With the Apple iPad set to hit stores at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, you can probably guess what my digital media column, World Wide Wade, is going to be about this Friday.
But this time I want to leaven the punditry with some populism—so I’ve put together a quick, 9-question survey at SurveyMonkey. Please head over there and take a few minutes to share your opinions about Apple’s “magical” and “revolutionary” new tablet device.
Depending on which commentator you listen to, the iPad is either going to unleash a huge new wave of entertaining and educational digital content and overturn all of our old notions about personal computing, or destroy the tradition of open software development that has made computers and the Web so powerful.
The reality will probably be somewhere in between—but this week it’s your opinions as tech-savvy consumers of startup and innovation news that we’re interested in. I’ll report back on the survey’s results in my column this Friday.
Here are the questions — please head over to SurveyMonkey to register your answers. And please leave comments in the boxes provided; I’ll excerpt the most interesting answers.
1. Are you planning to buy an iPad?
2. If you are planning to buy an iPad, which version do you prefer?
3. Which features of the iPad appeal to you most?
4. Which missing iPad features would you most like to see added in a future version?
5. Where do you see yourself using an iPad?
6. Will the iPad be a better e-book reading device than the Amazon Kindle and other electronic-ink-based reading devices?
7. Some observers condemn Apple for the restrictions and secrecy it imposes on third-party app developers. Do you generally agree with this critique?
8. Following up on Question 7, has your opinion about Apple’s culture of control influenced your decision about buying an iPad?
9. The big picture: What impact will the iPad have on consumer expecations about personal computing? Choose the answer that comes closest to your view, or write one in.
