Once upon a time.....Apple + Adobe....a love story?

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there was a handsome king named Sir Apple, but many in the kingdom referred to him as "Mac Daddy." Mac Daddy was married to a creative, suite woman named Lady Adobe. The two experienced a long, happy marriage, while they may have had issues, through it all, they shared a love many had long admired. While Lady Adobe may have spent time gazing out the Windows, we all knew that that Mac Daddy was her one true love. The two reigned over a vast empire called A-topia, known for great creatives, designers, exceptional video and web producers.

The loyal subjects in the kindgom were happy, Mac Daddy was supportive and allowed them to work and play always knowing just what they needed.  Mama Adobe was the nurturer for their talents, giving them the tools to express themselves and aiding them in making a living for themselves while doing what they loved. She was the dream weaver, illustrator and quite talented in design as well.

One day, Mac Daddy, decided to build a new castle. It was smaller than the castle that he shared with Adobe, but was still quite lovely. Once the new castle was done, Mac Daddy started referring to it as his "pad" and how much simpler it would make his life. It wasn't long before the loyal subjects of A-topia realized that Mac Daddy had forbidden Adobe from living there, at least for now.

What had happened, had Mama Adobe done more than just gazed out the Windows? Had Mac Daddy fallen for someone less Flashy?  Someone with more Silver,  light-er or more attractive? What could it be?

While none of the subjects could see what was happening in the castle, many speculated that Mac Daddy had banished Mama Adobe to the couch. But neither was talking, and left the children of A-topia to wonder...are Mama Adobe and Mac Daddy getting a divorce? No one wanted to choose sides? Had it only been a little spat? Will Mama Adobe be invited to the "pad" soon? Mac Daddy had mentioned something about Mama Adobe feeling a little buggy, but was there more to it than that?

If there is, will the subjects of A-topia ever be the same?

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As an early adopter of the iPad, and member of the design community, there was one thing that was remarkable to me, the overwhelming absence of Adobe Apps on the iPad. Adobe Ideas and a PDF reader available as add on apps, but, it was the lack of support for Flash that left many within the community scratching their heads wondering what was really happening.

Had Apple fired a warning shot, threatened divorce in some tactical plan to get their way, or is the marriage truly on the rocks? Or had Adobe strayed and this was Apple's way exerting some type of independence? Had the relationship been strained for years or is it all just a big misunderstanding?

In order to try to gain some insight on the matter, I turned to three colleagues in the industry to get their feedback. People who have over time shown to have their finger on the pulse of the industry and great insight into the direction of things to come.

"I've been dwelling on this for some time as well," says Chad Chelius, author and certified trainer. "I can only think that Apple has something in mind... with HTML 5 on the horizon I've seen some pretty cool stuff with the latest version of CSS with HTML 5. Is it as good/powerful as Flash? I don't know, but it's a compelling argument for open standards."

Having done work in Flash over the years, it is a bit disconcerting that the lack of a nod from Apple could spark its demise. While change is inevitable, I don't know that many had really forecasted that to be a distinct possibility. An exception to that may be Kevin Tobosa, owner of the Tobosa Creative Group, who stated, "Adobe has become complacent in their position and as such, Flash is losing ground to Silverlight. Silverlight drives Netflix and if streaming HD video in a matter of seconds isn't amazing technology then I don't know what is."

Adobe has seen this movie before, it was Quark's lack of responsiveness to users that led to willingness for so many to make the jump to InDesign. The complacency and posturing that lead to its current state, and the fall from favor in the eyes of so many die-hard supporters, me included. The very day that I made the move to InDesign for the department I was charged with running was the day Quark called. And the only feedback I could give was, "too little, too late." Will Adobe suffer the same fate, or will this be the wake-up call that rights the ship?

