It’s been a week since Apple announced the iPad, the product that will either be biggest flop in Apple’s history or the next wave of computing and the solution to all the world’s problems, depending on what you read. For a short time after the keynote I debated whether I’d buy one when they emerge in March… but that quickly changed to the question of which model I’d end up purchasing.
Over on Another New World, I wrote about why user interface will probably be the revolution in iPad development. I truly believe that we’ll see some amazing new concepts from developers. But why wait until the device comes out? Here are five apps I’d love to see available for the iPad.
1. A photo editor
In his keynote, Steve Jobs emphasized that this is a great device for viewing and sharing photos. But what about editing? I would love to be able to sit down on my bed or futon, control iPhoto-like sliders with my fingers, and go through a day’s photos without having to bother with a mouse. If the app seamlessly integrated with my iPhoto library, well, that’d be even better.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Apple launches a $10 iPad-based iPhoto with the next version of iLife. But it doesn’t need to be an Apple app – there’s a great niche for a company to become the Picnik of iPad.
2. An in-field photo viewer
Imagine you’re taking photos along the Maine coast. You take a great shot of Bass Harbor Head Light, but sadly the small LCD on the back of your camera doesn’t really allow you to check the quality of the shot. If only you had a larger screen…
But wait! You have your iPad with you. You plug in the Camera Connection Kit with your SD card (or maybe have a 30-pin to USB conversion cable) and browse the photos you’ve just taken.
Related: I’d actually buy Eye-Fi SD cards if there was an app to browse the photos on my camera without having to mess with cards and converters. That would be an awesome app.
3. Twitter and Google Reader
I’m grouping these two apps into one because honestly, it’s a given. I really can’t wait to see how app developers use the large touchscreen interface to navigate Twitter and Google Reader. Twitter on iPad, of course, leads to thoughts of TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop; apps like NetNewsWire and Byline could similarly create new interfaces for Google Reader. I really hope developers are creative with this one.
4. Hulu
No description needed here. I can haz iPad Hulu?
5. Media streaming
The iPad will undoubtedly be a great media viewing experience. Unfortunately, a lot of people have more than 16, 32, or 64 gigs of media in their libraries. Could Apple take the concepts of the Remote app and use them to browse and consume media over Wi-Fi? Imagine having access to your entire desktop media library from anywhere in your home. Maybe Apple could even borrow the Apple TV interface and browse for media on network-connected hard drives.
Of course, there’s always the cloud, too. Maybe the iPad will be Lala‘s time to shine. (Conveniently, they’re an Apple company now.)