Why Wait in Line for a New iPad? To See the Future of Media--Now

Lines down the street to get first crack at Apple's new products are nothing new, no matter where you are in the world. There was a line of tents (above) more than 12 hours ahead of the Friday morning release of the new iPad at the store closest to me, the downtown Palo Alto store that used to be frequented by the late Steve Jobs. At another store, of course, there was Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak. Oh, and Robert Scoble, in New York this time. No news here, right?

Maybe, but I think the familiar frenzy over the new iPad extends beyond the fact that it's another typically elegant Apple products. It's becoming apparent that tablets are the future of most media--not just the Web but magazines, newspapers, books, video games, and even television or at least streaming video. (I say most, because while you can certainly put your music on your tablet, the smaller smartphone or music player still seems a better bet.)

When people see, with the iPad and  other tablets, that they can get all those things on one screen--one that, with the new iPad, is mesmerizingly sharp and bright--it's more than a little magical. (Watching Netflix or MLB.tv on my tablet, even though it's the often maligned Samsung Galaxy, still amazes me.) You're not just taking the Web with you, as the iPhone lets you do. You're taking just about all your media with you.

Already, that's becoming apparent in the studies of how people are using tablets vs. how they use laptops, desktops, or even smartphones. For one thing, the wide range of devices people are using less as a result of their increasing use of tablets is impressive. It's also revealing that they're used the most in the evenings. These are not devices you get stuff done with. You curl up with them.

The new iPad may not be a huge leap forward, by many accounts, except perhaps for the screen. But that's OK. Maybe it's even an indication of how, as beautiful as the iPad may be, it will be successful not because of how it calls attention to itself, but how it focuses all of one's attention on the media it's displaying. As Scoble just pointed out, we may be entering an era when media (and advertising, for better or worse) rises anew above the noise of devices and apps.

For people who haven't bought a tablet yet, or who have been struggling with the annoyances of the 1.0 versions that came out just a couple of years ago (and, of course, can spare the significant cash), it's an easy choice. This is the universal portal that will transport them well into the media revolution of the next few years.