So, can we expect that chasm between the two to widen, or is this just symptomatic of the type of device that the iPad is intended to be. Jeff Knight, graphic designer,  comments that, "Not having Flash on an iPhone or iPad isn't the worst of it. The world doesn't create as much work on those machines—they're media displays not media creators. But take it away from the next generation of iMacs and MacBooks...that might start a brawl!"

Is the relationship stronger than ever, on the rocks, or in the need of a good mediator? With neither side saying much, in only leaves the citizens of A-topia to speculate.

iPad Quick Tips...

After having used the iPad for a few days and digging around for some tips and tricks, I thought I would share some of what I have found, discovered or has been shared amongst fellow iPad users.

1. To move and arrange your apps, hold down until they start to wiggle and then you can move or delete apps. I have started sorting apps into pages:

Commonly used resources; dictionary, wikipedia, news, weather, calculator

Less commonly used resources: Cooking apps, ibook, unit conversions, alarm clock, skype

Games: Stuff I like to play,

Games for the kids, math flash cards, thumb drum, etc.

2. You have sync'd your email, but want to download an image to set as your profile photo or background images. Or you just want to save pictures that the grandkids sent you. You simply open the email, briefly hold on the picture until get the option to save or copy.  as you can see here:

The image will automatically be saved in your photos folder.

3. Hey, how did I get that image above?...screenshot! This has come in handy in sharing where to find things and sharing new finds. To create a screen shot, you simultaneously press the "on/off" button on the upper right hand side and the "home" button on the bottom middle of the screen. Downloaded photos automatically are saved into your "Photos" folder

 4. Quick access to your favorite websites: So you have fallen in love with web browsing on the iPad, did you know that you can create shortcuts on your home page to visit  your favorite sites. In Safari, if you click the "+" button in the menu bar, you have the option to create bookmarks and the second option is to "Add to Home Screen" this will create a little icon on your home page.

5. What to organize your bookshelf? So, maybe you are OCD and feel the need to keep your bookshelf organized by the Dewey decimal system, or perhaps it is by author, or alphabetically. Very similar to how you organize your apps, you click the "edit" button in the upper right hand corner of your bookshelf which brings up the familiar black "x" in the circle. Briefly hold on a book and dragging it into the desired location, when you are finished hit the "done" button.

6. Now that you have photos loaded on your iPad, how about using your iPad as a digital slideshow or photo album. This can easily be done by turning your iPad off (on/off switch top of device, right side.) when you are asked to slide to unlock, if you look just to the right of the slider bar, you will see a little flower. That is slideshow mode. A slideshow of images in your "photos" folder will automatically start playing. If you would like more control over your slideshow, simply open your "settings" and click on "Picture Frame" where you can adjust the transition, shuffle, assign a photo album and have the option to zoom in on faces. 

 7. So you are surfing and have scrolled way to the bottom of a website and want to get back to the top quickly (handy for news sites or Facebook) Just tap the menu/url bar on the top of the page.

48 hours later - who needs an iPad

So, 48 hours after first getting my hands on the iPad, is the honeymoon over? Hardly! What I am finding, is that there are some trends in how we are using it and I am sure that will evolve over time and change as additional apps are created and purchased. Right now, it has become a great end table addition, picking it up during commercials to surf the web, check mail or to settle a debate that has arisen from TV viewing. The kids are playing games on it, even after the recent addition of DS games consoles, they are fighting over the iPad.

It will become my device of choice as I travel for meetings/shopping/consulting. The ability to take notes, calendar, check e-mail all in a much smaller device than laptop, will quickly become the solution to my aching shoulder from lugging around my laptop. And with a long battery life, no need to lug an adapter along. While it would be nice to have the Verizon hot spot device and that might come down the road, I think I will first investigate if I tether to my iPhone. If you live in an area with numerous public hot spots, you won't find that to be an issue.

How will I use the iPad?

