Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Apple's New iWant On Wednesday, noon Central Time, Apple is scheduled to make a major announcement that is expected to be a new device of some sort. Everything is based on speculation at this point because Apple has not actually confirmed anything except that a media event IS happening.

Most expectations hover around a new device that will fit in-between iPhones and laptops in terms of price, size and function. There have been many names attached to this device, such as the Apple Tablet, iSlate and iPad. Steve Jobs has reportedly been quoted saying that this device will be the most important thing he has ever done.

All of this excitement has me thinking: what void do we have now that so desperately needs to be filled with a new device?

My best answer to this question is print. Printed media has almost no home with any current Apple device. iPhones and iPods have screens too small for comfortable reading. Laptops are too cumbersome to function as e-readers. The print industry has basically been left behind, forced to go online or distribute content without much visual style or appeal.

But we need more. Apple wouldn't release a product that is ONLY an e-reader, just like they didn't release ONLY a phone or ONLY an iPod (ok, the first iPods were basically just for music, but you get my point).

So what else? The internet. Although you can surf the web using an iPhone and an iPod touch, the small screen size makes navigation cumbersome. A larger touch-screen would enable a much more enjoyable internet browsing experience.

But of course that's not enough. The internet is a given. If they come out with any product now, it is expected to have a browser. And music. And movies. And apps.

At this point, our hypothetical device is resembling an oversized iPod touch. But just making it larger doesn't make it more appealing. There are a lot of logistical concerns that come from a larger device.

For example, I usually hold my iPhone in my left hand while using my right hand or both thumbs to navigate. With a larger device, the weight would make this uncomfortable for any sustained period of time.

Also how about text input? Right now I can easily use both thumbs with the on-screen keyboard on the iPhone. When the device gets larger, there would be a gap in the middle where my thumbs would no longer comfortably reach. The larger the device, the larger the gap. I can't imagine getting used to a split keyboard, yet I don't see another practical solution. Speech recognition is not acceptable either -- I don't want to be laying in bed next to a sleeping wife and have to whisper "play Sleepless in Seattle." How embarrassing!

Another huge concern is that this will be a new device for me to carry around in addition to my iPhone and laptop. That's 3 devices - not good. The phone is mandatory. It makes calls and fits in my pocket. I don't want a larger phone, and I really don't think the new device will double as a phone. I also don't want to ditch my laptop. Its storage capacity and overall strength as a content creation tool is not going to be matched by any sort of touch-screen tablet anytime in the near future.

I'm biased because I work in education, but I do feel that the new device might be marketed as something for students to use in the classroom, replacing textbooks completely. In addition to the textbook angle, students could potentially use this device to create their own multi-media presentations. "Multi-media" is a term that has been around for decades, but in the past few years we have gotten to a place where anybody can create multi-media presentations easily and share them with everyone. We haven't yet caught up to this potential, but it's very clear that creating visual presentations -- in the form of music, movies, text, images or combinations of them all -- is a skill that benefits people in almost every possible career.

I am super excited about the announcement tomorrow mainly because I feel that unless Apple has solved or at least addressed the problems above, they wouldn't be coming out with a new device. These are not easy problems to solve, but I do believe they are compelled to give it a shot. We'll see what happens.