Apple’s announcement of the iPad, it’s newest mobile computing device that claims to revolutionize how we consume content, has finally arrived. The hype surrounding it’s arrival had everyone speculating how magical this new product would be. While I’ve not yet made up my mind on whether it is as great as Steve claims it is (even though I’ve already pledged to own at least one), I have been thinking about how it may impact the life of us designers. Let’s take a look at 6 ways Apple’s iPad will change the way we think about design.
Beautiful Apples
First and foremost, the iPad continues the tradition of beauty and attention to detail that Apple instills in every one of their products. The iPad will be another stellar example of how things should “just work.” User interface and user experience designers take note of how Apple lays out their apps and you’ll begin to see new conventions arise from it’s innovation. New user interactions via touch may very well change the way the majority of us interact with our computers. Being that design is partially about solving problems, Apple is always a “role model” in how to design simple, beautiful interaction.
The Internet In Your Hands
The way we browse the web will definitely impact the way we design for the web. Much like the introduction of small mobile browsers (iPhone), a whole new arena opens up for customized design and touch-browsing. If everything goes Apple’s way, a mass consumer adoption could shake up browser and screen resolution standards; Safari could take a another bite out of the Internet Explorer landscape and a 10 inch screen may usher in a new standard in mobile displays. While website designs probably won’t need to be adapted for the iPad as much as for the iPhone, we must consider how our sites may be different with the Internet literally in the hands of our users.
E-books I mean iBooks
The introduction of the iBook app will no doubt save many mass media publishers (i.e. the New York Times and major book publishers). The revival of print media (even if it’s not printed) will open up opportunities for those gifted in print layouts. A beautiful hi-res screen will surely call for some eye-popping designs for a myriad of publishers. Add to this, the interactivity that will be available in the “print” layouts and e-publishing opens up a new revenue stream for many starving artists.
A Design Pad?
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the iPad will not replace my need for a Mac Book Pro. Design professionals will still need the juice to push the pixels properly. That said, there may be opportunities for mobile design applications to incorporate minimal design features, possibly along the lines of the iPhone’s Photoshop app. There will also surely be many apps developed specifically for designers to aid in selecting colors, designing wireframe mockups, and other necessary tasks. And who knows, maybe there will be a future where the iPad is used like a Wacom tablet for hand drawn flavor. Whatever the initial results, the possibilities that a tablet computer presents for actual creation are exciting.
iPortfolio
In addition to creative applications, the iPad could very well be an essential admin and display tool for Freelancers (especially those on the go). Imagine the possibilities of full screen apps for handling billing, client presentations and the like. The inclusion of a mobile iWorks means that making those presentations in Starbucks just got hipper (that didn’t sound very hip, did it?). And who wouldn’t want to show off work to clients on the stunning 9.7 in LED-backlit glossy display. Can somebody say iPortfolio?
App Gold Rush
Last, but not least, the App Store is again wide open for savvy designers/developers to make some quick cash. Many-a-fortunes have been made on iPhone and iPod Touch applications and adding yet another device to the line will allow for continued success for app developers. If you’re not code-minded enough, there’s always a need for making apps pretty and the iPad will be home to many new and amazing apps in the months to come.
What Do You Think?
These are just a few of my thoughts immediately following my first exposure to my next must-own gadget. While I’m not calling for all designers to rush out and purchase one, I want you to consider what this means for your profession and for your interaction with technology. What are you most excited about? What features did they leave off that would make your job easier? How else will the iPad (and other tablet computers) affect the way we design? And will you buy one? Let me hear your thoughts and your love/hate for Apple’s newest iDevice. (And please, no iTampon jokes. That got old after about 5 minutes on Twitter.)
(images via Apple)
After all the hype, I have to say that I wasn’t all that impressed by what I saw in the media yesterday (big “reveal” day). Granted, the (horribly named) iPad is a wickedly cool little device, but I really don’t see it revolutionizing my workflow.
