Toolbox Studios Blog

Reprint: The iPad was designed to be an Amazon Kindle killer

Editor's Note: this article originally appeared on Rob Simons Says back in April, 2010

by Rob Simons

After my first week with the iPad, I’m still pondering the most basic question, “What is the primary purpose and vision of the iPad?” I’m on my first trip with the iPad and I can’t quite figure out how it fits into my array of gadgets. The obvious answers include: an eReader, an Internet device, a mini-laptop (netbook), a multimedia player (photos, videos, audio) or a gaming device. I’m sure the practical answer is some combination of all of the above. But what was Steve Job’s vision for this device? And how does that vision work out in reality?

For this four day business trip to New York and Chicago, I have an impressive arsenal of computing power, including: my trusty iPhone 3GS, 17″ MacBook Pro, iPad, iPod Shuffle, Magic Mouse, Canon Digital Elph SD990 IS and Sprint Overdrive 4g Wifi device. I decided at the last minute to leave my Amazon Kindle at home (probably a foreshadowing of my conclusion, below). With these devices my briefcase makes me a chiropractor’s dream client.

A lot of online conversations have described the iPad as a device for consuming content. It’s hard to argue

Reprint: The Apple iPad First Impressions

Editor's Note: this article originally appeared on Rob Simons Says

by Rob Simons

As someone who remembers the excitement of upgrading from an Apple II+ to and Apple IIe – and just about every Apple device since then – I think it speaks volumes when I report that the new iPad completely exceeds my expectations for an Apple device. Considering the hype and online buzz that has been building for the past six months, the bar was pretty high for this half-inch thick device that is slightly smaller than a sheet of paper. And while the iPad is not perfect, many of the initial shortcomings that I’ve identified will fade with changes to online content and technology.

The Apple Brand Experience
First, I have to admit that my heart probably skipped a few beats when I saw the brown UPS truck pull up in the parking lot at my office. How many brands can elicit that kind of excitement about the delivery truck? And kudos to UPS, they really did a nice job handling the overwhelming task of delivering hundreds of thousands of iPads on a Saturday. I posted a Tweet about my upcoming iPad delivery from UPS and I

Toolbox’s Rob Simons on digital publishing

If you've been keeping up with our blog, you’ll know that a big part of our work is helping publishers connect with their readers, and that a big part of that connection is coming up with e-reading strategies and tactics that work across multiple devices and form factors. Some of our latest work, from creating iPhone UI and UX design, to designing entire social media sites, to designing UI and UX for browser and desktop-based e-reading apps, shows we're up to the challenge.

Local columnist Alan Weinkrantz recently tapped Toolbox Studios’ Rob Simons for his opinion on the latest form factor to influence reading: the iPad:

“Rob Simons, president of Toolbox Studios Inc., is working with publishers transitioning to the digital world. After one month of using his iPad, he sees the device as one that is going to have an impact on consumer behavior in how they consume content. In showing his iPad to friends the first few days he had the device, Simons told me that he was surprised as to the number of non-techie types who would not traditionally be considered as early adapters expressing an interest in buying the iPad. He told me they liked the ease of use in checking and sending e-mail, using applications like Facebook and viewing photos.... Simons sees the notion of reading a book becoming one that is more social: you can not only read a book, but engage, comment and socialize with fellow readers.”

You can catch Alan’s entire article here on mysanantonio.com.

Alan Weinkrantz is a strategic public relations and social media adviser to U.S. and Israeli companies, and currently a guest lecturer at UTSA. Read more at alanweinkrantz.com or on Twitter: twitter.com/alanweinkrantz.

More iPad reflections from Rob Simons in our next blogpost....

Paul blogs on Texas Book Festival, and the present and future of books

Toolbox Creative Director Paul Soupiset and marketing guru Bob Carlton recently presented a morning workshop on the present and future of books, new media literacy, and transmedia storytelling. Paul blogged about it this week and pointed us to a great example of a place where transmedia meets our current technological frames of reference:

"Recently on a Saturday morning in Austin, I got together with client/friend/marketing genius Bob Carlton (Austin’s expert on eBooks and the future of eReading) to present a morning workshop on the present and future of books, new media literacy, and transmedia storytelling. Our audience wasn’t a random group of conference attendees, but rather we were presenting to the board of directors of the Texas Book Festival — a brilliant, fun and creative group of book lovers who facilitate one of the premier literary events in the country, annually hosting over 200 Texas and nationally known authors.

There, Bob described a term that was new to me, one which instantly made sense. He pointed out that, when it comes to books, we are in a [read the rest of the story on soupablog]