Quintify has a new client who’s going to use iPads to access their web database, and we’re also moving toward mobile app development including iPads, so we reached the point where it made sense to get an iPad 2 for development and education purposes.

Until today, I had seen the iPad as a media consumption device for watching videos, surfing the web while watching TV, and playing games. My mindset is much more production focused, so I was never that interested in iPads. (And, as an aside, my “media consumption” assumption about the iPad led me to think we’d be much better off getting a 3G iPad, which we did.)

However, now that we’ve had one for four hours, I must say I’m totally amazed at the “production” capability in it. My oldest daughter, the main benefactor of the iPad, had already picked out music composition and drawing apps, which she installed once we got home and has been playing with for the past few hours. I’ll say it again, I’m amazed at what she can already do writing music and creating art on the thing. And I took a sample HD video on a demo while waiting at the AT&T store and was super impressed at the quality.

I watched the Adobe MAX 2011 keynotes recently, and remember how they talked about touch being much more natural than a mouse, and how touch was revolutionizing the digital tools we use. I get it now.

We’re a Kindle family — we have five for the six of us — and now I foresee the day when we’rll be a tablet family too, and a family who uses them for creative production and not just passive consumption.