iPhone Was Originally an iPad, Says Steve Jobs

iPad to iPhone: I am your father.

Did you know: Apple created the iPad before the iPhone. The iPad is not a giant iPhone or iPod Touch like we thought it was. More accurately, the iPhone is a mini iPad. Apparently, Steve Jobs revealed this secret at the D8 Conference, according to Mashable’s Barb Dybwad:

Walt then asks him why he built that operating system on a phone first instead of a tablet. Jobs then drops a reveal: “I’ll tell you a secret. It started on a tablet first.” He had an idea of a multi-touch display you could type on, and six months later his team had a prototype display to show him. After handing it off to Apple user interface experts who “got the inertia rolling,” Jobs realized, “My god, we can build a phone out of this,” and shelved the tablet because at the time the phone was more important. “When we got our wind back and thought we could do something else, we took the tablet back off the shelf.” — Steve Jobs at D8 on Flash, iPad and the Post-PC Era

Crazy to think the iPad was conceptualized before the iPhone was even a thought. Despite occasional setbacks, Apple is great at keeping things quiet. To think, Microsoft was working on what they thought would be a revolutionary Surface, while Apple was quietly plotting the silver, small and sleek iPad.

Mind Mapping on iPad

As someone who uses the iThoughts mind mapping app on my iPhone, and as a user of FreeMind on my computer, I can’t help but imagine each time I make a mind map how amazing it must be to do mind mapping on an iPad.

Today, I looked it up. And I’m not the only one who thinks mind mapping on the iPad is incredibly cool — although I have yet to try it myself.

Mind mapping expert Chuck Frey points us to the new iThoughts HD iPad mind mapping app.

iPad Mind Mapping

I would love to one day use this mind mapping app on the iPad. It’s tempting to get an iPad for this app alone. Mind mapping points to a truth I’m realizing about the iPad: That even if it is just a “big iPod Touch,” the larger form factor of the iPad can certainly have an advantage in certain scenarios, as in mind mapping.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the practice of mind mapping evolves with time on the iPad. If mind mapping becomes popular (and I think it will), developers will compete to create the best mind mapping app, and we will all benefit. A feature I would love to see on a mind mapping app is the ability to link maps together. For example, if I am working on writing a book, I would like to brainstorm the book content with one mind map, the publicity plan with another, and a newsletter series with a third map. I should then be able to LINK all these maps together in the context of a project.

The Art of Mind Mapping

From Wikipedia:

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

Mind Map on Notebook

As someone who has at times struggled to stay organized, I have found mind mapping to be a great way to plan and ease anxiety about a project. Mind mapping can boost your productivity tenfold by helping you prepare for an assignment ahead of time in a holistic manner that is much more all-encompassing than a To-Do list.

With mind mapping, you start with a central idea and then create branches, followed by more and more branches that collectively map out all the connections you can make about a project. Once you try mind mapping, you’ll get it right away and be hooked. At least, I was.

I have used mind maps to prepare presentations, plan papers, and create a newsletter that I’m currently working on — stay tuned.

The great thing about mind mapping on a flat surface like the iPad or iPhone is that it is dynamic. Unlike a mind map on a piece of paper, a mind map on the iPad lets you reorganize and edit your mind map as it grows.

Do you do any mind mapping on the iPhone or iPad? What is your favorite mind mapping app?

5 Questions to Consider Before Buying an iPad

iPad Questions

So you’re thinking about getting an iPad. I know you are jittery with anticipation, but before you go place your order, please consider these 5 questions that will help you make an informed purchasing decision:

  1. Can the iPad replace my personal computer? In researching the iPad, I have seen several comments on blogs from people who say they plan to scrap their laptop and use their iPad for all their computing needs. So can the iPad take the place of your personal computer?

    It depends. The iPad can browse the web, it can view and produce documents, and it can store photos and other multimedia. Yet there are some things your computer can do that your iPad cannot. The iPad cannot:

    • Accept USB connections. Since there is no USB port on the iPad, you can forget about plugging in certain devices, like an external harddrive or a printer. There will, however, be accessories for connecting some devices. For example, to connect your camera to the iPad, you will have to purchase a camera connection kit that is essentially a limited USB port. Of course, they could have cheaply and easily built this feature into the iPad, but in typical Apple fashion they are charging you for the accessory instead.
    • Create or edit video. While most people are perfectly fine with this limitation, if you use a web cam or produce movies on your computer, then the iPad will be unsuitable as a primary computer.
    • View Flash content on the web. Certain web sites are built with Flash, which is unsupported by the iPhone and the iPad, to the disappointment of many. Some of these sites, like Hulu, may develop apps that allow you to view their content on the iPad, but the lack of Flash support on other sites may be a nuisance.
    • Open non-Apple multimedia. Sure, you can buy music from iTunes, applications from the App Store, and books from the iBookstore; but if you want to open and save an mp3 file from the browser, a windows media file or some other non-Apple-sanctioned file type, then you may be out of luck.

