This Is Why The iPad Will Be Awesome!
Penquin’s Vision For Books On The iPad
This video shows just the sort of thing everyone hoped the iPad would do to revolutionize ‘print’ media. Children’s books add interactive learning elements; textbooks can add video and other mediums to enhance their value; novels can become online forums or clubs where you can not only read the book but can interact with other fans and play with games and such to elevate the experience.
I know some of these things are already being done on computers but the key to the iPad’s success will be whether or not they’ve found the sweet spot between being small enough to be portable and being big enough to take advantage of more possibilities. Right now, we use multiple devices to keep us connected to the digital world and I don’t think that will ever change because certain form factors suit different functions better than others. Smartphones not only fill the need for a cell phone but now they are capable of performing functions we used to have to do on a computer and they take the cake as far as portability goes. We use laptops frequently for their larger screens, bigger hard drives, full-sized keyboards, faster speeds, and other intangibles you don’t have on a phone. The question for the iPad is: has Apple created a product that will bridge the gap between the two?