Does it really matter what it looks like?...

Some interesting comments from my previous blog post about the iPad/iSlate/iThingy.  Looks like most people who responded are in favour of the device being kept a surprise until the event itself.

The problem is, if people do post pics, even blurry, out of focus ones, it's so hard not to click through to the link.

I woke up this morning to find Tweets about yet another "photo" of the device. I managed to resist for all of 10 minutes before clicking on the link to take a look! Well, human nature isn't it.

What I saw was a very passable image of what the device might look like, but it was switched off. 

That's when I realised, it's not really what the device looks like that matters. I can virtually guarantee it's going to be thin, black and with a screen of 10" or so. When switched of, it's going to look like a thin, black slab of glass.

No, what matters is what it does (and looks like) when switched on. How does it function, what are it's core capabilities, how responsive is it, how do you interact with it.

All these can't be conveyed in a single spy shot. 

We'll just have to wait until the special event to get the full picture...

PS Gruber linked to this excellent list of predictions by David Weiss - Prediction Score Card It saves me writting a prediction blog post! If you want, you can see my predictions on this updated card - Dons Take.

I'll give you my score after the event!

Update on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 8:26AM by Don McAllister

Just as a word of warning. I bought the Predictions app to support David after using the PDF. It's crashing like a good un on my iPhone even after a re-install and powering down the iPhone. Might be just me being unlucky but I just wanted to mention it. 

Comments

[Richard]

Whether the new device is a hit or a miss Apple has added more fun and excitement to the past months than all the others combined. Balmer's keynote at CES is what it would be like without all the mystery, leaks and intrigue. Actually with the momentum of the App Store behind it – can't really miss can it?