Marc My Words: iPad Envy

I wasgiving a keynote speech to about 200 people last month when, right inthe middle of my talk, I noticed someone in the front row takingnotes on her brand-spanking-new iPad. I couldn’t resist. I stoppedwhat I was saying and walked over to her.

“Isthat an iPad?” I asked. “Yep,” she replied. I reached out. “MayI?” I asked. “Sure,” she said. So I caressed it lovingly andsighed. Fortunately for me, the audience understood and started tolaugh.

But itwas no laughing matter to me. It was beautiful. I want one. I haveiPad envy. I want its virtual weightlessness (lugging around a 7+pound laptop is not as much fun as it seems). I want ten hours ofbattery life. I want the ability to play movies on a plane withoutthe person in front of me reclining their seat and crushing my screen(and making my time on the flying cigar tube even less joyful). Iwant the ability to use this 1.5-pound beauty to write this columnusing Word, catch up on my e-mail with Outlook, deliver my PowerPointpresentations at my next conference, and then sync it all up with myPC once I got home.

Oops!Apparently, there is no version of PowerPoint or Word or Excel orOutlook for the iPad, as there is for the Mac. The iPad is moreiPhone than computer. Seemingly entertainment-focused rather thanbusiness-focused. I was crushed. Would I have to compromise with anetbook (so “yesterday”) or one of those new, very small, verylight, but very expensive mini-laptops? I decided to drive on over tomy nearest Apple Store and belly -up to the Genius Bar to ask themhow to make the iPad serve my professional needs. This is how it went(more or less):

Me: “Hi, I want to get an iPad but I need to run my PowerPoint fileson it.”

Genius:“Why would you want to do that?”

Me:“I give a lot of presentations and I do my original work on a PC.”

Genius:“Why would you want to do that?”

Me:“I’m comfortable with a PC, and my clients prefer it.”

Genius: “Oh well, if you insist. You can’t run PowerPoint (or Word orExcel) on the iPad. Maybe one day Microsoft will create iPad apps forthese programs, but I really don’t know anything more.”

Me:“Great. Is there any other way?”

Genius:“No. Unless you get a Mac.”

Me:“Is there someone else I can talk to?”

Genius:“Sure, just a minute.”

Genius2: “Hi, can I help you?”

Me:“Is there any way I can show my PowerPoint slides on the iPad?”

Genius2: “Why would you want to do that?”

Me: “Ok, I get it, Microsoft and PCs are the devil and Apple and Macsrepresent heaven on earth. Fine, but humor me. Let’s say I wasforced, at gunpoint, to run PowerPoint on an iPad. How could I doit?”

Genius2: “Well, you can convert your PowerPointfile to Keynote (Apple’s presentation software). Or you can convertthe presentation to video. Or you can convert the presentation to aseries of jpegs. Or you can upload it to “the cloud.” Or you canrun it through iTunes. Or …”

Me: “Stop, please. My head hurts. You mean there’s no way to simplysync my slides between my computer and the iPad, or use a USB driveto transfer the file?”

Genius2: “No.”

Me:“Ok, thanks.”

Genius2: “Is there anything else I can help youwith today?”

OK, soApple is just being Apple; no surprise there. The company sold onemillion iPads the first month; you have to admit, that’simpressive. Most impressive though is that Apple has opened yetanother interesting door of possibilities, and you can be sure thatothers will soon be rushing through it with their own “pads” or“slates” that may address the embedded base of Windows/Officeusers, a base that seems too large to ignore. But things change allthe time; for example, HP’s recent purchase of Palm and its WebOSsoftware could point to an entirely new direction, away from Windows.I’m sure Google’s Android and Chrome software will be in the mix.And Microsoft might actually come around to creating apps for thesenew devices. So, as hard as it will be, I am going to wait and seewhat happens. I might still go iPad – it’s so gorgeous – but Iwant to compare.

A gamechanger

Andwhile I wait, and read the reviews, and make myself crazy, I amcertain about one thing: like the iPhone, the iPad is a game-changer,and for us, this is especially important for mobile learning. The“always connected” iPad can be the model for a new, low-cost,portable platform that is truly independent of place and space (andwires), with a large enough screen and the processing power todeliver both formal and informal learning. It could take advantage ofcloud computing like nothing else has ever done (R.I.P., DVD). Moreon this in my next column.

Willabundant content, technological simplicity, office productivity, richmedia, interactivity, and “anytime and anyplace” connectednessfinally walk hand-in-hand? Let’s hope so. If the iPad and itsbrethren can make this work reliably for learning, it will really besomething to see.