iPad: iWant one, iNeed one, iMediately

“I’m absolutely loving it so far,” says Matt Eastwood (left), vice chairman and national creative director of DDB, who bought his iPad from the US last week. No doubt just one of the advertising industry early adopters – which includes Lynchy of course – who couldn’t wait to get his hands on the fabulous iPad, which won’t be on sale in Australia until the end of May, if then.

Says Eastwood: “I’ve been using it in meetings to show content from youtube/websites etc. It’s been brilliant for diary and email management – the extra screen size is great. And I’ve been using it at home for reading books using the iBook store and Kindle app. I’ve also been reading magazines with the zinio app. And, as a blogger, I’ve been using it to update my blog. Huge fan.”

But is one enough? David Trewern (left), chief of DTDigital, Melbourne emailed CB: “We have 5 iPads floating about the office and with clients!”. And Trewern is sold: “The iPad is a game changer. It’s the closest computing has come to offering the simplicity, entertainment, and social qualities of the TV. It’s a ‘lean back’ media consumption and networking device.

“With total mobility and the power of the Internet at its core. It’s the computer you use when you’re not working at a desk. It may be a slow burn, but have no doubt that the iPad will be the start of another reinvention of digital media, one that is much more friendly to marketers than previous paradigms.”

Andy Flemming (left), senior creative at M&C Saatchi, Sydney is also a fan: “The iPad is the first generation of what is sure to be the death of print media. It’s that good. Within an hour, I’d downloaded about twenty comics, national newspapers, three novels and an amusing Dora the Explorer colouring book for the kids. It’s quick, very responsive and absolutely everyone wants to have a play. The video is good enough for us to have presented reference to a client yesterday, and the internet is lightning fast.

“I can genuinely see newspapers taking a look at how much they pay for printing presses and paper stock when the exact same product can be downloaded on to this thing for nothing. I think iBooks will soon include subscriptions to most of the world’s newspapers – and, of course, we’ll be responsible for the interactive ads that appear within those publications. Agencies that manage to get Ipad SDKs I’m sure will be very well rewarded in the future.

“The only problem is getting on to the sodding US Itunes site to grab the apps. There is a way though. Here’s a hint. Buy yourself some US Itunes gift cards and log in using those as a payment system. Trust me.

“In conclusion, well, it’s the future of what we do. Apart from the fact that you have to keep wiping the bloody thing it’s almost perfect.”

Adland headhunters FBI Recruitment have also embraced the technology. Senior FBI consultant Georgie McMaster (pictured left) said: “I’m a big fan, it’s going to making viewing and showing portfolios a much more convenient process, cutting out the need for clunky laptops and office computers”. 

Graham Nunn, CD of Funnel Productions, Sydney, bought one, but hasn’t seen it since: “I got a mate in San Francisco to send me one but I only kept it a couple of days until passing it over to my code writers. I’ve been working on an iPad app for the last couple of months and we’re currently at the testing stage. It worked fine on the app simulator but now that we’ve loaded it on to the iPad, a few minor glitches have shown up which we’re now fixing. Hope to submit it to Apple on the weekend.

“As far as the iPad itself goes, without being able to buy apps developed specifically for the iPad at the moment and without being able to buy books for it in Australia yet, it’s not much more than a large iPod Touch. Give it six months when the apps have been written for it. The interface is very fast and screen is fantastic. But right now, my iPhone is still the indispensible one.”

However, some top creatives, like Eastwood’s colleague Toby Talbot, ECD of DDB NewZealand, are not interested, at least yet: “Nah. Already got a MacBook Air and aniPhone. That’s quite enough toys. Matt is the ultimate early adopter.He had me try and get him one when I was in Miami during Axis week. Hadto be the first!”

Adds Jay Furby (left), ECD of JayGrey, Sydney: “In a world of global warming I think it might be a tad indulgent to own one while turning ones lights off for one hour a month…I love Apple and their innovations but I worry about the old story of who fed Eve her supper,when polar bears might soon be extinct ….and yes u can quote me.” – a message send to CB on his iPhone of course.