How screenwriters will use the iPad
A few thoughts on Apple’s new tablet, and how we’ll be using it in a few months.
It should be terrific for reading scripts. Right now, the big Kindle DX does a credible job with screenplays. It’s $489. The iPad is only $10 more, and can handle mail, web, video and a lot more. A few weeks ago, I wrote about reading scripts on laptops turned sideways. The iPad is the elegant version of this solution.
While you probably won’t write write a screenplay on it, you could easily make minor changes to a script right on the iPad. If Pages and Numbers can run on the iPad, a credible screenwriting app should be possible. (There’s already a poky one for the iPhone that can handle Final Draft files.)
It will be useful for pitches. A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting and wanted to show the team what I envisioned for a specific monster. I passed around my iPhone. An iPad would have been ideal.
The touch screen feels ripe for an index card/outlining application. Virtual corkboard, virtual cards. Go.
One TV show will use it on-camera by the end of the season. I suspect it will be one of the CBS crime procedurals. We’ll notice it the first few times it shows up, then it will become commonplace, the way TV characters are always on iPhones.
While it’s never going to have the detail of a Wacom tablet, I can envision a lot of storyboarding and shot-planning happening on the iPad. A touch interface is very natural way to approach angles and spatial composition.
Scaling up blows. While you can run any iPhone app on the iPad, things with text look pretty crappy. Most developers will want to do a new version for the iPad.
Comic books. They’re going to look great on it. Marvel and DC need to offer subscriptions and all-you-can-eat plans. (Update: Marvel already does.)
I don’t know that the iPad is going to save print media in general, but many film-focussed magazines would probably work as well or better in this format. Right now, I read DV Magazine in its online, Flash-based form, and it’s a surprisingly good experience.
There’s still room for the Kindle. The Kindle’s e-ink screen is great for reading traditional, linear books. Amazon’s selection for the Kindle is great, and the fact that they already make a good Kindle reader app for the iPhone means they’ll be able to bring that selection through to the iPad. I like that there’s going to be competition right from the start.
“Fine, but I’ll wait for version 2.0.” That’s great. I’ll enjoy using version 1.0 for a year, then get the new model when it comes out. Particularly since you don’t have to buy it with a wireless contract, there’s no penalty for upgrading.
Articles
January 28th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
not directly related to screenwriters, but I’m sure this is of great interest to on set script supervisors, too. Many have already switched to windows based tablets. An iPad could (potentially) offer an even richer experience…
January 28th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Marvel already does this. http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/
January 28th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Too bad it doesn’t support Flash.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
The keyboard dock and its bluetoothability mean it may even be useful as a primary content creator. I am imagining a single wireless keyboard in the study, sitting down, propping up the pad, and getting to work.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Thing about iPad as opposed to the iPhone, I imagine version 2.0 will be just as good as a software update, probably just better battery life and worked out bugs in the hardware, especially if you just get the WiFi. The whole point for me would be a mobile reader/minimal editor, as currently I don’t have a laptop.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Regarding #8:
I’d love to see an iPad version of this:
http://www.cinemek.com/storyboard/index.php
January 28th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
I absolutely hate reading screenplays at my desk. With the introduction of the iPad I’m now tossing it into my comparisons with the Kindle DX. I still haven’t decided if reading screenplays on a computer is annoying because I can’t get comfortable at a desk or if it’s the bright light. Kindle seems the way to go for reading books and scripts to reduce eye strain, and I LOVE the battery life they claim, but the iPad has so much more functionality. I don’t care about the 3G really. I can’t “work” on it, so wireless would work for watching videos and movies, etc. Again, technology has thrown in a wrench which disallows me to make a decision. OY.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
On #4: I’d love to see an iPad version of Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.html), which has a neat corkboard option already.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
On the storyboarding point, I think many artists would prefer a ModBook, for the stylus/Wacom interaction. Granted, if someone had an iPad on set and wanted to quickly change a scanned storyboard, I’m sure they could index-finger it out satisfactorily.
I was holding off on getting a “travel workstation” until I knew the details of the iPad, but now that I do, I’ll probably go with the ModBook.
However, I don’t write as much anymore.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I meant #6, if you could correct it and delete this comment.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
@Kris:
As a lot of people have pointed out, in order to support Flash, Apple would have to put a lot of trust and faith in a plug-in that’s notoriously resource-greedy.
