I make no apologies about the fact that I’m not an Apple guy. I don’t really have anything against them, but I’m not a fan of paying more money for a product that (at least from my perspective) does less for me. Both my work and my hobbies and habits require a PC. So Apple can do what Apple does, and it is no skin off my nose. Generally I think of their products as well conceptualized, elegantly designed, and great options for those who prefer to use them … until yesterday.
Yesterday Apple unveiled their latest product to as much hype and fanfare as has become customary to such launches. Their latest offering – the iPad. The iPad is a 9.5″ x 7.5″ tablet unit that looks essentially like a huge iPhone. And, as it turns out, basically IS a huge iPhone. As the specifications were revealed, it became clear that this was NOT a fully-functional tablet-style laptop but rather a version of the iPod Touch that is big enough to read books and newspapers. The only other feature that seems to have been scaled from the smaller version is the storage capacity (and the price points).
The truth of the matter is that it seems this product was NOT designed as a productivity tool, but simply as a leisure tool. You can use it to play games, to watch videos, to browser the web (without Flash), and to read your ebooks and enewspapers. But it doesn’t have the processing power or storage capacity to handle professional applications. And from what I can tell, it doesn’t necessarily do any of the things previous devices do any better. For instance, sure it is a better form factor for ebook reading than the iPod, but not better than other ebook readers. All of the other models out there use eink displays which make them easier on the eyes are readable in full sunlight. The iPad can browse the web and play games just like the iPod Touch and iPhone, but it IS JUST like those devices – no better (just bigger). The iPad also seems to be missing any communication capabilities (aside from messaging) – no phone, no camera. If I were to pay the price points listed for such devices – especially if I get the 3G service, I’d want to at least use it as a phone (preferrably a video phone). But no dice.
So the bottom line it seems is that Apple put out an unstellar new product at an undesirable price with an unusual name targeted at an unclear niche. If it were more of a MacBook with an iPhone-esque interface option that could fully support the full set of software products that a typical Mac can run, I may find this more interesting. But as it is, I do not and I’m not sure who will.