If anything, January 27 was a special day for the tech world. The iPad was launched under the eyes of the world and many things became clear for us gadget freaks. Yes, Apple was working on a tablet device for years. Yes, it would revolutionize the way we interact with computers. Yes, this might be the first tablet device to actually succeed in the mainstream consumer market. Yes, it would be a 3G connected internet device with communication facilities. But no, unlike all other Apple devices it would not include a built-in iSight webcam camera. Whoa! What just happened here?

Yes, people were a bit perplexed about this one. How could Apple not include something so basic and simple? The costs of an iSight camera are relatively low and everyone uses their webcams these days for video conferencing. It’s become a basic requirement for mobile devices!

The iSight is in fact coming to the iPad

Well, someone might be misinforming the public here. Because the iPad that Steve Jobs was holding in his hands in fact contained a camera. If you look at the photo from the iPad launch you can clearly see a gray circular spot in the center top of the device. That’s an iSight 1.3-megapixel camera. In addition, TechCrunch and Engadget discovered that the iPhone OS 3.2 bet, pa (which is written for the iPad)  includes code for videoconferencing and video calls. Moreover, Apple repair firm Mission Repair reported that it received parts for the iPad including an empty spot at the top in which a standard Apple iSight camera fits. In addition, last Monday the Apple blog PowerBookMedic reported to have received these photos of the Apple iPad plastic frame:

iPad with camera in retail outlets

Will the iPad that hits retail stores in April of this year then actually include the camera? Maybe yes, maybe no. It is more probable that this is a further developed prototype for shipment later. It could be the follow-up to the first iPad similar like the iPhone 3GS came after the original iPhone. Until any iPad hits retail stores, we can only hope that a camera will be included.

Come on, Steve, simple video conferencing on our iPad, it’s not too much to ask for, now is it?

What do you think of Apple’s choice to possibly not include a camera in the first version of the iPad? Smart or ridiculous? Tell me in the comments!

Apple has started its promotion campaign for its much anticipated (and slightly hyped) iPad tablet device with a prime time advert at the Academy Awards Oscars 2010. Over 40 million Americans saw the advert and many more will watch it in replay online. In addition, “Meet the iPad”, as the ad is called, will be run on American television more times in the coming months

The commercial ad features the track “There Goes My Love” by Danish blues-rock band The Blue Van and is 30-seconds long.

The ad shows us how to unlock the device, browse through our photos on iPhoto, read and buy books in the iBookstore, use the browser to read The New York Times, watch movies, use the iCalendar, locate ourselves on Google Maps, physically rotate the device and having the screen move with it, read our email, use iWorks to create documents and presentations and use the on-screen keyboard. It finishes with the iPad’s D-Day: April 3.

A bit surprisingly Apple doesn’t show us what everyone has been talking about in the last few weeks: magazines, and how their digital usability experience might be superior on the iPad. Apple probably feels it’s too early for this, considering there’s not enough magazines out there that will be publishing for the iPad, Apple might not want to create any expectations it cannot fulfill.

Overall, it looks like a good way to quickly stir up some attention for the device with mainstream consumers.

Remember, us techie readers and bloggers know about this device, the mainstream has probably just barely heard about it. They need to be informed, involved and shown why it’s the next big thing in mobile computing for them. Has Apple succeeded in that with this ad? Tell me if you think so in the comments.

In less than ten years, physical music stores were almost completely replaced by online music sharing services and download stores like iTunes and AmazonMP3. With the advent of e-ink and e-book readers such as the Kindle, the same transition to the online realm has started to take place for books. And today we’re at the brink of the next transition of content to move into the digital realm; yes, we’re talking about print magazines.

Condé Nast, publisher of magazines including Vogue, Wired and Glamour has announced it will begin making some of its magazines available for the Apple iPad, beginning this April. The first titles to be published will be the April edition of GQ followed by Vanity Fair for June and The New Yorker and Glamour following soon after. GQ has been already available on the iPhone as an app previously. WIRED will be hitting the iPad in June.

WIRED leading the way

Condé Nast is one of the first to adopt the iPad as a magazine publishing platform. Its technology imprint WIRED has been leading the way with an enthusiastic reception of the iPad in its editorials and a very refreshing opinion in how it can change the way magazines are published. Its editor-in-chief Chris Anderson called it a ‘game changer’ in magazine publishing. A few weeks ago, WIRED already presented a demonstration version of its magazine, made in Adobe Flash, and shown on a supersized screen symbolizing the iPad. This demonstration showed the digital magazines can include special dynamic content previously deemed impossible in print. Video advertisements and moving pictures were some of the dynamic features.

The iPad runs are part of a test which will run until October of this year at least, according to an internal memo. However, if they deem successful they will most certainly continue.

Laggards and pioneers

Like with all transitions, there are pioneers and laggards. Condé Nast is very smart in embracing this technology instead of fighting it; with this stand, it can most certainly become a pioneer in digital publishing. It can lay the groundwork for how future publishers will make their magazine content available on devices like the iPad.  Most other publishers are laggards and are not nearly as far as Condé Nast in how it prioritizes its tablet strategy and already experiments with it. I mean, it is only about a month after we were actually confirmed an iPad was coming and they are already jumping on it like this. Their pioneering strategy demands respect. Publishers of the world: keep a close eye on what is happening here.

How do you see the landscape of print magazines change by the introduction of the iPad? Will print magazines die out completely and be replaced by digital more dynamic versions? Or will things not take off as much as we think and will the magazine fail on a digital device? I’d like to know what you think. Tell me in the comments!

With the advent of the web, comic books experienced quite a revitalization after fans started scanning them, posting them up in online comic communities and making them available for everyone to read. To avoid being late for the party as music publishers were with online music sharing, comic publishers like Marvel quickly stepped in and started publishing their comics digitally. Marvel has been selling them through its store Digital Comics since 2007 already.

Your PC display won’t cut it

Just like with e-books, a computer screen just isn’t the most comfortable way to read a comic. Computer displays tire your eyes quickly, especially when you’re reading content. And the fact that you can’t really hold your computer like you would a comic doesn’t help the viewing experience either.

Panelfly on the iPhone

Now the iPhone was mostly meant to be used as phone, a digital communication device and to quickly browse the web. However, data shows that a high proportion of users actually use their iPhone to read e-books, comic books and magazines; and lots of them. Applications like Panelfly make it possible to download, save and read comics on the iPhone with great simplicity. All good, right? Well, that iPhone screens just seems a tad bit too tiny to read a comic on that is supposed to be the size of a Letter or A4 page.

The iPad and comics

Here’s the good news: Panelfly announced they are developing an iPad version of their comic book application. The iPad is perfect read comics on. Just like with your comic book you can walk around, lie down or put it against the wall while you read it. The app will feature an interface matched to the iPad; details are scarce but it seems to be looking really good according to Gizmodo. Panelfly already supports Marvel Comics, so you can buy those with ease. Details on how purchasing comics will happen on the iPad with Panelfly are still unknown.

Apple has remained silent if it will include comic books in the announced iBookstore. Many sources say they won’t, as the iBookstore app just is not optimized for the multimedial experience comics can bring.

The future is dynamic content

Seeing how magazine publishers are already mentioning adding dynamic multimedia objects in their magazines like audio and video, I can only speculate that the same thing might happen to digital comics in the future. What about moving to the next page of your comic and seeing Batman jump in to the page fighting the Riddler for some seconds, then slowing down and changing into a still comic book page again? I can’t wait!

Have you been reading comics on your iPhone or other mobile device? Does it work for you and how do you expect the iPad to change things for comic readers around the world? Tell me in the comments!