Comic strip drawn by Patrick Chappatte
Is the comic strip really true? Somewhat – perhaps you already have some kind of smartphone – it really doesn’t matter if it’s a BlackBerry, an Android device, an iPhone, a Palm Pre or even a Windows Mobile phone but while they all can check e-mail and browse the web and play video (to some degree or another) it’s possible that you never had to decide between firing up your computer and using your phone to do these things. You wouldn’t reply to an e-mail with more than a sentence or two on your phone. You wouldn’t really surf the web for any extended periods of time on your smartphone… and you certainly wouldn’t watch more than 1-2 min video on it either. The default action for these tasks has always been to get to the REAL computer [be it desktop or laptop] and get REAL stuff done.
The iPad truly complicates that a bit because it makes you question if you really need that primary system. You can easily write a bigger e-mail [yes, even using the touch-screen keyboard of the device and not some bluetooth keyboard or keyboard dock]. You can truly check more than a website or two without going crazy because of how long it’s taking or because of how crushed it is [the iPad’s got more screen space than a great deal of netbooks out there]. And watching videos on it can be a truly social experience because it is both big enough and loud enough to allow more than a single person to enjoy a video.
So in a way the “issue” is not that it introduces a brand new set of tasks but rather, that it makes you second guess yourself – do you really want to fire up that laptop or desktop. Do you have time to wait for it to boot up? What if there are software updates – it’s going to take longer…
LOL, so true. We could probably expect an iMat from Apple in the futre. XD
There is no camera. This seems foolish especially with the great photo options this machine has. A camera will make it very popular with every generation. I’m sure it has to do with the price but a camera option is a must, period.
Steven,
Good point and I hope they do add a camera in the next version of the iPad.
We all know that there is no device that is perfect with it’s first generation release and it is surely likely to improve and have added features on the wish-list. Overall the iPad rocks and I plan on making it my best friend, especially for books.
Chris,
Very true no device or product is perfect out of the gate, but Apple certainly does well when it comes to gadgets.
I hated the iPad the first time I saw it. I mean, what was this little gadget suppposed to be good for? Reading books? Please, give me a real book, that backlight will kill my eyes. Work? Definitelly not.
But, as time went by I started to understand the concept. My brother in law got one and I used it for a while. iPad is NOT a laptop killer, is more like an “electronic travelling friend”, you can see movies, check websites etc.
Now we can see all the big brands have started developing their own “iPads” (Samsung, Sony, etc), so once again, Mr Jobs is setting trends.
(Anyway I wouldn’t buy one ;))
I think you are mistaken the iPad for a Kindle. The iPad offers much more…
XD Good point)))
I have to agree that buying an iPad may not be the best choice. I, though, feel this way about most e-readers, because one of my favorite things to do with books is share them. Reading, enjoying, and then passing onto friends is what makes a book so different from anything else. Until e-books can be shared the same way, I’m out of this market.
The only thing that impressed me at first was the price tag, but now knowing some of the other limitations, even that is disappointing. I guess I’ll have to wait to see if the G2 version of the iPad adds all the features I would want in a tablet for around the same cost.
I think that this is a good marketing strategy: to create a need, and then to sell your products as a solution to that need.
Mmm nope, I haven’t. The kindle is much better for reading books as it uses electronic ink and not just backlight as the iPad. I tried to make a point in the reading thing because its one of Apple’s main selling arguements (with iBooks app and such). I know an iPad is much more, that’s why I mentioned movies, websites, etc.
I can’t wait for the G-Pad on Black Friday!
Perhaps the iPad is actually just a Solution looking for a problem?
Mike,
I hope not and I look forward to my purchase. I will let you know by posting articles about my iPad experience.