[Air-L] why iPad

live human.factor.one at gmail.com
Sat Jul 17 22:28:44 PDT 2010


I just want to point out that the *pad* factor is not specific to only  
iPads - all tablets, regardless of brand are like this.

*Unobtrusive
*Flat against table
*cradled in arm

All tablets are like this, not just the iPad.


On Jul 17, 2010, at 3:21 PM, Sarah Roberts wrote:

> A few observations:
>
> I think the form factor, and wow factor, of the iPad is central to  
> the choice made to put them in the field.  I have a netbook, a  
> laptop, and a million other devices, and the _pad_ nature of the  
> iPad would be an intriguing tool for use for the reasons elucidated  
> by boyd: for its unobtrusiveness, in some cases (e.g., flat against  
> a table surface; cradled in arm like a legal pad; when screen  
> viewing is paramount, as opposed to keyboarding or data entry).
>
> Further, Duke has a long history of both a relationship with Apple  
> as well as a desire to be on the fore of implementing new technology  
> in academia; about this I can speak firsthand, due to my association  
> with Duke and with such projects in a previous life.  Perhaps most  
> importantly, they frequently have the means to do it when not all  
> others can.
>
> Is there a cool factor in jumping onto iPod, iMovie, iPad, and  
> iWhatever's next at Duke and elsewhere for use in research?   
> Undeniably, yes.  But who ever said that the tools researchers use,  
> aside from being utilitarian, can't also have a bonus of being fun  
> for them to handle and use, too?  Why iPad?  Why not?
>
> --Sarah
>
> ---
>
> S a r a h  T.  R o b e r t s
> Doctoral Student and Fellow, Information in Society
> Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS)
> http://www.lis.illinois.edu/people/students/sarah-roberts-phd-student
>
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
> http://www.lis.illinois.edu/programs/phd/infosociety/
>
>>
>> Message: 7
>> Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:11:39 -0400
>> From: danah boyd <aoir.z3z at danah.org>
>> To: Barry Wellman <wellman at CHASS.UTORONTO.CA>
>> Cc: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Air-L] why iPad
>> Message-ID: <0BD11815-B485-4C43-A43B-3097B7583BEC at danah.org>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>>
>> Personally, I bought an iPad for field research and it's been great  
>> so far.  What I needed was a reliable web browser that I could show  
>> to people I interview.  And the AT&T plan - as evil as it is - was  
>> a lot cheaper than any of the laptop aircards and required much  
>> less commitment.
>>
>> In the process, I learned something important.  When I put a  
>> computer in front of someone, people face the screen. I can watch  
>> them OR I can watch the screen.  Watching both is awkward and  
>> creates odd social dynamics because I have to sit next to the  
>> person. With the iPad, I could put it down on a table between us  
>> and watch the person's face while watching where they browse,  
>> albeit upside-down, but that's easy when I'm not trying to read the  
>> exact content.  Shared browsing is very easy to accommodate and  
>> it's quite easy to go through sites with someone.
>>
>> I'm not using it for taking notes or other text-heavy processes.   
>> I'm looking to browse. And not to mimic browsing that one does on a  
>> computer.  Just outright stare-at-screen browsing while in the  
>> midst of an interview. And I'm very happy with it.
>>
>> danah
>>
>>
>> On Jul 15, 2010, at 6:07 PM, Barry Wellman wrote:
>>
>>> After all the hype, I can't figger out why someone (even at Duke)  
>>> would use an iPad rather than a netbook for their research. Sounds  
>>> like kewl won over functionality. If I'm taking notes, I'd rather  
>>> have a real keyboard. If I'm doing other stuff, I'd rather have  
>>> the plethora of applications running on Win7/XP or MacOX than on  
>>> the little apps running on iPods and iPhones with their baby OS.  
>>> -- I've been using the iPhone 3GS for months now as a pocket phone  
>>> etc and am continually frustrated on what it can't do.
>>> End iRant. End PodHype
>>>
>>> Barry Wellman
>>> _______________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>> S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC               NetLab  
>>> Director
>>> Department of Sociology                  725 Spadina Avenue, Room  
>>> 388
>>> University of Toronto   Toronto Canada M5S 2J4    
>>> twitter:barrywellman
>>> http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman             fax: 
>>> +1-416-978-3963
>>> Updating history:      http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/ 
>>> cybertimes.php
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