^{(C)2010 Apple} 

I’ve been reading the reviews and user comments about Apple’s iPad and I’m almost intrigued enough to buy one just so I can sort the gear out for myself. I said, almost. Five hundred bucks to satisfy my curiosity is a bit too steep, especially with a house re-fi looming on the horizon.

But first, full disclosure: I am not currently an Apple independent software developer, though I have been in the past. On paper I’m still a Microsoft ISD, but haven’t written a thing in 4 years. I’ve also developed a lot of software for Unix-based systems, embedded systems, and even the Nokia cell phone running Symbian. As a user, I’ve owned many Apple products, starting with a IIe many years ago. We have at least 3 iPods in our household. All of our PCs and laptops are MS Windows of one vintage or another. My Unix/Linux workstations are retired to the garage. While it’s impossible to be totally unbiased, I really don’t think I have an axe to grind regarding platforms. Whatever works at a reasonable cost/benefit ratio is fine by me. Problem is, I’ve got too many devices for the personal and business tasks I need to accomplish. I wondered, could the iPad reduce device clutter?

After studying the specifications of the iPad, watching the videos of it and combing the media articles, it would appear that the iPad is mainly an infotainment device combining two functions: Web browsing and media playback. So, for most people it’s a color Kindle with video and a browser. The secondary iPad markets are a whole bunch of app-specific niches, such as the pro audio control pad from Saitara Software, among many software offerings for professionals and business users. None of this stuff is sufficient to replace any one of the electronic devices I depend on every day. The only features the iPad has that I covet are 12 hours of battery life and a weight of less than 2 pounds. My 6-pound ThinkPad with the “big” battery pack only goes 4 hours.

At this point, it’s fair to ask, what new e-gadget would I buy and at what price? Well, what I need hasn’t been offered as a commercial product, yet, and on my last trip to Fry’s I couldn’t find the components to hack the thing together myself.

Consider the electronics I carry around most of the time:

·         *  Laptop PC for authoring, reading, Web browsing, media     playback, email and calendar

·         *  Cell phone with an earpiece

·         *  Point and shoot digital camera

If I’m traveling overnight or longer, I add 3 battery chargers.

Typically, I use the camera to document field conditions of construction projects I’m working on. I get text messages on my phone from other team members and clients. Documents in PDF or Word are sent to Outlook on my laptop. Sometimes, I have to sketch a detail using AutoCad, which means I have to connect a mouse to the laptop, since the touchpad is too crude. Then, to create a report I have to copy text from the phone, import from email, download the photos from the camera, edit photos, cut and paste from various documents, write some narrative and format everything into a final product and email it. Many architects and engineers do these same things every day. Other business people and professionals have similar mixed media and device requirements.

The integration among the electronics I use daily is pathetic. My cell phone doesn’t know the laptop exists. The camera and the laptop will talk via Bluetooth or a USB cable, but I have to initiate the transfers. The laptop attempts to find Wi-Fi connections when roaming and frequently fails.

Ideally, the laptop should maintain its Internet connection by itself as I drive around. It should pull photos out of my camera via its Bluetooth connection whenever there’s data. The camera should dock with the laptop when not in use so it can charge. The cell phone should be either an integral part of the laptop or dock-able. My contacts in Outlook, Yahoo! Mail and Sprint should all be accessible, all the time, by phone or laptop. I’d also like to be able to text or email by writing with a stylus on the screen. It would be nice if the screen was readable in direct sunlight, too.  As for keyboarding, the ThinkPad is slightly bigger than it needs to be. I could live with a 10 by 7-inch footprint.

What I’ve described doesn’t require anything new, just better arrangement and integration of hardware and software already available. Some netbooks use the 10 by 7-inch footprint with a 1-inch thickness, or close to it. Some tablet PCs have keyboards and touch screens. Direct sunlight visible display screens have been demonstrated. Some cell phones can dock to laptops. Some PCs have used tethered or wireless cameras. Tandy’s original M100 laptop had 40 hours of battery life. Automated, mobile, continuous wireless Internet connection is the one thing nobody seems to have working properly. Perhaps a 4G cell-based system will finally get that part right.

I’ll be happy with a 3-pound device and 10 hours of battery life. Considering that the sum of the prices for my laptop, phone and camera was close to $2,300, I’ll be glad to pay $2,000, maybe more, for the laptop/tablet/phone/Wi-Fi/camera thing. I imagine hundreds of thousands of business and professional people would, too. There’s $1,500 lying on the table between today’s iPad and tomorrow’s “myPad.” I’m waiting. Please hurry.