It’s here!!

The iPad.

So what?

Ok, so I am a little jaded but I do think that the iPad is a game changer, especially for writers, publishers and photographers.

Lets start with the basics:

  • Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
  • Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
  • Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
  • Weight: 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model; 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model
  • 9.7″ LED Dsiplay
  • Wi-FI 802.11n
  • 3G Versions do up to 7.2Mbps HSPA
  • Speaker and Microphone
  • iBook
  • 2 models in 3 configurations: WiFi and WiFi + 3G
  • WiFi Models: 16GB $499, 32GB $599, 64GB $699
  • WiFi + 3G Models:  16GB $629, 32GB $729, 64GB $829

Here is what you can do with it:

What the iPad can do:

  • Browse the Internet
  • E-mail
  • See Photos
  • Watch movies
  • Listen to music
  • Watch TV shows
  • Contacts
  • Calendars
  • Bookmarks
  • Applications

What the iPad can’t do / doesn’t have:

  • No built-in camera
  • No video chat
  • No Flash support when browsing so no “full” internet
  • No multitasking so no note taking while reading

The upside for publishers is that this device looks great and will have an audience that already is very comfortable purchasing content online. The iPod / iPhone user base are comfortable buy what was traditional a physical media (cds) in a purely digital form and should have no problem when it comes to buying magazines and books the same way.

The upside for photographers is the great portable portfolio that the iPad can be. High resolution images that can be shown to prospective clients that can be updated instantly to make sure that the images match the client. Think about it for a minute, you run a studio that does portraits and weddings. You can have a wedding portfolio and a portrait portfolio and never worry about having the right one with you. You can have the top wedding shots and another gallery with the top bride shots and yet another with groom shots and all can be used to show prospective clients your work.

The upside for authors is that the same way independent musicians get a direct audience with the iTunes store, writers should be able to do the same thing with iBooks.

I’ll have more thoughts when the actual device is released or when Apple updates the software.