Why the iPad Doesn’t Matter, Yet Matters

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As you’re probably aware the iPad is on the way and its going to save the world! All will be right again when the Apple iPad hits the streets in early April. Nikon and Canon photographers will sing Kumbaya together, dogs will get along with cats and newspapers will again be profitable… well you’d think that would be the case from all the hype. I’ve had several conversations over the past several weeks with friends about the iPad and as a huge fan of Apple I will hold no punches in saying I’m underwhelmed with the device that has turned out to be nothing more than a mega-iphone less the phone. That being said there is one thing about the Apple iPad that has grabbed my attention and it has nothing to do with the device itself.

I’ve read various blog posts to the effect that the iPad will usher in a:

new era of photography – bzzz! nope.
A new digital medium of display isn’t going to transform photography, but it might add to the “cool” or “hip” factor of a photographer as they show their work. The Apple logo on a touchscreen mobile digital photo frame will surely wow a few folks, but it won’t “change photography”. Display devices don’t change photography.
new era of image responsibility -bzzz! nope.
Image theft is pervasive because of a wide spread attitude that content online is free. Digital files don’t have value because they’re intangible. No alarm is going to sound when you walk out a storefront because you have an image on your laptop, iPhone or iPad. A new device isn’t going to usher in a new era of responsibility. That cat is already out of the bag and I’m hard pressed to believe its ever coming back. Deterrents such as financial penalties provided by copyright law, image tracking software (PicScout IRC, TinEye, etc.) and other innovations ideally should keep this in check.

What has grabbed my attention is an undercurrent of buzz in relation to content. What the iPad offers is a color display, a supporting network of content distribution via Apple’s iTunes store and broad market appeal. Whether the iPad turns out to be the next iPhone success or Newton failure its mark will be left in how content is crafted, displayed and consumed. This is why the iPad matters, yet doesn’t matter. It’s launch is the landmark, not the device. While Apple will certainly make a shiny penny in selling the iPad it will have the longest lasting impact on content creators & publishers.

Why the iPad doesn’t matter
After the launch of the iPad, Apple will have set the mark in cool and user experience pointing the way for competitors to emulate. Device sales will be a brand war and nothing more. The edge in relation to sales will be given to companies with complimentary services & software. No doubt Apple will have the competitive edge as they’ve exemplified with the iPod/iPhone. What makes the iPad irrelevant is that it’s also a WiFi device. Content can be pulled from any location or distributor that has web presence.
Why the iPad matters
What makes the iPad relevant is that it will shape expectation in how online “books” are formatted & presented. As the first color displayed tablet/ebook reader that is made widely available, the iPad will have a substantial influence on consumer expectation in relation to how one interacts with digital content. The iPad’s WiFi capabilities gives content creators and publishers of all sizes equal footing. Seeing that iPad friendly content can be hosted anywhere on the web, content creators & publishers should take note of the format and presentation standards for people viewing their work via an iPad or equivalent.

What’s your opinion? Is the iPad the savior of photography, a means to a content standard or something else entirely?

Technorati Tags: photography, Apple, iPad

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Posted by Jim on 03.09.2010 at 12:01 am
Tagged: Photography, Technology, iPad , Apple, iPad, Photography, Technology

MIke Noble

No the iPad will not change photography, only the way it can be presented. It is a lot better than carrying around my 17" laptop. I will be able to show clients, or anyone that happens to be sitting next to me, portfolios, presentations, PDF files, my Web site, etc., etc. The presentation characteristics are rather incredible. I did have reservations until I was able to hold it in my hands and go through the functions. It is, indeed, a magical device. (Yes, I may be blinded by technology.) And it will make an impression on clients. Mine is on order. I couldn't find any 32gb units in stock at any of the three stores in my area. I would have preferred to get mine directly from a store.

