Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, there were commandments written on it- WSJ
iPad has been announced and there is a general feeling of disappointment. Apple for the first time in a decade has not met or exceeded expectations.
But lets face it, with the hype around the event, anything short of a tablet which would replace netbooks,laptops,desktops,cell phones,ebook readers,music players,portable media players, digital photo frames, gaming consoles and coffee makers would have been classified as a letdown. Apple lost out to its own hype but then the launch of a its “latest creation” was seriously underwhelming.
Firstly, iPad? Seriously? Slate was taken up by HP and hence, iSlate was out. Maybe Apple wanted to go for a name that was not rumored earlier which cuts out iTablet etc. iPad is not the most awe-inspiring gadget name ever but neither was iPhone. Apple is counting on the product being cool enough to make people look beyond the name.
Secondly, iPad does not bring a new UI paradigm to the table. iPod revolutionized music players with its scroll wheel navigation. iPhone changed the way people interacted with their cell phones because of the multi touch navigation. iPad is more of the same. The fact that there are “75 million users who already use this technology” might actually curtail the sales of iPad.
No multitasking means no chatting while watching the latest episode of Supernaturals. Or working on a spreadsheet while googling for relevant info. However, Apple has not confirmed or denied the absence of multitasking.
No flash support which translates to Apple not giving a damn if your cows, crops etc die out in farmville.
No front facing camera. Hence, no skype video calls on the move or real time pictures for twitter or FB.
No USB. So no mouse or external HDD support. 16 GB space is a seriously limiting factor to iPad doubling up as a video player as it would need regular sync with a laptop to transfer movies and videos.
iPad does come with iBooks, Apple’s foray into eReaders. My personal experience with reading ebooks on a LCD screen has not been that great but Apple’s LCD and multitouch UI could make it work. Kindle for iPhone app will work on iPad unless Amazon pulls it out of app store. Kindle and other ebook readers are facing a very real threat from iPad.
Is iPad a “third category of products” as Mr Jobs claimed? It will not be able to replace netbooks/laptops as primary computers or cell phones as primary tool for communication. Primary users of iPad will be customers of ebook readers as they can use iPad for other tasks when they do not feel like reading. So yes, iPad is indeed a 3rd category of devices as the evolutionary next step to Kindle/Nook.
It is a sleek device with Apple logo at the back, sexy LCD in the front and more of the multitouch UI that people cannot get enough of. Steve Jobs’ guarantee of an experience like none other is good enough to sell millions of devices in the first year itself. But for the 1st time since iPod, Apple seems to have made a mistake. The opportunity to take on Apple and win the war of the tablets is there. There is a 60 day window for competitors to make their case before the iPad becomes available.
Will I get one? Not sure. I have a policy of not buying any 1st generation gadgets to avoid headache and stress. However, I do want an ebook reader with ePub/PDF capabilities. So it is wait and watch for me as more information and hands-on experiences become available.