YouTube and Vimeo have non-Flash versions. I bet we’ll see non-Flash versions of many other things (Hulu?) shortly after launch.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
“Fine, but I’ll wait for version 2.0.” That’s great. I’ll enjoy using version 1.0 for a year, then get the new model when it comes out. Particularly since you don’t have to buy it with a wireless contract, there’s no penalty for upgrading.
Yikes, first time I’ve seen you flaunt how much excess money you have as opposed to your readers. We get it, they could come out with a new version every month and you’ll enjoy it each time.
Not sure if yesterday’s presentation totally sold me. But I’m guessing when I touch it, I’ll find an excuse to take the credit card out.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I immediately thought “that’s going to look great on CSI NY”.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I expect a version 1.0 of the iPad to be better than iPhone version 1.0 was; simply because they’ve learned the drill via the iPhone generations 1-3.
Would love to see a corkboard app and a legitimate Final Draft app., eventually. Even if it couldn’t be the full version, if it’s something we can use to work on while we’re away from our computer, I’d be happy. The keyboard dock would make this very usable.
There! I’ve justified a version 1.0 purchase!
January 28th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
The touch interface is essentially the same as the iPhone. I have no doubt that more complex gesturing will be implemented in future versions, including proximity detection, which means hovering your fingers over the screen will be an interactive control gesture (e.g. will allow submenus, or in paint programs will allow pressure sensitivity).
We will all look like magicians waving our hands with complex finger gestures over the magical screen, making incredible things happen right before our eyes.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I use Screenplay on my iPod and I find it great. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that Final Draft does, but it’s got a lot of growth potential. I can see writing an entire script on the iPad if they customize the software for the iPad. The makers even have a forum where you can suggest features you’d like to see. I suggested a link to Dropbox, which would be a huge feature for me, and I’m guessing others.
And John, Index cards etc, is apparently going to be included in the next version. The same company also sells Manuscript, which is great for writing books.
And no, I’m not affiliated with them in any way.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I was a little disappointed. Maybe I’m missing something but it literally looked like a large iPhone. I would have preferred for them to go the other direction and make a smaller laptop that could run normal software that Mac’s run – like Final Draft. Now it’s stuck with the app store. Why couldn’t they have made a device that was a small laptop that runs things from the app store too?
I haven’t actually held one, but one of the things I don’t like about my iPhone is that it’s so rounded and slick so it’s actually hard to hold. I feel like it’s going to slip out of my hands. The iPad looks like it would be hard to hold, unlike the Kindle.
With that said I’ll probably buy one, too. I do so much stuff on my iPhone that having a large iPhone will come in handy.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Storyboarding, Script Editing and Outlining would be great. I’d hope that someone comes out with a PDF reader that allows for scribbling of notes on top.
The iPad really is a netbook disguised as a tablet. For most people, it has enough oomph to get the jobs (e-mail, internet, light document creation, music listening, and photos) done they need. Most of the detractor’s complaints are summed up as “This is not a laptop!”
As for the complaint of “No Flash!” I think most people get by, considering there is a YouTube app and more sites are turning over to HTML5-based video. There are rare instances where you’ll find yourself stuck on a site that uses Flash navigation, but that’s better than the device overheating and sucking the battery dead.
I’ll be curious to see what happens in 60 days when the iPad is released.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
@Ashley: Yeah. I think the problem is that they released the Air, and made it so expensive to make that it isn’t actually as cheap as a NetBook should be. I guess they think they can’t release a full on NetBook in the iPad, but it has to be around the corner, and conceivably just a software upgrade away. But you never know, what with a full OS draining battery etc.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Dead-on with your TV prediction, John. 24′s DP Rodney Charters was Tweeting the other day that they should be showcasing the iPad towards the end of this season.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Ashley, the thing that changed my mind about the iPad was seeing iWork. I think you’ll see a lot more complicated apps coming out for the iPad that will make it act a lot more like a laptop, and less like an iPhone/iPod. My only problem is there is no central place to place files, so how to you take one file from one app to another, if needed?
I can see it being a second computer, though, and one that has the plus of running great apps. I can also see it as something for students, instead of spending extra for a laptop.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Mariner Software needs to get crackin’ on their iPad version of Montage, which — in this writer’s not-so-humble opinion — kicks the everliving shit out of Final Draft. (And does back-and-forth compatibility with it while doing so.)
January 28th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
When I went to the link for the Marvel Comics Unlimited, there’s a little requirement that says Adobe Flash Player. Hmmmmm, how is this going to work. Are they going to change the format?
