“50,000+ iPads sold in two hours.”
“91,000 iPads pre-ordered in six hours.”
“120,000 iPads sold on first day.”
Those are a selection of web headlines that greeted the world following Apple publishing the iPad pre-order page and are an indication of the hype surrounding the invention of a so-called new era in personal computing. I do wonder though as to how many of these thousands people have really thought about what they are going to do with an iPad?
Within that number there is a chunk of people who would buy a piece of paper for £20 if it had an Apple logo on it, there is a group of people who just have to own the latest gadget and the rest is made up of people who simply want the iPad. They perceive a use for it, but the cross over between the iPad and iPhone is stark when it comes to using one for everyday tasks.
I can read an eBook on my iPhone in the Doctors surgery while waiting for an appointment. I can watch a movie lying in bed on my side as I drift off to sleep. I can catch up with the news the same way and on the whole the small screen is not a hindrance, but an advantage, when undertaking these activities. The form factor of a smartphone is what makes it usable all of the time and the iPad is most definitely not a use all of the time device. Does it have to be though?
Maybe Apple sees a world where people will be reading books and magazine on an iPad when on a train, in the office and at home, but this requires a change of mindset for a lot of people. Those who use laptops on a train will probably still want to use a laptop, those who use an iPhone will probably still want to use an iPhone and for the rest the idea is incomprehensible. To see iPads, and similar devices, being used in public requires a change in human behaviour similar to what we saw in the early days of mobile phone ownership. I know people who to this day still feel embarrassed about using a mobile phone in public and the thought of using an iPad would seem crazy to them. These people will not buy an iPad in the first place so it doesn’t matter, but it is an example of how people will need to change as much as the technology for it to catch on.
The advantages are clear with the iPad and I can see these clear as day, but the iPhone does a lot of what the iPad does already and I do wonder in what areas it will catch on. In some businesses it will have a place, but not to the extent that it will be commonplace. It obviously has huge potential for a family and at home, especially when going on holiday, but I come back to the point that I can watch a movie and read a book on my iPhone in a much more practical fashion and in many more situations.
We do not know at this stage if the iPad concept will catch on, but early indications are that Apple has sold the product to a great many people already. I say ‘product’ because I don’t believe it has sold the idea (yet) and I’m not convinced that many have considered why they want the product in the first place. Apple is a business that is there to make money- arguments about selling a philosophy are nonsense in my mind, but it is a clever trick that brings in the dollars, lots of them. All of this doesn’t mean that I will not be buying an iPad; I do see huge potential in the product, but from a personal point of view I wonder if it would be a device that I would use enough to make the purchase worthwhile in the first place.
Shaun,
I tend to agree. I would love to have an iPad as I see many uses for it. Most of these are at home where it is faster to quickly check the web or calendar or whatever than a laptop. I see it as a family general device for anyone to pick up and use for a few mins at a time.
But $500 for this is tough to swallow. I see lots of uses for the device but as it doesn’t do anything I can’t do with my iPhone or laptop then laying out $500+ seems excessive.
Has the UK price been announced. I’ve not seen it. I’m imagining it at £399 as we always pay more than the equivalent US price.
Sid
I’d be more inclined to use it as a very portable device for taking notes in meetings. I have a good walk to get between some of my meetings and carrying a laptop can be a drag. At home I use my Macbook which is virtually instant-on from standby, and has flash so there’s not much advantage.
I agree, I want one, but I’m not sure where or how I would use it. The obvious advantage over the iPhone is size and over laptops it’s the instant on. But there are plenty of disadvantages as well. I know we will all buy one, but I don’t think its a product for us geeks. It has the potential to be the computer that, probably 80% of people actually need. Something that is easy to use, is not affected by viruses and malware and does the basic jobs they need like browsing and email. I can think of a couple of dozen people where this would be a far better bet than a laptop or desktop.
I’ll be using it in my dreams for quite some time I suspects. Possibly till the 2nd generation of the iPad comes out!
Otherwise I’d probably leave my laptop at home, since I can do most of the things I need on an iPad (though it will need to play nicely with Google Docs.)
I see myself using this sitting around the house, probably in front of the TV watching whatever as I surfed, checked mail, and did the facebook thing. If I took it out of the house, I would probably be using it just to kill some time either reading, or playing games.
Its a very cool idea and break through size, but the price point is insane. I can get a nice SONY, or comparable netbook for that much cash.
Now if PALM came out with a similar WebOS tab – hmmmmmm ….
“I don’t think its a product for us geeks. It has the potential to be the computer that, probably 80% of people actually need. Something that is easy to use, is not affected by viruses and malware and does the basic jobs they need like browsing and email. I can think of a couple of dozen people where this would be a far better bet than a laptop or desktop.”
Although I definitely have my geek moments, you can count me in as one if those people for whom the iPad is perfectly suited. Given the choice between my iPhone, my laptop and an iPad, I’d choose the iPad for most of my computing needs.
To be honest, I find using a desktop/laptop computer cumbersome and annoying most of the time, especially for things like creating and editing spreadsheets. One look at the demo of iWork for the iPad (especially the Numbers app) convinced me that this was the way to go for me, particularly when I saw the dedicated numerical keyboard that pops up just when you need it.
When I look at what I do on my laptop, there are just so many tasks that will be easier and more pleasurable to perform on the iPad. How do I know? Simple, because they are already easier to do on my iPhone. Throwing in that big, bright screen just adds to the possibilities. These are the typical tasks I’ll be using my iPad for:
Manipulating a task list
Editing a spreadsheet
Writing and editing
Designing a presentation
Reading ebooks
Playing games
Surfing the web
Flicking through photo albums
Switching between my most used apps
Reviewing my calendar
Email
Watching a movie
Taking notes
And when I really want to churn out some words, I’ll just drop it into the keyboard dock.
The fact that many of us reach for our iPhones rather than our laptops (even when both are close to hand) is a tremendous indictment of the current laptop/desktop computng model.
Until the iPhone came along, most of us were using smartphones that offered a mdiocre, at best, user experience. To put it bluntly: they sucked and we didn’t even know it. I think the iPad will have the same transformative effect on our view of laptops/desktops.
In fact, I would even go so far as to say that the iPad will be the first everyday computer that doesn’t completely suck.
I want to see more examples of the iPad in use before I can say it is compelling. My HD2 with its 4″ is wonderful so if the iPad is more of the HD2 agian then…
I agree with teejay69 ‘Its a very cool idea and break through size, but the price point is insane.’ The cheapest version is massively out-specced by a netbook costing two-thirds of the price.
“I agree with teejay69 ‘Its a very cool idea and break through size, but the price point is insane.’ The cheapest version is massively out-specced by a netbook costing two-thirds of the price.”
I disagree. For example, can you find me a netbook that uses IPS screen technology for 2/3 price of an iPad? Or a netbook which weighs 1.5 pounds, doubles as a handhled gaming device and ebook reader, and is perfectly suited for both?
It’s would argue it’s not about the “specs”, particularly the specs that are benchmarks for a completely different kind of computer. It’s all about how the device will be used, in what circumstances, and the overall user experience when carrying out the tasks for which it is designed.