Bits, Bursts & Bongos

I work in the creative economy, bringing new concepts, ideas and patterns to clients and consumers. That makes my brain and my social network my workspace. 

I’m dependent on effective and connected tools and techniques to extract, package and communicate value from concept, ideas and patterns. Value is being created when my brain is plugged into contexts of problems, insights and conversations.

My brain is pre-wired to look for new tools and techniques that create value faster and smarter. That is neither unique or common as people both embrace and resist change. But my requirements are personal.

Until I got to spend extensive time with the iPad the other day I was in the skeptics camp (actually still is). Not as an innovation but as a professional utility tool. I need it to both simplify and to expand my professional life. Here are a few requirements:

• I need both portable and mobile capabilities, i.e. WiFi and 3G (A+)
• I need speed, performance and endurance (A+)
• I need online and offline capabilities and seamless sync of data (B-)
• I need to be able to create, edit and share data online and offline (B-)
• I need local data storage for offline usage when traveling (A+)
• I need text and voice communication tools across WiFi and 3G (B-)
• I need a browsing experience that enables interaction with travel services while on the road (B+)
• I need a much better user experience than the iPhone and the PowerBook Air (A+)

The upcoming iPad Wi-Fi + 3G model almost meets all these criteria. Most of the shortcomings are really third party issues, like Google Docs lacking editing in document mode, Skype not yet offering 3G calling and certain experiences not optimized for the iPad.

The common critique of not having USB ports, lacking camera and therefore video recording and multi-tasking is fine by me. As a product guy I think those were the right prioritization, just as iPhone lacked cut, copy and paste in the first software versions (which I never use).

Entertainment is nice but productivity is a necessity. I need to be able to interact with data cross-platform, cross-team and cross-time zones. The iPad also needs to be good enough to replace my Air and my current iPhone setup. That said, I’m not looking for the iPad to replace my iPhone as one is an in-room device and the other is an on- the-move device. But certain basic capabilities must overlap, as they do.

I’m off to Europe on one of my 5-day take-no-prisoners business trips in a few days and as that coincides with the release of the 3G version I might buy one to put it to the test. The experience doesn’t need to be perfect but good enough to enable work-around solutions. If it meets my requirements I’ll sell my Air as simplicity has to be part of how we prioritize our time, attention and energy.