Today Apple unveiled the iPad. A quick recap of my thoughts…. what does it mean for photographers? Not much.
From an operating system perspective, it’s essentially a really big iPhone. It will show photos with a gallery application (that can be synchronized with a computer, including iPhoto data like “events” collections). While this might be neat for some hobbyists, pro photographers aren’t using iPhoto. Perhaps we’ll see applications developed that integrated with Lightroom or Aperture.
It’ll be a really neat way if you want to display some sort of “wow” digital portfolio.
The device doesn’t contain a camera, so you won’t be creating any new photos on it. Based on the various media website, gaming, and eBook demonstrations, the device has obviously been designed for consuming content (rather than creating it). In the last year or so, tech-savvy photographers have started offering iPod slideshows for their clients, and these types of products will still be relevant with the iPad. Whether or not spending time with an iPad-only solution makes any sense depends on whether one thinks the iPad will gain significant market penetration.
I kept waiting for some sort of innovation or exciting new thing… I didn’t see it. It’s a supersized iPhone. This is an evolution, not a revolution.
In short: take everything you knew about how a photographer might use an iPod touch, and that applies to the iPad.
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