TECHNOBABBLE
AP STYLEBOOK UPDATE
Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 8:04 PM iPad A touch-screen computer that is much like an iPod but is larger and can be connected to cellular data networks. Use IPad when the word starts a sentence or headline.
iPad ‘revolutionary’ New device revives mass media BY BRADLEY WILSON, CJE
J
ournalism educators are always looking for the new, from design to wardrobe to restaurants. For sure, they notice tech breakthroughs that may change their lives and their classrooms. In 2010, they were immediately attracted to the iPad, Apple’s major addition to cyberspace access. Apple introduced iPad, a device for browsing the Web, for sending e-mail, for enjoying photos, for watching videos, for listening to music and for playing games as well as for reading e-books, newspapers and magazines. Almost immediately, media pundits said iPad might be the device that “saves” mass media. Thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook, it includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad. It will run almost all of the 140,000 apps in the App Store. Also, media such as USA Today and Wall Street Journal have released custom applications for the iPad. “IPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive officer, in a company press release. “IPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” 2 • COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY
FALL 2010
TECHNOBABBLE iPad’s ability to run most App Store apps includes those already purchased for the iPhone or iPod touch. The iTunes Store gives users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of 11 million songs, more than 50,000 TV episodes and more than 8,000 films, including more than 2,000 in highdefinition video. Apple also announced the new iBooks app for iPad, which includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iBookstore will feature books from major and independent publishers. Apple also introduced a new version of iWork, a desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for iPad. With Pages, Keynote and Numbers, users can create documents, presentations with animation and transitions and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store. FIRST DAY SUCCESS April 5, 2010 — Apple sold more than 300,000 iPads in the United States as of April 3. Apple also announced that iPad users downloaded more than 1 million apps from Apple’s App Store and more than 250,000 e-books from its iBookstore during the first day. “It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world — it’s going to be a game changer,” Jobs said. “IPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.” MILLION SALE MARK May 3, 2010 — Apple sold its 1 millionth iPad 28 days after its introduction. IPad users have already downloaded more than 12 million apps from the App Store and more than 1.5 million e-books from the new iBookstore. “One million iPads in 28 days — that’s less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone,” Jobs said. “Demand continues to exceed supply, and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers.” n FALL 2010
A GREAT TOOL FOR STUDENTS
It is, quite frankly, really “cool.” The Pages app works well as a word-processor, and documents are easily transferred and/or stored online. It can open PDF and Word documents and also save as either. In addition, students will find it a great tool to take with them when doing a story. It is compact, and easy to type notes on. A few issues: it does not support Adobe Flash. We use online design for our yearbook, and I was hoping we could use it for that, but Herff Jones uses Flash so that’s not happening. It would’ve been cool to make the yearbook on a touchscreen, though. The iPad memory capacity is a big plus. The 16GB model is plenty for most uses. The only reason to get the 32GB or 64GB would be if users want to store a ton of music and videos on it. Scott Childress, yearbook adviser JH Rose High School (Greenville, N.C.)
IT CHANGED MY LIFE
Just got mine yesterday! It has changed my life already, but I don’t know all the ways I’ll use it. I do know I am going to put JPGs of yearbook and newspaper designs to show kids in small meetings in schools and workshops. I am going to explore putting workshop presentations on it and projecting from it, but I don’t know how that will go. Gary Lundgren, senior program manager/education Jostens (Minneapolis)
IT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE COMPUTING
I recently bought one. Love it. It’s going to revolutionize computing. For word-processing, e-mail, taking notes, research, it’s incredible. My younger kids (real kids, not students) play games on it. I read books. My older daughter does research, and my husband watches movies. I am eagerly anticipating its front-and-center use. Obviously it doesn’t have the big-dog software so it’s limiting for actual “work” work. I’m a graphic designer and teach journalism, and I haven’t yet found its niche in the classroom. I expect that will come. Gwendolen Gray, media adviser Woods Charter School (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
IT IS VERY INTUITITVE
I love the iPad. It’s very intuitive Uses: check e-mail, news sites, books, etc. Great applications. The news sites I have loaded are good. I still prefer my print edition, but that’s because I feel I miss stories if I don’t read it. The layout of the online news organizations (USA Today is one of about three I use) is very reader-friendly. Lori Keekley, CJE, media adviser Saint Louis Park (Minn.) High School
NOT A FRIVOLOUS PURCHASE
My husband bought one. At first I thought it was a frivolous purchase, but now I use it more than he does. I like it because I no longer have to be in the den at the computer to review my students’ stories. Now I can quickly review them on Google Docs on the iPad while I’m sitting out on the back patio or wherever. It doesn’t seem like you are using a computer or working when you use it. I’m still having trouble typing quickly on the touch screen, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Someone mentioned that students could use it to take notes during interviews, but I would have a tough time typing that fast on it. The compactness is fantastic. Debra Schaefer, CJE, media adviser El Toro High School (Lake Forest, Calif.)
