I’ve so far talked rosy about the iPad. It’s definitely going to be a revolutionary device, that changes the way people use computers… and all that. But there are some core issues I’ve had with the iPhone, and I wonder whether they will carry over to the iPad. These are not trivial things like multi-tasking or flash support that naysayers complain about. These are real issues that have marred my otherwise perfect experience of using an iPhone. So here’s me wondering whether these problems will carry over to the iPad…

Landscape, oh lord

When Johny Ive mentioned that the device was more device orientation friendly than the iPhone—I facepalmed. Lord knows I’ve hated the landscape mode on the iPhone, so is it going to spoil my experience on the iPad. According to this piece on UX Magazine, the iPad User Experience guidelines dictate encourage landscape support, so it’s not just Apple’s apps that will be landscape friendly:

Your application should encourage people to interact with iPad from any side by providing a great experience in all orientations. The reason is that people don’t view the device as having a default orientation, because they don’t pay much attention to the minimal device frame and they’re unconcerned with the location of the Home button.

But then I mulled over it for a bit. The iPad isn’t your average oversized iPhone. The iPad in landscape would definitely be more usable compared to the iPhone in landscape, especially when it comes to reading text. Its dimensions are big enough to accomodate a generous amount of lines in both orientations. Moreover, its 4:3 aspect ratio isn’t as sharply contrasting as 15:10 on the iPhone. Apple’s apps on the the iPad also make better use of landscape space, with Mail showing the same sized text (unlike on the iPhone where it zooms in text), but adding extra functionality in place of those extra pixels.

The only thing that would still be a problem, is not being able to read anything while lying down. Since the iPad automatically makes sure all text points to the sky, there’s no way for your horizontal vision to read it without possibly spoiling your eyes.

Reading while lying down, without rotation. The right way.

Reading while lying down, with rotation. Hideous.

Notifications, you…

I don’t even know how to express my hatred towards iPhone notifications. They’re so intrusive and annoying, that I’m glad my first gen unofficially-unlocked iPhone doesn’t support Push Notifications. The problem with iPhone notifications is that they’re attention seeking, requiring action on your part without which you cannot proceed with your work. This is especially bothersome for those without always-on internet connections. Open up Mail, and I have to go through 2 notifications for each mail account I’ve set up—I have to tap on 8 notifications.

I’ve yearned for Palm Pre like notifications, which let you see everything that’s going on, but it doesn’t distort what you’re looking at. Thankfully more and more apps are using their own notification system, like Tweetie 2 using a quick transparent HUD to tell you there’s no internet. Instapaper and Reeder also don’t throw up anything that requires action. By contrast, Read it Later throws up a notification 1-2 minutes after you’ve launched the app, right in the middle of reading an article… I’m getting carried away.

The Good News

The good news is, this may not be the case with the shipping version of the iPad. Take this theory behind the possibility of a Dashboard feature on the iPad, calling out the missing stocks, weather, and calculator apps at the demoed piece:

Can you imagine a full-screen Weather app (in it’s current incarnation) running on the iPad? Or a full-screen clock or calculator? Weird, right? Of course, Apple wouldn’t do that. They would have to improve on those apps to make them do more to better take advantage of the large screen. But doing so would actually stray from the purpose of these utility apps by adding complexity where simplicity is desired. In short, most utility apps don’t have any need to be any larger than they are on the iPhone.

Well what has this got to do with the points above? Apple has cleverly not shown some crucial features of the iPad, that will be unveiled at the time of its release—like they did the YouTube app a few days before the iPhone’s release. Apple didn’t show a single instance of such notifications during the keynote. While this isn’t conclusive enough to say that they’re gone in their current state, it still leaves hope that they might change it. After all, iPhone-like notifications on such a big device would look even more stupid. I’m hoping something more growl-like. Just, hoping.