There's nothing new about tablet computers. But there was nothing new about phones until Apple released the iPhone. I don't have an iPhone myself, but I have a phone that is without doubt heavily influenced by the Apple product. And so does just about everyone else I know.So although tablet computers have so far failed to set the world alight, suddenly the Apple iPad has the potential to change that, massively.
   But the question for us is whether it will change the way we make music and record audio. This might not seem like much, but there is a huge divide between the way we use a computer and the way we watch TV. When is the last time you watched TV from an office or dining chair, for example?TV is naturally a 'lean-back' medium and now at last we have a truly lean-back computer.Whether this will lead to the production of lean-back music I don't know. But it is a big difference in the way computers are used, and it could have a significant effect.
      It might therefore be possible that the iPad could run alongside a standard DAW running on a traditional computer, as a creative device in its own right. The music and audio apps that are available right now for the iPhone are interesting enough, but I reckon it's only a fraction of what we will see on the iPad in the next year or so, in quantity, quality and professional usability.Just like the iPhone, Apple controls everything that runs on the iPad, and they can disable it remotely if necessary.
   Apple's operating system has always been very closed and controlled compared to Windows and the former MS-DOS.The iPad however is locked down 100%. Apple is now in complete control of your computer. Not just your phone - your computer!If Apple were the only choice, I would find that very scary indeed.Let's hear what you have to say about the iPad, specifically about its potential for music and recording. Send us your thoughts  to      3D@damondadon.com