Mind mapping on the iPad: A game changer

Last week, Apple launched its new iPad tablet, to mixed reaction from the press and the public. But a small group of devoted mind mappers sees something that everyone else doesn’t – the larger screen will make the iPad an awesome device for mind mapping!

Craig Scott, the developer of the excellent iThoughts app for the iPhone, recently sent me a message to let me know that he is hard at work developing what should become the first mind mapping application for this promising new computing platform. In his blog on the new iPadMindMap website, Scott says, “I really do believe that it will be game changing – and I hope that iThoughts can be at the forefront of what I believe will be a step change in the adoption of mind mapping.”

Scott has also published two screen shots of iThoughts “on the big screen” – I must say, it does look very impressive seeing a mind map rendered edge to edge on the iPad’s large, rectangular screen. He plans to take advantage of the iPad’s popover views – a new type of dialog box that pops up on a layer “above” your app, complete with a cool 3D effect. He can’t say much more about his plans for this iPad optimized version of iThoughts because he is under NDA (a non-disclosure agreement), but I expect big things from this innovative developer.

I’ve also heard from Raj Dash, a productivity blogger and social media strategist who is an avid mind mapper. He told me recently on Twitter he is “dreaming of mobile mind maps and productivity apps on the iPad.”

I think these guys are right. Mind mapping on the iPad could be incredibly cool!

Mind mapping on the iPhone has been great, but one of the biggest drawbacks is that its small screen size limits you to creating fairly simple maps. With much more screen real estate and wireless/3G connectivity, the iPad should be a perfect platform for capturing your ideas, and then sharing them with the world.

I can foresee the iPad becoming a business tool, used to capture notes and mind maps in meetings, or to go off by yourself to a quiet spot to do some brainstorming. This exciting new device comes with a built-in microphone, which means you could capture audio notes and attach them to your mind maps (a native capability in the paid version of XMind).

The iPad may even lead us in some new directions, eventually enabling you to integrate photos you’ve shot on the iPad into your mind maps (there is no camera in the first version of the iPad, but hey – I can dream, can’t I?!). I can envision a photo of a whiteboard and capturing your meeting notes as part of a map, for example.

What possibilities do YOU envision for the intriguing combination of the iPad and mind mapping apps?