Technical Specifications • 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) Wi-Fi model • 9.7-inch (diagonal) LEDbacklit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology • 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi) • Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology • 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive • 1GHz Apple A4 customdesigned, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip • Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery • Up to 10 hours of surfing the Web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music • Up to nine hours of surfing the Web using 3G data network • Macintosh system requirements: Mac computer with USB 2.0 port with Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later and iTunes 9.1 or later • Windows system requirements: PC with USB 2.0 port with Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later and iTunes 9.1 or later • Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) • Relative humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing • Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3,000 m)
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TECHNOBABBLE USA Today uses the iPad interface to show off visual images.
Find a map of New Orleans by using the iPad. With the WiFi or cellular service on, it can help with navigation.
Bringing news to life Potential for scholastic journalism ‘enormous’ BY ROBERT GUTSCHE JR. AND DAVID SCHWARTZ
The interface resembles an iPhone.
The iPad is supposed to change the world, especially the news industry. Surely, Wired, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, even books look different today in their iPad apps. But is the world better? To explore that question, we wanted to see how our media usage changed as educators, as journalists and news consumers because of the iPad. We also wanted to determine the tablet’s possible place in scholastic and mainstream journalism. So, for two days, we — both journalism educators, newsmen and avid news-users at the University of Iowa — put away the laptops, pads of paper and our pens in an attempt to use Apple’s iPad for all of our communication needs. It worked this way: Starting at 9 a.m., Robert left his laptop on his desk. (He had tried futilely to leave it at home.) Only as a last resort could he use a computer to get his work done. The iPad would have to suffice until 9 a.m. the next day when David would pick it up and do the same. Both of us tried to abandon our smart phones (David an iPhone, Robert a BlackBerry), except for making and taking calls. No text news alerts. No quick Google searches.
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For those 24 hours each, we did e-mail, word processing, entering grades for students, blogging and reading books, PDFs and news all on the iPad only. After our experiment, we determined our impressions on the iPad’s potential. Major impressions • Most surprising to us was that the iPad made us want to read more. Both of us found ourselves reading story jumps (or, on the iPad, story flips) in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. We did not explore the psychological triggers as to why it was such a seamless step on the iPad while jumps continue to be a chore on the traditional Web or in newspapers. But for whatever reason, the jumps did not prevent us from following stories to their conclusion. • It’s fun. Already, our own students tell us that they are excited about working in print, but they want to create good content that looks as good as it does on the iPad. Further, NPR (National Public Radio) and other entities such as Wired are tinkering with the full convergence potential of tablets. A story might have a beautiful accompanying photo, but tap the photo and it suddenly turns into a video. It is smart, addictive and engaging — all components that attract students as well as teachers. FALL 2010
TECHNOBABBLE Wired magazine allows users a variety of display options that make viewing fun and interactive. National Public Radio also has an iPad interface.
• The iPad is incredibly convenient for media consumption while word processing can be trying. Unless a user pecks on a keyboard like the oldschoolers (or like Robert), the small keyboard on the iPad takes considerable getting used to. In the end, though, you might be as fast as on a regular board. Potential for scholastic journalism Our answer is simple: It’s enormous. • This technology is an excellent tool for teaching students rather than simply talking at them. Class members can quickly turn to a story so it is easy to show them how and why they should write the way professionals do as well as how and why the students should know multimedia functions. For example: Why reporters should write short, why they should use bullets and how to best create convergent media that complements itself. • The iPad might be the first device that serves as a hub for teaching and consuming convergence media. A broad range of textbooks will continue to become available on iBooks. The iPad’s interface lends itself to editing images. Websites that are operated via content management systems are easily updated and, depending on which CMS users choose, can be updated by multiple people simultaneously — and from home if necessary. How great would it be to update the publication’s website after the varsity basketball team wins a Saturday afternoon playoff game? • With the iPad, students now have the opportunity not only to produce content but also to design it. FALL 2010
Though design has been the journalistic tool most victimized by the mobile revolution, the iPad can — and should — revitalize commitment to good design. Potential for individuals The potential for teaching and consuming media via a tablet is staggering. Each of us had appreciation but with muted differences. David, admittedly, came into the experiment skeptical about the iPad’s usefulness. Although he remains hesitant about it as a personal device, the iPad’s professional possibilities won him over. He planned to wait until at least the next generation of iPad is released before buying one, but — in a cruel, fortunate twist, he recently acquired one for free as a promotional giveaway after purchasing an unrelated product. He is now figuring how to incorporate it into his teaching this fall. Robert continues to incorporate the iPad into his life as a student, teacher and husband. He uses his iPad to record grades, to create original documents, to evaluate his students’ work and to perform other functions of everyday professional and personal life. His wedding photos look amazing with the iPad’s glossy screen, too. They are pleasing enough that his wife almost forgot to ask how much it cost — almost. To David, the iPad’s greatest upside is its potential. To Robert, much of that potential already exists. n
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