5 ms·

when people use iPads they end up just using technology to consume things instead of making things. With a computer you can make things. Absolutely true. A lot

when people use iPads they end up just using technology to consume things instead of making things. With a computer you can make things. Absolutely true. A lot of people like to mock the position that the iPad is a 'device for consumption' whenever a new story comes out about someone creating a song or painting on his iPad. Well, there's a reason why it's worthy of a news story. You don't see articles written whenever someone creates a song on his Mac or PC. I love my iPad. It's a great consumption device. But its terrible for tinkering and creativity (and this limitation is by design). Let me know when I can design flyers and brochures from it. Or write a program on it to do something useful that can be shared with others.

drumdance 14y ago
I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard good things about Garage Band on the iPad, and also for editing simple videos.
ryannielsen 14y ago
Well, there's a reason why it's worthy of a news story. You don't see articles written whenever someone creates a song on his Mac or PC. That's a bit like saying, "you don't see articles written whenever someone creates a song on his piano or violin", back in the 50s or 60s. There was a time when computers weren't used to produce music, pictures, or movies. Rather than lament the current state of new mobile platforms, why not celebrate these amazing new platforms? They're increasingly becoming creating rather than consuming platforms and, even if we will never easily create apps directly on them (which I don't believe is true), they're wonderful new distribution platforms. Just because they're not like the Apple ][s or C64s of yore doesn't mean it's the end of the hacking world. A new generation is growing up programming apps (yes, on their desktop computers right now) for this new world and can easily share their creations with millions. From where I'm sitting, this looks like a pretty interesting step forward. (And for designing flyers and brochures on an iPad, you're welcome to use Pages or any number of other drawing or painting apps found on the App Store.)
- statictype 14y ago
  There was a time when computers weren't used to produce music, pictures, or movies. Yes, and we're at that state right now with tablets. Sure, we'll get there eventually but it won't happen by fooling ourselves into contentment by saying they are already great for producing creative work. why not celebrate these amazing new platforms I did say that I love my iPad. I've reached the point where I don't mind paying more for e-books that I can read on it than the dead-tree version that I have to lug around with me. I also use it extensively for mail, photos and browsing. It may eventually become a tinkerer's device. It's not there yet though. And for designing flyers and brochures on an iPad, you're welcome to use Pages or any number of other drawing or painting apps found on the App Store They let me use my own fonts (possibly in other languages)? Or let me cut a photo and place it on a page? The latter may not exist because no one has done it yet (ie, not a technical limitation). I'm pretty sure the former is a limitation of the platform rules that have been set. Anyway, I don't really disagree with much of what you say. We will eventually reach a point where creating cool stuff on the iPad is the norm. But we're not there today.
  - rimantas 14y ago
    > Or let me cut a photo and place it on a page? How about trying just that? Or is playing no true scotsman just too much fun?
    - statictype 14y ago
      That wasn't rhetoric. I actually want an app that can do these three things: 1) Let me work with custom fonts 2) Let me import images and cut them and place them 3) Export the whole thing as pdf (Bonus points for handling svg and clip art) I have not found one that does. I didn't try Pages - I assume it's a word processing app like Word and not a page layout/design/typesetting app like In-Design. Have you tried it? Does it let me do these things? I've often toyed with the idea of writing it myself. But I stop at point (1) because loading custom fonts that don't ship as part of the app bundle doesn't seem to be supported by iOS. (And also because I tend to procrastinate)
primitur 14y ago
I think there's a missing area of creativity and tinkering in the iPad world, which gets seriously under-evaluated .. MUSIC MAKING. The iPad is a fantastic creativity/tinkering machine for making music. Its not consumption, but Performance.
- statictype 14y ago
  This is probably true. I've actually seen people making music with their iPad. This is one area where it probably does excel in producing work.
- keithpeter 14y ago
  I've seen an electronic music group perform with some iPads used as controllers and others making sound directly, including modifying the sound of a cello. One chap was using a thinkpad with a games controller to be different I suppose... http://www.bilensemble.co.uk/ http://www.bilensemble.co.uk/ And I've just spent a week in Yorkshire including a visit to Salts Mill. Hockney has an exhibition of some of his iPad paintings (projections) and some of the paintings he did using a graphics tablet on Photoshop. I actually liked the tablet/photoshop paintings more (composed of thin lines building shapes and shadings) than the iPad ones. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/13/david-hockney-life-in-art http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/13/david-hockney-... http://danielonphotography.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/daniel-hofer-photograph-blog-david-hockney-uses-wacom-tablets-photoshop/ http://danielonphotography.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/daniel-h... But I think that a 'direct manipulation' interface will allow creation in variety of media. I'm waiting for a notebook sized tablet with stylus input for an electronic moleskine.
- lloeki 14y ago
  > MUSIC MAKING like, you know, Gorillaz. http://thefall.gorillaz.com http://thefall.gorillaz.com
  - kitsune_ 14y ago
    Yeah, made on the iPad. Mixed at Studio 13, London. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London. But yeah, totally made on the iPad.
arethuza 14y ago
The artist David Hockney loves iPads so much that he actually has had his suits modified to include a suitable pocket - here is a video of him using an iPad to draw in a cafe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jabJKtqK0k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jabJKtqK0k
rimantas 14y ago
> But its terrible for tinkering and creativity (and this > limitation is by design) Actually, limitations and constraints (by design or not) are very very good for creativity. > Let me know when I can design flyers and brochures from > it. Pages (and the rest of iWork) was availabe on iPad for some time now.

