The iPad: The Holy Grail of Media Convergence

Recently Apple introduced its newest piece of technology, the iPad. The iPad combines the already popular formatting of the iTouch, its ability to play music, movies, access and the internet, as well as countless “apps”, with an E-Reader, an electronic interactive reading platform with the ability to download books from an iBook store. As put simply buy an online critic, “it’s like the lovechild of an iTouch, a MacBook, and a Kindle”. Apple it marketing the device as, “The best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. Hands down.” The full list of features include: safari (Apples internet browser), email (provided by MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL), photos, (although the device can’t take pictures-yet-you can sync them from your computer, download them from an email, or import them directly from your camera using the optional Camera Connection Kit), video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, Apple’s famous “App” Store (which runs almost 140,000 applications), iBooks (with the ability to download books directly from the device), Google Maps, Notepad, Calendar, and Contacts. To top it all off its lightweight, portable, and has an LCD touch screen. It really does have it all. The only things it can’t do are make phone calls and take pictures, which its size doesn’t readily lend itself to be able to do quite so easily.

The iPad appears to be the “holy grail” of media convergence. As defined by Sturken and Cartwright in Practices of Looking, convergence is “a term that refers to the increased combination of media together in one access point” (Sturken and Cartwright 352). The iPad surely fits that description and then some. Not only does it provide all the convergence of a computer, but it’s portable, much more portable than a laptop which offers many of the same conveniences, but is a pain in the neck to lug around all day. In addition to its being only 9.7 inches tall, 1.5 pounds and 0.5 inch thin, it has ten hours of battery life. My laptop only has four before I have to rush to an outlet and plug it in.

Apple seems pretty convinced that the iPad is the future of interactive media and after watching this promo video Adobe and Wired magazine I’m pretty convinced myself:

The interactive capabilities of the iPad seem incredible. The ability to reach into a magazine and move around the images has allowed for journalism to no longer be simply two dimensional. Magazines and newspapers can now also include video clips, and links to other sources that can be viewed instantly and all in one sitting. The possibilities seem endless. I have to admit I was a skeptic at first. Why do I need one more piece of technology? But after seeing just how convenient it is I have to say I’ve become an iPad believer!

http://blogs.jmc.ksu.edu/mc580stacy/2010/02/18/the-ipad/

http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/