Facebook Plunges Again
Tumblr 101: Tips And Tricks To Get Started
So why is everyone in the iPad commercial sitting down? [opinion]
I've got nothing against the iPad. I haven't even touched one yet, after all, so it wouldn't really be fair for me to rip it apart or sing its praises. There's just one thing I'm curious about after seeing the first commercial on TV last night: why is nearly everyone pictured sitting down with the iPad in their lap?
I'll hazard a guess: it's probably a little awkward to use it in most other positions. At 1.5 pounds and roughly 9.5"x7.5", I can't really see myself holding this up to use it. There are a couple shots in the ad with someone sitting at a table holding it up with one hand and using the other hand to navigate. Its little brother (the iPhone) is obviously meant to hold in one hand -- but how will it feel with the iPad at five times the weight and three times the size?
The other thing we don't see is the angle of the user's head and neck, since it's always out of frame. If you're seated and have the iPad in your lap, you're going to be looking down at nearly a 90 degree angle, right? That's not a position I've ever found comfortable, though there is one place I read in that position -- which is what makes me think the iPad will be a great thing to keep next to my toilet in the magazine holder.
Sort this out for me, then, readers. After watching the commercial, what do you think about the iPad and ergonomics?
I'll hazard a guess: it's probably a little awkward to use it in most other positions. At 1.5 pounds and roughly 9.5"x7.5", I can't really see myself holding this up to use it. There are a couple shots in the ad with someone sitting at a table holding it up with one hand and using the other hand to navigate. Its little brother (the iPhone) is obviously meant to hold in one hand -- but how will it feel with the iPad at five times the weight and three times the size?
The other thing we don't see is the angle of the user's head and neck, since it's always out of frame. If you're seated and have the iPad in your lap, you're going to be looking down at nearly a 90 degree angle, right? That's not a position I've ever found comfortable, though there is one place I read in that position -- which is what makes me think the iPad will be a great thing to keep next to my toilet in the magazine holder.
Sort this out for me, then, readers. After watching the commercial, what do you think about the iPad and ergonomics?
Comments
32
Subscribe to commentscgrucelskiMar 13th 2010 11:40AM
Just use that heavy cardboard with this and you're all set:
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/make-your-own-paper-ipad-08-02-2010/
IvanMar 8th 2010 2:35PM
I can tell you this, I have a real need for Courier (based on the mockups). In a work environment, I always struggle to keep a notebook with me or even take notes. I'm more likely to check my Windows Phone for my next meeting than flip my laptop open in a meeting. Having 2 screens in a manageable form factor it exactly want I need. Meetings and To-Dos always available on one screen and notes or other digital content on the other ... huge productivity gain. Giant iPhone screen with no multi-tasking and constant open/closing, is nothing I need/want.
BazMar 8th 2010 3:14PM
If its an awkward size and weight for viewing webpages and games while standing, imagine how ergonomically challenged one will be to use its onscreen keyboard - standing or sitting.
To comfortably use the keyboard (say, with the included iWork), you'll need to lay it down flat - so you'll need to sit over top of it looking down onto the screen - decidedly uncomfortable for viewing and really bad ergonomics.
Of course, one could always use the promised keyboard dock option - providing its available at the same time the iPad is released (a sudden deja vu here to the original iMac - offering/requiring USB peripheral support before such a thing existed) - but that also defeats the point of a slate with its own keyboard...
Maxime RouleauMar 8th 2010 4:08PM
Picture this: iPod touch + Clipboard / Notepad.
More and more, health professionals (nurses, doctors, etc.) are using smartphones to get the necessary information for patients. It beats having to drag around a clipboard with 20'000 pages.
Though, what the smartphones lack compared to the clipboard is resolution. Sure, you can store millions and millions of bytes of information but in the end, it's so condensed that the navigation is more difficult.
For the iPad, ok fine, you need both hands to manipulate it, but the same goes for a notepad, clipboard or even a book (unless you're able to flip the pages with the same hand that's holding that same book...) Like a notebook, you'll need to lay it on a flat surface to write in it.
Besides, it's not like Apple is reinventing the wheel when it comes to ergonomics. People will be using it just like they use a book/magazine, printed work, and will get the same injuries.
Comparing the iPad with a netbook or a laptop is like comparing Lemons with Oranges, they both bear the similarities that all citrus fruit have, but besides that, they're quite different. Anyway, that's just what I think.
astrotoysevenMar 8th 2010 5:27PM
I've never seen an ipod touch used in a medical context ... Most medical info programs are written for windows/IE6+. I tried running our healthsmart based stats program on chrome and FF and it fell into a heap - one can only image what would happen to it on Safari mobile!
Motion C5 Medical tablets... are used quite a bit, in hospitals rick enough to afford them.
http://www.motioncomputing.com.au/products/tablet_pc_c5.asp
They do have a handle but still aren't designed to be held up extended durations like a kindle 2 for example.
SSHMar 9th 2010 4:41PM
I absolutely seen physicians using an iPhone/iPod Touch for this purpose - among other functions, very useful for checking drug interactions on the fly, scheduling, and, if I'm not mistaken, they can authorize electronic prescription refills - indispensable if you're on call.
SSHMar 9th 2010 4:44PM
* have seen...
BenMar 8th 2010 5:05PM
Because the iPad is designed to be used when you are sitting down. If you are at a desk then why not just use a laptop? The whole point is to find a better way to consume information from the laid back position.
Damien BenoitMar 8th 2010 6:38PM
Im hoping everyone understands that all that commercial was just 3d models rendered in nice settings positioning the iPad anyway they want and then effecting the actual iPad screen using After Effects to make it all look real, which it totally doesn't its not even that great of 3D to me!
sodapopMar 8th 2010 6:57PM
You people just don't get it. (And illogically criticizing the existence of the iPad which is not the topic).
The WHOLE point of the commercial and the position of the camera/actor is to show someone using the the iPad. That's it. The fact that the person is sitting down is simply an artistic choice of the director. LOL.
Its not a technical how-to video! And that's why we don't see the the angle of the neck either. Your neck at a 90 degree angle would have the iPad wedged halfway into your stomach. It almost sounds like someone is mistakenly applying the ergonomics of desktop monitor with a hand held device. I wonder if you guys hold your iPhones and Droids up so high your neck is straight and the top of the screen is aligned with your eyebrows....
sodapopMar 8th 2010 7:00PM
Plus who reads web sites, books, and watched movies standing up?
RickMar 19th 2010 2:30PM
The main issue, for someone who already owns multiple Apple products, is the ergonomics of it. When I sit in my chair at home and watch TV, I'm looking straight ahead at the screen. When I sit in the same chair and use my laptop, I look straight ahead at the monitor (relatively), and rest my hands in my lap to type. It's very comfortable to be able to operate the laptop in this way, looking straight ahead at the self-supported display, especially while typing. I don't have to stick my knees up and sit in a hunched position to support the monitor. Having to look more straight down at the Ipad concerns me too. It is not a comfortable position for the neck to be in, relative to the spine, for long periods of time. I know I get quite uncomfortable reading a book like this after a while. The person who suggested keeping one for the bath is funny, bc that would seem to be the best place for it.