With all of the hullabaloo regarding the arrival of the iPad, one is to consider how this device will help to shape the future of the computer and how we use it. We already know that Apple (and its competition) has redesigned the current way we listen, transport and share music. They have also reinvented the way we use phones and have pretty much changed the phone to being less of a phone and more of a tiny computer. Now with the tablet format, the iPad/tablet has has condensed the size of the laptop and has applied the "no-button"/touchscreen format to the portable computer.
The eReader has helped to spawn the new physical look of the tablet computer. With the ability to read books, journals, magazines and newspapers all on one screen instead of hoarding around paper copies, the tablet will make these publications almost fun to carry around (remember: "traveling light is the only way to fly"). Toss in the benefits of the iPod Touch on a larger format and you've got your iPad. But the genius part of this idea is that with the new wave for modern reading, we have a more easily transportable computer. This medium shall benefit the student or e-learner as an all-in-one instrument for educational, personal and entertainment resources. Even the One Laptop Per Child campaign has acknowledged the new tablet PC format as the future standard bearer for student learning in developing countries.
We also must realize that every tech-savvy device being issued is just another form of what we can do with a laptop computer, but with ease of space and mobility. Obviously, we have been e-reading for a long while now. We have been listening to and acquiring music through our computers for several years. Some of us were even making long-distance phone calls through our computers for a while there. So let's all not forget our roots. Our wired roots that is,...the Desktop Computer. Take into consideration that all of our fancy gadgets take years to surmount to the quality, power and performance of the hardware and features of the contemporary PC. Even the tablet can't add up to all the wonders of a "regular" computer, but man are they cool (and easily portable)!
In response to the idea of "Portability Power ": Because all of our work, responsibilities, hobbies, etc. can literally fit in our pockets, and because there are so many ways companies can administer multimedia training (in-house or outsourced) there is no excuse for us as future employees not to want to constantly improve and better technical skills within our job description AND also our interaction with customers.
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