48 Hours with the iPad

Thursday afternoon my colleagues at 383 Project must have thought I was going insane, constantly hitting refresh on the Deliveries app to track the progress of my latest Apple purchase. Thirty seconds after getting home I had a lovely new 64Gb Wi-fi iPad in my hands. And I’m not letting it go for anything.

Two years ago I got an iPod Touch, quickly followed by an iPhone 3G. They’ve always been amazing devices and the entire app ecosystem is one of the core reasons for this. Yet they always felt constrained by the screen size. Games and note taking apps didn’t really mind the limited space, but try editing a thirty page Word document and you’re in for a painfully laborious process.

So when Apple announced they were making what was essentially an enlarged iPhone I couldn’t have been happier. I didn’t want a new computer with a radical new form of input. I wanted a bigger iPhone, plain and simple. Any larger, any more feature-enriched and it wouldn’t make sense to get one over a regular laptop.

Unfortunately Apple still require you sync to iTunes before you can actually use the device. It makes sense, if you want your music and photos it’s a necessity, but for a device that’s supposed to be striking out on its own merits having to tether it to its big brother feels like an awful step back. And what about those people who would potentially buy one to exist in place of a computer? (More on other users later.)

Once synced the real fun can begin though. From the moment you swipe in and start paging around it’s clear just how… fluid, the entire interface is. Maybe coming from a 3G makes me a little biased but even 3GS owners have remarked on how quick transitions are, how instantaneously apps launch and close. It really is a sight to behold, but another level beyond to actually use one for yourself.

As the iPad had already been out for several months in the States, I had a backlog of apps ready and waiting to be installed with even more suggestions pouring in over Twitter. Expect full reviews of the best of bunch in the coming days, but for the moment my current line-up includes:

  • iBooks. I’m never going to download DRM enveloped books so at the moment these are mostly ePub’s I own myself. Syncing them via iTunes is drop dead simple, but again it requires using iTunes.
  • Wikipanion. The font of all human knowledge, now in a beautiful interface. The website is more than usable, but Wikipanion just makes it feel like a native app (which it is).
  • Instapaper. Where would I be without Instapaper? At any time I have at least half a dozen few items queued up to be read. Sync them ready for offline use and you’ve got your own newspaper available at all times. I’ve read ~30,000 words already (I save a lot of fics) and have yet to feel any eye-strain (even with my migraine-prone eyes).
  • Air Sharing HD. Perfect for storing files and passing them around. Ideally I’d like a way to combine this with StreamToMe so I can save videos for offline viewing. And having a 64Gb model really comes into its own when storing several large movies.
  • StreamToMe. This was good on the iPhone but comes into its own on the big(ger) screen. Been able to watching an episode of Firefly in bed, streamed from my Drobo is worth the admission price itself.
  • iSSH. What kind of self-respecting geek wouldn’t install an SSH client. There are several available, but iSSH has consistently proved itself the best in class. With dual windows and more room it’s now more than feasible to remote in and update a server from the comfort of your lap.
  • Wired Magazine. This initially was a very promising app, featuring the same great editorial content as the print magazine however after a few days use the cracks are starting to appear. The 500Mb size can mostly be attributed to dozens of ads including videos and photos I’m never going to watch. Each page requires a flick down to see if there’s actually more content beneath or not and overall the whole experience boils down to a frustrating “I just want this in Instapaper” feeling.
  • Penultimate. I left the iPad at home Friday night when I went to see The Losers and came back to find my brother and sister crowding around it, drawing pages upon pages of doodles in Penultimate. Said results can be found online. This is a beautiful app, maybe not useful for taking copious amounts of text notes, but for anyone who needs to quickly draw graphs or diagrams it’s invaluable.
  • Twitterific. I tried TweetDeck, I really did, but just couldn’t stand the interface. While I’m waiting for Tweetie/Twitter to arrive, Twitterific is the best alternative.
  • Things. I use Things for keeping track of todo’s across my Mac, iPhone and now iPad. The interface is easily a perfect example of just how to design for the iPad. Now if only they would hurry up and release their cloud sync.
  • Rowmote Pro. The Mac Mini under the HDTV currently has a bluetooth keyboard that seems to vanish at least twice a week. Enter Rowmote Pro, with bindings ready for Plex. The interface could do with improving a bit as it’s missing some functionality, but until a dedicated Plex remote with support for Alexandria comes out this is more than sufficient.
  • Mocha VNC. What can I say? Being able to VNC into a machine to get stuff done is great. And screwing with the mouse while someone else is on is all the more enjoyable.
  • IMDb. I go to the movies a lot and the IMDb app on iPhone has been invaluable. It’s big brother features a much improved interface and the movie specific pages are excellent to browse and navigate. Truly a credit to how to present data.
  • PadRacer. Put the iPad flat on the table, get four people with iPhones/iPods and each control a car. This is a bit hard to control at first but it’s great being able to play a decent multiplayer game with friends.
  • Angry Birds HD. I loved the original Angry Birds on iPhone and the HD version just makes everything better. It’s the same great game, just in HD!

There are more (of course), but these are the ones that stand out the most for now. Of note also are the included Apple apps (I included iBooks above as it is a separate download). Maps and Calendar are my two current favourites, both featuring brilliant interfaces. Pinch-zoom was made for Maps it seems.

Overall the quality of applications is very high. As time progress more options will be available, but existing iPhone applications can also be used. For games this isn’t too bad, but text-based apps tend to look rubbish regardless of whether they’re shown at original dimensions or blown up in size.

It’s also worth mentioning the orientation-ambiguity of the entire device. There is no up or down. Sure you have the home button, but apps can be used in any direction. Turn Twitterific on its side and you get your account and mentions down the side, Things shows your projects etc. Back in portrait mode and the modal pop-overs provide access to the same data. Been able to view bookmarks while staying in the same View is a much better UI experience.

Perhaps the biggest surprise with the iPad wasn’t the applications or the interface or even the device. It was with my Mum. She’s what’s commonly known as a technophobe. The whole concept of windows, applications, minimizing, switching; it all conspires to confuse the hell out of her. Sixty minutes after letting her look at the iPad I was struggling to get it back. This is a device made for people who don’t like computers. Want to close the application? Press the home button. Want to switch application? Press the home button. Want to check email? Touch the mail button. Want to watch a video? Want to make chicken pasta? You get the picture. There was nothing confusing. A quick scan over the interface for each app and she was more than happy to dive in.

I don’t think Apple has made a new class of device. They’ve found a new class of user, those who either don’t have a computer or hate the unnecessary complexity of their existing ones. And for the true geek, it’s great to be able to uncouple from the worry and thought we get when using a “normal” system.

Already this morning I’ve watched an episode of The Mentalist, read two articles, SSH’d into my Linode and set-up two domains on my iPad. I could have done the same with my MacBook Pro or even my iPhone, but with the iPad I can do it in comfort. There is more to say naturally; the battery life is phenomenal (seriously, it can go 10 hours if not more on one charge), the build quality is top-notch and the weight feels reassuring after a period of time, no more or less than a good hardback.

I will continue blogging various iPad tidbits in the next few days but for now I have one overriding impression: This is a magical and revolutionary device.