Your idea of using it as a portable portfolio (does anyone else see the linguistic redundancy here?) is interesting though. It would be very cool to be able to display all my work on that niffty little pad with it’s beautifully colourful display.
That being said, though, seems like more of designer’s luxury item than a real essential, at least for the moment.
The iPad is the victim of the relentless Apple Hype-my-hopes-and-dreams monster that is party of its own creation.
The Power Users are the most vocal with a release like this and the iPad is not targeted at them as a way to change their workflow.
This is a consumer device that unfortunately suffers from the same drawbacks as the iPhone. Judging by how well the iPhone has done with those restrictions and limitations I’d say that this is gonna do just fine.
This is an excellent, in depth post! Thanks for sharing. Perhaps you and your readers will be interested in this post as well:
“Will the iPad change the way you design?”
The link is here -> http://graphicdesignblender.com/will-the-apple-ipad-change-how-you-design
A horrible name. Mad TV beat them to the punch with a parody “iPad” product years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTzhXMbOWHE
I like the portfolio idea as well but am underwhelmed by the non-multi-tasking, iPhone-but-bigger limitations.
It just seems like a bigger iTouch, and we all know how indispensable that has become. yeah.
By no means am I claiming that designers will rush out to buy one to change their workflow today. The largest immediate impact this will have is the fact that mass consumer adoption with this and other future tablets has implications on how we can design and how we can make money as designers. And who knows what future iPads will be able to do? Remember, the first iPhone was pretty blah compared to what can be done on one today.
And I was really hoping the name would be iSlate or Apple Canvas. Oh Well!
Thanks for your comments!
I like this device but I agree with previous opinions that iPad isn’t essential for designer. The best side of iPad for me is iPortfolio and Wacom replacement (hope it will be possible) possibilities. Thank you Chris for interesting thoughts.
The device is cool but hardly a game changer.
I can’t see that it does anything that laptops, tablets and e-ink devices already to better.
And no, it doesn’t roll the best of these devices into one but rather carries the limitations of all of them. It has a smaller screen than a laptop and yet doesn’t fit in a pocket, it’s gimped for internet browsing like an iPhone but doesn’t offer nearly the same mobility or battery life and it’s can’t offer the daylight readability of e-ink devices.
It’s a cool gadget for those that don’t need the full features of a laptop but don’t mind spending the money for style and simplicity but it’s not changing any games.
Nice product. Will love to use it if I am a gadget geek. But as a designer I will still prefer to own a small laptop.
iPortfolio…clever. The iPad could be a great way for freelancers to show off their work. I can’t wait to get a close-up view of it. The display does look stellar. As much as I love Apple (and my iPhone), I will not get the iPad right away. I have a feeling the second or third version of it will be much more polished.
Looks interesting, but, in my opinion, they should have waited a little more. If they could add a camera and a USB slot this would have been a great success.
yh, I really agree with you, this is what I tell all my friends. I don’t understand when apple did not put a USB on the model when it was released. I now hear that they have a new model coming out with a USB. Apparently it will cost £60 more for this small feature.
Am I the only who thinks Apple fans have lost all sense of perspective? As a designer almost every colleague I know has an iPhone and a MacBook, I dont see what the iPad brings to the table that one cant achieve between those two devices.
I think that what’s amazing about the iPad is the fact that you can get internet anywhere you can get cell phone reception. Think about it, you could be driving along and instantly get directions to a restaurant, find ratings on it, eat at the restaurant and instantly post reviews about it.
Not to mention the vast amount of apps that people can create for it which really is just endless possibilities. Sure it may not be the perfect thing right now, but I think Apple has really come up with a brilliant product that will be incredibly handy, but really time will tell.
You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You obviously have no real experience in the field of product design or even a mediocre understanding of interaction design.
Understandably so, this is not a paper you are submitting to CHI either. This is a blog post and it was written to get traffic. That is the only place you succeeded.
You are hidden deep inside your Apple blinders and have not raised your head to see what is going on in the world. Multi-Touch was in Vista. Multi-Touch tablets have been out for 2 years. Hell, about 8 new ones were introduced at CES.
