with her daily household routine. We quickly established that the laptop wouldn't be a better solution. It was it too bulky and heavy for her to use comfortably. She also couldn't get her head around the trackpad and didn't like having cables trailing everywhere. She decided that she would to stick with using the desktop workstation.
Then, back in February, I showed her some of the tablet concept videos from Conde Nast and the iPad demos by Steve Jobs and that St. Ives fella. Her eyes lit up with keen interest. In fact, her comment was, "Why don't you get me one of those?"
Told!
It was surprising to me then, that when I returned from the USA two weeks ago and presented her with the iPad, along with several other gifts, she didn't even blink. In fact, she was far more interested in the jar of "Goober Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirl" that I'd brought back. (Americans, you can't get such nonsense in this country, but my mother, who worked as a chef for American kids for years, loves peanut butter & jelly sandwiches!) Of course, I was quick to show her my holiday photos and videos on it, extol its virtues and explain that she was probably the most advanced pensioner in London by having one, but for the most part, she was unfazed and put it down in a corner.
A few days later however, I walked in on her with it sitting on her lap. She had the Google app open. I asked her what she was doing and she said she'd tried to get her email using 'the button,' but it was set up for me, not for her, so she was trying to get it another way. I realised at that point that the iPad was still configured for my use, so I spent a short while purging it of all traces of my holiday. I reset it to default and loaded the handful of applications I thought she'd be interested in: BBC news, an internet radio player, Skype, Epicurious, Jamie's 5 Minute Meals, Accuweather, and so on. I set the calender, contacts and mail apps to sync with her Gmail, and then added a small number of other things that I thought I would probably use when I'm visiting (Marvel Comics, Facebook, TwitBird). Finally, I loaded all of her photos from the desktop PC (several thousand) and a few of her favourite albums (the Beatles, Julio Iglesias, Paco Peña), gave it back and left her to it.
A little while later she said to me, "That thing changes my words! I can't send mail with it because it makes no sense!" Of course, she was referring to the auto correct & completion functions. As I said, English is not my mum's first language - she's Spanish - and her writing skills are not great. She reads and writes phonetically, so any thing she writes in English is always quite interesting. Recently, while I was away in the USA, she sent an email to me describing how great the weather was:
"hallo, is wed,and the most beautiful morning so am prep ear for water,the allotment.today it will be perhaps the Hooters day of the yer .but very wet for the weekend."
For those who don't speak Spanglish, the mail translates as follows:
"Hello, it's Wednesday and it's a most beautiful morning, so I'm preparing to water the allotment. Today it will perhaps be the hottest day of the year, but it will become very wet this weekend."
Aside from the comedic value of "the hottest day of the year" being described as "the Hooters day of the year," you can see that my mum's typing and punctuation skills are not great. In fact, this was a particularly good message from her! As far as she's concerned, her words make sense. And, if you read it in the voice of a little old Spanish lady, they do. They also make sense to a spell checker. In fact, I suspect she spell checked this particular one and hence we end up with words like "prep ear" instead of "prepare."
But, like predictive text on a mobile phone, auto-complete only really works well if you have a good command of the language in the first place. If your spelling is atrocious, then you end up with all sorts of junk. So I turned that off, along with auto-correct and the double space/period short cut function.
A few more days passed and once again I asked her how she was coping with it. "Is OK" she said with a smile. It took her a while to figure out how much pressure to put on the screen - how long to leave her finger on it - when she swipes and activates icons. There is no tactile response, so at first she would hold down her finger on an app icon and the screen would do that wobbly-interface thing. (Can that be turned off, by the way?) But she soon adjusted. Now she's reading her emails, listening to the radio, checking recipes, and enjoying her digital photos. She uses it in bed, in the kitchen, whilst watching TV and even on the balcony.
She's typing a bit better with it, but she's still not 100% happy with the keyboard. That doesn't surprise me. She's a two finger typist at best and it took her a while to learn to use a regular physical keyboard. The fact that the virtual keyboard doesn't have a number pad and changes the way you access the symbol characters is a bit confusing for her at the moment. But I'm sure she'll get there. The last time I asked her if she needed any help, she told me to leave her alone so she could explore the thing for herself.
Told!
This weekend my aunt was visiting and my mum was very quick to give her a demo. They spent a large part of Saturday evening reminiscing over family photos, surfing the net and drinking whiskey. Yup, that's right, surfing the net. I'm expecting a phone call from my cousins any time soon complaining that they are now expected to splash out big bucks for an iPad. But that's OK, they are all far better off than me.
