This article does not include technical specifications, you can find that at apple.com and many other places. This article serves as my thoughts as a techie on this newly announced product.
The new Apple iPad is an incredible device. What is it? It is a mobile entertainment and productivity device. It is an oversized iPod Touch. Is an oversized iPod touch a tool that we really need today? Apple seems to think so. The rest of us will just have to wait to find out.
The Apple iPad is intriguing because this by Apple. Apple has created some very interesting devices over the last few years. And every time that Apple has created a device, it has served a need that was already being met by some other device or company. So to say that this device is not needed is irrelevant.
This device has a beautiful large screen that is perfect for surfing the Internet, reading and responding to emails, listening to music, watching movies, reading ebooks, viewing and sharing photographs. And let's not forget is an incredible game machine. The application store has thousands and thousands of applications that have been very successful on the iPhone and will be available for the iPad as well.
I cannot wait to get my hands on this new device. I cannot wait for March to come so I can rush to an Apple Store to see one for myself. I cannot wait till I come across someone with this device in public. But what I can wait for is the generation two device. I will not buy the first generation device. The first generation device will do well all but not because of my purchase.
This device has some deficiencies that will need to be addressed before I can buy this device. Keep in mind this device is not available for purchase to date. Apple has simply made an announcement for the availability of this device. So this means that what we know today may change before this device is actually available for purchase. The problems that I have with this device, as announced, is that it does not multitask, the amount of memory is subpar and it does not have a camera. Not to mention the fact that you can get a netbook or a laptop, for the same price as announced, but with way more resources.
I also don't like the fact that Flash is not supported on yet another mobile device. I know that Apple is a very shrewd marketing company and I'm convinced that they put that web page that showed Flash inoperable there on purpose. I think they wanted us to see that and to be upset by it so they can come later and show that it works. I'm not upset with Apple because of this issue because I know Adobe is the company that is causing this problem on every mobile device. This issue will work itself out either by Adobe getting its act together or the web content owners will move to other solutions that will use something different than Flash.
I love what the device is designed to do, but I know the pattern of Apple. They want to keep people in a box, but we can’t be contained in a box; we have to be free to use what our purchased devices to do what we want to do. So the device will be Jailbroken and rogue developers will develop applications and functionality that Mother Apple never intended. Apple will bow down to demand and put the desires features into the second generation device, but only after the sales numbers of the generation one device drops below a predetermined number.
This is not something unique to Apple, many company do this to maintain a certain profitability and growth pattern. Sony did this with its Playstation consoles. I have had two PS1 and on my second PS2. I refuse to get the PS3 until the console is redesigned a 3rd time and the price is dropped considerably from the launch price. See I have learned from their Sony’s history and from Apple’s patterns as well.
Also, I have the iPod Touch with 16GB of storage (Generation one of course), a Palm Pre smartphone and a laptop. I usually carry 2 of these 3 devices wherever I go. I also have an aircard and a Cradlepoint CTR-350 router device that transforms my aircard into a MiFi-like Internet sharing device so that I can use the Internet on my iPod Touch and Laptop simultaneously. I even have a portable battery that can power any of my devices in the event that I run out of battery juice on the go. These devices allows me to have access to the pictures, data, programs, games, Internet, music and the many other things that we have grown accustom to having on the go.
Speaking of becoming accustom to things. I have gotten very use to multi-tasking on my Palm Pre. I open and free switch between several application all day. When I use my iPod Touch, I get very frustrated that they same does not exist on that device. Many users would argue that multi-tasking is not important. They feel this way because they have not had the pleasure of doing so on their mobile devices. If they had, they would be singing a different tune. While they might not be used to multi-tasking on their smartphone, they are used to doing it on their PC, netbook or laptop.
