What might the iPad offer to photographers?
Now it’s announced, and in two months it will be here. The iPad is Apple’s device that sits between iPhone and notebook, and competes with all manner of e-readers and netbooks.
But what will it offer to photographers?
Much depends on the processing power of Apple’s shiny new 1GHz A4 chip. We shall have to wait and see what developers can wring out of it. But if it demonstrates any capability for photo (maybe video?) editing, the iPad might soon offer some intriguing possibilities.
For one thing, it’s a much lighter, cheaper and more rugged device than a MacBook. It might be ideal for quickly previewing images during a shoot.
And while it comes with a built-in version of iPhoto, we shall have to look to the App Store for the exciting stuff. Might we see Photoshop for iPad? Or Aperture? Or something totally new by a tiny third-party dev shop, a new app designed purely for iPad that wrings every drop of power from the chipset and turns it into the perfect mobile photo touch-up tool?
Another useful possibility: Apple will be selling an adaptor that connects the iPad dock port to a VGA monitor, giving you video-out capability. Combine that with the designed-for-fingers version of presentation tool Keynote, and you have a great tool for displaying your work to potential clients. Your portfolio will always be with you, ready to show to people who want to see it, and looking fabulous on the iPad’s multitouch screen.
