It's The Software, Stupid!

Yesterday's announcement from Apple of iPad2, had been largely trailed by rumour and news sites in the run up to the event. What they all focused on were additions and improvements to the hardware – would there be a USB port, card slot, one or two cameras, a partridge in a pear tree? But what few if any focused on, was what would any such hardware improvements actually allow users to do tomorrow, that they cannot do today.

At this point in time, it's a given that computer and consumer technology will increase in power, price and size year on year. So what really matters is not the makeup of such technology, but what we actually decide to do with it. And it's here that we at The MacDoctor feel the most significant part of yesterday's announcement centred around Apple's introduction of the iMovie and GarageBand Apps for the device.

Working with clients everyday, we still hear the most basic question regarding the iPad is also the most frequent: What can I do with it? And as you stare at a flat slab of glass and aluminium, with just one main button, it's a fairly understandable question to ask. The best answer we can always give is simply to demonstrate a range of different Apps on the device. It then quickly becomes apparent to clients, that the answer is largely up to you. So it was good to hear Steve Jobs indicate that Apple's main reason for developing Apps such as iMovie and GarageBand is to keep raising the bar on what is possible and productive to do with the iPad. It inspires developers, users, media producers and the whole industry to keep re-thinking and exploring the possibilities, of what seems on the surface to be, a very simple idea - a flat, touch sensitive screen.

The iPad is one year old, and as fun and productive for many as it's already proved to be, you can't help but feel we haven't seen anything yet.