iPad Thoughts

The iPad is an interesting device. It is incredibly easy for a lot of sceptics to label it as simply the iPod Touch XL which is valid to a point, but there are a number of things which do help to distinguish this device from it’s smaller cousins, while also avoiding being too simplistic to make it valid as a netbook alternative. I would say that for Apple, this is certainly not a guaranteed hit, but I’m sure it will start well with the techy crowd and then catch on to the mainstream audience fairly soon after. It might just end up being like Twitter in that I had it years ago when it was a geeky bit of fun, but now everyone’s doing it. I’m sure that’s what Apple are hoping for and I think they have a chance.

When Steve Jobs suggested that netbooks weren’t better at anything, and that the iPad really offered something fresh and interesting into that market really resonated with me.

I remember talking to my Dad about the iPod touch about how he should get one over a netbook because of how nice it is to use, and how it does everything the vast majority of people will need from a netbook type device. Of course, the screen size was the main reason that it wasn’t really a possibility. The iPad solves this perfectly. There are a lot of people who just want a nice device to sit on their coffee table or bed-side table that they can just pick up and use effortlessly without having to mess around with a comparitively bulky laptop or netbook.

Steve was talking about what a device of this type should be good at. It should offer the best way to surf the web, a great way to communicate via email, excellent media functions and should also be able to provide an ebook service which despite the lack of an e-ink screen, can still provide an experience that makes up for it and adds so much more besides, that you can overlook that fault.

I think now more than ever, that netbooks are going away for good. In the end, what are currently refereed to as netbooks will just be smaller laptops. Prices will stay low but the performance will start to catch up to current laptops. Of course there will always be a specification difference between cheaper and more expensive laptops but that’s always going to be the case. Apple have positioned themselves in the luxury end of the market for a long time, and I thought it was foolish of them to not do a netbook. In the end though, they were right to not go that route and instead make a device which gives you the perks of a netbook (portability, low cost) without almost all of the negative (bulky, cheap looking devices) and instead providing a device that looks and feels like a premium product for a close to low-end price.

Many enthusiasts will blast the iPad for not being a computer and not allowing the customisation of a full operating system, and also for not having flash player support and things like that, but in the end, those are small concessions in a product that really blends together the tablet computer, media functions and ebook readers into one in a way that will be attractive to a fairly wide audience. It’s success as an ebook reader will probably depend on how much people are willing to compromise on the screen type and possible eye-strain, but I think a lot of people will be prepared to because of the sheer amount of stuff that this device can do for the price.

Tablet PCs in the past have never really taken off in the mainstream and the reason for that is probably because they don’t provide a tablet specific OS and are therefore too fiddly for most people. Desktop OSs just don’t work on smaller devices like phones. The iPhone proved that and this device really goes even further in proving that specialised operating systems tailored to fit a specific device type really do help to elevate the user experience to a much higher level. Apple’s trademark attention to detail and interface is evident again as they bring tablet computing into the new age, and this time, it’s not going to be just for technology enthusiasts.

I can certainly see a lot of iPads on coffee tables all over the world in a couple of months time. However, only time will tell to see if people, the mainstream especially have room in their lives for a product like this.

7 months ago  /  0 notes  /