By: Tiger Summers – Online Marketing Manager, CowBoom.com
While the world awaits the delivery of the new Apple iPad (and admittedly the tech-guy in me wants one too) all this hoopla made me think of the previous attempts at bringing a tablet computer to the consumer market.
Check out a brief (and surely incomplete) history of the Tablet computer:
- The GRiDPad – Circa 1990, created by Jeff Hawkins who later went on to found Palm. It ran MS-DOS – Yeah!
- The Momenta – Circa 1991, also ran MS-DOS with custom pen extensions based on Smalltalk.
- Compaq Concerto – 1992, ran Windows for Pen Computing
- The Apple Newton – 1993, Which was WAY ahead of its time… I had one of these back in the day and it was unbelievably cool, yet mostly useless since there was no such thing as 3G, WiFi, or Bluetooth to connect the thing to the rest of your life.
Being the aforementioned tech-guy, I like most men, love things with buttons or engines… preferably both when feasible. Think Computers, HDTVs, Smartphones, Video Games, Cars, Motorcycles, you get the picture. However, while my early-adopter-tech-guy synapses fire at an accelerated rate while contemplating the cool-factor of the iPad, I’m curious as to how we as consumers will truly integrate it into our lives.
So I pose the question to you, oh wise CowBoomers, do you see the iPad becoming an integral part of your life?
Just to get your creative juices flowing, I’ll send a $25 Best Buy gift card to whomever I think posts the best use of the iPad in their life.
Let me know what you think!
Please click here for the full contest rules.
as much as I would LOVE an Ipad and I think they are cool — I highly doubt that it will become an integral part of my life.
tweetmyluck on twitter
I would have to say that yes it would become a integral part of my life; I mean it wouldn’t become the most important aspect in my life. No electronics will. But I see the iPad as having the best of both worlds. It is a cross between a iPod and Macbook. It will have so many apps and useful features that will probably make life easier. With wifi everywhere you could easily use this for traveling too. It is a great idea!
right now, no it wouldn’t. Especially with it being so new and expensive.
I think, when all the hype and the bugs are out, I might have to invest in one. I don’t know if will be an “integral part” of my life. Just looks like a really cool gadget to have!
A computer is an integral part of my life, so I guess the iPad would be as well. Technology is only going to continue to grow, we might as well grow with it or we will be lost! Heck, it’s fun and broadens communication with so much in the world. So bring on the iPad!! However, I won’t be doing any camping out for it!
I think the iPad would be an integral part of my life because I could gets lots of work done on it, and it could fit in my backpack for easy transport. Also, I can download apps on it that would help me during the day like GPS, dictionaries, and encyclopedias.
Twitter: @NikitaLex
I don’t know yet…but would love to find out
I would probably have to say “yes it would”….I live on the computer – so I would definitely be in my hand on the way out the door!
)
If I win one, it will be integral. If I don’t, it won’t as it isn’t in the budget right now.
Doubt it, it’s an apple product (eww)
Yes, I agree with Staisha, if I win one it will be an integral part in my life, if not I can probably live without it, but it would be cool to have.
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I think it would be part of my life, not a huge part
They are cool gadgets, but I don’t see myself buying one anytime soon or in the future.
twitter:ksparks6
I do not know until I’m able to try it if the iPad will become an integral part of my life. I would like to go out and buy one, but I cannot afford it right now. Sure hoping that I can win one! Our financial situation will be improving in a few months. My husband and I are planning to travel a lot. So, I think the iPad would be handy to have when traveling.
Just got a new laptop a few months ago so I won’t being running out to buy one of these. Anyway, what does it offer that’s not already being offered? Usually the first model is the high-priced “let’s get the bugs worked out” version so I tend to let those sit on the shelf.
If I had one, I’m sure I’d use it all the time, but I’ll never have one unless I win it first. I have no electronic devices at all other than my desktop computer, not even a cell phone.
I love tech gadgets, so yes, I think this definitely would be a key part of my life in the near future. I am very “connected” when it comes to social media & am constantly checking my Twitter, Facebook, etc. I currently use my ipod Touch when my computer is not available & the iPad would be even better since it has a much larger screen
A great use that I foresee in the future is to use the iPad to present my portfolio to prospective employers. As I pursue a career in marketing, the iPad would help me gain an edge on the competition and provide a means to market my work in a professional & innovative manner. If hired, I would be able to use it for presentations down the line!
The iPad sounds great! Yes it would be a big part of my life. Very convenient to have and save time. The special features are cool.
Thanks!