January 28th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Looking through your RSS feed’s last 20 or so headlines, the ratio of posts aimed to make your readers better screenwriters versus posts endorsing marginally useful products, promoting industry awards/film festivals, or generally towing the studio line is, well, disheartening.
John, I get the feeling you’d make a great tobacco lobbyist.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
The tablet could become a go-to tool for production. In addition to the Scripty already mentioned, imagine the AD, production designer, line producer, and director all sharing apps with a production schedule strip-board app, breakdown of props, storyboards, shot lists, etc. The iPhone had some of these functions (Hitchcock storyboards, for example) but the form factor was too limiting for scheduling. The iPad looks big enough for these kinds of functions but still small enough to keep up with a film shoot.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
In reference to #7 “Scaling Up Blows”: It’s not about developers creating a duplicate app for the iPad, but consumers having to pay for that app twice.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
@Josh:
My only car is a seven-year old Prius. I’m not flaunting riches.
I strongly suspect the iPad will get refreshed once a year, just like iPods and iPhones. So for 12 months, you can own the latest-and-greatest one that exists.
It’s $500. For a piece of computer equipment, that’s not a lot, and there’s nothing forcing you to upgrade if you don’t want to. It’s certainly reasonable to expect that a lot of users will upgrade every other generation.
I suspect a lot of the “I’ll wait until…” comes from a psychological desire not to look foolish when a better/cheaper version comes. Which it inevitably will.
@Ashley:
The consensus of people who’ve held it is that the iPhone feels like a scaled-down iPad. A subtle-but-important distinction.
@Toaster27:
Anything you can do in Flash, you can do in Objective-C (or Javascript, using an embedded Webkit). That’s an overstatement, certainly: some things are much better suited to Flash.
But a comic book? No sweat.
I strongly suspect it will be worth it for Marvel and DC and Vertigo to make a new version for the iPad. They’re essentially serving up images. Wrap it in an application and charge for it. I’d love for this to be the first thing I buy when I get it.
@Travis:
Then stop reading. Really. Or perhaps look through the other 1000+ articles I’ve written on this site.
@HeatherFlyte:
By all indications, developers can create a universal app that will display itself properly on either device. For some apps, that will be the way to go. Other apps may decide to have separate versions.
And for a lot of the 99-cent apps, I think they deserve another almost-buck if they’re useful.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
re: #5 Greg Berlanti’s pilot script has a character specifically using “an Apple tablet” throughout the story. It’s already happening.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
What I think should be great for a lot of people is that the iPad is, as far as I can tell, the first reasonable replacement for children’s books. Full size, full color children’s ebooks sounds like a truly excellent selling point to me, and I don’t even have kids. Apple’s tight relationship with Disney/Pixar could be a great boon here.
I’d hope regular ebook would be more ready to integrate graphics as well. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has images sprinkled through it, and it’s absolutely delightful. One christmas I got an annotated version of The Da Vinci Code that had the painting in it, and while I hated the book, it was nice to be able to look at the painting they were talking about while they were talking about it. Since there’s no extra cost to include color graphics, I would hope ebook will start incorporating them as flourishes for the text.
I’m really interesting in seeing how publishing changes from here on out.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Yes, HTML5 is gradually becoming more common, but much of the web is still built on Flash. Apple isn’t releasing this device in 2013; they’re releasing it right now, and they’re calling it the “ultimate web-browsing tool” despite the fact that it’s crippled for a great many sites. That strikes me as disingenuous.
I think there are a lot of great things about the iPad, but Apple is biting off more than they can chew with the marketing. Why not pitch it as an eBook reader that also does a few other great things that the Kindle doesn’t do? Why does it have to be the netbook-killer when it performs so few of the functions that make netbooks popular?
January 28th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
We have an iPhone app with Marvel already on it, and have already begun planning our iPad version. Check out our concept video: http://vimeo.com/9029643
January 28th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
There will never flash on an iPhone/iPod/iPad and it doesn’t have anything to do with the performance of the device. It has to do with $$$. Why would you pay 99¢ for game X when a similar on is free as a flash webapp? Why would pay $1.99 for an episode of The Office when it’s free on Hulu?
I’m still going to get one. I don’t actually visit many sites that have flash if I’m casually browsing.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
John, Great post. Especially agree with your thoughts on it’s usefulness for pitching. My wife and I just blogged about how pitching a show at CBS turned into a nightmare when the room was too cramped for me to run through the presentation on my laptop…an iPad would’ve saved the day.
