R&R Partners: Moving Minds

Last week, I sent an email out about the upcoming announcement for what Steve Jobs would soon confirm as Apple’s iPad. Rumors abounded and be sure that there are countless articles describing Apple’s brilliance for creating buzz by staying silent. But now that I’ve combed through the available information, I’m not decided if the iPad will be as transformative as the iPod or iPhone. But I do see something else.

If you missed the announcment, you can check out videos on Apple’s website or YouTube.

Imagine a bigger, more expensive iPhone that doesn’t make calls (but can do web calls), support Flash (yet), or cater to games like most analysts predicted…and you’ll have a fair understanding of this new product.

Much remains to be seen about how it will shape ebooks (Washington Post), handle games, revolutionize apps, et cetera.

But I’m pretty sure that we’re seeing the capabilities we can expect in a host of other devices. Touchscreen interfaces, web connectivity, and social connectedness…

On the next round of televisions
At public kiosks
In home security systems

We’ve been hearing about convergence for a decade. And true, some computers have TV tuners and DVR capabilities (Windows Media Center anyone?), and every concert goer is accustomed to LCD displays from cell phones replacing Zippos. But here, with the iPad, most every functionality is built into a tiny display that is easily transportable. Soon, HP will release its own version, Slate, and we can anticipate expanded capabilities and compatibilities with the Microsoft operating system (especially with games) that will likely broaden the appeal of a presumably niche product.

Whether the iPad becomes a niche product or blows up like the iPod remains to be seen. But we can be sure, as advertisers we will be reaching people on the go with control over their content in most any situation that they are in. Even on an international flight locked on the relatively small confined space known as a jumbo jet, they may watch the movie (or choose from many channels depending on the carrier), take out their laptop to do some work, browse the inflight magazine, read a book or magazine they brought along or (GASP!) talk to the person next to them.

As these technologies mature, we can expect our access to consumer data to become greater. Greater. As in more of it. How we analyze that data and create insights will be fundamentally the same, except we’ll be able to apply it to just about every advertising initiative we place. Optimization, reporting, and the anayltics we are mastering online today will converge with the delivery of other mediums (broadcast, radio, newspaper/magazines, and even out of home).

Whether the iPad blows up and becomes a cultural phenomenon will play out this spring. But looking back in 5 or 10 years, I think that we’ll be able to say that the iPad was the first glimpse of the way we will interact with and access content in our living rooms and on the road. Unless you’ve seen Total Recall or Minority Report.