Well, we are a bit overrun with laptops and such at our house with that being my main line of work—and then my boss goes and hands out netbooks for Xmas. That’s how it is with bosses not really knowing what the peons are doing, and what they might need to do it, and so I tossed that useless piece of plastic in the closet. Then a few weeks ago my wife’s cousin had a family emergency whereby she would be trapped out of town–but in a tiny room–so I dug that netbook out of the closet and dusted it off and fired it up. Not so useless anymore, huh? That cousin is still trapped in that closet in that horrible town but having that itty bitty screen keeps her entertained. I’m thinking the iPad may be like that. Maybe today I’m thinking it’s a coffee coaster or a bed for the cat. Maybe tomorrow I will get bored with these other things I’ve been working on, and I will turn on the iPad and see what it can do. Maybe I will find I can’t live without it. Or maybe I will just send it out of town with relatives in dire situations. Either way, it will be used!
I use a netbook almost everyday, sure would be nice to have some sort of way to maneuver things by touch, thanks very much for the oppertunity to win!!!
I’m absolutely thrilled about the iPad and hope to win one someday soon! I have an iPod touch and have it with me constantly to listen to music, play games, or tweet/check email if I can get a wireless connection. I have vision problems in one eye & sometimes have trouble reading the small screen (even on landscape). The iPad is larger but not too large to fit in my purse.
i think it wont because people who loves apple and the games and other apps it would be harder to play games on because its bigger but it got 2 side it can be better to have bigger screen but its hard to hold on and press whatever button u got press
but it can be cheap affordable mini laptop version of apple but it doesn’t have much more things that apple laptop and desktop computer offers
im not to sure if it would become a integral part of my life. you never know i think i would have to try it before i decide
I’d admit I am a tech geek, however one with no money! Lol. My feelings about the Ipad is curiosity. With home computers and laptops I’m not sure if it will ever become an integral part of my life, but I’d sure love to play with it and find out! Maybe one of these days.
I think it could become an integral part of my life. I am becoming more knowledgeable about tech gadgets and see the benefits of using them
Be able to surf the web on something portable that is larger than my 1 inch by 1 inch phone; I get so frustrated and give up a lot! Great battery life, ease of use, and portability are the major pluses of this. It would definitely improve my technological world.
@uberabby2
‘Udderly’ useless device, for me at least — it’s basically an oversized iPhone. Something like the HP Slate makes much more sense. Personally, I prefer my netbook.
I think the Ipad could be as integral in my life as a laptop is. Being thin and light with a good size screen is a plus.
The only downfall is it’s gonna be hard to fit it in my pocket LOL.
I think the iPad could become an integral part of my life. It seems like a wonderful fit for those that travel with the internet, books and movies readily available. Also, I think the size is great and all those apps…
I doubt it, since Verizon Wireless is not going to be able to offer it.
I have an iPod touch now and it is great this would give me more of a laptop on the go for me
Doubtful. I was honestly looking for something that could replace the tablet PC I currently own, as it’s outdated and needs to be replaced. I was looking at Macbook Pro’s until I saw the impending iPad announcement. Needless to say, the iPad was nothing of what I was looking for.
It seems more in line with the small USB monitors that you can extend your desktop to. Sitting on the side, helpful, but not the main focal point, and not something that can do what I really need.
I was looking for something that could multitask, had inputs, and could do more than most netbooks, more stylishly. This has style, but function is entirely lacking.
I think ultimately it will win out as what it is named after. A pad of paper, it’s a great alternative to writing things on paper and keeping track of things on paper.
I have not gotten in my hands yet but I have already planned on making the iPad an integral part of my life! I have already started planning out what apps will be on it, what books I will buy for it, how to place it in my car so my daughter can watch her movies and shows while traveling, how I will us it for creating presentations & training DVDs for work, and the games I can get for it and play on it when I am not working!
I will make it an extension of myself.
Well i have an itouch which is similar just bigger…quite a few concerns with the itouch. No multiple windows open at once.. No i wouldnt be buying one too expensive. Ill stick to the small version…
The iPad will indirectly have an impact on most web users — whether they own the product or not.
Example: Apple and it’s well known tiff with Flash.
Quite a few sites are now creating iPad ready sites – sans the Flash. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, YouTube, and Wired to name a few.
Oddly enough one of the most tightly controlled development environments (Apple) is forcing the adoption of some of the newest open source standards. The changes are just beginning in terms of how we will view video and experience interaction in the near future.
Amazon’s Kindle is rumored to be pushing out a 3rd party web browser in the next few months. I suspect in response to the iPad’s eye opening capabilities.