You can check it out here: http://www.jokeandbiagio.com/pitch-your-big-ideas-with-an-ipad
Thanks for speaking up on behalf of the iPad. We feel like it’s going to be a great asset to all of our presentations.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Almost-buck! :)
January 28th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Oh, John, stop wetting your pants over the new gadget in your life. And I’m with Travis: THIS SITE USED TO BE ALMOST COOL, BUT LATELY IT PLAIN SUCKS ASS. No pun intended.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Apple has screwed the pooch….
If they made a simple, disruptive, assumption they could have made the iPad (brandspeak name) a killer convergence device…assume that all iPad users have an iPhone and store their media in iTunes. Apple has earned the right to release a mainstream device while also giving the finger to non-mac and/or non iphone folks…that community is more valuable (apple built it) than the ‘open’ community they tap via ipod.
Features I think would make the iPad killer…
-Connect to HDTV via HDMI -Connect to iPhone via Bluetooth -Ability to act as iPhone remote display -Ability to act as wifi hub -Abilty to be home networking device -Digital hub sub-devices (think HDMI receiver that connects via Wireless-N to the iPAD and delivers HDTV or audio content to devices) -TIVO killer functionality…
Generally I was expecting a lot MORE of the platform approach around which devices could be developed…
January 29th, 2010 at 12:13 am
Travis: I agree, the tone of the site has changed a lot over the last year, but maybe there aren’t any more screenwriting questions to be answered? Jane Espenson stopped blogging altogether a year (or so) ago because she felt she had sad anything. I don’t know. The one thing, I would have liked to see more of are the how-to-videos; those were really helpful.
And, no offense, John, but “That’s great. I’ll enjoy using version 1.0 for a year, then get the new model when it comes out.” makes you sound a bit cocky. Most people, and probably most of your readers, can’t afford to spend 500 bucks a year on a “gadget”. Personally, I see the iPad as a good idea but so far I’m not really convinced of the execution — so I’d rather wait a year and continue to use my iMac / notebook for the time being, instead of investing money in something I know will be a lot better in 2011.
January 29th, 2010 at 1:11 am
@Rodrigues I’m with John. Stop reading. Do you really expect him to rehash old material just to make you happy? There’s an adage that 3/4′s of news is new. When people start asking new and relevant questions I’m sure John will be more than happy to answer them.
Also, there’s another adage that the pun is the lowest form of humor (intentional or otherwise).
January 29th, 2010 at 2:43 am
@Travis – that’s a dumb thing to say. It’s John’s blog, he can write whatever he wants. Don’t like it, don’t read it. Go write your screenplay instead. As for the article – he’s reviewed a major new product from the point of view of a top screenwriter. Why would you not be interested in that?
January 29th, 2010 at 6:41 am
I just noticed – does “no multitasking” mean that you can’t even listen to music while surfing?
January 29th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Wow, the divisiveness of this device is really hitting every corner of the internet community. Who knew an Apple tablet would open up a referendum on the existence of this site?
Anyway, this is my first time here because I was thinking the exact same thing about the iPad. A quick google lands here.
I have been waiting a long time for a mobile screenwriting application, it’s basically been my reason for buying these devices over time. I should mention I haven’t written a screenplay in years, but I’m very picky about my toolset. I did the Palm thing for a while, trying to bang out notes and unformatted scripts. It was a nightmare. Borrowed a friend’s iPaq long ago, blech. The iPhone has been the only handheld I’ve actually been able to sustain writing on. I absolutely love it and am reaching for it more often than my notebook these days.
Now as for screenwriting, I have tried the Screenplay iPhone app by Black Mana Software. @Tim W., I’ll have to respectfully disagree with it being great. The trouble with screenplay formatting is that it’s a database of characters, locations, times of day, and a bunch of other snippets. The magic behind desktop editors is that they mask the database aspect and make it feel like you are typing on a blank page. Black Mana’s Screenplay feels like a database app, jumping through menus to pick characters and such. This breaks my flow way too much. When (not if) someone comes up with an interface on the iPad that feels like you’re writing on a page, it will be a phenomenal tool.
