Can we stop with the hype now?
Can we decide what we think based on what the iPad is rather than what it might be?
The opinion on the iPad is more or less split between people who expect it to do something useful, and people who believe it will eventually revolutionise everything.
The fact that matters is its cost: $499. Which means people are going to base their actual buying decision on what it does today compared to the alternatives: does it offer more than some other similarly priced machine? Can I browse the net? (Yes, if you don't care about Flash.) Can I take it on holiday? (Hmmm.) Can I type on it? (Sort of, but not really). Can I read on it? (Maybe, maybe not.) Is it compatible with my files? (Maybe, maybe not.) Is it cheaper than a netbook? And so on.
So a lot of the negative reaction is from pragmatic types weighing the iPad against their wallets and finding it a bit wanting.
The positive reaction is from people who believe none of that matters as it will revolutionise everything. And they may be right, one day. But that's not the machine we are being asked to buy today. The iPad needs time for the revolutionaries to group, to invent the stuff that's so desirable all the other considerations disappear. And the people who will fund that breathing space are today's buyers, not tomorrow's.
Remembering the Mac
Everyone forgets just how close the Mac came to being a sales disaster. It had a massive launch, revolutionary interface, and, yes, compromised hardware, and nearly sank because actual buyers could not afford to overlook its limitations. In the end, it was Aldus and the laser printer that rescued it, by opening up a whole new category, DTP, at which the Mac excelled. But it was a close run thing.
I don't really care about the hardware spec, or the processor choice, or stuff like that. I want to know what I can do on it that I couldn't do before. So I was watching the announcement far more for the content and software stuff, the authoring tools and partnership demos, than the hardware. I wanted to see how the hardware configuration could be put to innovative software/content use - or at least a glimmer or vision of how it might be. And I was disappointed.
The application that makes the iPad a must-own does not yet exist. For me, that's the real story of the launch. Apple is going to need deep pockets to sustain its new toy until someone comes along to sort that out.
Your comments (25) Click to add a new comment
andykeating
November 23rd 2010
25. everything has its pros and cons so does ipad has..and regarding its price i think its justified because apple has launched a new and innovative product while rest all will be the followers..we can also call it monopoly..
<a href="http://www.sortshots.com/"> photo sharing ipad </a>
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vkamobi
September 28th 2010
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rrwholloway
September 8th 2010
23. I have an iPad. Whenever I read someone asking "what's the point of it" I think back to what happened when I took it home with me. Watching my grandma browsing through my family photos on it with the rest of the family passing it to each other I was astounded. I guess the reason that opinion on the iPad is split in the tech world is because techies are not its audience. Apple knows that, those buying them (by the millions) know that. It's certain parts of the tech community that seem to have a problem with a device that you don't need to care how much RAM is in it.
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rwatson
June 11th 2010
22. Wondering if any of you have the iPad and what you are using it for the most...really :P
Valid points above and I´m trying to figure out if I can justify getting one or not...it´s not quite a portable computer and if I got one, I wouldn´t but it to use for work, but I see it being useful for all the other times when I don´t feel like lugging around my laptop but need to do a few things that the screen on a mobile/iPhone or and iPodTouch will allow me to really share the viewing with another person.
I see this more for all those things I´ve considered getting like a portable DVD player, Kindle, mini laptop/netbook...I couldn´t justify any of the other purchases, but I can see the combination of all the features on the iPad fulfilling all those times when I´m travelling light and just want something to watch movies, listen to music, read books, take care of some emails and get online.
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shanee
May 6th 2010
21. you know,
the ipad looks different based on your perspective. not all of us are 'power users' needing to multi task with various memory intensive applications.
To those that just want a casual web experience with a few games, email and the ability to read any word documents that come their way, this is going to work just fine.
Anyway, you can ***** all you want, but apple have sold a million of them in a month. it took microsoft a year to sell that many zune.
And for that matter apples logic was questioned with the ipod. look at how that turned out.
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armrek
April 6th 2010
20. I don't see the point with this device other than a lot of noise and hype around Apple...
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