If I were to forecast how I will use the iPad in the coming months this is what I believe that will look like:

• Quick check of email, at home and on the road.
• Web surfing
• Recipes
• Shopping Lists
• To Do Lists
• Reading books
• Playing games
• Listening to Music, Videos, Podcasts
• Dictionary and Wikipedia references
• Calendaring
• Contacts storage
• Photo storage and sharing
• Online shopping/research

Who should buy an iPad?

While I think that, the iPad will raise the bar for electronic devices in households across the country and around the world in the coming years, there are certain groups of people who might benefit from early adoption.

Traditional non-computer users: for those individuals who haven't used a computer before, the iPad is the perfect device to get your feet wet in e-mail, and web surfing. With the potential for very little going wrong in the process, from small children, to baby boomers, this device is great. If you regularly recieve calls from a parent looking for technical advice, the iPad will become the ultimate Mothers Day/Fathers Day gift....for both of you.

Frequent Travellers: For those who spend any amount of time in air travel or in the car, the iPad will be a great alternative to lugging a laptop along. While I am not certain how the TSA or airlines will address security or in flight use, if you have any type of layover, or are travelling with children, the iPad will become the great time killer. Because it isn't just a game device, or just a book reader, it allows for multiple options and is more versatile than lugging along multiple devices. The iPad will lighten the load for all types of travellers.

Soccer Moms: Any mom (or dad) that has spent any length of time waiting for a child at a practice, game, school will come to love the iPad. Allowing you to multi-task; creating shopping lists, checking email, surfing, reading books will make those lost minutes waiting in the car more productive.

Corporate employees: While I don't think that corporations will be the across the board outfitting employees with iPads early on, over time, I can see that happening. For executives who spend the bulk of their day in meetings, this will become the essential go to device. Easy to carry along, and the ability to access calenars, email and the web will make scheduling additional meetings and taking notes will create efficiencies. Currently corporations provide allowances for laptops, calendaring systems, blackberry's, etc. it is only a matter of time before iPads make their way into those budgets.

Kids: The iPad can quickly replace multiple devices, Nintendo DS Lites, portable DVD players, iPods, the larger up front cost of the iPad will quickly justified if you currently have any combination of two or more of the affore mentioned. With the added bonus of one charger to manage.

Students: After just using the iPad for a couple of days, I can quickly envision textbooks becoming obsolete. The ability to; effortlessly change curriculum, the potential of an app for students to manage assignments; research, write and submit papers. The iPad will become a Godsend for IT administrators who are dealing with the complexities of maintaining student laptops. I wouldn't buy stock in traditional backpacks.

Coffee Shops: Here is coffee shop concept I would love to see. Stop off, grab a coffee, check out an iPad for a couple of hours, catch up, and kill some time without having to carry your own.

The avid reader: While a lot of readers I know, find a particular lure to the tactile advantages of a paper book, it is only a matter of time before the advantages of the the iPad will outweigh those preferences. The backlit aspect of the iPad, allows a reader to be able to read in a variety of lighting conditions. While sharing books with friends isn't an option at this point, having access at any time to my full library at any time would be nice. Only time will tell, but I can envision a time when paper books are taxed because of environmental impacts.

As you can see, the demographic reach of the iPad runs the gammut. While other slates of likely dillute the market, Apple still holds the advantage with brand loyalty and user experience. I anticipate that initally families will purchase one that will be shared amongst family members, eventually we will see more multiple-iPad families.

How do I justify the cost of an iPad?

Well, if you have already justified the price of an iPod greater than the shuffle, you aren't a long stretch from the iPad. The iPad, in coming years, has the potential of replacing the following devices:

• iPod Touch or various MP3 players $199
• Portable DVD player $99
• Netbook $300
• Nintendo DS: $129
• Digital Photoframe: $49
• Kindle: $259
• GPS: $100
• TV remote $29
• Traditional books, cookbooks, reference materials. $?

As you know, we can justify almost anything, so it isn't as much a matter of need, but that of want. And many will wait until the next version which is likely to include more robust offerings, it is easy to see that this type of device will soon find its way onto the need list of many.