Screenplay, I should mention, is worth the $7.99 for the ability to read scripts alone. I find writing a bit wonky, but importing script brings up a great scrolling view mode that is the perfect size for the screen. It beats the hell out of pinching and zooming a PDF on the little screen.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Ths issue with Flash isn’t what it can do vs. what can be done in Objective C (which limits you to iPhone) or Javascript and HTML5 (which gives you a few different “write once, deploy everywhere” platforms that create a wrapper around a WebKit engine like Appcelerator Titanium and AppCage).
The issue with Flash is the HUGE installed base of legacy flash apps that iPhone/iPad users do not have access to. As many reports have pointed out, one of the “gotcha” moments in the Steve Jobs presentation was going to the New York Times web site and getting a “missing plugin” icon where a flash movie was.
If you use the Flashblock extension for Firefox, you’ll be surprised to see Flash in places you never expected it.
It is a resource hog, but right now either all the Flash content on the web has to be recoded to accomodate iPhone owners (who are still a very small portion of web surfers overall) or iPhone owners have to do without. In the meantime, phones are getting faster and faster processors and Adobe’s working to get Flash on Android.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Yesterday I read a hilarious comment, maybe at Slate, I don’t know, that commented on the name and asked, “Do any women work at apple?” Now every time I see the word iPad, I get distracted, and not in a good way. So, ignoring the fact that it now makes me think of a giant maxi pad, my big problem was that I couldn’t figure out what this thing was good for, so thanks John for demystifying a bit. I think it will be most useful for pitching since you can just hold it up and show a visual and keep moving. Would love to hear more about how you’ll be using it for that purpose, so if you can take a moment to share, I’d appreciate it.
@ Josh. Really? If John drove a brand new Bentley, that would be his business, but you’re upset that he might buy a $500 device this year and buy another one next year? That’s about $50 a month. The average person could set aside that much if they really wanted to. Or they might decide that they have other financial priorities, none of which has anything to do with John and his financial priorities. It’s wroth noting thatf your goal is to work in Hollywood, one thing you should know is that, odds are that at some point, a friend will be making many times more money than you are. I have friends who are multi-millionaires, which I am not, and if they had to hide their houses, vacations, ability to eat out more often than me, etc from me, it would be hard for us to be friends. Being comfortable with wealth, including other peoples, is an important skill to have in a business that makes many people rich (or at least comfy) while many others struggle to get by. It’s life.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I couldn’t agree more, John – except that two of the things that excites me most about the iPad are that you can add either a wireless Bluetooth keyboard or a keyboard dock for $69, and an iPad-optimized version of (Word-compatible) Pages for word processing and layout for $10. That’s awesome. (And hopefully means it’s just a matter of time before we see a Final Draft app.)
I gotta say I’m mystified by the hostility of the naysayers (here and across the web). I think you hit the nail on the head by comparing the iPad to the similarly priced Kindle DX. The contrast is striking. Even if the iPad was simply a media tablet (for watching movies, listening to music, reading books), show me another product that comes close to a 9.7″ LED LCD, half-and-inch thick, with WiFi, 16 GB storage and a 10-hour battery for $499. Oh wait, it’s also a touchscreen internet browser? That runs 180,000+ apps? Boom.
As for the folks who are specifically complaining about the lack of Flash support, this is a far bigger problem for web publishers than it is for Apple. Over 75 million iPhone OS devices have already been sold, and here comes the iPad. Do you really think companies like Hulu are going to just stand by while the iPlatform continues to explode, and they get left behind? Apple knows exactly what they’re doing, and we’ll see Hulu go H.264 by summer (like YouTube’s already doing).
January 29th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I think one of the fundamental wows of this for me was the massive possibilties it shows for indie filmmakers on sets.
Not only scripts, I see this used for slates, continuity, and even clip viewing (on tapeless digital productions as I see many indie films are and will be). A full 1920×1080 tablet (or at least 1280×720) is hopefully in the future, which will help.
Digitally revised call sheets and even sides, contracts, reports, etc can be communicated more or less immediately from the 2nd AD (or whomever) to the 1st or continuity or scrip sup.
And storyboards? Seems like it’s made for it.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Jonathan Poritsky, I think the issue you have with screenplay is not really with the software but with the limitations of writing on the small screen. The first version of Screenplay DID have everything on the screen, but I found it difficult to figure out where I was and it felt a little cramped. The updated version, which I’m guessing you tried, does have you go to separate screens, but I find it better than what it did originally. And, as I said, that’s mostly due to the small screen. They makers have said that they are currently working on a iPad version, and I;m looking forward to seeing it. I’m guessing it will be all on one screen, because it’s such a bigger screen.
