As a die-hard Apple geek, of course I had a day-one iPad. But it turns out it its killer application for me was iBooks, as a devoted reader.
The first-generation iPad was... usable... as an e-reader. Until the third-generation device with the Retina Display arrived, it wasn't great. But it showed the promise, and it enabled instant gratification... a powerful thing when you tear through books quickly and need that next great read at 12:30 a.m., even more so if you live someplace where the nearest bookstore is an hour round-trip...
Until the iPad, I never thought I'd prefer a device over a physical book. But now, when I read a physical book, I'm constantly annoyed that I can't long-press on an unfamiliar word to get the Oxford Dictionary definition. If I read about a concept I want to explore, I can't slide-over Wikipedia and look it up. The iPad enables the kind of reading-in-depth that my teachers wanted me to aspire to, back in the day... when it meant reading with a dictionary and an encyclopedia in the bookcase next to you.
There's three ways I wish the iPad would improve:
I wish I had more control over what could run in the background and for how long. I know Apple wants to prioritize ease-of-use and battery life... but I wish I could use it for an occasional SSH terminal connection without having to worry about timeouts if I switch apps.
Apple is 95% of the way there on multi-touch not picking up your hand holding the iPad's newer, thinner bezels as a touch; they need to close up that last 5%, so that Books stops turning pages when you adjust your grip.
A longer-lasting oleophobic coating... or something else to reduce the way finger oils build up on the screen more and more as the device ages. (The $20 cleaning cloth doesn't count... unless they figure out how to make it machine-washable, as part of a regular laundry load.)
Comments
The first-generation iPad was... usable... as an e-reader. Until the third-generation device with the Retina Display arrived, it wasn't great. But it showed the promise, and it enabled instant gratification... a powerful thing when you tear through books quickly and need that next great read at 12:30 a.m., even more so if you live someplace where the nearest bookstore is an hour round-trip...
Until the iPad, I never thought I'd prefer a device over a physical book. But now, when I read a physical book, I'm constantly annoyed that I can't long-press on an unfamiliar word to get the Oxford Dictionary definition. If I read about a concept I want to explore, I can't slide-over Wikipedia and look it up. The iPad enables the kind of reading-in-depth that my teachers wanted me to aspire to, back in the day... when it meant reading with a dictionary and an encyclopedia in the bookcase next to you.
There's three ways I wish the iPad would improve: