On January 27th, 2010, I sat with my very good friend Vincent Decenzo, eagerly watching the live update text/photo stream from Engadget. It was the day that Apple was set to show off their “latest creation”. Everyone knew it was a tablet - an image of the device surfaced the night before, showing a fullscreen maps application. I recall pointing out this means it doesn’t multitask - something that was quickly shot down by others online. I was half-right, and the current iPad on 4.2.1 does multitask, but not in a “side-by-side” way.
Anyways, I remember seeing the blurry, Josh-Topolsky-taken photographs of the tablet. Indeed, it did resemble a “big iPod touch”, 4 icons wide on a touch screen, with a dock at the bottom, and a statusbar at the top.
The rumored price, at that time, was $999. I remember saying to Vincent - “there has to be a killer feature here, we’re missing something.” He agreed with me, and suggested “the killer feature must be price.” We were walking from my class to his, in the middle of the event, while I was failing to refresh the news on my phone. I was pretty obsessed with it.
We arrived at his class, and sat in the back. I opened up the lid on my notebook, and we continued to watch the stream. Boom. It hit us. $499. Vincent was right, the killer feature was price. I was sold: it’s an amazing large multitouch tablet from Apple, how could you not be?
In the weeks that followed, I told myself I would get the 3G model, in the largest capacity. “I want the remote connectivity” I’d tell myself, “and GPS is important.” The only issue was release date - the 3G iPad was set to launch a full month after the WiFi model, and I was bummed about that. I assured myself that I would be able to wait.
That spring, in the period of 5 days, I wrote padBoard, an app that you’ve read me talk about on this very blog. It was accepted into the store, and it was confirmed that it would launch with the iPad. I was thrilled.
April 3rd, 2010. iPad WiFi launch day. I planned to go with my highschool teacher, close friend and padBoard UI designer J Jolton, to the local Apple Store to check out the iPad. We were both sold on the 3G model, but we wanted to play with them. In a turn of events, I was excited to also be joined by my dad when we went. The three of us met outside the store, and watched people filter in and out, tablets in hand. We went into the store, and were all amazed by the iPads there. It was around that time that I decided I wanted one - a WiFi model - instead of waiting for the 3G version. It’s pretty amazing to be convinced after a 45 second demo.
Walking out with my new iPad, I sat down with Jay to talk to him about my spur-of-the-moment decision. He asked for my justification, and I told him one word: Instapaper. Jay was so floored by this that he too returned to the store, purchasing his own WiFi model. We sat in the mall’s Caribou Coffee, slates in hand, and played with the devices. Sitting in the mall coffeeshop is a very vivd memory for me. I recall people walking by, asking “is that an iPad?”, and us giddily responding that yes, indeed, this was the mythical Apple Tablet. We were the very definition of Cool.
There was one other thing, though, that sticks out in my memory about this event at the coffeeshop. I pulled up the main page for a news outlet, I can’t remember which, and saw an embedded video. I tapped the “play” button, and the video started playing - inline with the content - right on the screen. I was shocked. I had seen this on computers before, but this was something different. The fluidity of the experience was exhilerating, the form factor felt human. This felt natural. That’s where I think the magic lies in the tablet form factor.
When I arrived home, my entire family crowded around me to see the iPad. They were as amazed as I was. I recall starting iBooks, and showing a page turn. My mom remarked how much cooler it was than a Kindle. I agreed. I juxtaposed this moment with the time I brought home an iPhone 3G on launch day. Nobody was impressed. This was different.
I’d be lying if I said I weren’t excited about the iPad event next week. Like others, I’ve pondered over the features and spec sheet this device may be packing, and I’m pretty pleased to say that I’m excited either way, and that I’ll be buying one either way. This is the first “computer” that my grandmother on my mother’s side will have ever owned, and I think that’s amazing.
Here are my predictions for the next iPad:
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Thinner, lighter form factor. 1.25 pounds, 0.3in thin. Lies flat on a table.
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Front and rear facing cameras. Same resolution as the iPod touch cameras (front VGA, rear 720p)
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New screen. I’m fuzzy on this - it won’t be 1536x2048, but I don’t think 1200x1600 is out of the question. It’ll be brighter, more sunlight readable and less straining on your eyes. It’ll use the new “close-to-glass” manufacturing technique Apple’s used in the Retina display.
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Slick system-on-a-chip, likely called “A5” by Apple. Faster processor, dual core, with more RAM. At least 512MB, probably 1GB. New PowerVR graphics that are amazingly fast.
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Quad-band GSM and CDMA compatibility for the cellular model, with a choice between Verizon and AT&T.
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Display out on the device, likely with DisplayPort/Lightpeak/Thunderbolt or whatever it’s going to be called.
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USB or SDXC slot almost a sure lock.
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WiFi, bluetooth, pretty standard.
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New prices:
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WiFi:
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16GB $399
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64GB $499
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128GB $599
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3G:
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16GB $499
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64GB $599
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128GB $699
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New case accessory which locks the iPad when it’s closed.
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New iWork
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iLife ‘11 for iPad, $10/app, featuring iPhoto, Garageband and iMovie.
And that’s it. I think this is a pretty good list. I’m pumped for next Wednesday.