Article Blog 3: Apple's iPad (January 31, 2010)

This past week Apple and its CEO, Steve Jobs, introduced to the world its latest invention, the iPad. In the article, “The Apple iPad: First Impressions,” (see link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/technology/personaltech/28pogue-email.html) David Pogue explains what actually the iPad does and whether or not it can live up to the hype. First, Pogue explains how, at the moment, like most other Apple products, the iPad will receive negative reviews until it actually goes on sale in April. In reality, the iPad is essentially a combination of a laptop and a larger iPod Touch. The iPad presents a revolutionary web browsing experience and also serves as an e-book. People question the touch screen software in relation to actual editing and writing programs, but Pogue writes, “Overall, the iPad seems like a dream screen for reading and watching.” After all, the iPad could prove to be the next best thing for e-book users. Pogue concludes by saying to critics, “My main message to fanboys is this: it's too early to draw any conclusions. Apple hasn't given the thing to any reviewers yet, there are no iPad-only apps yet (there will be), the e-bookstore hasn't gone online yet, and so on. So hyperventilating is not yet the appropriate reaction.”

Time will only tell whether or not the iPad proves to be a popular trend. With Apple’s iPods and iPhones becoming so popular, the iPad could possibly have an impact on society, especially with e-book readers. For those who read books online, the iPad could easily be seen as an improvement. In the article, “Publishers Embrace iPad, but Revolution Unlikely,” (see link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60R0GS20100128?type=technologyNews) Christine Kearney explains how this device could “reinvent the way books are read and entice readers to easily shop for and read books online.” With this invention, e-books could quite possibly be brought more into the mainstream. Kearney shows that publishers are extremely excited about this new technology, saying that it could reinvent the way people read and the amount of readers will, as a result, expand. “Several publishing houses said Apple's new iBook store, and its established worldwide customer base through popular devices such as iPods and applications like iTunes, meant they expected to immediately expand their readership.” Another way this will transform the reading world is that people will have the ability to have hundreds of books on hand in a single device at any given time. No longer will readers have to search through thousands of pages for information. Instead, the iPad will help them work more efficiently. Although there are doubts on whether or not the iPad will be the killer to the Kindle, another e-book invention, Apple has a way of convincing the mass public into buying their technology. In closing, only time will tell whether the iPad will be popular to the masses and an impact on society.