    If you only use a computer for basic needs and you don’t consider the limitations above limitations at all, then perhaps the iPad can replace your personal computer.

  2. Am I willing to carry around another device? If the iPad cannot replace your laptop, are you willing to tow around another device when you leave home? Sure, the iPad is thin and light, but if you’re already carrying around an iPhone and a laptop, are you okay with adding another valuable to your baggage?
  3. Will the LCD display be hard on my eyes for book reading? The most-touted advantage of Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader is its e-ink display, a matte screen with no brightness or glare. E-ink is said to be easier on the eyes than an LCD display. If the iBookstore is the main reason you’re buying an iPad, ask yourself whether your eyes can tolerate staring at an LCD screen for hours. Personally, I am so used to spending hours in front of my computer that I imagine reading a book on the iPad would not strain my eyes anymore than I’m used to. But some eBook enthusiasts might find that the Kindle’s e-ink display is a better fit.
  4. Am I willing to pay more (up front and per month) for 3G service? The iPad ships with Wi-Fi on April 3, and another version will ship with 3G capabilities later that month. If you’re always on the go and you plan to take your iPad with you, you may be considering a 3G iPad. So will you be able to tether your iPhone to your iPad and use your 3G service on both devices? Steve Jobs answered this question quite clearly: “No.” That means you are going to have to add $15 or $30 (depending on your usage) to your monthly expenses if you purchase a 3G iPad. That’s in addition to the higher cost of the 3G iPad itself. You can see the iPad pricing structure on the Apple site.
  5. Will I be able to sync apps between my iPhone and iPad? We already know that more than 150,000 apps from the App Store will be usable on the iPad, but if you have already purchased apps on your iPhone, will you be able to use them on the iPad as well without having to repurchase?

    Songs you purchase in iTunes can sync across five devices, so I would imagine the same would go for apps. Also, when you download an app, the purchase is stored in your iTunes account so that if you delete it, you can redownload it without having to pay again. Hopefully your purchase history will follow you to the iPad, though this question remains unanswered as of this writing.

So will you buy an iPad in addition to your iPhone? What are some other questions to consider before buying an iPad? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments.

iPad vs iPhone

iPad vs iPhone

Apple today introduced the iPad, a device CEO Steve Jobs heralds as the middle-ground between a laptop and a smartphone. Based on the announcements so far, it looks like the iPad is a lot like a giant iPhone, minus the phone.

Here is a comparison of the iPad vs the iPhone. I will update this page as new details become available.

iPad vs iPhone: How do they compare?

Display: The iPad has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) Multi-Touch display, compared to iPhone’s 3.5-inch screen.

iPad Display

Apps: The iPad will run iPhone apps from the App Store, but Apple has also debuted a Software Development Kit for iPad-specific apps.

Typing: Just like iPhone, the iPad features a virtual keyboard. Steve Jobs demonstrated the keyboard by placing the iPad on his lap and typing. Jobs says the keyboard is “a dream to type on,” but I have my doubts. Imagine typing a long document with no physical keyboard. If you own an iPhone, you know how challenging this would be. Luckily, Apple is also introducing a keyboard dock for the iPad.

iPad Keyboard

Multitasking: The iPad does not support multitasking — running multiple apps at once — and neither does the iPhone. There is some speculation that Apple will introduce multitasking for iPhone soon.

Camera: Unfortunately, the iPad does NOT have a camera, while the iPhone has a camera, and the iPhone 3GS has a video camera.

Flash: Unbelievably, iPad does not have Flash support, and neither does iPhone.

Speed: The iPad sports a 1 GHZ processor, compared to iPhone’s 600 MHZ.

eBooks: Apple has introduced an eBook store for the iPad called… you guessed it… iBooks. iBooks will be available on both the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. You will presumably also be able to use the Kindle app for iPhone on the iPad. Could the iPad be a Kindle killer?

iPad iBooks

iWork: Jobs said he always wanted to include iWork, Apple’s Microsoft Office-equivalent, on the iPhone, but it just wasn’t practical. iWork is present on the iPad, though not on the iPhone.

iPad iWork

Capacity: The iPad will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. iPhone is currently available in 16GB and 32GB.

Wi-Fi: Both the iPad and the iPhone can pick up a Wi-Fi signal.

3G: iPad will be available with 3G, though you can also get an iPad without 3G for a lower price. The iPad’s 3G signal will be provided by AT&T, though unlike the iPhone, a contract will not be required and you can cancel any time.

Price:

The iPad pricing is as follows:

iPad Price

iPhone price varies depending on whether you buy the 3G or 3GS and whether you are starting a new contract with AT&T or upgrading. See the Apple Store for details.

iPad Video Demo

Check out Apple’s video demo of the iPad:

iPad vs iPhone: What do you think?

Is the iPad a revolution in computing? Or is iPhone good enough? Let me know what you think of Apple’s new iPad in the comments.