I'd like to end with a question for you all....
Would your parent, or even grandparent, want an iPad? Would they prefer a regular PC or laptop? Or would they rather just leave technology the hell alone...?
Next: The not-so-good bits.
12 May 2010
09 - The iPad user experience
I keep saying that the iPlatform - my pet term for the Apple mobile device OS - is all about 'user experience.' But what does that mean, exactly? Shouldn't everything be about 'user experience?'
Of course, the answer to that question is, yes. But in some cases the user experience isn't relevant. For instance, if you want to find the square root of 269, pretty much any calculator will do, regardless of who makes it. If you want to boil an egg, you just need a pot and a stove of some kind (and of course, an egg). Once you have these items, the job is nearly done. The final product - a boiled egg - is more important than the method you use to make it. Same with the answer to your math question.
But when it comes to many tasks that we perform on desktop and mobile devices, the tool we use to perform that task is often as important as the task itself. In fact, in the case of consuming media, it is the task. So, your specific interaction with that device is a major contributing factor towards the success - the enjoyment - of that task. If performing the task takes too long, is too difficult or confusing, then it becomes less enjoyable. Perhaps, even to the point of unpleasant. This is what I mean by 'the user experience'.
The problem with most desktop and mobile devices is that they are trying to be all things to all people. The various operating systems (OS) are designed to cover a wide range of possible user tasks ranging from the mundane (desktop clocks and calenders) to the complex (creating visual effects for a movie). As such, its practically impossible to create an OS which is simple enough for anyone to use. Even the Mac OS, which is generally considered to be the best in this area, is still fairly complicated and has its own quirks and foibles that can confound a first time user.
One of the promises of gadgets like the iPad, is the wide range of functionality that can be found in a desktop computer, but with a level of simplicity similar to that of a smart-phone. In comparison to desktop machines, next-generation mobile phones and PDAs are severely limited in the number of things they can do, but they do those few things very well, indeed. Furthermore, they perform most operations with a minimum amount of interaction by the user.
For a device such as the iPad to slip into the household comfortably, it needs to be as simple and easy to use as a TV remote control or an old fashion telephone. Pick it up, use it. Job done. Instantly. And it needs to be usable by everyone - not just adults, but kids and pensioners, too.
Laptops, netbooks and pretty much all other tablets fall short in this one area. If you doubt me, then try the following:
1) From the off position, turn on your device.
2) Get the weather forecast for tomorrow in your area.
3) Now, find out how many emails you have.
It took me about 10 seconds on the iPad. How long did it take you? It becomes more interesting when you change the task to something more complex.
1) From the off position turn on your device
2) Find out what the "genus of honeybees" is. (Search for "honeybees" on Wikipedia.)
3) Once you've done that, go find the latest headline.
Took me about 30 seconds, total.
For the ultimate test, give the device to your mother and have her try it. Next, give the device to a child and see how that goes.
So, I really appreciate what all our new technology means, and I don't mind having to do a bit of work to use it. If I have to run an installer or two, or fire up a custom client... well, its not ideal, but it's better than the alternative. The alternative being, er, not.
But my mum... she remembers a time when there wasn't even television. As a result, she's happy with just a remote control and a handful of TV channels. Everything else is a luxury, and if it gets too complicated, she doesn't see the point. She's managed most of her life with no media technology at all. She only gets upset when there's no radio available.
Despite what I said in the last paragraph, as it happens, my mum is extremely "down" with technology. She programs the DVR, sends text messages like a teenager and surfs the web everyday. But, at the age of 70, and English not being her first language, she'd rather spend as little time as possible learning how to use a thing and, instead, just use it.
So, the big test for the iPad comes in the form of my elderly Spanish mum. Notes on that coming up soon!
NEXT: My mum & the iPad
Of course, the answer to that question is, yes. But in some cases the user experience isn't relevant. For instance, if you want to find the square root of 269, pretty much any calculator will do, regardless of who makes it. If you want to boil an egg, you just need a pot and a stove of some kind (and of course, an egg). Once you have these items, the job is nearly done. The final product - a boiled egg - is more important than the method you use to make it. Same with the answer to your math question.