What exactly have you described that has not beein in the laptop for ages? “The Internet in your hands” … umm, do you even go to a computer store? Laptops, netbooks, Palm Pilots… it goes on and on.
Your initial assumption was correct though. It will change the design world, but only so much as introducing all of the Apple fans to the world out here that we have been enjoying.
I knew this was a joke when one of my employees sent it to me.
Ron,
Thank you for your comments. I would like to say that I am not hailing the iPad as the most amazing piece of technology every to be released, nor am I claiming anything remarkably groundbreaking. What I am saying is that Apple does have a reputation for getting things right. Multi-touch may have been in Vista but Vista was generally considered a failure. Just as there were mp3 players before the iPod and smart phones before the iPhone, there is nothing ground breaking in the technology. But great design is elegant in simple and useful situations and Apple does have a history of success in creating devices that the masses love to use.
I’m also not too blind to see that Apple has failed from a product design perspective on many occasions (Apple TV for instance) but since it’s too early to tell the fate of the iPad I took some guesses at what could become of the iPad and future tablets that model after it’s design. The innovation may not be in the technology, but rather in the way the technology is leveraged to solve consumers problems and do so in a simple, effective, and elegant manner.
I wrote this post intending to discuss future possibilities of a product that has garnered quite a bit of market buzz and your opinion has added to the conversation. Thank you.
Wow Ron. Your personal attack on Chris, primarily in your first paragraph, based on your difference of opinion on one post when this entire blog clearly shows that Chris does know design, is completely unwarranted. Unless you personally know Chris or have worked with him, your claim is unsubstantiated.
Keep in mind that it is usually those individuals who respond so defensively that are, in reality, unsure of themselves, wrong, and/or characterized by that which they accuse the other of.
Chris’ post only needed an intellectual response. Though there is room for opinion to be shared, this type of niche, professional blog warrants opinions to be shared respectfully and constructively.
Chris… your graceful response to such an attack is to be commended. Your reply was fantastic in how you used Apple’s history of market disrupting innovation to show that HOW and WHY a company innovates can be more important than WHAT they innovate.
Laptops will revolutionize the world when they are accessible to everyone financially. Think of every man and women, having a personal laptop.
As an IT professional who is called upon by family members to solve home computer problems on an almost weekly basis, I have long argued that PCs (and I include Apple Macs in there) are hugely more complex than 905 of their owners need. I firmly believe that we need a home computer that works like a television, where no technical knowledge is needed to operate it,when you turn it on it just works and it doesn
I’ve been looking through your blog. You’ve got some nice posts on here, especially this one, I enjoyed it…nice post. Consider yourself bookmarked : ) .
I’ve been a fan of Apple for sometime, they produce gadgets that is aesthetically beautiful while working like a charm. I can’t say that about alot of companies, it’s usually one or the other. Tech companies don’t usually take aesthetics seriously like Apple. With that being said I’ve got to say that I’m very excited about the new Tablet. One thing I question though, is it too soon? I’m afraid that this may be ahead of our time. What do you think?
I think what most designers who’ve commented so far fail to realize is that this device will not only make jobs, but it will offer a whole new design platform. With the iBooks as you mention, and the custom apps like panelfly and what Sports Illustrated demoed, there is an opportunity to reach the customer in a whole new way. Therefore designers won’t “want” this device as a “luxury item,” they’ll NEED one to design for.
