Seldom does the world collectively experience a disappointment so great, it is humorous. Then again, as we sober up from the punchline, we begin to wonder if there is more to the iPad than a flub. Apple is, after all, the industry game-changer. It wouldn’t be wise not to watch closely.

The iPad could shift the rules of advertising, graphic design, blogging, journalism & publishing from right beneath your feet.

Iconic design house, Pentagram, has published a great trend-watch article, “5 Ways the iPad will Change Magazine Design“. Indeed, the iPad will, as an e-reader (as opposed to a half-assed excuse of a smart-phone-laptop hybrid) may revolutionize reading itself.

Magazine content, online and in print, will be influenced by the screen, interface, even processing capabilities of the iPad. Think this is an exaggeration? Just look at how graphic design both on- and off-line has been influence by the mouse and resolution for the past decade:

• Images got smaller and took the form of pop-up slide shows
• Content structure became dominated by overviews, excerpts and short articles while longer pieces sit on a lower hierarchy behind “more” tags or further into the heart of the publication.
• Video content flourishes and demands integration with text and still (often with awkward results).
• Advertising copy and images became miniaturized to integrate into layouts.
• The miscellaneous (archives, categories, similar posts, about-the-authors) became necessary browsing tools, equivalent to running one’s fingers through the pages of a magazine.

And all of the above will be changed, again, with the iPad. People will spend considerably more time, well, reading, than on a laptop or a computer. Trends that came about to adapt to people’s shrinking attention spans and patience will be, again,transformed. The screen real estate also changes when scrolling is eliminated or re-integrated into user interaction, or when reading patterns change.

Come to think about it … the iPad has even influenced the market as we know it before it’s release.

And of course, the iPad might just be the nail in print’s drawn-out descent into it’s coffin – with an iPad on every coffee table, where will print stand?

the iPad might just be the nail in print’s drawn-out descent into it’s coffin

But while the iPad’s potential is formidable, it must first, like every product, be purchased. And even as the kind of consumer who’s willing to part with a little more cheddar for a little more shiny, I must say that the iPad just won’t cut it. Lack of multi-tasking, limited processing power and no usb at that price tag? It’s almost vulgar.

Hopefully, all that speculation about Apple having something more up their sleeves is right…

EDIT: Haha,  Stanford does not heart the iPad.

Inspired by GTD (Getting Things Done), my latest wallpaper:

Download after the jump.

Can it be that it’s already February? Can it be that in 11 weeks, I will not have the numbing comfort of syllabi, academic units and past exam papers? Can it be? In my panic, I have brushed up on my Getting-Things-Done and started brewing double-shot expressos again.

Closer:

Free in Misc. Sizes:

• 1920 x 1080
• 1680 x 1050
• 1600 x 900
• 1344 x 756
• 1280 x 1024
• 1280 x 720
• 1024 x 768
• 800 x 600
• Not

Other GTD wallpaper ideas:

• by SmartProductivity.com
• by Josef Richter

Recently, Amanda has tried to convince me to purchase a fanny pack on her behalf.  This has traumatized me deeply. Now, I am a fan of American Apparel, but some how something about a pleathery shapeless sac sitting on a hip just does not agree with my system. Let’s not even consider the large plastic clip.

Nonetheless, I attempted to comprehend my friend.

Amanda quoted two key scenarios where one might want to hang a hideous plastic bag (see illustration, right) around one’s waist:

1. Clubbing

2. Gaffering

While I must agree that it would be handy to free one’s hands of credit cards, keys, phones, gaffer tape, pegs, sharpies and such when on a film set or when getting wasted, I cannot agree that it should come at an expense such as this.

I continued to mull over this for a couple of days. Perhaps it was the stress of work and the effects of chronic alcoholism that was getting to her? Was an intervention necessary? Should I consider that this is after all, the festive season, and just acquire the offending fannypack for her? Should the intervention then be staged in January instead?

What if I should run into her one evening at Butter, with that unfortunate flap of fabric around her fanny? What outfit will her unsound mind decide to pair it with?

Ethical dilemma ensued.

Then I changed my approach. Perhaps, I thought as I stared helplessly at the American Apparel site, perhaps she meant a different color? I clicked “Storm Purple” and “Medium Evergreen”. No. By then, TrashBlack looked acceptable.

The page suggested I see the “Shiny Version“, and I was open to any other alternative.

I was greeted by an image of a classically American Apparel model (chic female of the imperfectly perfect, taut variety) in a typically American Apparel frock (skin-tight, barely viable). The shiny bag suddenly seemed logical.

How else does one expect to carry one’s miscellaneous shitbits whilst one gallivants around town? It was so obvious, it seemed offensive to question it. Did one expect that dress to come with pockets? Tsk! Surely not.

Perhaps, considering my track record of 3-cellphones-lost per-annum, I could use one… no, I ought to! Wait! I am in filmmaking too! Think of all the gaffer tape this shiny baby can handle!

The hands-free practicality is outstanding! American Apparel does it yet again! Everyone’s getting fannypacks from me this Christmas.