More iPad Randomness
Gosh people get so upset about a gadget that not only isn’t in their hands but isn’t supposed to replace current devices. This is supposed to be a new category of device. Why are people so tied to knocking a product or putting someone else’s opinion through a meat grinder?
My first thoughts on the iPad hold. I think it’s COOL! I want it. I can’t wait to own one. I would definitely be a first generation owner if I can justify throwing some money at it.
I think there are some perspectives missing from this whole discussion. Mr. Jobs said this is not a netbook, it’s not a phone, it’s not a pc, it’s something in the middle. A whole new way of doing stuff. Maybe not to the iphone user, though from all things I read and heard yesterday, there will be new things for those of us who already are familiar with that device.
I was on someone else’s site responding to comments yesterday about how I don’t think we should undervalue this new device. It seems to me, this is the future, not the past and to compare the two is not possible. They offer different strengths.
Ken made some great points to me this morning. He said this isn’t a computing device this is a connecting device. I hadn’t thought of it quite like that but that’s worth some consideration.
What about other possibilities? How about a holder that will keep it protected in the kitchen while you look up recipes? Or in the workshop where you might need to know what tool you need to do something? How about sitting on the coffee table so you can read the newspaper or as the remote for your home theater system so you don’t have to shell out 200 bucks for a remote to run it all? How many 200 dollar gadgets can it replace in an all in one new device that also happens to do some other really cool things?
Where are the futurists? We aren’t going to be sitting with a keyboard and mouse the whole rest of our lives. We’re going to be changing and evolving. We are going to be swiping screens and using our voice to do things that to now were just possibilities on the horizon. Tomorrow we’ll be doing a wide array of things we can’t even fathom. The iPad is a step toward it and a step away from where we’ve been. Am I the only one who sees that?
And another thing, to loosely use one of Steve Jobs statements, the processor in this new device was not meant to compete with a 3.8 hyper-threaded or quadcore anything. It is a different animal altogether. It is apparently as fast as anyone has seen anything run. I say WOW and COOL because it won’t heat up at the same rate as a traditional computer, won’t need the cooling system attached, and will in general require less power to run, which is FABULOUS!
on January 28th, 2010 at 9:51 am
The point is most of what you suggest (and more) can be done by devices which are already there. Why do we need a substandard pricy device?
I see the point of having such a device, but in its current form the iPad falls way short.
Alok
http://truvoipbuzz.com
on January 28th, 2010 at 9:53 am
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on January 28th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Simple, Sheryl. Apple brings out the worst in people on both ends. On the one hand, you have the Apple fanboy who loves to flaunt anything Apple. And then you have the Apple haters who will bash anything just because it’s Apple.
Of course, there are those for whom this device will make no sense to. And that’s fine. I don’t want an X-Box, but lot’s of people do. So too will people feel about this device. Unfortunately, it’s the cacophony of fanboy and haters that drown out any real discussion.
on January 28th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Alok,
Let me respond this way. What makes you think it’s substandard? As compared to what? Devices it’s not meant to replace? It costs the same as buying an iphone outright, no contract, so how is that pricey?
You actually make my point in one way, the ipad can replace a myriad of devices such as ebook readers, expensive remotes but it does more than either of those do. It also does more than my iphone does and gives me a big screen to do it on.
on January 28th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Rob,
Your point about the noise that will happen by the screaming fans and haters is well taken. This sort of discussion would be impossible on someone else’s blog. I’m neither a fan’girl’ nor a hater, so I think I offer a decent place to have this discussion.
on January 28th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I have a bunch of work in progress that I need to focus on and feel like I can’t fully engage in the iPad conversation right now. But as neither a fanboy or hater, I do have some thoughts.
The iPad isn’t a laptop or netbook. If you need one of those and wanted the iPad to replace it, you will be disaappointed.
The iPad isn’t a phone. If you wanted it to replace yours you will be disappointed.
The iPad isn’t an iPod Touch. It isn’t a PDA. It isn’t a big screen TV.
It won’t replace any one device you’re attached to or emotionally invested in. If you thought it would you will be disappointed. Kthxbai!
The iPad is a new class of Internet appliance. It’s the first of a new breed. That means it might change how, when or where we use the Internet. It might do it in ways we haven’t thought of just yet, It might change our visions of how we work, why we need netbooks, what a smart home is, automobile travel or any number of things we do.
It might change a lot of things for many people. It might not.
For all of us (I include me because I am a creature of habit) who are stuck on what it can’t do, it’s time to set aside those biases if you want to explore. If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you will keep getting the results you’ve been getting. Nothing will change. Your netbook will still be a netbook. Your work habits and life won’t change in exponential ways. They will improve incrementally, Life as usual will go on.
If you want to disrupt your own life and open your mind to new ways of living, working and connecting, the iPad might be something valuable for you. Or not.
it is the first of its kind and to praise it as utopia or condemn it as a failure at this point is simply closed-minded and counterproductive. I don’t have time for either of those in my life.
Carry on. I’m back to work.
on January 28th, 2010 at 11:39 am
All great points from you and Ken. Yet another great read that made me think twice on the subject.
For many people any drastic change to IT can be traumatic just in terms of the learning curve. When it is a paradigm changer like this you can just see the “rabbit in the headlights” in their comments.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this evolves and where it takes us but more importantly how it stimulates Apple’s competitors to look at where they are going in terms of innovation and change.
on January 28th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
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on January 28th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
It seems to me that the iPad will necessarily be a slow build. I’m not sure that the lower-end models are worth it without near-ubiquitous WiFi — something that many of us do not yet experience in our daily lives…it’ll be a few years yet. Having spoken to, for instance, many Kindle users I am of the impression that the spur-of-the-moment ability to download a book almost anywhere (having just read about it in the paper or heard someone talk about it) has been a big selling point. I think it is for the same reason that the iPhone has been such a big success. If I were Apple I’d be hoping that widespread, publicly-available, relatively high-capacity WiFi becomes a reality VERY soon. Without it, I am betting that only the high-end model has a chance to be a breakthrough item — but only for the privileged few.
on January 29th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ken, Ken and Sheryl Breuker, JR Snyder Jr. JR Snyder Jr said: "More iPad Randomness" by @sherylbreuker http://bit.ly/9jrFCM with interesting comment by @kencamp [iPad's future forward; not for me...yet] [...]