My take on the iPad
I've been asked by a number of people what I think of the iPad. Here are my initial thoughts.
What's in a name?First of all, the name sucks. iPad? Seriously? The whole "i" thing is very 2001 and "Pad"…well…I'll spare you my own jokes and refer you to this long list instead. Apple Slate or Apple Canvas or even Apple Tablet would have been much better names. Consumption, not creation
One thing I'm a little disappointed about is that the iPad seems to be much more about consuming content than creating it. I like the Courier concept videos (must-see: here and here) and wish Apple would have done something like that or at least created an app that did something similar. Less product, more platform
I think Apple didn't announce a product as much as it did a platform (as has also been commented on by Brett). For a while I've wondered why anyone would want a tablet: too big to put in your pocket, not functional enough to replace a laptop. So what's the point? Apple intends the iPad to be a platform which content creators can make amazing things that are designed specifically for it. They'll be so amazing, we'll pay money for them instead of getting them for free on the internet. For example, I'd pay extra to be able to read Wired's online content in an awesome, interactive format that looks more like the magazine than a website (I absolutely love Wired's design/layout). Or, at least that's what Apple wants because it gets 30% of everything sold through the App Store. Price
I'm pleasantly surprised at the $499 starting price point. However, charging an extra $130 to be able to access a 3G network is absurd. Cell phone carriers give away free phones with the necessary hardware to access 3G networks and Apple is trying to charge $130 just for the 3G radio/chipset? Ridiculous. Data
What's not so ridiculous, and could actually make the $130 for the hardware bearable is the no contract, all-you-can-eat $30/month data plan that's available for the iPad. And rumor has it you'll be able to use VOIP (voice calls over the internet – Skype). So if you don't make a lot of phone calls you could essentially be getting unlimited voice and data for $30 per month. Not too shabby considering most unlimited voice/data plans go for at least $70 per month. This becomes a more viable option if they allow multitasking. Just run Skype in the background and you're set. Killer app: software that turns your iPad into a mifi/wireless hotspot using the 3G signal. No word on whether or not SMS will be available as an add-on to the data plan. Book reader
From all accounts, the iPad is an excellent book reader. That's fine and all if you read ebooks which, to this point, I do not. I've bashed the Kindle a number of times and don't see the point in laying down that much money for one. The iPad, on the other hand, has the functionality of the Kindle and everything else it does, making the purchase proposition much easier to swallow. Assuming text books are readily available on the iPad and there's some kind of annotation capability, a $499 iPad seems like a no-brainer for college students – especially with the optional attachable keyboard and dock. Forget the laptop. Laptops are heavy and you have to carry around books. With an iPad you carry one device and that's it. Heck. It could even replace your iPod if you had a headphone cable long enough (like Earhogs) and voice control. Just leave the iPad in your bag and run the headphones out. I foresee a new trend in murses on college campuses. For me, it'd be nothing more than an iPad, a Moleskine notebook and some pens. More to come
There was one thing that was conspicuously absent from the iPad announcement – notifications. With calendar, email and other apps in the App Store having built-in push notifications it seemed odd that they didn't show how those would work. My guess is that the OS we saw isn't the finished version and that there will be a revamped notifications system for the iPhone and the iPad. I also don't think that Apple is going to let a custom 1 ghz processor go to waste running one app at a time. I'm guessing when the iPad launches in March (or soon thereafter – perhaps at WWDC in the summer) they will also announce multi-tasking for it and the iPhone. Conclusion
Right now I'm in a wait-and-see holding pattern with the iPad. I'm curious to see what app developers and content creators do with it. Steve tried to make the case that there's a need for a new category between smart phones and laptops. I'm not entirely convinced – at least at the current price point. While $499 is surprisingly low, it's not low enough for me to rush out and buy one (it would have to skew closer to $200 before I wouldn't think twice about it). I'll probably wait until at least the second generation – complete with camera, lower price (possibly) and an established base of must-have apps – before I consider a purchase. In the meantime, my iPhone and Macbook are definitely doing the trick. Besides, would you want to leave an iPad next to the couch when you have a two year-old on the loose? Me either.