The lack of Flash is a big downer for iPhone/iPad, especially when the iPad is being touted as the best way to browse the web. And while I understand it, I wonder whether Jobs is simply being too stubborn about it. Still, it won’t stop me from getting an iPad when it’s time for me to do it. With two kids in our house, when they get older, I’d rather buy an extra iPad than an extra computer.
Travis and Rodrigues, when you start paying for the content on John’s site, then maybe you can complain. As it is you’re whining because a very busy guy who goes out of his way to help people he doesn’t know, and gets nothing in return, isn’t writing what you want. You are the types of guys who get saved from a fire by a passerby and then sue them for not going back and getting your goldfish.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Wonderful site, John. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
As for the iPad, I think there are 2 glaring deficiencies with the 1st generation models that I pray will be fixed up in subsequent incarnations:
1) There’s no true “pad” aspect to the iPad. Clearly the name and size are meant to invoke images of a pad of paper, but if that’s the case, why isn’t there a pen attachment? As a screenwriting device, it would incredibly handy to be able to read a screenplay in pdf format on the iPad and be able to hand write notes directly on the screen. This would save folks a ton of paper.
2) There’s no webcam. If Apple wants the iPad to be a viable option to a Netbook then they really should have a camera like most Netbooks do. Skyping is a major part of business and social life these days and without a webcam the iPad is truly lacking.
That being said, I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these things.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
@Tim W. Very cool info. Good to know Black Mana is gearing up for iPad development. I can’t wait to see what they can come up with for it.
I think in general the response from iPhone Developers has been VERY positive, which is probably the most important thing about this announcement. The people who have made the iPhone so valuable are amped to begin new projects for iPad. The people who keep reprising the “it’s a giant iPod Touch/iPhone” negative mantra should look at an iPod Touch again. Who wouldn’t want a bigger one?
Look at how many things it can do?! Like write a forkin’ screenplay! Hrmm, start your car, solve depth-of-field equations on set, draw storyboards, create 3 New Yorker covers, take photos good enough to publish (Chase Jarvis’s book is a fun one). Geotag your photos from another camera, find discounted drinks at nearby bars, teach you first aid when you’re stuck in rubble in Haiti (true story!).
So yeah, supersize one of those for me.
January 30th, 2010 at 3:14 am
I have a HP Pavilion Tablet Pc that is perfect for reading scripts, writing screenplays, has touch screen works with fingers and a tablet pen, the screen can be flipped to make it like an iPad, I draw storyboards on it, is 64bit with 4GB Ram and can run all sorts of graphic relative applications.
Only difference is it is not as slim as an iPad, it’s not an Apple product, has Windows 7 on it (if you are a Mac fan) and gets a bit warm if you run more than 2 hours (if you use it directly on your lap; I usually have a base I bought from ikea).
It is definitely worth a try, I love this laptop since I bought it. It made it easier for me to finish my screenplay on it.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Does anyone know if DC is planning a Marvel Comics Unlimited-like service, iPad or no? I like what Marvel’s doing, even though their library isn’t exactly “unlimited” in the way I wish it was. (Though, they do seem to have most current issues.)
January 30th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I personally will be saving up to buy one. I have an iPhone and it’s the best purchase I ever made (well second to my iMAC of course).
January 30th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Everyone will be using this to pitch including me. Great tool.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I’ve heard Steve Jobs is creating a product called the iPad nano. It works just like the iPad except it can make and receive calls…
February 1st, 2010 at 11:30 am
I wish I could agree, but for reading scripts this is an example of what I don’t like. The last thing I need in an eReader is the ability to go online. The reason reading on my laptop is so difficult has a lot to do with how easy it is to be distracted. When I’m on the Kindle, it’s time to read, not to check my mail or Google Reader.
Sure, you could say “have more self-discipline.” But I’d rather the internet just not be on it and avoid the possible distraction all together. That’s a device I don’t want consolidated in a singular catch-all.
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I feel similarly. There is something exciting about looking at a paper-sized screen with only a word processor on it that gets me a little excited. Our computer desktop would be replaced by, you know, an actual desk top.
I’ve compiled a few thoughts on why filmmakers should be excited about it, including a mockup of a screenplay on the thing. Know what movie it is?
http://www.candlerblog.com/2010/01/31/ipad-for-filmmakers-hopefully/
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:36 pm
If it worked with a stylus, I’d buy one in a heart beat. But with no stylus and no camera, no point.