The portfolio capabilities alone will make this instantly a hit with artists. No more carrying around the metal cases and spending hundreds of dollars on quality prints. Now, every artist can show slideshows and videos of their work in a size that can be fit in the palm of your hand. An impressive presentation for any interview.
p>When I first saw the iPad i was like, “Well hello thereeee, Beautiful!” The more I check out the specs, “the physical size” of it, I’m getting second thoughts. The mere fact that it was first an Apple product, second i love my iPhone (can’t see me using another phone), and hey I can load all my textbooks on there instead of carrying the actual book, hey awesome I want one.Well the iPad is basically an iTouch. You download apps, surf the web, listen to music, watch YouTube…and so on. You just cannot make calls, which would just be insane and over the top.The more I think about getting an iPad and look into it more I keep thinking, well, “I practically take my laptop everywhere with me, and it can do all this stuff that the iPad can do and more,” including storing and viewing ebooks. So why would I need an iPad, I have my laptop, and you know what/ It makes phone calls with video messaging. Hmm…I don’t think I’ll be spending $600 on it, I already have a better one that is prolly only slightly heavier and about the same size, my laptop…Most important, my laptop lets me work on Photoshop and illustrator on the go…
itsShala.com
I think £300+ for just 8gb and no 3g is a bit over the top. a mac mini is only £500!
Ben´s last blog ..10 Must Have iPhone Apps for Bloggers
Can you provide more information on this? take care
Wow… I’m shocked by the comments to this excellent post. I have to assume that most of the visitors to this site, and thus the commenters, are designers. If that’s the case and THAT many of you just don’t get “it” about the iPad… well, I just don’t know what to think. Designers, after all, should be the free thinkers, the creatives, the individuals who see the potential in a product, the ones who understand consumers.
Folks, the ‘magic’ of the iPad is NOT in its features. I really want to go on and explain what the magic is… the potential that the device has and why it is so “right” for soooo many consumers, including designers, and including those who may already own two great devices… an iMac or MacBook and an iPhone or Touch.
But, I’m not going to because… well, as I allude to in my opening paragraph, I think designers should just get it… like Chris does. Now before any one goes flaming me with retaliatory comments, I simply ask that you stop, take a few breathes, and think… real hard. Get out of your box, free your mind and think about the masses… not yourself. If you don’t want an iPad… fine. I’m sure not going to tell you to get one.
But, if you can’t take a hard, honest look at the history of Apple products… the iMac, the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone… and see WHY these products have caused such disruption, well then… I hope your responsibility as a designer is limited to designing logos, posters, or t-shirts where innovation is not quite so critical.
Let’s all make a date to revisit this post a year from now and we’ll see how impacting this device has or has not been.
Excellent points Jim and this really added some value to the post. We’ll soon see the real effect if the masses adopt the iPad like they did the iPod and the iPhone. Thanks for your comments!
Can I quote you on this?
A must see… just stumbled upon & right on the subject of this post…
UI designer, Cameron Daigle, has a blog post with a handful of slides touching on the significant difference in design warranted by the iPad vs. the iPhone and vs. a desktop/laptop.
http://bit.ly/95vCqN
Good post mate. Can I bookmark your site into Spurl? I couldnt find it marked there.
The iPad will be another stellar example of how things should “just work.”
The above quote is precisely why the iPad will shake up the design world just as the iPhone shook up the mobile world. For once things should just work, and if the iPad is as good to use as the iPhone, then it will.
You wouldnt believe how long ive been searching for something like this. Went through 6 pages of Google results without finding anything. One search on Bing. There was this…. Really have to start using it more often!
Have a shot at & Have your iPad for No cost of charge! -> http://bit.ly/cFBuis
im loving the ipad personally. what do you think of it now? was it upto your standards?
I would have to say that I am a huge fan of the iPad against my previous thoughts. Nice post haha.
Adam Zilko´s last blog ..Half a Million iPads Sold and Still Going
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I think the hype of the iPad is similar to them of the iPhone. The functionality is brilliant because you can use the apps of the iPhone. I would like it to play the Race Games on it!
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How do we put in these for the iPad?
i didnt think i would like the ipad but since seeing great reviews and demos with it i can honestly say i cant wait to get my hands on one !
Yes iSlate would have been a more appropriate name. Really its name is not entirely appropriate. For now its an over hyped products but now its only on its first version so its time to wait and what where it goes…
The Apple iPad is in my opinion the best gadget to be released for a long time and will change the tablet market forever
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