February 6, 2010

What’s Actually ‘Right’ with the iPad

Since the announcement of the iPad, there have been untold negative reactions, focusing on what’s missing or what it should have been:


Beyond honing in on what is lacking—that the iPad doesn’t have this and that, or that it would have been so much better if it were … something else—the most meaningful reactions are the ones about what to make for this device, like this from my web-developer connection, Tom Printy, who tweeted: 


A product that provokes people to view it as another compelling way to express themselves is, ultimately, a product that is desired. Complementing its User Experience Guidelines, the iPad quickly provoked gathering of its UI Conventions. And as long as it evolves, moves like this will evolve too. That’s because it excites people to create new content, tailored especially for that device and medium. To react to mostly what the iPad misses (or more negatively still, its ultimate miss as the ultimate tablet) misses the point: It’s Apple’s vision. And it’s one that again excites people to make content—to make art.