Ages 2-99: (One Reason) Why the iPad Will Win!
Note: This is not a review of the iPad. If you want a features list or more information about the device, click here. Also, I apologize for the photo, if you find it creepy.
Since its early April release, the iPad has been making a lot of noise, and understandably so. Several hundred thousand devices were sold on the first day the iPad was available for purchase, and hundreds of thousands have been sold since then. There have been many claims – articles & videos – as to why the iPad is so great. However, two videos stand out in my mind as proof as to why the iPad is such a phenomenal product.
The first video (~ 900,000 views) shows a 2 1/2 year-old girl experiencing the iPad for the first time. From the video’s description, “My daughter likes playing with my iPhone, but this was her very first encounter with an iPad. As you’ll see, she took right to it… although she too wonders why it doesn’t have a camera!” Pretty amazing to see a young child utilizing a brand new piece of technology so effortlessly!
This March, PC World went so far as to call the iPad the ‘Children’s Toy of the Year.’ Just take a look at the iPad app store. There are tons of applications – games, interactive books (sidenote: the book industry is about to be revolutionized), drawing & coloring apps – geared directly to kids! Imagine as a child, being able to read one of your favorite books, but instead of just reading, having the chance to interact with the characters, or watch a video, or listen to sound effects as you read along.
The second video (~ 450,000 views) is of a woman nearly a century old, experimenting with the first computer she ever bought, the iPad. Because of failing vision, she had a hard time reading and writing. However, that all changed with the iPad.
For older people, the iPad provides a lot of amazing features. First, it makes reading and typing a much easier process. If the text is too small, simply make it bigger! If a traditional keyboard is too cluttered, the iPad’s larger touch keyboard is perfect. Also, new technology can be a scary thing for people who didn’t grow up with it in their lives. The iPad provides an intuitive user experience for novice computer users, opening up a whole new world to them in the process.
For me, these videos explain a lot about what makes the iPad so phenomenal. Two people at the opposite extremes of life, both with little-to-no experience with computers, were able to utilize the iPad with ease, and for completely different purposes.
I know that using these videos may make it seem like I am generalizing. I do not assume that every 2 year-old and every 99 year-old would find the iPad easy to use, but I think the videos show how useful a device the iPad really can be. It’s hard to find any product that can be utilized so effortlessly by such a wide range of ages. Even a TV, one could argue, is harder to navigate.
What do you think? Have you had experience with the iPad? What are your thoughts on the device as compared to other Apple releases? For you, is it a revolutionary product, or “just a big iPod Touch?”
Author: Sam Taggart
