Could Flipboard Spark a Whole New Breed of killer iPad apps?

Flipboard is a hot new iPad app which has launched which everyone seems to be talking about. Flipboard aggregates data from your social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and presents it in a set of rich media glossy pages where you can flip them like a magazine. It also seamlessly integrates content that your friends/followers likes, discusses or links to providing a continuous stream of content flowing from your social graph.

We have yet to try out the application but here is the Flipboard video which gives a good overview of the application.



Critics of the iPad say it has no use case and doesn’t do anything beyond what can be achieved already with a laptop/netbook or a desktop. This train of thought would be motivated by only thinking about applications that exist in other devices. Flipboard is a great example of a purpose-built app designed with the iPad in mind and specifically utilises the iPads capabilities as well as being very current by simplifying the consumption of your ever growing social media stream.

The way Flipboard is depicted in the video presents it in a very nature environment for its iPad use. It would be hard imagining using the app with the same proficiency on any another device. When you first pick up an iPad and feel its simplicity and intuitive navigation it’s not hard to feel a sense that a lot can be achieved with the device.

The iPad’s release feels parallel to the early days of the first Sony Playstation where it was launched with a set of stock standard games such as racing and shoot’em up titles but as the games industry on the platform evolved and game developers learned more about utilise the Playstation engine the games started defining the device. Flipboard could be the app that kick-starts this evolution for the iPad.