Image from Apple.com
When Apple announced the iPad, there were many disappointed people. Mainly because people who followed the technology blogs (me included) were expecting a lot more out of the hardware and software that was announced. That, and the fact that an Apple tablet has been rumored for about 7 years now, people had a lot of hope for the device. I know that it sounds like I’m disappointed, but the reality is that I’m very happy with the product announcement. There is a lot of room left for growth, and I think Apple wanted that so they could get people to reinvest in the product time after time (they have done this with the iPod, iPhone, and other products as well). I feel the iPad as it is, can directly compete with several markets, and because of that, it is something to watch out for. For those of you who have not read my twitter conversations regarding this, please continue reading!!
eBooks / Print Media turned Digital -
I feel right now the biggest competition in the eBooks world for the iPad is the Kindle DX. The Kindle DX is at a price point very close to the entry level iPad, and I think people who may be looking at the Kindle DX may stop and reconsider when they see what they can get with the iPad ($499 model). The features where Kindle DX wins over the iPad for eBook/ePub reading is the fact that is has an eInk display and has “whisper net” which is basically built in 3G at no extra cost to the consumer. The physical keyboard, in my opinion, is poorly designed and is an eye sore to the device itself. The eInk display (black + white) allows for very little battery usage on the device, and overall much less strain on the end user. I don’t personally feel that this technology is worth investing in on a standalone device that is only able to read books, but I do see why some would prefer it.
I think the interesting point will come when Kindle responds to the iPad. I think at this point they have to. Even if it is making the page refresh faster, adding color eInk options, or speeding up the processor of the device, something has to be done. The Kindle DX is a single use device, and that is its biggest downfall when compared to the iPad. I personally think that many people will be fine reading on the LCD screen of the iPad over the Kindle DX when people can also use the iPad for many other things.
iBooks, a new marketplace for books on the iPad is going to be Apple’s main way of getting books to the device. There are other eBook apps on the iPhone already, but because Apple has created their own, it will either dissolve the apps market for books, or at least radically change it.
The New York Times App, for the iPad is beautifully designed and I feel it will be a strong player on the iPad market for those who want to read The New York Times.
iPad Pricing -
Although the iPad seems pricy right now for what you get on a hardware level, I expect it to go down in time as it hits more consumers. Many people were expecting the iPad to be around $1,000 (entry level) and were pleasantly surprised when Steve Jobs announced that they would start at $499. Personally, I think it is still too expensive for people to buy it at a mass market level. If it is anything like the iPhone, it will go down in price and double in storage options within the next one or two years. Apple is known for doing yearly updates on mobile devices, and I don’t expect that to change with the iPad. In case you missed it, the iPad is going to be for sale at launch for the following prices:
Image from Apple.com
If you are only going to be using it at home, there is no need for the 3G version. However, if you are going to be traveling, you have the option of the 3G models where you have a month to month contract with 250MB for $19.99/mo or “Unlimited” (which is most likely 5GB/mo) for $29.99/mo through AT&T. You don’t have to sign a contact with AT&T, which is a plus to many people.
I think there is A LOT of potential for really great Apps on the iPad. The larger screen size with faster processor are major factors to being able to create great apps, and I hope that application developers will take advantage of it. Yes, you can use most App store programs on the iPad with no problem, but I feel the iPad will really come into its own when people realize that they should create iPad specific versions. I can imagine really awesome music based apps that deal with both creation and modification. It also makes me wish that I had Objective-C / Touch Cocoa experience and knowledge so that I could create what I’m looking for.
Criticisms -
No Flash:
Although this is a major problem to many, I don’t consider it an issue. Flash is very buggy, and I even use ClickToFlash to turn off flash on OSX. I have sites whitelisted, but for the most part it is kept off. HTML5 is what is being pushed by Apple because of Safari. I’m hoping that more companies get rid of the buggy Flash and move to HTML5. Google Voice got around the App store by moving to HTML5 for the web app for the iPhone, and although it isn’t perfect it is a good example of what can be done with HTML5. WIth embedded video in HTML5, there is much less of a need for flash on mobile devices. On a gaming note, I don’t really do much online or mobile gaming. I use my computer for productivity a lot more than gaming, so I don’t really think about that. I have iPhone games, and those will be enough to keep me busy if I want to do gaming on the iPad.
No Camera:
This is the farthest thing from a deal breaker for me. I have an iPhone with a camera, an iMac with a camera, and a stand alone digital camera. I don’t expect to be taking the iPad out very often if I get it, so the need for a camera in the iPad is non-existent to me. I don’t think it is worth whining about either. People can import pictures from the computer, or the SD card adaptor that Apple will be selling. I do think that in time Apple will add this to the device, but personally, I don’t see the need for it. I’m sure there are plenty of others that will disagree with me though.
No Multitasking:
To me, this is the biggest flaw with the device. Because you can’t run multiple apps at the same time, it reduces itself to a beefed up phone. I think there are a lot of consumers that would like to be able to run apps like Pandora and twitter apps at the same time, or while web browsing. I don’t think Apple will implement this until they can create a clean and clear user interface that makes app management on their mobile devices easily. Sometimes I’d like to have multitasking on the iPhone, but I don’t see it as a big problem on a device so small. Once you get to the iPad with a much larger screen and better processor, it becomes something that is much more desirable.
Accessories -
Because the iPad has a 30-pin dock connector, it will be able to play nicely with iPod/iPhone/iPod Touch accessories. This will open up a lot of potential for App + accessory integration, and will help the iPad become a larger player in time. Apple has announced a keyboard connected to a dock connector for typing/charging, but it will also work with the Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard. Other accessories that Apple announced are: 30-pin to SD card reader, cases, and a 10W USB Power Adaptor.
With everything that is being offered in the first version, I’m still unsure if I will invest in it myself. I think that I’m more likely to wait until version 2, so that the hardware and software improves and hopefully the storage increases. I will wait to make my final decision once I’m able to get the device in hand, and this seems to be the reaction that many people are giving it. I didn’t need to touch the iPhone before I bought it to know that I liked it, but with the iPad I may need to. I’m hoping that when they have them available to play with in the Apple store that they will be easily accessible and be loaded with tons of apps ranging from games to productivity, because each person in there will have a different potential use case for it, much like the iPhone/iPod Touch.
