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I watched “The Social Network” this weekend and then was reading about iPads in my reader and I couldn’t help but think, “If Zuckerberg had an iPad would Facebook ever have been created?”

This is sort of a big deal when you think about it. If Zuckerberg and other Internet heroes didn’t have the ability to create an “App” and release it to his friends in real-time we wouldn’t have Facebook, Napster, or Twitter. How long would it have taken to get facemash approved?

How is the next generation of brilliant programmers going to take us to the next level if the device their given prevent that type of innovation? Instead we are going to be stuck playing with a bunch of beautiful apps that define how we interact with our devices.

Scary….

I suppose they’ll just have to program on Android if it doesn’t get litigated out of existence.

So I finally got my hands on an iPad to play with for a few days.

My initial impression is that it is a big iPod. There seems to be so much possibility with this device, but most of that potential seems cut off at the knees by Apple. But before I start down the negative, lets look at the positive.

Things that I like or find appealing about the iPod:

1. The interface is so intuitive that my 18 month old could interact with an interactive storybook within minutes of showing it to him. Without a doubt the single most compelling part of the iPad is the touch interface. The potential for clever developers to create complex programs that require little to no training has some real potential.
2. As a eBook reader it blows the Kindle away. The high resolution screen with color adds a depth to any text with images and color that just isn’t comparable in other reader devices that I’ve seen.
3. It is a great gaming platform. Much like the WII did in the console world, I believe the iPad, with it’s touch interface and accelerometers, will create an entirely new compelling gaming experience.
4. The battery life is awesome! In today’s busy world having a device with a 10+ hours battery is huge!

Now to the things that I don’t like:

1. Apple’s closed ecosystem. I don’t have the choice to do anything with my iPad with out Apple’s blessing.
2. The iPad is primarily a consumption device with limited capacity to do creative work.
3. It doesn’t replace anything that I already have to carry with me. I still need my laptop and my phone so why an iPad?
4. As a school IT administrator, I also haven’t seen any tools that make managing or imaging a fleet of iPads easy or even feasible on a larger scale.
5. It hasn’t shifted my paradigm.

After several days of playing, I really feel like the iPad as a metaphor for computing is a set back. Proprietary device with proprietary software and a closed operating system that is missing key web-based technologies (i.e. Flash and full Java support). How is this a good thing?

I see the potential in the technology in the device but I’m seriously at odds with the business model of the iPad ecosystem.

So, needless to say I’m not nearly as impressed by the iPad as I had hoped. It doesn’t have have flash, it doesn’t have a camera, and it based on the iPhone OS. My geek gene gets excited at the potential for gaming, the multi-touch pressure screen, and the inclusion of iWork apps but my beware of proprietary software gene is also freaking out.

I’ve been hearing the iPad described as a new metaphor or paradigm for computing. Sure this seems like the smart thing to say given the initial response to the iPod and its future commercial success. But if the iPad represents the “new” model of computing I don’t want it!

First, this is not a creation device. The iPad is the exact opposite, the “ultimate” consumption device. IMHO Apple has created a device to monopolize your consumption of music, film, media, gaming, and books. Already, we have a population that is losing its ability to be creative and the idea that an iPad would become the norm just accelerates that downward spiral. It doesn’t record, it doesn’t take video, it doesn’t take pictures, and it doesn’t provide an easy method to transfer these things from other devices. It just deliverers content to the consumer. Of course, iWork offers some hope but Keynotes without multimedia are sort of 90s so where can I pull my content from?

Second, the iPad is not stand-alone. At the end of the day if you want your pictures, videos, and music you still have to sync to a computer. Jobs can bash netbooks but at least they don’t need a mothership to function. I’m not sure if this is a limitation of iPhone OS or intentional but it is very lame.

Finally, I’m deeply concerned by the potential for Apple to control who and what gets seen by potentially millions of consumers. In theory, and without violating your user agreement, you cannot tap into content from any other source except the iTunes store. I find this incredibly scary given Apple’s erratic approval process for apps. If the iPad takes off, and I believe that it most likely will, Apple will have a powerful grip over the future of not only the entertainment industry, but gaming, film, publishing, and more that we haven’t even imagined yet.

While the iPad device is a huge innovation in multi-touch device and flexible user interface, I believe the wide-scale adoption of computing premise could stifle innovation and create the next big computing monopoly, a la Microsoft. That would be a shame and would mean another decade of stunted innovation. It would also mean an end to the resurgence of creativity amongst normal folks as their new device will only allow to express themselves in ways that Apple finds acceptable.