The one thing that might be innovative is the camera connection kit. I provides a way to download directly from the camera via the camera's USB cable. If this is able to download as the camera shoots, it would be the best way to tether a camera to a viewing device to check lighting and layout. One of the store clerks said that's what it would do. I won't believe it until I see it. But if it does, THAT is a great thing.
Mark

I don't really see it changing anything about photography either. Changing accessibility to it is another story (that is, unless you have your website/portfolio done in Flash! :-) ).
myaggie2

I was all set to buy an iPad, but when I saw the entourage eDGe, I pre ordered immediately. It should arrive by the end of March. It does so much more than the iPad. I described it here: http://www.visualartsjunction.com/?p=6513 I'll post whether it meets my expectations or not!
Richard Wong

I look at it this way, no matter how nice of a monitor I've ever used to view images, it never compares to having the experience of seeing it in print. There's no way anyone can say that the iPad is any better quality wise than a monitor and quite frankly I'm surprised that photographers have been making such a big fuss about it.
G Dan Mitchell

As is often the case, Guy has a very important point to make. I think the iPad has more of a potential to change publishing than to change photography, per se. The jury is obviously still out, but it _might_ have the power to alter publishing (of photographs and of materials related to photography, along with many other subjects) in a manner like what we saw in the music business after the success of iTunes.

For example, I think it is quite possible that in the same way the self-produced musicians can sell their music via iTunes (and eMusic, et al), photographers may find a market for small runs of specialized electronic publications of photography. The business model for publishing photography books is a tricky thing - but this could shake things up a bit.

Dan
jimgoldstein

I indeed believe this is what we will see in the near future. This is going to open a new avenue to self publishing rather than a transformation to photography. Nothing about the iPad is going to change how I visualize, take and process photos. More on this soon.
G Dan Mitchell

Jim, I'm largely with you on this. But I did have one other thought. Photography does extend beyond the mere creation of photographs. Surely, how and where photographs are used and seen has affected the course of photography. For example, the large format books that we began to see some decades ago formed the context for how we perceived the work of certain photographers who otherwise might have only been known through their prints.

I'm not yet in the "iPad is going to revolutionize photography" camp, but I think that there is some room for an argument that something that changes how photography is published might change the photography itself.

Take care,

Dan

(BTW, Jim, I'll be in the City on Wednesday for the SF meetup group... and carrying a bunch of prints.)
jimgoldstein

I'm with you... the iPad will provide a new facet for people to present their work, but I'm not convinced that its anything truly unique other than the format is larger. Case in point is my showing my latest photography to my dentist this afternoon. My iPhone was enough and I didn't have to clumsily handle a larger device like an iPad or a laptop. There is certainly a place for displaying work on an iPad, but the interaction on the device (at least from what I've seen so far) is not unique.... a blur between iphone & laptop. The solution the iPad provides is increasingly looking to have a niche use for a niche audience to me. That being said I do hope it catches fire.
lane hartwell

I have this amazing device that allows you to carry your portfolio around and show it to clients. It's portable, battery powered or plug in as you choose, it has a generous amount of storage space and memory which allows you to use image processing software like Photoshop or Lightroom. It comes with a keyboard built into it and slots for cards and ports for other things, like an external drive, just in case you need it. It's even got a camera, too! It's called a "Laptop". You can get them anywhere, at really great prices. Why, Apple even makes some! And the best part is, they close up when you are finished using them, which is like having a built in screen protector! And as for that “zooming in” to look at the details on a photo I shot, well, the laptop does that too. Without getting fingerprints and scratches all over the image display.

Seriously, I cannot see how The ipad is going to "change photography" as Scott Bourne contends. Bourne talks about back in the day when photographers had to carry around a book and before jumping into how revolutionary the ipad will be and briefly mentions "the internet website" as a way photographers have been bridging the gap since the book. Like, we have gone straight from a book to the ipad with no portable tech based solution in between. You don't need the internet to display your portfolio on a laptop, you can have a copy of your slide show or whatever stored locally just like you would on an ipad.

Really, I would compare the ipad more to the digital photoframe in terms of usability. What we are talking about here is presentation: the ipad will be a nifty way of showing off your work. But it won’t game change photography or how a photographer shoots. It might even limit that. As a photographer I want technology to make my life easier, to give me lightweight portable devices that I can store, edit and share my images on from anywhere.

The ipad = fancy, spendy digital photoframe. Personally, I’m more interested in the potential of this device:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-c...
jimgoldstein

LOL nice Lane. I will concede there is one aspect to the iPad that a laptop will likely not have and that is a certain dimension of interactivity. The question is how much will a touch screen monitor improve on interactivity over a traditional laptop/workstation monitor? Wouldn't the intuitive evolution be towards touch screen monitors if that is such a key component to user interaction?