But when it comes to many tasks that we perform on desktop and mobile devices, the tool we use to perform that task is often as important as the task itself. In fact, in the case of consuming media, it is the task. So, your specific interaction with that device is a major contributing factor towards the success - the enjoyment - of that task. If performing the task takes too long, is too difficult or confusing, then it becomes less enjoyable. Perhaps, even to the point of unpleasant. This is what I mean by 'the user experience'.
The problem with most desktop and mobile devices is that they are trying to be all things to all people. The various operating systems (OS) are designed to cover a wide range of possible user tasks ranging from the mundane (desktop clocks and calenders) to the complex (creating visual effects for a movie). As such, its practically impossible to create an OS which is simple enough for anyone to use. Even the Mac OS, which is generally considered to be the best in this area, is still fairly complicated and has its own quirks and foibles that can confound a first time user.
One of the promises of gadgets like the iPad, is the wide range of functionality that can be found in a desktop computer, but with a level of simplicity similar to that of a smart-phone. In comparison to desktop machines, next-generation mobile phones and PDAs are severely limited in the number of things they can do, but they do those few things very well, indeed. Furthermore, they perform most operations with a minimum amount of interaction by the user.
For a device such as the iPad to slip into the household comfortably, it needs to be as simple and easy to use as a TV remote control or an old fashion telephone. Pick it up, use it. Job done. Instantly. And it needs to be usable by everyone - not just adults, but kids and pensioners, too.
Laptops, netbooks and pretty much all other tablets fall short in this one area. If you doubt me, then try the following:
1) From the off position, turn on your device.
2) Get the weather forecast for tomorrow in your area.
3) Now, find out how many emails you have.
It took me about 10 seconds on the iPad. How long did it take you? It becomes more interesting when you change the task to something more complex.
1) From the off position turn on your device
2) Find out what the "genus of honeybees" is. (Search for "honeybees" on Wikipedia.)
3) Once you've done that, go find the latest headline.
Took me about 30 seconds, total.
For the ultimate test, give the device to your mother and have her try it. Next, give the device to a child and see how that goes.
Why did I use these examples? For a couple of reasons. First of all, these are typical tasks in a family household. Checking the weather, finding the answer to a crossword puzzle, browsing the TV guide - that sort of thing. Secondly, chances are, unless you have a computer that's on in every room, you're probably going to have to get out of your chair to do it. Third, these are all tasks that can be performed without the help of a computer using more traditional means: newspapers, encyclopaedia, local TV station. Lastly, each test requires doing more than one thing. We all know that the iPad doesn't multitask - that's been it's biggest criticism.
"But wait," I hear some of you say, "I can do all that on my iPhone!" Sure you can, but how comfortable is it? I love both my Palm Pilot and my iPod touch, but they are both still just a little bit too small to be a pleasure to use.
In my opinion, the iPad scores brilliantly in terms of user experience. I found myself getting over the coolness factor very quickly and just using it to do stuff. At the different households I've stayed at during my US visit I've seen others treat it the same way. Watching it get passed around a table or living room amongst the kids was fascinating. They were totally un-phased by it from a technical point of view and immediately just used it to jump onto YouTube and the web (in that order).
I'd say that of the 20 or so people that have so far sat and used my iPad, only one or two have asked me how it works and what to do with it.
Over the last 10 years, we've come to feel so liberated by technology that we've become satisfied with the effort involved in using it. As a grade-A, old-school, alpha geek, I know this too well. I remember a time when our family had no colour TV, telephone, washing machine or microwave. Those things existed, but not in my home. We couldn't get those things in the 70's, as they were expensive luxuries we couldn't afford. The internet? Every time I use Skype to video chat between Japan and the United Kingdom (real-time, for free!) it feels a little bit like magic. And I'm a propeller head - I understand how it works!
"But wait," I hear some of you say, "I can do all that on my iPhone!" Sure you can, but how comfortable is it? I love both my Palm Pilot and my iPod touch, but they are both still just a little bit too small to be a pleasure to use.
In my opinion, the iPad scores brilliantly in terms of user experience. I found myself getting over the coolness factor very quickly and just using it to do stuff. At the different households I've stayed at during my US visit I've seen others treat it the same way. Watching it get passed around a table or living room amongst the kids was fascinating. They were totally un-phased by it from a technical point of view and immediately just used it to jump onto YouTube and the web (in that order).
I'd say that of the 20 or so people that have so far sat and used my iPad, only one or two have asked me how it works and what to do with it.
