Is the iPad just a poor man’s laptop?

I have no doubt that Apple’s head honcho, Steve Jobs, uses his iPad au naturel.

But I’m not so sure the rest of the world is buying into his less-is-more philosophy. Even as the world has already become overburdened with iPod and iPhone cases, we seem to be entering an era of iPad keyboards.

Oddly, most of this new niche of iPad accoutrement seems to be designed to make everyone’s favourite slab of glass less like a tablet and more like a laptop.

Regard:

Adonit takes the minimalist approach with their folio-like Writer case

Qmadix is all-in on the laptop replacement look with their "Portfolio with Removable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad 2"

Zagg pretty much opened up the floodgates of this market with their "Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2"

The Crux Loaded doesn't leave any doubt that laptop replacement is the goal. Their demo images even depicts an iPad running a full version of Photoshop.

So what’s your take? Are these manufacturers on to something — is the iPad a laptop wannabe?

Or is the iPad at its best a la Jobs: without any add-ons?

iPad Screen-Top Keyboard Idea

So I was laying in bed with my iPad the other night trying to jot down some notes from the day and I was frustrated by the experience. With the iPad cradled on my belly, it was really difficult to cram my hands down under the keyboard to type comfortably.

And to be perfectly honest, I have some difficulty typing on the keyboard even when sitting up with the iPad on my lap. It’s not as easy as Apple makes it look in the commercials.

Then it occurred to me that the positioning of the keyboard below the text you’re writing is a throwback to the days of the notebook computer. It doesn’t have to be down there. The keyboard on an iPad can be displayed anywhere on the screen. So I figured, why not adjust its position to better accommodate different typing positions (like laying in bed)?

So I mocked this puppy up (based on a screen grab from the excellent SimpleNote):

I figured that your arms will naturally spread apart to make the “page” you’re typing on visible while providing more natural accessibility to the keyboard itself.

To provide a glimpse of my idea in action, here’s a shot of me “typing” on my mockup.

Playing make-believe on the mock-up makes me feel like it’s a solid idea, so I’m posting it to the public domain in hopes that a developer currently producing a note-taking or word processing app (SimpleNote? Evernote? Hog Bay? Heck, Apple?) on the iPad will borrow it and make it real. If you are one of those people, I’ve got a slew of other ideas on how to implement, if you want those, too. Just drop me a line.

If you do borrow the idea and implement it, please let me know – I’ll be first in line to buy the app!

UPDATE:

One thing I forgot to mention when I originally posted this. My hands, situated above the “page” I was typing on, acted as a sort of visor that reduced glare and reflection on the portion of the screen that my eye were focused on (that is, the “page”). Just another little bonus to having the keyboard up there.

Update 2:

So it occurs to me that another benefit of a top-screen keyboard (I like that term better, too) is privacy. Your hands and arms would naturally provide a screen.