The first computer I worked on filled up a room the size of a basketball court. It had 128K (yes, as in kilobytes) of memory, reel-to-reel tape drives and disk drives the size of washing machines. It was state of the art at the time and handled some pretty impressive systems (Do you remember the movie War Games?). Today, my pay-as-you-go mobile phone has more processing power than that monster system.

We are in the middle of an Information Revolution that is having as much (if not more) impact on civilization as the Industrial Revolution. If you don’t think so, consider this. In many under-developed nations where distances are too vast and money too scarce to install “wired” telecommunications infrastructure, the cell phone not only provides a way to communicate, but the tools to run entire businesses.

Now, imagine running into someone in a country cemetery miles from anywhere and finding you are researching the same family. You both pull out your iPods and check your portable version of Reunion to compare notes. With a simple command you wirelessly sync your information between the two devices – instantly updating both databases. If you are thinking something like, “I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen,” you’re in for a pleasant surprise. It’s going to start happening in the new year. Called Wi-Fi Direct, it will allow devices like iPhones, printers and book readers to communicate directly with each other.

But that’s just the beginning.

I’ve been reading a fascinating series of articles by Mark Sigal at O’Reilly Radar. He’s speculating where Apple might be going in the tech market and offering some very interesting suppositions:

First, a market-sizing question. How many tens of millions of people carry a bag wherever they go that is large enough to accommodate a bookish-sized device?

From a sniff test, would there be room for a really “phat” version of the iPod Touch in your backpack? Your kid’s? Would you make room?

Before answering, imagine that you’re kicking back on the couch, with a cappuccino in one hand and a Tablet in the other. After all, this is a device that is recline-able in the sense that you can comfortably use it from any position that suits you (it’s neither overly bulky or hot, and input operations can be performed from any angle you desire).

Moreover, owing to its relative absence of moving parts and exposed interfaces, the Tablet is also slob-friendly, a euphemism for saying that it’s not the end of the world if you are eating pizza while using it (less susceptibility to spills, sauces and greasy fingers).

In turn, this means that it’s kid-friendly since the dearth of moving parts also means fewer to break. On top of this, Apple’s governance model provides a more direct path for parental controls on what types of apps can be used, and for how long.

Well, that certainly got my attention.

Another article takes a look at the electonic book, asking, “Is it heretical to speak of re-inventing the book?”

In “The Future of Publishing,” Sean Cranbury and Hugh McGuire do a beautiful job of getting to the it of what makes a book, a book.

They say that the primary thing a book has to do is “fulfill its promise as a transmitter/inspirer of ideas, art, thoughts, story, entertainment.”

Holding this “transmitter/inspirer” construct high, I would argue that Apple’s forthcoming Tablet computing device (the “iPad”) is the ideal vehicle to achieve these aims.

Specifically, I would assert that, in a rebooted book marketplace, an iPad could be a best-of-breed solution for:

* Interactive Learning Device
* Chemistry and Physics Lab
* Story-Telling Narrative Vehicle
* Information and Reference Guide

Electronic books – and all kinds of other enlightening goodies – available in the kitchen, the bedroom, the back porch and even the dentist office? And, at a size these old eyes can actually see? Yes, I’m drooling just thinking about it.

I could see myself with a tablet system that’s about the same size as my netbook. While many of the apps I use on my iPod Touch (Reunion, Bento database, Facebook, etc.) work just fine, it would be a much better experience on a bigger screen. My main beef is with current e-book readers and the fact that they aren’t image-friendly. As a tech writer whose writings might have as many screenshots as words, this is a big deal. If, on the other hand, my writings could include motion captures of a task in process, it would not only make my work easier but give my reader a better learning experience. I really like that idea.

I’m looking forward to the Apple Tablet – and its competitors – for many reasons. Will it replace my desktop? Probably not. I’m already moving to a “home server” configuration where the server manages the heavy work (music, movies, storage, printing, etc.). My aging iMac no longer needs to be updated because it’s still quite capable of handling the less demanding tasks and it’s large screen makes document and photo editing easier. I do see the tablet serving any number of functions. In addition to a personal reader, it could quickly become a digital frame displaying photos on a table top, a cookbook in the kitchen, my daily planner or even my morning news and weather report while I’m getting dressed.

Am I building justification for a new toy? Yes and no. Yes, it will provide a lot of entertainment, but it will also allow me to do some of the things I need to do without isolating myself from the rest of the family. I’ll have to wait and see 1) just what this new device will do and 2) how much it will cost me to do it.

Santa doesn’t have to worry this year. We’ve got several months yet to wait before the tablet is introduced.

Suggested reading:

• Rebooting the Book (One Apple iPad Tablet at a Time)
• It’s in the Bag! The Apple Tablet Computing Device

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Tags: electronic book, portable computing, wi-fi direct
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Electronic Publishing. Both comments and pings are currently closed.