Over the last 10 years, we've come to feel so liberated by technology that we've become satisfied with the effort involved in using it. As a grade-A, old-school, alpha geek, I know this too well. I remember a time when our family had no colour TV, telephone, washing machine or microwave. Those things existed, but not in my home. We couldn't get those things in the 70's, as they were expensive luxuries we couldn't afford. The internet? Every time I use Skype to video chat between Japan and the United Kingdom (real-time, for free!) it feels a little bit like magic. And I'm a propeller head - I understand how it works!
So, I really appreciate what all our new technology means, and I don't mind having to do a bit of work to use it. If I have to run an installer or two, or fire up a custom client... well, its not ideal, but it's better than the alternative. The alternative being, er, not.
But my mum... she remembers a time when there wasn't even television. As a result, she's happy with just a remote control and a handful of TV channels. Everything else is a luxury, and if it gets too complicated, she doesn't see the point. She's managed most of her life with no media technology at all. She only gets upset when there's no radio available.
Despite what I said in the last paragraph, as it happens, my mum is extremely "down" with technology. She programs the DVR, sends text messages like a teenager and surfs the web everyday. But, at the age of 70, and English not being her first language, she'd rather spend as little time as possible learning how to use a thing and, instead, just use it.
So, the big test for the iPad comes in the form of my elderly Spanish mum. Notes on that coming up soon!
NEXT: My mum & the iPad
6 May 2010
08 - Seeing red
It never ceases to amaze me how people can get emotional - to the point of rage - over a piece of technology. I don't mean, "I just spent $XX on this thing and it doesn't $#%%^ work!" That reaction would make complete sense. What doesn't make sense is when people hurl abuse and get upset because someone else spent $XX on a piece of technology. It also doesn't make sense when people proclaim the arrival of heaven on earth at the announcement of new product and line up in 2 ft of snow to buy it.
It was this kind of reaction - when I first mentioned on Facebook that I was thinking of buying an iPad - that led me to actually go out and get one and write these articles. I don't think I was really serious before. I wanted to buy a portable device, but was actually thinking more of a laptop, probably a MacBook Pro. But when the comments started coming thick and fast, I wanted to know what the fuss was about, first hand.
I'm not an Apple fan-boy, but I used to be. That was a long time ago, when I was young enough to be fooled by the idea that a global corporation could nurture a personal relationship with an individual customer. I believed the hype - which is easy to do. The marketing machine is cleverly planned, the product experience is craftily tailored, and everything is done in personal tones, very subtly, using data they've collected about you whilst using their products. Or even while just browsing their products. Oh, and I don't mean Apple specifically. I mean all of them: Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Google, Yahoo, etc. Hell, even companies like Domino's Pizza do it. I used to work for them, I know.
The reality is that all the tech companies are the same when it comes to the bottom line. There are only 3 things that count: the amount of profit they make, their position in the marketplace and, most of all, the future well being of their shareholders. Sure, there might be an enigmatic CEO at the helm who actually wants to make a difference...but he's still at the whim of the board of directors. Benevolence is fine as long as the financial outlook is rosy. However, as soon as those dark clouds on the horizon start to move in and the weather forecast begins to look grim...
The difference between Apple and other companies is simply that they place a lot more value on product design and ease of use. But, I still think this is only to lock you into your purchase and extract more money from you. I know that's cynical, but I've been a company director who was answerable to a board of directors and I know how it works. At some level they probably do want to make the world a better place - who doesn't? – but, not at the cost of their own survival.
Which, in my book is fine. Why not design something so well that users won't want to go anywhere else? Why not design something so well that your customers become evangelists for your product? It makes perfect sense. A happy customer is the best thing a company can have, whilst an unhappy customer is the worst. In the restaurant trade, the adage is that one unhappy customer will cause you to lose 10 more, once they tell all their friends about their experience. Coming from a family of chefs, I can attest to that. While I don't know if that's true for other industries, I'm pretty sure that regular folk place a lot more trust in the opinions of their friends than they do in the opinions of the media and press releases.
This is why it's so fascinating that people can have such strong opinions about something they've never tried or even seen. The comments I received on Facebook and Twitter ranged from, "That's a shame, good luck getting one", all the way to, “You're a victim and a dick”. Wow, that's pretty strong!
