Will the Ipad Change Technology?

With Apples release of the Ipad pending, the main question on everyone's mind is how will this "computer" change the face of all computers, and how significant will this change be? I think the potential is there for Apple and the Ipad to change consumer interaction with technology, meaning changing the market for personal and professional computers, but not all the ducks are in a line just yet for this type of technical revolution. The Ipad is a good, but not perfect start for the wave of multi-touch tools and digital media flow.

Interaction
Number one most important way the Apple Ipad will change the way we use technology is through technology interaction. Design is very important in the technology world, and when people can be incorporated into computer and gadget design the way we use and view our gadgets changes. The multi-touch feature already available on the Iphone and Ipod touch will bring computers into the next generation. Multi-touch allows users to zoom and maneuver their digital worlds in a way that typical computer systems lack.

Applications
Applications are among some of the most important things the Ipad will bring to the table. Playing computer games by dragging your index finger across the surface is only one way that audiences will be able to feel the games. The Ipad may serve as a jumping off point for other interactive touch screen gaming, making video games even more palpable.

Reading
Books are becoming increasingly more digital, the release of the Kindel set the digital book age in motion. The Ipad hopes to bring books and print media to users in its own interactive digital way, possibly out shadowing the Kindel soon due to its other useful functions. The book function in the Ipad even gives the reader the satisfaction of flipping pages, instead of a frame by frame representation. This may prove to be a redeeming quality of the books setting, because it stands out from other online and digital media tactics.

Visual
Apple's ad for the Ipad predisposes the audience to the visual aspects of the new product, because the ad focus on visual cues to describe the product and its function. Watching movies on the mini ipod screens has never been the best method, and this glorified ipod, the Ipad will bring movie watching to a new portable level. Although, I am hesitant to say movie viewing will be any easier with the touch screen capabilities, keeping the screen clean may prove difficult. Additionally, we are becoming a more media driven and visual society, were we would rather watch our news then read it. The Ipad's focus on the visual will drive other markets to address their own products visual representations improving picture quality and clarity for future products.

Travel
Weighing half that of Apple's last released computer, the Ipad is more travel friendly than other computers are considered to be. This change is likely due to the response consumers had to the accessibility of Netbooks, which fit better in briefcases and carry on bags. The Ipad offers more to it's users, and still includes Iworks making documents, and presentations accessibility and editable in this multi-touch formate.

Simplification
Touch is just the first way Apple is marketing products. Technology will have to keep with the integration process with other aspects of the human experience, which means constantly supporting simplicity. The more users and audiences the Ipad can reach the better it will do on the market. Users also do not want to learn a whole new system, which is why the PC vs. Mac operating systems remain polarized. The simpler the product the better the sales, and this increases the competition to make a simple to use complex machine.

Price
Target audience, and usability are Apple's main goals. The $499 Ipad is not something College student's are likely to invest in or be excited by, because they are already attached to high-speed, high memory computing for typical college activities, and the Ipad simply will not keep up. The Ipad, however, will bring a new life to home computer systems, with housewife and middle-schoolers likely being the main users. You are paying for what you are getting though, with only 16 G of memory the actual power of the Ipad is limited.

Plug in
The iPad may be the next big thing, and it has the same device plug-in capabilities already present in the Iphone. Soon doctors, mechanics, and other repair technicians will be able to plug in and diagnose everything from engine troubles, clogged drains, and heart-rates and more. The iPhone has this plug-in capability already with Nike selling running shoes that "talk" to the iPhone and mark distance, speed, and even compute courses travels. The iPad, with its glorified computing power and larger screen size, can take advantage of this plug-in power to improve businesses and services.

Children
Just like the home video games defined a generation of children, the Ipad will also define how technology and our children interact. There are already applications for the Iphone and Ipod touch targeted towards children and their parents. The Ipad will bring that same entertainment and education to children, without parents having to sacrifice their phone calls and text messages to entertain their children in cars and planes. The larger screen also is advantages towards children who will be able to read and follow simply tasks in the new applications. The Ipad is a step ahead of child learning and teaching softwares because it limits out of date cartridges, and means once a child has completed all the levels a new download is as easy as the touch of a finger.

Saving Resources
Lastly, the Ipad is a step in the right direction for saving resources. Books online, a notebook setting, and access to a digital stream where storage of pictures, music, and media is already accessible will start of process of maximizing digital capabilities. It won't be long until we can handwrite signatures on our tables and finalize all our matters in a digital age, hopefully cutting back on paper trails and wasted resources. Meaning more technology companies will have to scramble to green their processes in order to reach a broader market.

Overall, the Apple Ipad offers a lot of Apple's gusto and user conscious aspects, but it is a long way from being the computer everyone wants. For now its a step better than an ipod, and a controversy of technology that could spark "the next big thing." As a final thought, even if the Ipad does not revolutionize technology it will hit a mark in the accessories category. Millions of users will be faced with the process of carrying and storing their Ipad with easy accessibility and safety of their new $499 toy in mind.