I know, I think it is some sort of hip ’60s place for cool guys to live in, probably split level and open plan. Maybe Chelsea or possibly off Wardour St. Yes, on occasions an iPad would be a great place to crash out but who needs a home when there is a life to be had?

Well I’ve just been to the Apple shop in Exeter, you know, the place with the impromptu Post Office style queuing area outside? All the more incongruous for it’s lack of waiting people other than the gaggle of previously imprinted pensioners with their paperwork at the ready.

A sudden moment of awkwardness as I attempt to enter the shop, is it invitation only? Oh god, the public shame of not being invited again. From the door, in spite of the “T-shirted One’s” interjection, I could see my quarry, the iPad. There was one free, it was mine to iNvestigate.

First impressions, exactly as I had imagined and it has to be said that this is a great achievement in itself, but first,

A disclaimer: I use macs daily, but I don’t have an iPhone and to be honest, I don’t know if I would, my e71 does a job. I have access to an old iPod but don’t use it either. I do carry my MacBook Pro around a lot and use it.

Back to the iPad, you pick it up and use it, end of…

That maybe needs more consideration but it is the truth and for me this is the beauty of Apple products. Looking around a huge range of people, young and old iPlaying. The man next to me was showing one to his young child in a papoose, the old woman at the end trying to fit her top-up card in one to pay the ‘leccy.

I could see how it could make my life easier and in the brief time that iPlayed with iT, I genuinely could see how it may have a place in a busy life. The Calendar App looks fantastic and the touch screen, interaction is great. The videos looked doable for personal viewing, while I was stood there a woman next to me was in a quandary about whether to buy one or two, this dilemma may be instructive.

No Flash in the Pad

I have recently highlighted Steve Jobs’ feelings about Flash. the iPad is where this issue will bite.

Some time ago I made the call not to go the Flash route with website design.

Another disclaimer: Flash offers some incredibly appealing and rich experiences.

However I am firmly in the camp of those who skip the Flash intro on websites. I also find that once the Flash card has been played it loses its fascination. Ultimately though Flash isn’t terribly accessible on websites and not very search engine friendly. If you have Flash on your website it won’t iPad well, I know, my Design Credo site uses it to display the images. The WP-Cumulus tag cloud on this site doesn’t iPad which is a shame because people love it. Ultimately I suspect the iPad may create more attitude change in the professional web design world than the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) has.

Gentle Saturday morning breakfasts, coffee, croissant and papers have now become coffee, croissants and RSS feeds on the laptop and the iPad will find it’s place nicely here until it gets lost in the pile of papers and accidentally thrown across the reconstituted flooring. I know I shouldn’t say this but as the spectre of Twitter Poo becomes more apparent I suspect the iPood schoolboy joke will become more of a reality.

Which leads me to my lasting impression in the Apple shop, the army of T-shirted ones keeping the screens clean.

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