Between the mid-1990’s and the release of the iPad, technology saw a dramatic increase in terms of the web and what it has to offer. Between these two different time periods we have seen the introduction of web 2.0 and the new features that it introduced. We have also witnessed the emergence of video technology and the ever growing presence of videos on the internet.
If the Ipad was released in the 1990’s I think there would still be a small audience for the product, however, the product would not be nearly as popular as it is today. In fact, I believe that only the early adopters would have used the technology and that a new more advanced form of the Ipad would exist today through means of collaboration and globalization from an ever increasing social world.
I think without the early adopters that the Ipad would now have been so successful. The early adopters really play a huge role in bringing awareness to a product that makes the rest of the public more aware. With an increase in the production of video and other web 2.0 features, I think that the Ipad creates a platform that aids in the production of creativity. Moore’s Law states that technology advances approx. every 18 months as the price decreases. I think that the success of the Ipad is also due to people using the Ipad to get used to the new technology so that they are not lost when new technology is created.
The Tablet newspaper is the medium. The newspaper already existed as a message, and the new way to view the message comes in the form of a new medium. I think that when someone tries to predict the future that they may limit the potential of someone’s creativity. If they read a prediction and a small advancement is all that is expected, then they may not try as hard as they would have in the first place.