Is Apple s New iPad the Greatest of Ease? AARP Bulletin
Is Apple’s New iPad the Greatest of Ease? - AARP Bulletin When I handed the iPad, Apple’s new tablet computer, to Jim Peterson, 79, I gave him the simplest instructions: “You touch something to make it happen. Don’t worry, you can’t break it unless you drop it.” Then I left Peterson and his wife, Barbara, 63, alone with it. A minute or so later, Jim was happily navigating his way through his favorite websites. “It’s not difficult to use,” Jim observed, tapping away at the touchscreen. “It’s really pretty handy.” Jim, a retired metallurgical engineer, describes himself as largely computer-illiterate, exaggerating his deficiency a tad. The Petersons have a desktop PC in their Tucson, Ariz., home, and he has learned to do the things he wants to on it—read newspapers online, check for books at the library, and a few other tasks. But he’s certainly no techie, and his learning curve on the iPad, a half-inch-thick, book-size slab that weighs only a pound and a half, was nearly effortless. In the iPad, has Apple finally come up with a computing gadget so user-friendly anyone can use it? Does that make the iPad the best choice for those who have avoided computers so far? While 70 percent of those ages 50 to 64 use the Internet—close to the adult average of 74 percent—only 38 percent of Americans 65-plus are online, reports the . For others, especially many working professionals, the question is probably whether the iPad is the smartest option for an on-the-go lifestyle. To all of the above, Apple would like you to think the answer is yes. The company has been touting its latest piece of technological wizardry as a device so simple, so intuitive to use, that it’s “truly magical,” in ’ words. But in a week of testing the iPad, handing it to other people to try, and talking to computer experts, I discovered the answer is more complicated than that, and probably depends as much on the user as it does on the device. Operating instructions It’s true the touchscreen iPad does away with almost all computer hardware and procedures. There’s no mouse, no windows hidden behind other windows, no confusing commands. “If you see something, you just reach out and tap it; it’s completely natural. You don’t even think about it. You just do,” says Scott Forstall, an Apple senior vice president, in a promotional video. But you can’t do anything right away. If you buy an iPad expecting to take it out of the box and just start using it, you’ll be disappointed. To get an iPad up and running, you have to “sync” it with a copy of Apple’s iTunes software on another computer, allowing you to download the applications, songs, videos, e-books and other goodies that make the iPad worth using. It’s not very hard to do, but the critical point is this: You have to own or have access to another computer to get started. This isn’t an insurmountable problem, if you have a family member or friend who has a Mac or PC and is willing to set up your iTunes account and sync the iPad. Anyone who’s remotely tech-savvy will be able to handle the chore. But otherwise, the iPad is really a secondary device, not a main computer. Unless you only browse the Internet in places with free wireless access like public libraries or coffee shops, you’re also going to want a wireless “wi-fi” network in your home because the iPad only connects to the Internet wirelessly. You can access any website, although a site’s specific application—or app—will make viewing easier. Again, this isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker. Your cable TV or telephone company can almost certainly provide a wireless hookup for your home. But you definitely want this handled professionally—or by your very geekiest friend or relative. The human touch If you’re still game, the heart of the matter still looms: Once it’s set up and running, is the iPad really the effortless device advertised? Among the dozen or so people I had try out the iPad, not one found it hard to master. If you can point and touch, you can operate an iPad. “This is pretty much the first computing device, besides the iPhone, that you can just pick up and use,” says Michael deAgonia, a computer consultant and technologist and a frequent contributor to Computerworld magazine. “It removes the barriers between the computer and the person. That’s a huge deal.” It’s true that the iPad makes many things—browsing the Internet, flipping through family photos, loading and watching videos—almost completely effortless. You really do forget you’re at a computer. For me, the iPad is also a superior to other devices. Its screen is bright and sharp and, unlike the Kindle, can handle color. Plus, Apple’s online bookstore is simple to use. The e-mail program is nicely done, too, if you can adjust to using the virtual onscreen keyboard that pops up. The lack of physical keys has been reported as a real problem for some people, though the people I surveyed adjusted fairly quickly. If you plan to do much typing on the iPad, spend some time trying out the onscreen keyboard. Or you might consider purchasing a keyboard dock that attaches to the iPad and doubles as a charger. Competition Several other companies have released or are about to release their own tablet computers, most running a version of Windows software. For example, Microsoft has shown a prototype of its , which folds in half to about the size of a paperback book. “If you’re a consumer, there’s a lot of interesting choices ahead,” says Lynne Gregg, a Seattle-based technology analyst. But Bryan Gonzalez, technology specialist at the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, doubts those choices will really challenge the iPad. “If you just put Windows 7 in another box, it doesn’t really change the experience,” he says. “The iPad is head and shoulders above the rest when you look at ease of use.” Drawbacks Even so, computers can do much more, and many of the iPad’s critics believe it’s severely limited in some areas. “It’s a consumption machine. If you want to sit on the couch, browse the Web, watch a TV show and read a book, all with the same device, you can do that well,” says Jeff Jarvis, director of the interactive program at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. “But I think people of any age like to use a computer to create stuff.” Here he feels the iPad is handicapped by its lack of a camera or physical keyboard and because you can’t load software except for the applications available through Apple’s iTunes store. In addition, online videos that use Adobe Flash Player won’t run on an iPad, although many sites are switching to an iPad-friendly alternative. There’s also no CD drive, and none of the slots and connections people use to insert memory cards or hook up printers and other peripheral devices. There are other options, or ways around, almost all these limitations, but in its minimalist design, the iPad is likely to leave some people frustrated. The mini-laptops known as netbooks make more sense for many consumers, Gregg says. They’re generally cheaper than the iPad, which starts at $499, and can do more. “I paid $325 for my Dell Mini 10, and it’s fully loaded,” she says. “If you’re talking about a computing device, you get more memory, a keyboard, and you have access to gazillions of applications.” Flexibility Of course, not everyone needs a gazillion applications. Debbie D’Amore, 51, chief deputy in the Pima County school superintendent’s office in Arizona, felt the iPad would fit well into her life, substituting adequately for a laptop. “I love that I could literally throw it in my purse,” she says. “It’s light and thin enough to not be a bother.” Still, most everyone I handed the iPad to thought they would still want a traditional computer for jobs that required a lot of time at the keyboard or would benefit from a bigger screen. Some, like Jim Peterson, thought the computers they had worked just fine for the things they do, no matter how handy the iPad felt. But most found its size and simplicity appealing. “This is the first thing I could see myself sitting down at the breakfast table with and reading online,” says Peter Schmidt, a retired government analyst in Tucson. “Laptops are too clumsy. They take up too much space. This thing could work.” The iPad may not quite cut it as your only computer. Apple’s requirement that you start by syncing with iTunes suggests the company doesn’t really see it that way, either. But if you’re looking for another computer to free you from your desktop, one light and small enough to carry around the house or throw in a briefcase, one that does a lot of fun stuff really well and that you’ll use without even thinking about what you’re doing, then the iPad could, indeed, be magic. Reed Karaim lives in Tucson, Ariz. 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