To me, that kind of reaction makes about as much sense as mocking someone for spending money in a high-end restaurant. Just because you like burgers & pizza, it doesn't mean that someone else is stupid for eating in a fancy expensive bistrot, does it? Especially if it's relatively new and no one has eaten there before. Personally, I would rather wait until after the meal, and get their opinion.
On the other side of the coin, I'm amazed at the blindness of people whose opinions are based solely on a very carefully orchestrated marketing campaign. To think that a luxury product is going to solve all your problems, in a field which didn't even exist a decade or two ago, is a bit daft.
It was this kind of reaction - when I first mentioned on Facebook that I was thinking of buying an iPad - that led me to actually go out and get one and write these articles. I don't think I was really serious before. I wanted to buy a portable device, but was actually thinking more of a laptop, probably a MacBook Pro. But when the comments started coming thick and fast, I wanted to know what the fuss was about, first hand.
I'm not an Apple fan-boy, but I used to be. That was a long time ago, when I was young enough to be fooled by the idea that a global corporation could nurture a personal relationship with an individual customer. I believed the hype - which is easy to do. The marketing machine is cleverly planned, the product experience is craftily tailored, and everything is done in personal tones, very subtly, using data they've collected about you whilst using their products. Or even while just browsing their products. Oh, and I don't mean Apple specifically. I mean all of them: Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Google, Yahoo, etc. Hell, even companies like Domino's Pizza do it. I used to work for them, I know.
The reality is that all the tech companies are the same when it comes to the bottom line. There are only 3 things that count: the amount of profit they make, their position in the marketplace and, most of all, the future well being of their shareholders. Sure, there might be an enigmatic CEO at the helm who actually wants to make a difference...but he's still at the whim of the board of directors. Benevolence is fine as long as the financial outlook is rosy. However, as soon as those dark clouds on the horizon start to move in and the weather forecast begins to look grim...
The difference between Apple and other companies is simply that they place a lot more value on product design and ease of use. But, I still think this is only to lock you into your purchase and extract more money from you. I know that's cynical, but I've been a company director who was answerable to a board of directors and I know how it works. At some level they probably do want to make the world a better place - who doesn't? – but, not at the cost of their own survival.
Which, in my book is fine. Why not design something so well that users won't want to go anywhere else? Why not design something so well that your customers become evangelists for your product? It makes perfect sense. A happy customer is the best thing a company can have, whilst an unhappy customer is the worst. In the restaurant trade, the adage is that one unhappy customer will cause you to lose 10 more, once they tell all their friends about their experience. Coming from a family of chefs, I can attest to that. While I don't know if that's true for other industries, I'm pretty sure that regular folk place a lot more trust in the opinions of their friends than they do in the opinions of the media and press releases.
This is why it's so fascinating that people can have such strong opinions about something they've never tried or even seen. The comments I received on Facebook and Twitter ranged from, "That's a shame, good luck getting one", all the way to, “You're a victim and a dick”. Wow, that's pretty strong!
To me, that kind of reaction makes about as much sense as mocking someone for spending money in a high-end restaurant. Just because you like burgers & pizza, it doesn't mean that someone else is stupid for eating in a fancy expensive bistrot, does it? Especially if it's relatively new and no one has eaten there before. Personally, I would rather wait until after the meal, and get their opinion.
On the other side of the coin, I'm amazed at the blindness of people whose opinions are based solely on a very carefully orchestrated marketing campaign. To think that a luxury product is going to solve all your problems, in a field which didn't even exist a decade or two ago, is a bit daft.
So what is it about the iPad that really has everyone so worked up? The iMac didn't get this kind of response when it was announced. Neither did the iPhone. If anything, they were viewed with suspicion.
When the iMac was launched, Apple was barely alive as a company and, whilst the iMac looked good on paper, the world had become used to the Microsoft vision of computing. A lot of people were aching for something different, but I don't think anyone believed Apple would be the company to provide it.
It was the same with the iPhone. Even though the iPod had became the de-facto standard for mobile music, the world of mobile phones was well established and had mighty players - especially in the European & Asian markets. Everyone was happy with their Nokias & SonyEricssons.
But maybe that was the reason that both products were so successful. With the iMac (and subsequently, the whole line of Laptops & OS X workstations), Apple very cleverly played on the difference. And with the iPhone, the world’s biggest marketplace - America - was completely under-served by technology and services. Europe may not have been so desperate for something new in that area, but the USA definitely was.
