Mirror Mirror

3001: A Tablet Odyssey.

This post seems slightly Apple biased. It might be, but based on stats and not personal preference, as per my little insanity moment dialoguing with myself over phone brands a little earlier.

Well.... In 2011, the year after the launch of the iPad, the device was already the best selling consumer electronics to date. By 2013, as the leading brand of the category, the iPad had out-shipped laptop PC’s and so Microsoft decided to stick by its previous statement that the best interface possible was still a combination of screen and keyboard and launched the Surface tablet, a touch-screen tablet with an optional keyboard interface that also acts as a cover and stand. I think that was particularly important as it marks the general consent in the industry that the personal computing is moving into the portable device category. Predictions last year were that all brands of tablets combines were to out-sell desktops and laptop PCs this year.

Of course some things will never change, and powerful machines will still be required for professional use, but the everyday use for keeping in touch or being entertained have already been shifted onto portables. Aside from personal usage, tablets have also made their into the education and health systems. Doctors take advantage of their portability to update patient’s charts into the hospital’s system and to demonstrate simulations both to patients and in conferences. In addition, some students today carry a lot less weight on their back then when I was at school. E-books and interactive learning applications have been adopted by many schools as learning resources.

So lets have fun expanding this scenario a little bit:

Let’s say a school adopts to be entirely paperless. Not only reading in class, but downloading media from a central or even the state library through a membership account would certainly free some space in that room used as library at school.

I know if I still were a student I would be very excited to know my marks on a test I just completed on a tablet as soon as the bell goes off, when the teacher syncs all devices with the results. Of course we are assuming a tablet would be a standard way to carry textbooks and notebooks because who wants to carry a laptop if the classroom desk has built-in keyboards?

And with NFC (Near Field Communication) students could also collect and hand in assignments as soon as they leave or enter the classroom. If the teachers use a surface desk (interactive desk) they could “flick” or “AirDrop” content onto the student’s tablets/desks and have a much more engaging activity.

In the medical industry we already experience advancements in patient care with apps that can either give you a heart rate reading or accurately diagnose the glucose levels of diabetics. Not to mention this amazing equipment that empowers people with disabilities to communicate and interact with the world. Taking in consideration the evolution that will continue to take place in hospital equipments, imagine getting a quick X-ray reading by the doctor holding a tablet device near your injury. It would obviously not be the tablet sold at your local electronics store, but rather a portable device with a tablet interface.

Since I can remember I have watched movies with interpretations of the future with tablet-like devices and holograms. Why not throw in some holographic capabilities in our tablets too? Would bring FaceTime into a whole new level—maybe it will redefine our perception of calling each other altogether. Maybe it allow you to kick some real butt when presenting a pitch to an investor by making them experience you presentation, instead of watching it.

Emotional Me: Really?! But not even 6 months ago you closed the digital circle of devices by getting a macbook.

Rational Me: I know but my iPhone is giving me the s#!t$ everyday.. It switches off when the battery is at 20%, they keep changing the damn cables, I have a slower user experience every new iOS.. I don't want to upgrade and go through the same in 1 year or so.

Emotional me: But think about the different OS in the one device. Everything works so seamlessly now.. (raising pitch) the devices syncing your photos and apps and docume...

Rational Me: (interrupting) No! I don't care about that anymore! The S5 is water resistant, has a bigger screen, a replaceable battery and expandable storage. F#%K Apple and it's 16BG phones with s#!t batteries!

Emotional Me: Calm down, there's no reason for you to get worked up over this. You were supposed to be the rational one here. (getting angry) So you just think by changing brands you're never going to experience updating software and finding that it was not designed for your device, but instead for the new model coming in three months?.. That year after year you're not going to have to clip a pile of adapters onto you alarm clock radio — that by the way, can go to the garbage since the actual phone has an alarm, you moron.. That the technology is going to stop evolving as we speak and that the world is going to accept that we have enough innovation at the moment just so you can extend the life of your little piece of glass and aluminium for more than the 24 months contract that you signed up for?.. Is that what you expect that will happen when you change brands? IS IT?

Rational Me: Geez! Relax.. I can't have a conversation with you.. you're too emotional! Forget it, I won't spend any money, whatever.. (leaves the neural area)

(via 5 accessibility applications and accessories for your tablet)

Really great apps and accessories! I will tell my dentist about Zenmount. Like I said here, I used a tablet to fill out the survey at his reception, then used it again to choose a documentary to watch when I sat down on the patient’s chair, so after that it went back to his desk. He could place in on this mount and have a minimally invasive camera attached to the equipment and see everything on the screen. Instead of moving around to see through his giant hands, he could move the probe around and ditch that annoying mouth mirror.

The music/movie industry has been shapeshifting since the mp3 players first came out, tablets have just presented more ways to consume digital music and movies. But since 2010, the publishing industry has had to dramatically change—at least the companies that will succeed in the digital era have—the way they deliver content. Newspapers and magazines were already adopting the blog format online and even though book readers will never stop loving the tactile factor that books have, e-books have gained some respectful space.

But because the tablet presents a much richer experience by supporting audio, video, accepting input through touch-screen and connecting to the internet to display ads and track behaviour, there is a new generation of publishers who understand this difference in experience and are taking $pecial interest in digital publication.

Magazine apps track behaviour and store data that is sent to the developer every time you open the application, making advertising in these applications very valuable. It has been shown that readers are much more likely to spend money on media within the interactivity of in-app purchases (guilty) as opposed to reading content online, where they can come across a way to download it for free. Same goes for retailers promoting products by placing tablets in-store or at trade shows displaying options and information while you are still immersed in their branding.

For these reasons tablets definitely support the idea behind Technology Determinism (background info in case you missed the post). In fact, on a “personal-computer” level, we have become so accustomed to downloading apps and media on tablets that laptops not only have abandoned CD-ROMs but also present themselves in a hybrid fashion, telling you that they can also “behave” as a tablet.

But fear not, brave reader. Data tracking, in-app purchases and hybrids are not part of the dark force. On the contrary, they are part of a natural course that we are taking towards a brighter future. Well, I’m not so sure about the brighter, but I would never leave you on a negative note questioning yourself whether all this data tracking is being applied to you via your tablet.

A little background:

There was this phrase coined in the 60’s by Marshal McLuhan—The medium is the message—which I always think of when I talk about tablets and interaction. What he meant to say was that the medium delivering a message to us greatly influences our perception of the message. Think about a horror movie trailer: Were you not in a dark room where you can’t see the end of the room, feeling chilled, surrounded powerful speakers blasting weird noises that culminate with a sharp deafening scream.. would you still be impressed by the images you see? Maybe not so much. If the theatre was very bright you would feel safer, if the scream was barely audible you may not absorb its intention and if the pace of the scene did not escalate you would not feel changes to your heart rate giving you anxiety. All these were combined to manipulate you into feeling a particular emotion. This has always been used in commercial ads or political propaganda and is called Media Determinism, which is part of a study named Technology Determinism (TD) originated in the mid-1800’s.

The fellows behind TD talk about something broader, tough. They supports the idea that technology—technical developments, media, science or industrial advancements—are the key mover of changes in society. In other words, since the story telling tribes to the mass media consumption nowadays a lot of social changes occurred and the TD guys say it was all driven by technologies emerging and evolving—print, the assembly line, automation, radio and TV and the internet.

Tablets are another good example of modern TD. I wrote before about these devices being a cheaper and more interesting alternative for businesses to engage with their audience. These devices have increasingly been used to create interactivity, boost reach and build client data. On top of that tablets were designed to be an excellent way to consume media, and succeeded.