drumdance 14y ago

I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard good things about Garage Band on the iPad, and also for editing simple videos.

ryannielsen 14y ago

Well, there's a reason why it's worthy of a news story. You don't see articles written whenever someone creates a song on his Mac or PC. That's a bit like saying, "you don't see articles written whenever someone creates a song on his piano or violin", back in the 50s or 60s. There was a time when computers weren't used to produce music, pictures, or movies. Rather than lament the current state of new mobile platforms, why not celebrate these amazing new platforms? They're increasingly becoming creating rather than consuming platforms and, even if we will never easily create apps directly on them (which I don't believe is true), they're wonderful new distribution platforms. Just because they're not like the Apple ][s or C64s of yore doesn't mean it's the end of the hacking world. A new generation is growing up programming apps (yes, on their desktop computers right now) for this new world and can easily share their creations with millions. From where I'm sitting, this looks like a pretty interesting step forward. (And for designing flyers and brochures on an iPad, you're welcome to use Pages or any number of other drawing or painting apps found on the App Store.)

statictype 14y ago
There was a time when computers weren't used to produce music, pictures, or movies. Yes, and we're at that state right now with tablets. Sure, we'll get there eventually but it won't happen by fooling ourselves into contentment by saying they are already great for producing creative work. why not celebrate these amazing new platforms I did say that I love my iPad. I've reached the point where I don't mind paying more for e-books that I can read on it than the dead-tree version that I have to lug around with me. I also use it extensively for mail, photos and browsing. It may eventually become a tinkerer's device. It's not there yet though. And for designing flyers and brochures on an iPad, you're welcome to use Pages or any number of other drawing or painting apps found on the App Store They let me use my own fonts (possibly in other languages)? Or let me cut a photo and place it on a page? The latter may not exist because no one has done it yet (ie, not a technical limitation). I'm pretty sure the former is a limitation of the platform rules that have been set. Anyway, I don't really disagree with much of what you say. We will eventually reach a point where creating cool stuff on the iPad is the norm. But we're not there today.
- rimantas 14y ago
  > Or let me cut a photo and place it on a page? How about trying just that? Or is playing no true scotsman just too much fun?
  - statictype 14y ago
    That wasn't rhetoric. I actually want an app that can do these three things: 1) Let me work with custom fonts 2) Let me import images and cut them and place them 3) Export the whole thing as pdf (Bonus points for handling svg and clip art) I have not found one that does. I didn't try Pages - I assume it's a word processing app like Word and not a page layout/design/typesetting app like In-Design. Have you tried it? Does it let me do these things? I've often toyed with the idea of writing it myself. But I stop at point (1) because loading custom fonts that don't ship as part of the app bundle doesn't seem to be supported by iOS. (And also because I tend to procrastinate)

primitur 14y ago

I think there's a missing area of creativity and tinkering in the iPad world, which gets seriously under-evaluated .. MUSIC MAKING. The iPad is a fantastic creativity/tinkering machine for making music. Its not consumption, but Performance.

statictype 14y ago
This is probably true. I've actually seen people making music with their iPad. This is one area where it probably does excel in producing work.
keithpeter 14y ago
I've seen an electronic music group perform with some iPads used as controllers and others making sound directly, including modifying the sound of a cello. One chap was using a thinkpad with a games controller to be different I suppose... http://www.bilensemble.co.uk/ http://www.bilensemble.co.uk/ And I've just spent a week in Yorkshire including a visit to Salts Mill. Hockney has an exhibition of some of his iPad paintings (projections) and some of the paintings he did using a graphics tablet on Photoshop. I actually liked the tablet/photoshop paintings more (composed of thin lines building shapes and shadings) than the iPad ones. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/13/david-hockney-life-in-art http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/13/david-hockney-... http://danielonphotography.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/daniel-hofer-photograph-blog-david-hockney-uses-wacom-tablets-photoshop/ http://danielonphotography.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/daniel-h... But I think that a 'direct manipulation' interface will allow creation in variety of media. I'm waiting for a notebook sized tablet with stylus input for an electronic moleskine.
lloeki 14y ago
> MUSIC MAKING like, you know, Gorillaz. http://thefall.gorillaz.com http://thefall.gorillaz.com
- kitsune_ 14y ago
  Yeah, made on the iPad. Mixed at Studio 13, London. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London. But yeah, totally made on the iPad.

arethuza 14y ago

The artist David Hockney loves iPads so much that he actually has had his suits modified to include a suitable pocket - here is a video of him using an iPad to draw in a cafe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jabJKtqK0k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jabJKtqK0k

rimantas 14y ago

> But its terrible for tinkering and creativity (and this > limitation is by design) Actually, limitations and constraints (by design or not) are very very good for creativity. > Let me know when I can design flyers and brochures from > it. Pages (and the rest of iWork) was availabe on iPad for some time now.