↓ iPad
So much hype for so little. The promise: a new niche with an new, exciting user interface. To me the reality is that the iPad competes with other tablets and netbooks. There are a few new UI features (mainly multitouch) but for the most part it behaves just like a big ipod touch.
Before I start I should say that I have not held or used the iPad. Like almost everyone else this is a totally uninformed opinion. At least I waited until the announcement. Also, these comments aren’t meant to predict the success of the iPad. I am only writing about its appeal to me.
Why I prefer a netbook: it’s mainly the form factor. I’ve had a netbook for 2 years and I usually place it on a flat surface (table or lap) and then adjust the angle of the screen so I can see it. With a tablet you have to hold it in your hand (or put it in a dock; more on that later) and that is not comfortable for long.
Like a netbook the ipad is supposed to be for “light” computing: email and web browsing. The only plus for the iPad is its nice screen. Otherwise, I prefer a keyboard (for typing my email messages and filling in forms on websites) and a mouse (for precise positioning) over my fingers on the touch-sensitive screen.
If you use the external keyboard then the iPad becomes a netbook in weight but is less convenient to carry. And there is still no mouse so you have to reach up to the screen to interact.
The iPad may do well if Apple comes up with some additional media deals. The iBook store isn’t compelling to me. I have a kindle 2 and think that for me it is probably better than the iPad because it is smaller and easier to hold. For books it is fine. The iPad would be better for magazines, textbooks, etc. where the color screen and better navigation would come into play but no media deals in those areas were announced. I also use the kindle app on the iPhone and that works well when I am traveling light. I see no need for the bigger iPad.
Back to the form factor: it is 4×3 and not 16×9 so widescreen videos do not take up all of the screen. I don’t watch many movies on my netbook but think that it would be at least as good an experience, again remembering that it is easier to get a hands-free placement where you can see the screen.
Tablets have been successful in vertical markets like hospitals and factory floors. The iPad can do well there. And with new features and media deals for new content it might be well as a consumer device. But not for now.
