The iPad StudioDock from Alesis is a protective case that lets musicians hook up pretty much everything they might need to the stage-friendly tablet: microphones, PA speakers, MIDI controllers and monitors or projectors. In short, it pretty much replaces a computer for performers.

These days, even a busker in the street is likely to have a computer as part of their setup, but a laptop isn't great for the task: the battery-life sucks, the interface requires a fiddly trackpad or a keyboard, and it is both delicate (don't spill your beer!) and bulky. An iPad, on the other hand, has a stoned-guitarist-friendly touch-interface and now, thanks to the Studio Dock, can do almost as much as the ubiquitous MacBook.

As well as working with most MIDI apps in the App Store, the dock will work with most peripherals. You get two quarter-inch XLR sockets, phantom power, a guitar input, a pair of quarter-inch jack outputs, headphone jack, RCA composite (for video), plus MIDI in and out, USB MIDI and finally, a jack for a foot-switch.

The only things not known are the price, or when you can buy it. I imagine this is going to have a lot of musicians very excited. This could make the iPad the Atari ST of the 'tens.

StudioDock [Alesis via Mac Stories]

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