‘We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.’
– T.S. Eliot
I have been drooling over the iPad for some time now. In fact, the decision to get one has been taken – its just a matter of whether to wait until they officially arrive in South Africa, or get an imported one now and risk possible warranty issues.
I’ve already got loads of Apps lined up. Can’t wait. One of the things that I’m really looking forward to is the ability to doodle, handwrite and sketch straight on the screen. Yes, I know this isn’t exactly a GTD item, but it’s most certainly a nice-to-have if you are of a creative, doodling bent.
So I waded through a whole whack of YouTube video demos of people doing various sketches on the iPad. It’s pretty cool, but there are still lots of quirks and issues. Like if your hand leans on the screen – you get smudges (digital ones – Ha!). Like that its hard to get really fine delicate stuff done. And other stuff…
After wading through this for well over an hour – it finally struck me how incredibly advanced the simple pen and paper interface is. Totally fluid. Total freedom. No power supply needed, just pick up and go. And a fraction’s fraction of the cost.
Don’t get me wrong the sketch functionality of the iPad has lots going for it, and will no doubt get better. But as T.S. Eliot said in the above quote – it is often only when you arrive back at where you started that you really appreciate what you’ve already got. Viva pen & paper!