I was struck while reading my
library technology textbook when I came across this passage on tablets: “Tablet
PCs can run Windows XP or Vista, or Linux, or can be modified to run Mac OS X,
though Apple does not sell an official tablet of its own. This innovative
interface may make its way into libraries over time” (Burke, 2009). What a
difference a few years can make! As we now know, the release of the first iPad
in 2010 dramatically overhauled the tablet market and changed the ideas of what
a tablet is and what a tablet can do. Fast forward to 2013 and the tablet
market continues to grow--nearly a quarter of Americans now own a tablet--and
competition in the marketplace is stronger than it has ever been with
companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, Google, and Barnes & Noble competing
with Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
As a fan of tech gadgetry and curious to see for myself what
all the buzz was about, I purchased an iPad 2 in the summer of 2011. I enjoyed
the experience of surfing the Web, reading an ebook, watching YouTube, browsing
the app store, and playing the occasional game on my tablet. I hoped that I would
use my iPad for productive purposes as well, such as word processing, taking
notes, and for conducting research on the go; however, I found that, in my
experience, my iPad wasn’t as good at these tasks as my trusty old laptop. I
missed having a tactile keyboard for typing up long emails and Word documents.
And I found that the size and weight of my iPad was a bit cumbersome for
reading at long intervals. So, in the fall of 2012, I sold my iPad 2 and
purchased the smaller (easier to hold with one hand), newer (the screen has a
higher resolution than the iPad2), and more economical (only $200 for the 16 GB
version) Google Nexus 7.
As an Apple person familiar with the look and feel of iOS, it took
a bit of adjustment to get used to the Android platform; I’m currently running 4.2.1
Jelly Bean on my Nexus 7. But it really wasn’t all that different, and I was
able to install many of the same apps I enjoyed using on my iPad through the nifty,
if not quite as robust, Google Play store. Thus, the upshot of
my personal experience with tablets is that I’m familiar with both Apple and
Android platforms and aware of the strengths and limitations of each. I believe
that my experience will allow me to comment on a wider range of topics in
regard to tablets and user experience, than if I had stuck to just one platform
or the other.
In my role as a Library Associate III at the University of
Georgia’s Gwinnett Campus, I have some experience using tablets in the workplace
as well. We own several iPads, but they’re mostly collecting dust at the moment
(look for more on this predicament in another post). So in part, I’m writing
this blog as a way to find ways to use these iPads in the library and to discover
how other libraries are using their tablets. I’m also fascinated by technology,
books, and current events, so I hope this blog will allow me to share these
passions of mine with others as well.
Burke, J. (2009). Neal-Schuman library technology companion: A basic guide for library staff (3rd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