Interesting link to the Microsoft tablet. It seemed to be lacking the blue screen of death demo :) Seriously I think writing on a tablet screen would be rather kludgy. I haven't done that since I had a Palm VII and the screen looked awful after a short amount of time using it.
latoga

I tend to agree with you here Jim. As I said in my initial thoughts on the ipad, it's about how will the consumers use it (and consumers implies consumption of content).

One aspect that I'm a bit concerned about is the connective nature of the content. I'm hoping that content providers (and apple as the end device provider) don't assume that users will always be online in order to consume the content. What I envision is an online travel book that is much more interactive with maps, photos, etc. But one that can also be used offline. My fear is that content providers will not take into consideration this offline use case when developing their best content...
jimgoldstein

I had the same thought Greg. It's going to be all too easy for people to go hog wild with the interconnectivity of content to the web. Portability is key, but at the same time there is going to be an interesting spectrum of content types that are possible with the iPad and equivalent devices. It'll be interesting to see how things evolve on this front.
Dave

I don't view the iPad as a device that's aimed as saving photography. (Does photography need saving? ;-) But what it -- and other tablets like it -- will provide is a nice way for photographers to display portfolios, slide shows, and other content that includes images.

I'd love the power to at least do some basic editing of raw files on an iPad while in the field; if that were available, I'd leave my laptop at home. But I'm not holding my breath.

The iPad will appeal to lots of other folks (i.e., not necessarily photographers) for browsing, mail, etc. I'll probably get one for browsing, reading some PDFs and ebooks in the comfort of my living room, without having to drag out a laptop. Ever try to read an ebook in vertical format on a laptop?
jimgoldstein

Hehe I love that question "Does photography need saving?".

One thing the kindle has going for it is the non glaring view of the text. I wonder how usable the screen will be on the iPad. If it's like looking at a computer monitor then its not going to help me any. Reading off a monitor is far from ideal... its just too harsh on the eyes for extended periods of time.

I also like your comment on reading in a vertical format on a laptop. Very true.
Aaron Hockley

I'll preorder an iPad and start using the heck out of it as soon as I can. My immediate uses are going to be as a mobile portfolio device as well as a way to easily present photography options when I meet with clients.

Much like an 8x10 is more impressive than a wallet-sized photo, so will an iPad portfolio compared to an iPhone portfolio.

Will it revolutionize photography? No. Will it mean a shift in photo marketing and client relations, especially when dealing with a younger, more tech-savvy clientele? Heck yes, and I'm going to be in that space.
jimgoldstein

To play devils advocate how would this differ than using a laptop? Is the attraction there just because its the latest device to show? For photographers on the edge I would think money could be better spent in other areas.

That being said I will likely get one myself for slightly different purposes. Well at least I say that today. :)

As far as in person interaction with client meets I can only see it helping to wow them.
Aaron Hockley

Size and weight.

Right now I carry around a fairly heavy and fairly big laptop for a lot of scenarios for which an iPad would work just fine.
jimgoldstein

Makes sense
bloopy

i had the same thought when people mentioned using it to show your portfolio - why not just use your laptop?. . . a laptop has a bigger screen (much bigger if you're on a 17"), more storage, fewer fingerprint smudges on it, and you don't have to hold it up while going thru your photos. . . it seems like if people need the wow factor of some gadget to get clients, they might wanna work on the portfolio itself a bit more so that their photos wow them instead. . .
ssphillips

"The Apple logo on a touchscreen mobile digital photo frame will surely wow a few folks, but it won’t “change photography”."

No matter what some of the pundits say, you've hit the nail on the head with this comment. That just about sums up the iPad for me.

