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.

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.