I have recently seen a lot of negative comments on the new Apple iPad from bloggers all over the web. People are already promising that this will no doubt be a flop and that Apple has missed the boat on this device. Most of the criticisms stem from the lack of no USB, no multitasking, lower memory, no Flash support (an apple standard!), no camera, no full OS, and various other concerns. However the drawbacks people seem to be missing a very important detail about the iPad.
I personally have become impressed with what Apple has finally delivered and I have no doubt it will become one of Apple’s best selling products just as the iPod was so successful.Ill explain why.
One mistake people are assuming is that the iPad is a larger sized iPod Touch or iPhone. This is a total mistake. Instead of looking at the product for what it is, the evaluation simply analyzes the differences, which is mainly the screen size. Instead, you should look at what the product actually is, and what it’s going to do.
The screen size is obviously a difference. For example , browsing the Web on the iPhone . works well but you have to keep zooming in and out. You’ll need to zoom on the iPad, but not as much — you’ll see a lot more of the page which will make a difference in browsing experience. While the iPhone is mainly a phone that does more, the iPad is a fully functional information device. The fact that it uses the iPhone’s OS is also irrelevant because the OS in question is suited perfectly for what the product is intended to do. Instead of looking at the iPad as a big iPod Touch, you should look at as a tablet device. And a good tablet device at that.
Another mistake people are making is assuming that the device was made for them. It probably wasn’t. Most people don’t know what a Web “browser” is, they think the little Internet Explorer icon on their desktop is the “Internet”. These people have a computer at home but they don’t really need most of it. They struggle with it to just do very basic tasks, like show the latest photos they took to their friends. This is the real mass market, and the iPad is an ideal device for them.
The iPad will succeed not because of what it has, but because of what it does.
What it does is enough to cover all the basic needs of many people: look stuff up on the Web, keep a calendar, check email, show photos to your friends and watch videos. The iPad isn’t a personal computer, it’s a highly mobile information device. I can see a lot of other side markets: medical, students, taking notes in meetings, and so on, and these will push the device even further. The iPad is in no way meant to replace content creation devices like the desktop or the laptop for real work — and I don’t believe it will do so.
Another criticism I see is that it’s a very closed system. However, I don’t think this will negatively affect iPad. This is because as I’ve mentioned above the iPad is not a personal computer and its not trying to be. It’s actually the opposite: it’s a tablet that does very few tasks. It’s very focused, and because of that it does the very few things incredibly well. Less functionality leads to a simpler interface, which makes the device a lot more accessible to a lot more people than previous tablet computers that run full blown desktop operating systems. The iPad isn’t a desktop or a laptop, it’s a lot simpler than that.
One great thing about the iPad (and the iPhone) is how responsive it is. When you scroll, the content scrolls without any interruptions and lag — it’s very, very smooth. Why is this so important? It’s important because this level of responsiveness blends the borders between analog and digital media. When you use an iPhone, the content follows your finger as you scroll it — it feels like there’s a physical piece of paper moving under your hand. It feels this way because there is no lag. If the scrolling effect isn’t 100% smooth, this illusion of physical media breaks down and you’re back to struggling with an interface, waiting for it to catch up. This is a big problem that plagues almost all of competing devices.
The iPad will be a very successful product for Apple because it solves problems rather than competes on features.This is the beginning of a new line of devices that are only going to get smaller, thinner and even more powerful, and there will be many new applications designed specifically for the new screen size. Finally we have a device that offers convenient and conformable consumption of information, like the Web, like newspaper, like books.
