Now that I’ve had my iPad for a couple days, I have to say- I love it more and more. I am doing some tests on some new video products and I must say, the video looks great. There are a few different strategies we are looking at to get a TON of data onto this thing without making an App that is too large. We want the user experience to be flawless, but let me ask you, how would you like to have something like a crash course DVD video, on your iPhone, iTouch or iPad? This is one of the things we are looking at right now.

I got a really great email yesterday from Terry White, one of the contributing authors of Photoshop Magazine. He has done several tests of my apps and he made an amazing point when it comes to using Photographers Contract Maker on the iPad- he says that he prefers to use the iPhone over the iPad for contract making strictly because of the built-in camera and portability. Its a great point, when doing model releases, there is a constant need for inserting images into the contracts, iPhone does this better. I will imagine that eventually the iPad will have not one, but 2 cameras- one for taking pictures and the other for video conferencing, just like the new 4G iphone will have. On the other hand, wow…it is so nice to have all that space for signatures. Much easier to make a nice signature with the iPad. An iPad version of Contract Maker will eventually come out- right now however, we are focused on a different strategy. I tested the latest creation yesterday and all I can say is…WOW, this new version is a JUGGERNAUT in terms of what it can do. It is essentially finished, but instead of releasing it, but are just continuing to add more features and making improvements, look for a release in about 10-14 days.

Yesterday, I tested the Netfilx App over Wireless on the iPad and it runs flawlessly. Haven’t tried the 3G connection for it yet, but this alone is a very huge thing just because of the number of movies I rent each week. While yes, streaming Netflix movies to computers or video consoles isn’t really new (its been around for at least 2 years), to do so on an iPad IS very different because of the portability of the device.

Even if you dont have an iPad, the Netflix service runs through Xbox, PS3, Wii, and computers for just $9 a month. It makes sense why Blockbuster is really struggling, especially considering that they have just changed their pricing to be $5 per rental and they also came back with late fees. If enough people get on the Netflix bandwagon, it will surely eventually put all these old school DVD rental places out of business. How can they compete with unlimited, instant videos for $9 a month?

I will say I have been a little surprised at the number of people offering friction to me over the fact that I got one. Even some good friends of mine immediately dismiss the iPad, never having even seen or used one. Kinda strange.

One argument that I hear over and over against the iPad is that it is “just” a large iTouch. Yesterday a good friend of mine pointed out that the size of the screen IS what makes it so awesome, otherwise as he put it: “a swimming pool would be “just” a large bathtub”.

What I am finding is that my Mac Book Pro is more of a “let’s do work” machine, and my iPad is more of a “Let’s try to relax a little machine”. For most of my business work, photography and videos I need the full size laptap. It is kind of nice to pick up a device and know that you may not get sucked into doing more work, which is a problem I cannot seem to shake.

I still think most people are undecided on whether or not this is something that they will want or need, but I really feel that with time, the prices will come down significantly, and eventually a lot of people are going to have them. Apple has already sold over a million iPads and reached that mark twice as fast as their initial iPhone sales.

Ill try to continue to give you guys a heads up on new Apps and ways to use the iPad, but I do have a question:

Why is it that there are so many people that HATE on Apple devices such as the iPhone or iPad, who have never even used them? This is something I dont understand- these are some really great devices. Are people just sick of hearing about them?