The popularity of the iPad has exceeded most people's expectations, yet there are still those who don't understand its necessity. My only explanation is that they haven't used one. Many technologies over the years have claimed to change the way you live, but this is the first to have such a profound effect on my life. It has truly changed the way I look at everything and opened my eyes to what the future will be.
The switch to digital media has been both exciting and disappointing. Yes, I can organize my life better than ever before, but the experience of using many digital resources doesn't give me the satisfaction that I get from traditional means. CNN.com's new(ish) design is great example. There's more content than ever before, but the front page is a bit like reading the table of contents of an encyclopedia. Snore-fest. Yet because they create high-quality content, they continue to get hordes of visitors every day. Conversely, The Daily Beast has grown into a competitor because they use a format that presents the news in a way that's reminiscent of a printed newspaper, with big photos and hierarchical headlines. Because of this they've managed to garner quite a following, even though their content is not of the same caliber as CNN.
This principle is even more obvious when you bring the iPad into the equation. For the first time since print was declared dead, some apps have been introduced that create digital experiences that satisfy on a deeper level than just the analytical quest for facts. Some of my favorite examples are Food & Wine, Wired and Dwell's magazine apps. I subscribe to the print version of Food & Wine and when my new issue arrives, I'm like a kid with a new toy. I take the time to sift through the recipes and get lost in the beautiful pictures. The quiet, focused time is a luxury that I enjoy infinitely.
However, when it comes to cooking these recipes, more often than not, I go to my computer because I can do a quick search and find exactly what I want. My recipe software is easy to use, but couldn't be less exciting. Browsing through a list of recipe titles is about as appealing as having a man describe a sexy new pair of boots (uuh, they're black and they go on your feet). If I know what I want, it's easy, but the act of passively browsing and allowing something to inspire me is all but lost. In the end, food is so much more than just a list of ingredients, it's a multi-sensory experience and those qualities cannot be communicated in a five word title.
The iPad version of Food & Wine is the opposite of this experience. The design is similar to the printed version, but the added functionality offered by the iPad platform makes the experience even deeper. Using the iPad app gives me the same kind satisfaction I get when flipping through the print version of the magazine. It's a passive experience that allows the analytical side of the brain to sit back while the creative side takes over. It allows the experience to be emotional, inspirational and satisfying.
This kind of experience has been missing from our digital lives, and now that it's here, the future seems up for reinterpretation. Finally we can have all of the functionality of the digital age, coupled with the satisfaction of an experience rooted in the emotions that we're used to experiencing in our offline lives.
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