I think that Apple really missed the mark on what people wanted from a device in this class, and no matter how pretty or how functional this thing is, I still can't really figure out what it's for or what it's supposed to replace in my life. Maybe that will change after I see how others are using it, but for now I'll be sitting on the sidelines...
jimgoldstein

To quote someone I talked to, "I just want something that looks cooler than a Kindle". I do think the key here is to switch gears. The iPad is content consumption oriented. As for how the device stacks up to others we'll see how fast Apple revamps it.
ssphillips

You may be right, and many others (especially Leo Laporte) keep going on about how it is a content consumption device rather than a creation device, but that's exactly the problem with it. Who just sits there and consumes content anymore. Don't we all (especially the tech savvy) now do 10 things at once, crossing the spectrum from reading, writing, and watching content all at the same time?

I use my iPod Touch all the time to quickly check Email or Twitter and even to watch short YouTube videos, etc., but when it comes to the heavier lifting (writing a long email, a blog post, or even multiple facebook or twitter posts) then I wait until I get back to my laptop. And then I have TV on and I'm constantly switching between apps on my computer and watching a variety of shows on TV.

Like I said, I can't see what the iPad is supposed to replace, and for me at this point I just don't need a pure device for content consumption. And I don't think many other people do either.

Don't get me wrong, I hold no grudge against Apple fro creating this device (as so many others seem to), I'm just going to wait to see if I can find a need for it before rushing in. Maybe someday I'll look back and wonder what I was thinking by not buying one immediately...
Nick Fuller

Although I will always refuse to be an iSheep (for oh so many reasons), I do acknowledge that the iPad will be a success and may be a game changer for "portable" devices for the home. However, in the context of photography, I can't honestly see that other than being anything other than another lovely platform to display photos.

As Mr Cartier Bresson stated; photography in itself does not really change, we just have new methods of creating and displaying photography.
jimgoldstein

2 Bresson quotes in a row :)
Thanks for the comment Nick. I think there is something to the iPad for all photographers to take note of... its just under the surface though. Rethinking what content is and can be is going to be the quintessential thought of the year.
Guy Tal

I often quote this line from Cartier-Bresson:

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important."

New devices and technology may make capturing, processing, and presenting images easier but they do not change photography itself as an expressive medium.

Those who make photography their business will always hype anything they can package and sell and bombastic statements are par for the course. If you believe that the iPad will change photography you must also believe that Budweiser is the king of beers.

Consider it for what it is, make up your own mind, and move on.

Guy
jimgoldstein

I couldn't agree more Guy.

One thing missing from your statement that I think the iPad does bring to the table is expanding "presenting images" to "interacting" with images. This is one aspect of the content side of the equation with the iPad that piques my interest even if I'm less than impressed with the specs of the 1st generation of the device.
Scott Bourne

Jim this post borders on link bait but I'll take the bait and say that linking to one of the three posts I wrote about the iPad changing photography seems a bit disingenuous. Your link to only one of the posts seems to make the case that the iPad won't change photography because a new way to show off your portfolio is in and of itself, not reason enough. But had you linked to the other two articles the case is made stronger. And your pedantic quote about display devices not changing photography really borders on silly. The USE of this display device will indeed have an impact on photography if applied properly.
jimgoldstein

Thanks for the comment Scott. I look forward to reading more on your blog how you feel the iPad and its proper application will change photography. While I'm not sold on your argument so far, I'm eager to read more of your take on the subject.

To the more germane topic of this post...
Display devices, particularly the iPad, that have the potential to engage viewers through interactive means will certainly change how content is displayed, organized and presented. To that point I welcome your continued participation in this conversation. I look forward to reading your perspective.
bloopy

i was kind of curious to see how much stronger of a case was made by reading the other two articles and i think jim was right in just linking to the one article as that one was more or less a summary of the other two. . . i mean yeah, they made your case a little stronger but, for example, the story of the little girl didn't do much for me 'cuz you'd set up the slideshow for her. . .

if you were to set up an iphoto slideshow for some computer novice and told them to press the right and left arrows to move forward and backwards (or swipe with the trackpad) that would pretty much be the same thing. . . i mean yeah, you'd have to tell them about the arrow keys but still, just like with the little girl, you'd already done the hard part. . .
designbyone

Give the iPad a camera and I'm sold. It would be nice to video iChat w/clients during photo shoots. A file system would be a nice bonus as well.
jimgoldstein

The jury is still out but I'm getting the vibe the iPad leans more towards the emphasis of interacting with and consuming content than creating it on the device. Time will tell.