The Steve Rubel Stream

   

Some dates, we never forget - July 4, 1776, November 22, 1963 or September 11, 2001. Other dates, when we look back, we realize were significant, we just didn't see it at the time. One such date is August 9, 1995, Netscape's IPO, which Thomas Friedman notes was a watershed moment in the flattening of the Earth.

We may not realize today, but April 3, 2010 - the date the iPad debuted - is another date that falls into the latter camp. Like the Netscape IPO, we will look back on yesterday as the opening salvo in the next wave for computing. This is one that, by the way, Apple alone may not dominate. It's the date when tablets started to invade the collective consciousness of the everyman/woman.

I have been using computers since 1982 and have been online since 1988. You can read my odyssey here. I see the iPad as evolutionary. Now the iPad may not prove to be the ultimate winner. However, it will accelerate a broader trend that already is well underway - a "slimming down" of our tools, work streams and content systems. And like the desktop and mobile phone space, I expect there will be a number of winners, including HP - an Edelman client that has an awesome entry in this space coming.

But I as alluded, this isn't just about the iPad. It's about a bigger trend in how we're coping with what I call "The Attention Crash." With the glut of information now before us, tablets are going to help people simplify their flow. This is already happening. PCs will still be around for many years to come. But more of our work will be done on phones and tablets as the "atomic units" of content and computing slim down. Already...

* Stories and blog posts are giving way to Tweets and status updates
* Email is giving way to instant, text and direct messages * TV shows are giving way YouTube videos
* Applications are giving way to apps

I like to live a little bit in the future. Like the old Panasonic slogan, I want to be "just ahead" of my time. WIth this in mind, I am going to try an experiment this week. I am going to use my iPad as my primary work/personal content creation and consumption tool and take you along for the journey.

A lot of people are asking where tablets sit between a PC and a smart phone. To be honest, I don't know either. But maybe this week we'll find out together. This week is a good week to experiment because I will be in the office all week. I will use my desktop PC when I have to. For example, I am leading a webinar where I want to make sure all is working smoothly. And given that we are a PowerPoint-heavy organization, I will need my trusty HP desktop to edit some decks (the iPad doesn't support PowerPoint editing). However, for all else - email, writing, social networking, research, etc. - I will use the tablet and chronicle my results here and in my other streams.

I hope you'll come along to see the pros/cons of what the future might hold. I think we will see that we have a long way to go, but something big is starting and there will be lots of winners.

(This post was written on my iPad, paired with a Bluetooth keyboard - a must purchase, I can assure you.)