Will the Apple iPad Sink or Swim?

The much anticipated Apple iPad was revealed yesterday, January 27th. Larger than an iPhone yet smaller than a laptop, the Apple iPad is a tablet computer that features interaction with print, photo, video, and audio multimedia as well as internet browsing. Despite all of the criticism it is receiving for both its name and lack of certain features, I believe that the iPad will ultimately be successful because, let's be honest, Apple is basically the King Midas of the technology industry. Everything it touches turns to gold. The product is mainly targeted to people who already own Apple products, so I believe that given the choice of a Kindle (one of the iPad's major competitors) of an iPad, many people who already own iProducts will go for the iPad. Only time will tell whether the tablet actually sinks or swims, but judging by Apple's dominance in the technology industry, I think it's safe to say that the iPad will be another successful product.

Personally, I won't be go out running out and buying an iPad anytime soon because I don't think anything can replace a traditional keyboard and I do not feel that the iPad is an adequate replacement for a laptop computer. My thought may translate to society, however I feel that more people will adapt to it and welcome the iPad with open arms. Something that may either help or hurt the Amazon Kindle in this situation is that it is simple. It's an e-reader, that's it's purpose. The iPad on the other hand has e-reader capabilities and much more. Sometimes less is more and maybe people will find that the iPad is too complicated and there is too much going on and they would prefer the single-purpose feature of a Kindle, but when given this choice I feel people will want that little bit extra that the iPad has to offer.

So, are you anxious to get your hands on a new Apple iPad or is it just an oversized iPhone that really doesn't have a chance to succeed?

An Introduction to Blogging

In Chapter 5 of Journalism 2.0, we read about how to blog and the fundamentals of blogging. One of the most important notes about blogging I think that this reading highlighted is that blog posts should be SHORT. It is very true that people have short attention spans and one way to catch someone's attention and to have your ideas read or listened to is to not have your blog be too long. My favorite online blog is Anderson Cooper's AC360 blog. I think that it is formatted in a way that it is easy to read, the posts aren't too long, and the photos and videos provided really complement the writing. For me, the page looks really clean and is easy to navigate because there is no clutter and it is very simple to understand. This is key because if the reader cannot simply understand how to navigate the page or there is too much on the page and it becomes overwhelming, they will simply continue on to another blog. You can check this blog out at http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/blog/. The New York Times also has a blog for my hometown which is formatted very similarly to Anderson Cooper's blog. You can see it at http://maplewood.blogs.nytimes.com/.

Something else interesting I found in the reading was how they mentioned that bloggers should post everyday. I think if you can post something everyday, then by all means, go ahead, but I do not think it is necessary for a personal blog. A professional blog has a responsibility to post everyday, but something that you do on your own time should be flexible and you should not be bound by restrictions to get a post in. If you are creating a personal blog, you should be able to post something as you feel necessary. If there is something you want to get off your chest, blog about it. The point I'm really trying to make is that it shouldn't be as scheduled as the reading makes it sound.

If anyone has any other comments about what you look for in a blog or what you like about any blogs in particular let me know in the comments section.