Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what the iPad is. Even more surprising, is that it’s only been five days since Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad and already in that short span of time, there has been a lot of product analysis made by so-called industry pundits. At first glance, the iPad has been overlooked by casual observers as an oversized iPod Touch. By the same token, there are others that feel that the iPad represents Apple’s vision of the future of computing.
As for me, I find myself gravitating towards the second group. When I hear the griping and groaning for all the the iPad is not, I think that the detractors should just step back and see what the iPad for what it is. In an nutshell, for me, the answer is simple:
- It is an actual shipping product, not some proof of concept/prototype
- It’s operating system is ready for mass consumption, not half-baked
- At it’s heart lies an Apple-designed CPU, called the A4 which will most likely drive all of Apple’s future mobile devices.
- It’s .5″ thin and 9.7″ diagonally across (enough said)
- The UI (user interface is not just a scaled down version of an existing OS, but rather one that has been custom-tailored to a specific form factor – ie. Windows OS based tablets)
- Users will be able to organize, buy and search almost all forms of media: music, videos, games and now books
- Access to a HUGE library of software already 140K strong
- An interactive eBook reader
- The capacity to run a version of iWork specifically re-designed for the touch form factor (I think that this is Apple’s litmus test: to see if people can be productive with a product designed from the ground-up to be optimized for a touch interface)
- Starts at $500
I know there’s more but that’s what I could think up off the bat. I think the industry was expecting wonders for that price point. They wanted Apple to bring features such as video conferencing, a futuristic 3D interface and much, much more I can’t even fathom. There was no way Apple could satisfy industry pundits. If they had included all the features that were rumored, I feel that the iPad’s placement as a third product line might be confused with laptop replacements. Whether or not Apple wants to do this in the future is beyond me, however, Apple will not make the transition overnight…more than likely is the fact that the iPad will probably prove to be the pivotal point in which Apple begins to transform it’s business.
Either way, I think that for the price, the iPad brings quite a lot to the table. I will be one of the first in line to pick one up, because succeed or fail, I appreciate what it represents…a fundamental shift in consumer computing. And remember for all the whining, Apple is the ONLY company doing something about the future of personal computing.
Keep watching this site as more details on the iPad are unveiled…I’m sure I’ll be able to provide more insight as well.
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