Will it change my life? I’m not an early adopter but I’m experimenting with e-Books. I’ll watch from a distance for a few weeks….
Yes, it will! I have ordered one for my wife. The iTouch I got for her has been an integral part of her life. I am positive that the iPad will be even more so. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become so integral that I become less integral. It is such a wonderful gift that my status should increase. That means that I become an even more integral part of her life at the same time that the iPad becomes an integral part. Sounds like a win-win for us!
It doesn’t sound like you want to find out IF it will be an integral part of our lives when you state the question as: “Do you think it will be an integral part of your life?” and then say “Tell me how you think it will.”
That doesn’t allow anyone to enter who thinks it won’t be remotely integral in their life.
As we get more and more tired of using the tiny screens of cell phones to try to get information from the web, we are going to flock toward something larger which has a great user interface. The iPad will fit that bill. I will use it to read the news, in fact download entire newspapers onto it. I’m sure most magazines (if they don’t already) will create iPad apps where you can flip pages of the magazine virtually. That’s great because it will save a lot of paper. I will also use it to download and read novels on, since it’s far better than a Kindle. I wish it would let you multitask, apparently Apple didn’t want to let it even though it definitely could. Otherwise you could use it to stream audio (radio?) while you do other things like play games or do work. I will also of course use it to socialize on Facebook and Twitter, no doubt. Nonetheless, the best part about the iPad is that it will be the catalyst which will cause all the competition to build similar and surely even better and more powerful devices just like the iPhone did for cellular. Hoorah, what exciting times we live in!
Yes, I do see the iPad becoming an integral part of my life.
As an IT Professional, I am a reseller for eMerging Cloud which is a provider of Virtual Machines. This concept is an up and coming technology where you can remote into an XP or Windows 7 install and run your OS, all of your applications and documents just like a normal computer.
With the iPad and the ability to use an RDP app to login to my virtual machine, I can have all the benefits and simplicity of the iPad as well as all the benefits of having a full computer run on an 8-core processor server available on a lightweight machine with 10 hours of battery. I mean, what is not to like? Except that currently we only have Windows based Virtual Machines.
With Virtual Machiens, I see the iPad becoming such an integral part of my life and my business.
I don’t think that iPad will be an integral part of my life. It is very expensive. I use my smart phone to access internet. If needed, I may buy a netbook but not a iPad.
I received an email from Apple today saying my iPad had been shipped. I travel fairly often and believe the iPad will be an integral part of my life. I will use it to access internet and to download books. I’m hoping it will be worth the price.
Ipad will not become part of everyones life because of price and others technologies followed by partnerships. However, once Apple comes up with a hardware like Ipad which includes google, video phone and internet (as a phone company) with a single rate around the globe then they will encorage every sing;e person in this world to be connected in the same network.
No, the ipad is a device that answers a question that no one asked. Guys, gals, get yourself a netbook. It’s cheaper, has better hardware, more storage, runs a full featured operating system, and best of all, you won’t be coined to using only Steve Jobs approved stuff. There are touch scree netbooks, slate netbooks even, do your research before buying.
You are making your points clearly yet I still am not persuaded yet.
I Just Heard on The News Last Night That The Ipad is Helping Out Disabled Children To Communicate, How Cool is This,I Think My Children and I Would Love to have one of These
HEAVENANDUS7 From Twitter
Yes, sure iPad will. It’s so cool to handle all your tech needs and mobile at the same time. It replaces lots devices in one, i.e. eBook, eMails, Calander, Games, Internet, other lots of apps to make it more needy.
If I had one I could tell you more
I think it would be cool, but not something I can’t live without.
Thanks to all of you for your insightful posts about the iPad. Based on the posts, I liked Maria’s post the best… using the iPad to pitch your wares is a very cool idea for someone interviewing for a new job. In this economy, anything you can do to get an edge makes sense.
So congrats to Maria as the winner of the $25 Best Buy card!
)
(I’ll be waiting to pick up the iPad until the 3G models are released
Not for now, but I didn’t see how an iPod, laptop and smart phone would become integral parts of my life when they launched.
I think it will become a integral part of my life when they lauch
lawsuits and apps, wait until smoke clears
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I think in the next years the touch screen will be the only input method for computers because it is easier to work with a touch screen and the range of opportunities for this is big.
Great blog!
comment4,
I’m looking to get the iPad. Does anyone have any recommendations on which memory would best suit me if I wanted to watch a few movies?
How are the apps on the iPad? I’ve heard the gaming is quite good!