My thoughts after a couple days with the iPad.
My wife bought an iPad for me for Father’s Day. She can’t keep a secret so she gave it to me as soon as it arrived in the mail. I’ve had a couple days to play with it, which has given me time to reflect on what apps might do to domain names.
So far I’m going to agree with Jason Fry. Basically, the apps that correspond to web sites are subpar at best, and the actual web sites suffice. Score one for navigating by domain names.
That’s not to say that companies won’t try to move traffic from their web sites to paid apps. When I visit Cardinals.com to get a score update, I can’t view the score. Instead I see a message asking me to download MLB’s $15 iPad app. This sort of bastardization of the web, courtesy of Apple’s own ideas of what makes the web good (e.g. no Flash), does not result in a good user experience. Nonetheless, if I want to see how the Cardinals are doing, I either need to go to ESPN.com or buy MLB’s app.
But most apps are from big web sites. That just means less traffic for typosquatters since users will directly navigate to the content via an app instead of (mis)typing the domain names.
The iPad isn’t a Kindle killer, either. The iPad is a poor choice for an eBook reader if you read full length books. Compared to the Kindle it’s much heavier and bigger, strains your eyes, and can’t be read in sunlight. If people use these to read books we’re going to have a whole generation of people with long term wrist injuries. That said, the iPad presents a much better experience for reading news, which could cut into Kindle’s revenue for periodical subscriptions.
Aron says
Cards fan.
I knew there was a reason I liked you (besides domains).
😀
Aron
Chris says
Do you enjoy reading books on a Kindle? I still stick with the old school way: I read the book by holding the book.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Chris – I like the Kindle for two reasons:
1. It’s smaller than a book. Great for travel.
2. I can start reading a book the moment I think about it.
I don’t like it for a couple reasons:
1. I can’t share the book with someone else unless I lend them the Kindle
2. Somewhat hard to understand where you are in the book; more effort to mark things, etc.
Bryant S. says
I have never tried a Kindle. The thing that got me with Kindle is it has no color. Why buy any electronic with one color when you can have millions of color? I can say this, I bought an iPad and I love reading in the iBooks app. I do agree with you though that it can be difficult to read in the sun, because of the glare. I haven’t bought an anti-glare screen protector yet, but probably will. You also have to realize something the iPad is in a league of it’s own, its more than a Kindle. You can’t compare the two, if you do then you would have to concede the Kindle is a small part of what the iPad is.
Tommy says
The more time people spend on apps the less time they spend navigating the Internet. As people navigate the Internet less, the importance and relevance of a domain name decreases.
Domain owners often point towards print (newspapers, magazines) and say they don’t get it.
App developers point towards domain owners and say they don’t get it.
Why even pay $7 per year when I can use an IP address for the back end of an app.
Brad says
iPad = Highly Overrated
Brad
Domainer says
agree, the sales will eventually go down as people will start to realize it’s better to get a netbook + kindle for around the same price.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Domainer – depends on what you want to use it for. I still think the iPad is cool. I just won’t use it to read books.
StareClips.com says
@Bryant S.
The reason the Kindle (and most other e-Readers) are not in color is because the screens used are very new (expensive) technology.
The technology is designed to mimic paper. Hardcore readers normally look at a white piece of paper (which only reflects as much light as there is in the environment) with black non-reflective text. This is easiest on the eyes for hours and hours of reading.
Lit screens (laptop monitors, computer monitors, the iPad, etc…) whether they use OLED, LCD, or any other technology consists of photons being directly beamed at your eyes. Black exists where there are no photons… white exists where there are photos. To read “black text on white paper” on a screen like this, it’s like staring at a flashlight constantly.
This isn’t to say you can’t read on a computer monitor… people have been doing it for years… but it does cause more eye-strain than looking at a printed page.
So, the technology behind Kindle and Sony’s eReader, for instance, is special. When the screen is white, it’s not projecting photons at your eyes. It’s resembling paper. That’s why if you turn the lights off, you can’t read it (just like a physical book). It is specially meant to mimic a book to be easier on the eyes. Incidentally, it’s also why it isn’t as prone to “glare” as computer monitors and you can use a book light while reading in the dark, which would make no sense for a computer.
So, the iPad is about as much of an electronic book reader as a laptop, for instance. Yes, you can read… but it completely dismisses the years of effort and technology which went into mimicking the physical pages in a book on an electronic device.
This “e-ink” technology is recently capable of color… but it will take a little while before the price is at a reasonable range, since the technology is still so new.
Will people use the iPad to read books? Sure. Many will. However, they will be missing out on the technology which is designed for less eye-strain when doing hardcore reading. Casual reading or just skimming web pages? Not a problem on something like the iPad.
Andrew Allemann says
I agree with StareClips.
Look, the iPad is a fine device. I like it a lot. I’m just saying if you read standard full length books, the Kindle is better for that.
Bob Sargent says
The comments presented here appear to be from someone who has not (so far) spent a lot of time with an iPad. I’ve had my 3G iPad since launch and fall more in love with it every day.
While I can agree that in many instances a web page presents as well as an application, the browsing experience on an iPad is most excellent. I’ll carry my iPad around the house (and other places) with me and can enjoy that browsing experience within seconds of the thought of it. I don’t want to replace the web; I want it enhanced.
As for the kindle… I have one of those too. I have used it a lot in the time I’ve had it (kindle 1 so you know I’ve had it awhile). Now that I have an iPad and a couple of months experience with it, I’m giving my iPad to one of my daughters. The reading experience for Kindle books on the iPad is (in my opinion) superior to that of the Kindle itself. The instantaneous page access and the ability to easily browse the book archive, the speed of synchronization with my other devices… all these things add up to a wonderful reading experience.
All believe what you will. I believe that anyone who can approach an iPad with an open mind will find it an extremely versatile device that I, for one, don’t want to be without.
Adam Dicker says
Andrew:
I am using the Ipad with the MLB app and it’s fantastic, if you pay $99 you can watch all the games on live TV all year from anywhere. It’s truly amazing for a baseball fan.
Jason says
The Nook is far better. The Kindle looks like a toy. If you want something that looks and performs with quality, the Nook is the way to go.
As for the IPad, it make portability a problem. Imagine carrying a 9 inch machine back and forth to work.
I don’t know about others, but I like the Nook and the I-Phone much better. The IPAD is a nice gadget, but it only adds more to an already strained budget. The monthly bill:
ATT 3G on IPAD $$$
ATT 3G Mandatory Data on IPHONE $$$
ATT Home wireless service $$$
I would be paying for Internet services three times over again. The NOOK has free 3G/Wireless service. However, the Kindle is a nice eReader for those who like qwerty keyboards.
As for the IPAD, I’ll pass on it. I enjoy use my Apple Power G4 12. After 3 years, the computer is still working great. I prefer to type as opposed to touch a screen. I have an I-Phone to write, as well as to surf the web.
Cool article.
Jason
Aron _ Symbolics.com says
Oh Adam I didn’t need to hear this 🙂
Aron
Andrew Allemann says
I have a Roku, which let’s you stream MLB.tv directly to your TV. It’s nice.
roddy says
has anyone seen a mobile script phone ?
do the google , it’s worth seeing the future of the web
Zainab Khan says
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