A Good Use for the iPad!

The good thing about the iPad

VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread - iPad Demo from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

~go here for the making of
http://vimeo.com/10204353

~go here for the complete version
http://alexxhenry.com/ipad

I have to say I honestly didnt see the usefulness of the iPad when I 1st heard about it... and I LOVE Apple products! I have an iPhone and I have to admit hearing of the idea of the iPad described as basically a large iPhone kind of conjured up some strange imagery for me. Basically of the iPad being held awkwardly on the side of my ear to try to make a call & looking frustratingly for WiFi hot spots so I could make the best use of the silly oversized phone! I know that there is no phone or camera on the iPad but I kept getting that imagery the more I imagined why I would get an iPad.

My primary frustration with the iPad (& the reason I didn't initially want to buy one) was coming from the sad resignation (after reading about it) that it could not be used to ingest footage shot on set as it has no FW ports & no SD card slots. Also, it has its own OS that cannot operate normal programs- only iPhone apps & apps soon made for the iPad & again distributed through iTunes just as the iPhone gets its apps. Oh well- maybe a mutation between a laptop & an iPad will come sometime soon.???

-Just as a suggestion to the iPad app makers. I do have to say- as a filmmaker who likes reliable mobile technology that can be useful on a film set- goodness gracious... the apps you could make for an iPad to help with on set productivity are endlessly awesome!!!! For example- as a better tool for the AD, Script Supervisor, PM & Camera Loader all in one! So, in effect it could be used as a better clapboard and as a note-taking, breakdown, scheduling, record keeping & budgeting tool all in one! Also it could much more easily synchronize timecode as a more advanced device than simply a device using radio signals as its transmission medium or some other more inefficient system. I would advise Celtx (the open source program) to develop an iPhone app to do some of these jobs & then adapt into the iPad once it has got the coding down. Im sure Celtx would make the best & the most cost effective version of the iPad app if given the chance.

So- there IS a use for the iPad! yayy!!