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.

You see, this week I traded in my company-issue BlackBerry for an iPhone. As I write this, its glossy touch screen is giving me its come-hither look, occasionally shivering with the arrival of new emails (a definitively more feminine form of vibration than the BlackBerry ever seemed to give off). I’m doing my best not to invest more into it than necessary. Sure I’ve downloaded my iTunes music library into it as well as all of the Ask a Ninja podcasts I have yet to watch. And I’ll admit that I’ve acquired a good number of apps to help me with various things such as finding restaurants, keeping up with Facebook, listening to Pandora, and watching the various Woot sites. But so far I’ve avoided purchasing anything for it – all my apps are free and the rubber sheath I have was lent to me by a c-worker (thanks, Ray).

But I have to admit, I understand the draw and I will likely get drawn further into it. I already had an unhealthy attachment to my BlackBerry and that barely had anything on it. Now I can access all of the same things, but better, faster and more. So it is inevitable that I will become enthralled and entangled with this device in no time (assuming I haven’t already). The only defense I have in my favor is that it doesn’t seem to have much staying power. While I found myself charging my BlackBerry once every other day, this iPhone needs to be charged at least once a day and occasionally needs a midday boost (it was previously used, so perhaps its battery isn’t what it used to be). That is enough to keep me from being completely enamored with it.

So the conversion that I previously foreshadowed has taken hold. Hopefully I can avoid it spreading deeper. After all, I have a desktop and laptop at home that could stand to be upgraded and those MacBooks and Mac Minis are very tempting … NO! I can resist. I WILL resist. I have no choice (after all, they are pretty damn expensive).

Apple is surrounding me.  It seems like almost every other day, someone else around me buys some Apple product.  At the current rate, it won’t be long before everyone around me is using all Apple products.  So far I’ve held my ground.  But I can’t say that I haven’t been tempted (see my previous entry on the subject).

It started a number of months ago when my manager at work traded in his BlackBerry for an iPhone and his PC laptop for a MacBook.  Then more recently a few of the Flash developers at my company switched to MacBooks.  Then a month ago another co-worker got an iPhone.  Then last week two of my friends from work switched over – one got a MacBook and the other an iMac – both for home use.  Now my dad made the switch for a new job.  As I sit here typing on my PC laptop, I wonder if there is any avoiding this slow trickle continuing to grow until it becomes a landslide.

In truth, I have no allegiances when it comes to technology (or much of anything).  I am generally always a fan of whatever works best.  From a strict technology standpoint, Apple has been making things that work well and for that I have to hand it to them.  But I’m a believer in choice.  If I had the time to support it, I would have switched to Linux years ago.  But I didn’t and don’t and while I commend their efforts in trying to compete, adopting for the sake of it would make me something else than I’m not – a fundamentalist.  And avoiding being one is what makes this dilemma so difficult – whether I buy in and tout it or I keep standing against it I’m in danger of becoming one.

But no – I don’t think so.  Again, I believe in choice and opportunity.  While Apple is flying high right now – possibly high enough that the launch of Windows 7 will fizzle out and cause Microsoft to fade even more – where will they stand when the competition falls away?  I’m sure they will continue to innovate and make better and sleeker products.  But at what cost?  So while I’ve had my share of anti-Microsoft sentiments in the past, I feel that I need to stand on their side.  Because to do so is to stand on the side of choice.

From a business perspective, I am not a fan of their exclusivity.  IBM essentially invented the PC, but it was successful (and affordable) because dozens of companies emerged to make their own versions of it and make the market competitive and drive innovation.  Apple has also been innovative, but on their own terms (and more importantly at their preferred price points).  So while I appreciate the direction they have pushed things, I don’t really like paying the Apple premium for it.

From a technical perspective, the Mac OS always seemed to cater to a simpler user.  I appreciate ease of use – things SHOULD be easy to use.  But the Mac OS seems to limit use and access.  With PC’s, I’ve always liked learning how to tweak things and what is under the hood.  If I had the time for a hobby, I’d probably be using Linux.  The Mac OS seems to have a harder shell around its inner workings and I don’t like that.

From a usability standpoint, it only seems desireable from a distance.  For instance, the OS seems easy and user-friendly, but there are elements that can tend to be hidden that I’m used to being visible.  A single-button mouse may make a statement about the simplicity of use, but I like more buttons and don’t think there should be a premium to pay for that.  And outside of the Mac’s themselves, many of their innovative designs seem to come at a cost (e.g., iPod – beautiful design, but you can’t remove or replace the battery; iPhone – innovative touch technology, but missing some important features such as a caps-lock and easy cop-paste operations).

But they’ve been making steps that have been drawing me closer.  The switch to Intel processors means I can have the best of both worlds.  I’d love to own an iPhone and a MacBook and sleak-looking iMac (or maybe a G5 with dual-screens on a single mount) … but I can’t do it.  Mostly I can’t afford it.  But also it just doesn’t feel right … not yet anyway.  I have been anti-Mac for a long time.