When the iPad was first announced early this year, I wrote a post explaining why, media junkie and Apple acolyte that I am, I was not running out yet to buy one. If you had “eight months” in your betting pool as to how long it would take me to finally cave, you win.
I had my reasons. I was taking a trip (the trip I am on right now) to visit my Internet-shunning mother, and wanted a way to get online without driving to the local Panera. Also, as someone who writes about media, I thought there were enough outlets using the iPad that I really needed to become familiar with it. Also, I didn’t have an e-reader. Also, they went on sale. Also get off my back! Why can’t I have one nice thing! I am a good person! [Sobs.]
Ahem. Anyway, I’ll spare you the reviews you’ve heard a million times already, save to say that most of the things you’ve heard are true, positive (it’s a tremendously more satisfying way of reading, interacting and playing than a desktop or laptop) and negative (it’s too heavy; shave a half-pound off and it would be just right). I think of it now pretty much as I think of my iPhone. That is, viewed as a specific-purpose tool (an e-reader, a phone), they’re flawed; viewed as portable touch computers, they’re pretty awesome—not necessary, just a good thing to have.
More to the point of this blog, I can see it becoming my preferred medium for watching video, at least solo. The Netflix, YouTube and Hulu Plus apps are crystalline, of course (the main limitation is not the speed but my home Internet speed). But maybe more significant is how it introduces the possibility of using video in anything—accompanying a recipe in the kitchen, for instance. The possibilities will only grow as these devices (whether made by Apple or someone else) become cheaper and more ubiquitous, and we basically have Magic Picture Frames throughout our homes, workplaces and classrooms. For better or worse, if we are moving from being a text-based to a video-based culture, this is the kind of device that will do it.
That, and you can play Cut the Rope on it! We’re past Christmas now, so let us know: what gadgets have you gotten this holiday season? And how have gadgets changed the way you experience (and pay for) TV or other media?
