Every time Apple has an event in which they announce a new product, I need about a week to get out of Jobs reality distortion field¹ and be able to process information on my own again.

Mind you, the post-event week is not easy on us geeks. It’s an emotional and intellectual roller coaster. You go through euphoria, disappointment, hope, financial analysis and inner-discovery in a short period of time. Then you open Google Reader, and it starts all over again.

So, the iPad. It’s here. If you have followed some of the news you may have heard the following:

1. The iPad is just a large iPhone/iPod touch
2. You should wait for version 2
3. It’s probably better to buy a netbook

To which I say: No, yes, not really.

iPad and iPhone

There is no question that the iPad shares most of the same DNA as the iPhone. But so does a dolphin with an orca. Point is, the fact that something so different looks like it works in such a similar way, speaks volumes of the detail that went into making this device.

The similarities of the iPad with the iPhone are not because of laziness on Apple’s part. Most likely, it’s the results of a strict design restriction. If you own an iPhonesOS device (like other 75 million people) you needed to be able to know how to use the iPad. Which you do.

iPad and you:

Should you run out and get it? Probably not. Am I getting one? Of course. -“But,”- you say -“it doesn’t have a camera!”- I know. -“And it doesn’t even support multitasking!”- Very true. -“What about your new Kindle?”- Would you shut up and hear me out?

Ok, I got nothing. However, this is about you, not me.

There are couple reasons why should wait a little. For starters, if the iPhone and iPod touch are any indication, it’s likely Apple will update the storage sizes and maybe the prices around November. Also, unlike with the iPhone, it looks like Google “& partners” will be able to quickly deliver their own answer for this segment in the same timeframe.

iPad and laptops:

Obviously, all of this assumes that the hoopla around the tablet form-factor has legs. Which I believe it does.

If you typically turn on your TV and immediately open you laptop, you’ll eventually feel the need for the iPad. If do the same with your iPhone or mobile phone, it would happen even sooner.

Try not to dismiss the iPad (or the whole tablet category for that matter) because you feel perfectly fine with your laptop or netbook. Most people where perfectly fine with CD player six years ago, and with a basic Nokia phone even more recently.

iPad and me:

With the iPad, Apple has clearly signaled where they think personal computing is going. Or at least, where they are going to stubbornly pull it towards. Make no mistake about it, the iPhoneOS is the future of the Mac.

In desktop OSes, all complexity is staring back at you every time you use an application. My Mom can always find a way to change something once, and never be able to get back to the same place ever again. I call this UI dead-ends.

On good touch UI’s, this isn’t as common. The iPhoneOS has a great UI.

That’s why there will be an iPad in your wish-list someday. Maybe not this year, but sooner or later you’ll see how effortlessly something is done on it. A task that usually takes more than a couple clicks on your computer will be done with a few gestures.

Then you’ll know. Just like I do now. That you need one.

Zero day Apple 'latest creation' event predictions →

With 6 hours to go until the Apple event, it’s a good time as any to throw out what I’ll think will happen:

1. iTunes 10 with new name
   • Subscription options from some TV networks
   • Ability to listen to your music from anywhere
   • Name better reflects “growing library of content”
2. Next version of iPhone OS
   • UI improvements
   • More multitouch gestures
   • New synch API for developers (similar to push notifications)
   • Updated tools for developers
3. Apple iPad
   • 10inch screen.
   • “Free” Wireless internet. You only pay for content subscription
   • Newspaper, magazines, comics and books packaged New “Web standards” based format
   • Stream iTunes music, video, etc. from the cloud
   • Mostly compatible with iPhone apps, some tweaking required
   • Available in March
   • Price $799

Mind you, all of this is the result of 70% guessing, 20% wishful thinking, and 10% analysis.

My Kindle 2 review (before the reality distortion field)

Less than a day before Apple is supposed to reveal their new Tablet, I wanted to write my thoughts on the Kindle 2.

I’ve had my Kindle for a month, and it that time it has doubled my volume of reading. Which, by my own measurement, makes it a great device.

The Kindle design is elegant, strong and lightweight. Specially important, the screen quality is newspaper-like, and using it for an hour every night doesn’t tire my eyes at all. The software is also very polished, with almost everything being very self explanatory.

My biggest surprise has been how much I use the New Oxford American Dictionary. This was one of the ‘meh’ features when I was deciding to purchase, but I continually find myself doing quick-checks on words. Many of these I already sort-of knew, but on a few occasions I’ve found historical and geographical references that in the past I would have just overlooked.

Only issue I have with comes from the Location, which is the Kindle’s version of a page number. I understand that with the ability to change the font size, in conjunction to being able to read content in other devices with very different screen sizes, leads to difficulties in having a static page number. Nevertheless, the current implementation which looks like 1239-48, is confusing.

The Amazon Store is pretty good. With an acceptable selection of eBooks that while it doesn’t contain every book I had on my wish-list, it has enough available to keep me busy.

One thing to note about the store, specially if you don’t live in that US, is that prices are extremely competitive. Newer books are cheaper than paperbacks here in Norway, and even if I bought the books from Amazon UK, the final price would be almost the same.

Finally, one of the best things about the Kindle has nothing to do with Amazon. It’s called Instapaper. With this Web app, you can easily save for later any article you find online. I’ve used the iPhone application since it came out and it’s brilliant. On the Kindle, you can download your most recent 20 articles or have them delivered automatically every week.

In conclusion, compared to physical books, the Kindle’s lightness and dictionary take the prize. In regards to the iPhone, where I can compare my use of Instapaper, the screen really makes a big difference for extended reading. But the biggest advantage is the Kindle’s lack of any good use other than reading. When I pick up a Kindle, I read. There is no Twitter, RSS, email, games, etc.

Tomorrow Apple is probably going to tell us why their Tablet should be the one starting point for all media consumption. From TV shows to the internet. In terms of reading, they’ll probably be right for magazines, newspapers, comics and school texts.

But if you want to sit down and quietly read a book, I think the Kindle will still be the best device tomorrow evening.

The Apple Tablet Interface Must Be Like This →

Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz, lays out his prediction about the the possible UI of the Apple Tablet:

And then there’s the third camp, in which I have pitched my tent, who says that the interface will just be an evolution of an existing user interface, one without folders and windows, but with applications that take over the entire screen. A “modal” user interface that has been proven in the market battlefield, and that has brought a new form of computing to every normal, non-computer-expert consumer.

Not sure if it’s the best guess around, but it sure is the one with the most work and thought gone into it.

Amazon talks lower royalty take on some eBooks →

From Amazon’s Press Release:

Today, authors often receive royalties in the range of 7 to 15 percent of the list price that publishers set for their physical books, or 25 percent of the net that publishers receive from retailers for their digital books.

Obviously that this is a response to other publishing platforms that take a lower cut than Amazon’s original 70%. Of course, if the rumored Apple Slate/Tablet is going to have the AppStore inside, then its a 30% cut is going be very attractive to publishers and authors.

The new 30% royalty has some conditions attached to it, such as max eBook price of $9.99, a lower than 20$ price point versus any pBook and it needs to support Kindle features like text-to-speech.

Nothing unreasonable, but on the same release you can read this nugget:

Delivery costs will be based on file size and pricing will be $0.15/MB. At today’s median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. This new program can thus enable authors and publishers to make more money on every sale. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option.

This type of pricing fine-print is probably normal in the retail world. However, in today’s flat-pricing online stores, it sounds more like a math test question.

Maybe my loathe of accounting is the one speaking here, but I think it would be preferable for Amazon to increase its cut by say 5%, and just charge the same across the board.