April 12th, 2012Top StoryYour iPad: The Creative Tool You Never Knew You NeededBy Thorin Klosowski The iPad gets a bad rap as a device designed specifically for consumption. After all, its main purpose is to keep you connected to the world. Despite that, the iPad has risen up as a creativity tool and serves as an integral part in many people's toolkit. To get an idea of when these devices are being used, we talked with a cadre of creative types to find out not just how they're using iPads to make things, but why. Despite early claims that the iPad was primarily a consumption device, app developers have been developing a good amount of creativity software out to users. Subsequently, we've seen a New Yorker cover created with an iPhone, studio albums created with just an iPad, and an animated music video made with just a drawing app. Once the novelty of creating with a tablet wears off, though, can they still be useful? We wanted to see how the iPad is getting used out in real world so we talked with Steve Bowler, gameplay designer at Phosphor Games, Jim Guthrie, musician and composer of the soundtrack for the iOS game Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, and Chase Andrews, owner and producer at Remedy Films. The First Spark That Made the iPad Feel Like It Could Be UsefulClick to viewWhen the iTunes App Store was first introduced it didn't take long for drawing, writing, music, and other similar apps to populate the store. At first they were used by a niche group, but over time the apps got better and people started using them daily. I was curious to see where the turning point was for everyone because for myself it was forced out when my laptop battery died and my iPad was my only portable tool. In Bowler's case, the turning point came almost immediately after he got his first iPad. In the first few weeks he spent his iPad time like most of us do, checking email, browsing the web, and noodling about. But one day a real-world application changed his usage:
In Guthrie's case, it was more about waiting for the right feature set to come along so he could feasibly work an iPad into his music arsenal (you can get a glimpse at part of Guthrie's setup in the video above):
However, for Andrews, the appeal was immediate out of the box.
That point where it makes sense to use an iPad or iPhone in certain circumstances is the first step to integrating them into a larger setup. The next step is finding ways to actually replace their desktop peers. When Mobile Devices Are Better than Laptops and DesktopsOnce you integrate an iPad into your workflow, benefits (and weaknesses, but we'll get to that in the next section) start becoming apparent. It's no secret an iPad is a slick little device, but is it possible it's actually better than its desktop counterparts at certain things? The clearest benefit is the fact you can take a tablet with you everywhere. It's lighter, easier to manage, and has a better battery life than a laptop. It's also a convenient way to jot down ideas quickly. Bowler explains:
Andrews echoes the mobility as the biggest appeal:
In Guthrie's case, the limitations often serve as a strength because it forces you to to think differently about a problem.
Overcoming those limitations is exhilarating, but just because an iPad works in certain circumstances doesn't mean it's good for everything. Where They Fail and How to Overcome Their Biggest WeaknessesAn iPad has a good number of weaknesses. It's a closed system so programmers can't tool about in it, the touch screen means it's hard to get precise with certain things, and the fact it only has two ports, a headphone jack and the dock, means it's tough to integrate it with other hardware. In some cases these weaknesses are solved by new software, as it was in Bowler's case, although he's still looking for a few new features:
For Guthrie the biggest problem has been creating a usable interface for music because an iPad simply doesn't have enough ports. Solutions do exist to counter this, but they're still not quite where they could be. Guthrie explains:
Andrews had few complaints, noting that working outside of the intended purpose is what makes it interesting:
Working Your Mobile Device Into Your Own Creative WorkThe above sections are filled with plenty of great ideas for integrating a tablet into your own creative workflow, but it's not an end-all list of possibilities. A writer, for instance, can benefit from using a tablet because it provides a nearly distraction-free environment. Our own Adam Pash talked about using Simplenote for a syncing plain-text writing system that works great for longform writing. In my case, I use iA Writer as a means to the same ends. It doesn't work for everything, but if I just need to sit down and write without internet access the iPad is a key component in my toolkit. The common thread with the comments above isn't the Apple mantra of "it just works." Turning an iPad into a creative tool requires workarounds and using it in ways that might not be immediately apparent when you first hold one in your hands. Certain restrictions keep the iPad from being the lone item of a creative toolkit, but forcing yourself to come up with a way to work with it is a creative task in itself. The overarching point is that while tablets and smartphones were initially used primarily for consumption they've slowly grown more useful for creative people in different ways. The above examples highlight the iPad, but any tablet or smartphone can stand-in for the same duties. The iPad doesn't replace a computer. It's a piece of an ever-expanding toolkit for creation. Have you found yourself using your tablet or smartphone as more than just a consumption device? Share your own tips or favorite apps in the comments. |
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Thursday, April 12, 2012
Your iPad: The Creative Tool You Never Knew You Needed
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