The bottom line is that the requirement to use the iPad Photos app to access your photos on a flash card, plus the connectivity issues, means the iPad is not something that a professional would likely tolerate. And the inability for apps to read photos in their original form and location prevents developers from creating an app, even a simple one, that would be useful for professionals. Forget about workflows used by large organizations that rely upon metadata such as the camera serial number. From what we can surmise, the iPad is meant for the consumption of media, not the production of media content. If Apple changes their mind or provides some other type of direct iPhone OS/SDK access to the photos on a card (or in a camera), then we will investigate further the possibility of a mobile app for the iPad. At this point it is darn near impossible for us to provide what we would consider a useful app, something besides a gimmick or curiosity. We’re sorry. Talk to Apple and let them know you can’t justify buying their devices until they open up access for apps to read YOUR photos directly from YOUR flash card. And tell Apple that you want another CCK part that allows a CF card to be inserted directly.
He’s got some valid points in his open letter and it makes sense they don’t want to spend time on app when crucial things aren’t in place right now.
Many have already stated that the iPad is meant for content consumption rather than creation.
I wonder whether (and how) Apple will change its stance on the problems he’s mentioning. Especially his point about metadata being lost when a 3rd party app accesses photos should be easy and important enough to be fixed in an upcoming version of the iPhone OS. Then again, maybe Apple doesn’t see professionals using iPads for this kind of work in the first place.