Please take my word that I have no intention of adding to the near-nauseating iPad hysteria without merit. Because I am a professional software and web developer I have been asked by more than a handful of people, “What’s the deal with the iPad? Is it really that great?” My opinion on the matter has been steadfast. I believe that for certain demographics it will be overpriced and frustratingly limited, while for others it will enhance the landscape of their daily lives.
It was fascinating to watch the video of the 2.5 yr old girl play with her first iPad. Without a doubt, today’s youth are the obvious beneficiaries of technological advancements. But I’m curious about another group of people that have historically been separated from advancing technology. A group that has been walled off by steep learning curves, overwhelming options, and even, to some degree, dexterity contraints.
I’m talking about our elderly and I’m wondering if the iPad will fill a longstanding void for them.
Generation Wii
It’s no secret the Nintendo Wii was, and in many ways still is, a sensation. Not only did it retain its core user base, but it also managed to woo an untapped market.
Elderly gamers.
The name itself still looks like an oxymoron! I remember the first time we played bowling together on Wii. I sat there, in Granny’s living room, marveling at the idea of 4 girls, representing 4 different generations, honestly playing against each other in true, take-no-prisoner fashion. Great granddaughter to great grandmother. Three years old to 70 something. I couldn’t stop smiling.
What Nintendo did right was not “go bigger.” In fact, they went smaller. Instead of adding more buttons, they eliminated them. Instead of building options onto a game controller foundation, one that gamers know, love, and expect, they opted to rethink, take a risk, and create a controller that matched how we do things in the real world. In the end they developed a controller you could swing like a bat, or racket, or club. Or even light saber.
It was gamble. But thankfully, it paid off. Unbelievable swarms of non-gamers could not get enough of this game system. Simplifying an interface and making it behave more naturally to how we humans think, and operate, just works.
Flexibility Begets Complexity
Every time Apple comes out with a new product the buzz is vomit-inducing. Sometimes I think the legitimate innovation within the devices is suffocated by the sheer volume of marketing and media coverage. And, as one friend of mine put it, “Early adopters have yet to figure out that they’re actually paying to be beta testers.” Yes, I know this. But here is where I believe the iPad may be different.
What the Wii did in the game industry for the young, the elderly, and the flat out disinterested, so too can the iPad in the personal computing industry.
Consider that Granny is no longer restricted to learning, and using, a mouse (which is cumbersome and awkward in her hands) to enjoy the best that personal computing has to offer. With an iPad you literally reach out and touch the thing you want to select, or move, or resize on the screen. Much like the Wii controller, the user interface is successful because it has less hardware, not more. And it more naturally conforms to how we humans already operate.
Consider also that Granny won’t have the steep learning curve inherent in learning a desktop operating system. You turn on the device and are presented with big, colorful pictures that exclaim, “What would you like to do?” She won’t need to drive to the store to purchase software, or type in long/complex serial numbers to activate it. She will never have to put a CD into the tray, hope autoplay fires, and when it does be faced with a lengthy and confusing setup wizard. She’ll never have a cluttered desktop full of files, shortcuts, programs, miscellaneous downloaded items, etc. Her options on an iPad will be limited by comparison to a full PC, but I believe sacrificing flexibility, and thereby reducing complexity, will gain her something more important than both, especially for her peer group: accessibility.
More Like a Toaster, Less Like a Jumbo Jet
I remember a time when the word “appliance” was big in the industry. If only we could build computers that worked more like an appliance! You know, like a washing machine, or a toaster! Simple, reliable, predictable. Runs the same year after year. That’s the ticket!
Well my friends, with the introduction of the iPad I think we’ve just taken another step closer to digital toast. Sure, that swooshing sound you hear may be swarms of beta testers pitching dollar bills into Apple’s coffers. But it could also be the sound of walls crumbling, digital gaps shortening, and unreached consumers smiling because they can finally engage with technology in a way never before possible.
What do you think? Will the iPad expand horizons? Or just stock prices?
[images: J.C. Rojas, William Hook, DoobyBrain, ndeviltv]
dannyjbixby says
Smart article. Makes perfect sense to me.
Andy Darnell says
@dewde,
We were discussing this today. We think that the iPad will be embraced by the older audience. My mom would be a perfect candidate for it. It does everything that she would need to do. I believe this will open up her world to ebooks. She would have never purchased a kindle, but this is perfect for her.
My companies niche in healthcare, we see the iPad as something that can continue to transform nursing stations and electronic record keeping. It will take some time because most of our clients are still running windows xp and IE6 (shoot me now) but physicians are more savvy with technology and I believe will push them into adopting the technology faster.
Good post.
Lon says
since playing with my ipod touch, my daughter just assumes every screen is touch sensitive now… it’ll be the new norm very soon.
brett barner says
I was just discussing this earlier this week. The iPad market isn’t just the fanboys and early adopters. It’s the computer for those who hate computers. It’s easy to understand and has a great learning curve.
iPhone OS 4.0 will help bridge the gap between mobile and desktop computing in the fall, but I really believe they hit an untapped market who have to follow steps over logical computing.
Matt Phelps says
I think the iPad will be an excellent option for the older generation. My grandmother had a computer back in Windows 3.11 days, and she only know how to turn it on. A simple, wireless touchscreen device that is user-friendly would be perfect for her. I think my mother would also like it, if only for the touchscreen aspect. She works at a restaurant with touchscreen computers, so she often tries to use the laptop at home by touching the screen. Doesn’t work.