They have web pages open to update their Facebook status. At the same time they have an instant message session going on AOL, MSN, Yahoo or Google Talk. They also have their word processing application open working on an assignment or two. They also have their email app open responding to messages and deleting the millions of Facebook emails they get daily. With the iPad, they would not be able to do this. They would only be able to have one application up at any given time. Apple cannot seriously expect people to make this adjustment just to look cool with the new device. You can convince new Smartphone users to do this maybe, but not PC, netbook and laptop users.
The iPad does not have enough memory for me. The 16GB in my iPod Touch is not enough. I have to delete things often in order to have room to add the newer apps, songs or pictures. I have the same problem with my 8GB Palm Pre. Why are these companies forever being stingy with the memory? I think they don’t want us to get too comfortable with any one device. Portability mean freedom and these mobile companies don’t like us being free from their grips. If I put my life on a single device with huge data storage capacity, maybe I wouldn’t be inclined to even consider these new devices at all. They want to be able to ration out small incremental increases in memory to make us buy the next device. Will 64GB be enough for iPad users? No of course not.
I have a portable storage device called a “My Passport” which has 500GB of storage. I keep everything on it. It allows me to work on any device (my work PC, laptop, friend’s PC, etc) and still have all of my data. I am not tied to any computer because my data is portable and goes with me. There is no reason why these devices, iPod, iPad, Netbook, Laptop and more shouldn’t have an universal, portable and interchangeable personal storage system that would allow me to plug my data into my device regardless of the manufacture or the device. Some would argue that SD, micro or mini cards are that solution, but they are not stable, fast or large enough in storage capacity to do the job. I want an universal, portable and interchangeable personal storage system with at least a terabyte of data capacity that I is small enough in size to be able to be used in any of my devices. But that is to come later along with the long lasting battery that can be swapped into any of those devices as well. Until that day arrives, I have to be content with what is here and what is coming in the immediate future.
The fact that the iPod Touch does basically everything that an iPhone can do with the obvious except of making calls, makes it a slap in the face that it does not include a camera. Why not? There is no excuse why it does not have a camera on it. The only logical reason, from Apple’s perspective, is to leave it for a future model to increase iPod Touch sales. Some people are saying that the iPad will cannibalize the sales of Ipod Touch, I don’t think so because Apple will add a camera to give people a reason to buy them again. Who will the biggest promoters of the new iPod Touch with Camera? The people who bought the previous models. Of course they will spitting venom at Apple, but their rage will only fuel and justify the reason for anyone that didn’t have a prior model to buy the new one.
Not only should the iPad have a camera, but it should have one on the back and one on the front. Just like the Nintendo DSi, it should allow you to take pictures of yourself and of others. This addition would spur development of tools like Skype and IM applications to allow video conferencing on the like. It would allow pictures and videos to be taken on the go. There are tons of applications that can be developed to use this if it is included. Most laptops sold today all include a web cam, why would we expect anything different from this device?
Again, these things will not prevent this devices from being successful, it just delays what is inevitable. Without these features, the device will still fill a need for most users. The most complaints that you will hear about this device is from “techie” people like me, who is most cases will complain real loud and then go get it anyway . Apple is appealing to the millions upon millions of people that don’t currently have a iPod, or an iPod Touch or even a Smartphone. People who just have a regular cell phone that maybe does pictures and texting in addition to phone calls. Getting a few prior owners to fork over some dough for this device is just icing on the cake that they intend to enjoy with this device. I know I would rather have a regular cell phone that has a battery that last days again, if I could enjoy all that this device has to offer on it much larger screen.
With that being said, the iPad just doesn’t make sense for me just now. “Now”, meaning before it is available. After holding one, I could be compelled to think differently; after all hasn’t Ebay and Craigslist changed our lives too? Can’t I sell any of the devices I already have to make room for and discount the purchase of the “new” device? My wife saw the gleam in my eye as I talked about it. Instead of fighting it and insisting that “I don’t need another gadget”, she simply replied, “Let’s look at this as a Christmas gift for you this year”. Boy is she smart, pushing it off till later to give me some time to think about it and for Apple to release or announce the next device.
What are your thoughts about this device? Do you want one? Will you get one?
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