But the iPad...well, this is different. Apple are not starting out as the underdogs. Nor is this an area where the people don't know what they want. What is different this time is trust. Apple have proven over the last decade that they can get it right, first time, straight out of the starting gate. And I'm not referring to the technology (although that, too). I'm talking about the user experience.
The user experience (which I'll discuss in more detail in another blog entry) is the reason for the extreme views, both positive and negative. Apple products are very carefully controlled and well-thought-out, designed from the ground up to be easy for the average person - not a computer geek or someone even slightly technical - a normal person. So when you use an Apple product - any Apple product - your user experience is going to fall into one of two categories: 1) Wow, you've taken something complex and made it simple, or, 2) Dammit, you've taken away control and dumbed everything down.
Now, that's a gross over-simplification, but it captures the essence. You'll notice I didn't suggest that it has anything to do with how technical you are. I know many super-brains who simply prefer using a Mac because they don't want to waste any time dealing with menial technical procedures. Likewise, I know many technophobes who are uncomfortable in an Apple environment because they feel like control has been taken away from them, or, worse still, like they are being patronised.
At the core of these two very distinct categories are some basic human emotions. One side is happy, the other is angry. One side is gracious, the other is bitter. One side feels empowered, the other feels patronised.
These emotions are so strong that they are hard to suppress.
When the iMac was launched, Apple was barely alive as a company and, whilst the iMac looked good on paper, the world had become used to the Microsoft vision of computing. A lot of people were aching for something different, but I don't think anyone believed Apple would be the company to provide it.
It was the same with the iPhone. Even though the iPod had became the de-facto standard for mobile music, the world of mobile phones was well established and had mighty players - especially in the European & Asian markets. Everyone was happy with their Nokias & SonyEricssons.
But maybe that was the reason that both products were so successful. With the iMac (and subsequently, the whole line of Laptops & OS X workstations), Apple very cleverly played on the difference. And with the iPhone, the world’s biggest marketplace - America - was completely under-served by technology and services. Europe may not have been so desperate for something new in that area, but the USA definitely was.
But the iPad...well, this is different. Apple are not starting out as the underdogs. Nor is this an area where the people don't know what they want. What is different this time is trust. Apple have proven over the last decade that they can get it right, first time, straight out of the starting gate. And I'm not referring to the technology (although that, too). I'm talking about the user experience.
The user experience (which I'll discuss in more detail in another blog entry) is the reason for the extreme views, both positive and negative. Apple products are very carefully controlled and well-thought-out, designed from the ground up to be easy for the average person - not a computer geek or someone even slightly technical - a normal person. So when you use an Apple product - any Apple product - your user experience is going to fall into one of two categories: 1) Wow, you've taken something complex and made it simple, or, 2) Dammit, you've taken away control and dumbed everything down.
Now, that's a gross over-simplification, but it captures the essence. You'll notice I didn't suggest that it has anything to do with how technical you are. I know many super-brains who simply prefer using a Mac because they don't want to waste any time dealing with menial technical procedures. Likewise, I know many technophobes who are uncomfortable in an Apple environment because they feel like control has been taken away from them, or, worse still, like they are being patronised.
At the core of these two very distinct categories are some basic human emotions. One side is happy, the other is angry. One side is gracious, the other is bitter. One side feels empowered, the other feels patronised.
These emotions are so strong that they are hard to suppress.
If you bought an iPhone and found it seriously lacking in certain features that you were used to on your Nokia, to the extent that you no longer wanted to use the device, you'd not only be unhappy - you'd be outraged. And outrage normally ends up expressing itself to the public at large.
On the other hand, if you could never come to grips with your Blackberry and seldom used it, but found your newly-purchased iPhone so easy to use that you never put it down, you'd feel overjoyed. And that kind of elation ends up expressing itself to the public at large, too.
These kind of extreme emotional response last for a long time. And more than likely will forever colour your opinion of that manufacturer, until shown otherwise. And even then, it may be irreversible.
At least, I think that's what's going on. Nothing else really makes sense. If it was just about the technology, the arguments would be expressed in terms of features-per-dollar, clock-cycles-per-screen-inch or some other quantifiable unit of measure. But they're not. The reason one person called me an idiot for thinking about an iPad purchase was that they hated Apple, whilst the reason another friend thought I should get one was they felt that anything made by Apple is sexy.
These reactions are not based on empirical observation. Rather, they are a very emotional response to personal user experience.
Next: The iPad User Experience