game-changer

The iPad may not be the next big thing, but I think that when we look back in fifteen years, the device will serve as a marker leading towards a new world. It's part of the evolution (and not a revolution), I think, of the way we think about knowledge and about ownership. While the Kindle and sony readers have been good moves towards more comfortable onscreen reading, I think it's the iPad that will be the beginning of the end for print textbooks--because it will offer, I think, a form of interactivity that isn't as available on other readers. One big problem with on-screen reading has been, at least for me (and for lots of others, I think), an inability to take notes. If iPad can offer apps that allow for personalized ways to engage with texts, I think we can look forward to an exciting and scary shift towards new ways of encountering information, which means a shift in the way that knowledge gets made and remade. Since the laptop, most technological progress has been made in devices that seem to me primarily social rather than professional/intellectual, and I think that iPad is the device that moves us towards convergence. I think I better start saving up.
(photo credit James Martin/CNET)

Comments

Craig said…
Don't start saving yet! If you want to be able to take notes while reading text, you'll have to wait for a future generation model. Currently, it is not capable of multitasking, so you'd have to shut down your reader app to open the notes app, etc. I think Apple again has made the mistake of putting "form" over "function." A lot of people go for that though.

I do think it is a step forward and am interested to see how it may affect the delivery options of printed content like magazines.
January 28, 2010 at 8:56 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

options

Image
It's sort of exciting (and relatively rare) for me to find three different frames that I like. Now the hard part is narrowing it down to one. After having asked a couple of the staff at the eye doctor's, my roommate, and Stephanie, an early leader is emerging. But I'm open to other feedback..... Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Comments?
Read more

citizens arrest

What are the rules for citizens arrest? Specifically, if there's a girl talking on her cell phone, with half her car windows frosted over, who doesn't wait her turn at the four-way, would I get in trouble if I pulled her out of her car and slapped her with her phone a couple of times? I suppose that doesn't quite count as citizens arrest. Vigilante justice, maybe. Whack, whack! In less aggravating news, tomorrow is the last day of classes for the semester. Finally. It's been a long time comin' this fall. I really should start thinking about the trip to WV and AZ and start planning some Christmas gifty-gifts.
Read more

out of order

Image
So I'm now going to post a bit about the DEMOLITION DERBY, which actually happened the weekend before my trip out here to CA. Backing up even further: in the few days leading up to the DEMOLITION DERBY, it rained pretty heavily, even producing a bit of flooding. This was bad news for the derby: the cars had a tough, tough time getting much traction in 10 inches of mud. The result: a not very demolishing derby. Slo-mo derby. Cars that were disqualified not because they were intentionally trying to stay out of the action but because they were axle-deep in mud and couldn't make a hit. Lame-oh: nowhere near the fun of DEMOLITION DERBY 2005. I had promised several people that DERBY '07 would be barrels of fun. Instead, we left early. Here's a pic that Kaijsa took of the contestants, though: Annalee said she didn't make it to the derby because of the big rains in the days leading up to the derby. The current of run-off was strong enough, as she was driving home, to rip of
Read more