Wednesday, every media outlet, web site, newspaper or blogger had something to say about Apple’s latest “world changing” creation, the iPad.
No Flash
No Flash is annoying but not a dealbreaker on the iPhone and iPod Touch. On something that’s supposed to be closer to a netbook or laptop? It will leave huge, gaping holes in websites. I hope you don’t care about streaming video! God knows not many casual internet users do. Oh wait, nevermind, they all do.
I think most of us have been expecting a major Hulu application for the iPhone and iTouch and that still hasn’t arrived. I’m not sure if the whole thing is to protect the iTunes store or what, but every person I talked to hoped that the iPad would have flash capabilities. Well, it does not.
Secondly and certainly less importantly, the iPad doesn’t have widescreen viewing. That isn’t a huge deal, but who the heck wants to watch an episode of Lost or Damages in 4:3 these days? Not me.
Finally, the lack of a camera means that along with iChat, you can’t film something that’s happening and throw it up on YouTube. Obviously that doesn’t effect mainstream television viewers or the industry that much, but it is surely a development that is worth noting based on our class discussions about YouTube and the DIY possibilities.
So be psyched about the iPad if you want. But just know, if you care about watching television on it, don’t expect anything different than the frustrating options you have right now.
CB, PhD 