Everyone on the internet and media are giving their thoughts on the new device from Apple, so I would be amiss if I didn’t give my opinion as well.
Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave or under a rock for the last few years, then you have probably heard all of the speculation and rumors as to what the Apple tablet was supposed to be. What the folks at Cupertino and specifically Steve Jobs unveiled on Wednesday was, realistically…an oversized iPhone, minus the phone.
I’m a Microsoft fan, but I’m also a technology fan and admittedly, I was anxiously
awaiting the reveal of “the most important thing” that Steve Jobs had ever done, because let’s face it; he’s done some pretty important things. And to that point, I really believed that we’d see something that was going to rock the foundation of the technology world. Instead, we got something called the iPad (No, really, I’m serious). Even as a fan of Microsoft products, I was greatly disappointed by the iPad, so I can’t imagine what actual Apple fans are doing with this most embarrassing product revelation. Probably similar to what most of us were doing when Vista was being slammed by critics – making excuses and pointing out its positives. Had Apple just introduced the product for what it was…an oversized iPhone, then we’d probably be saying how it’s a decent product with a niche market. The problem is that the rumors and hype from Apple during the event and outsiders leading up to the event was so exaggerated that we now have the fallout, similar to Windows Vista.
Let’s face it; no one was blown away by the iPad. No new feature was shown that would make this the new “must have” device. It’s simply a nice-looking piece of equipment that is overly priced and similar to the technology we’ve seen in iPods and iPhones for years now.
With the title of their event, “Come See Our Latest Creation”, I originally thought that Apple had produced something that might dwarf Windows 7 tablets and Windows 7 netbooks, but I believe that the folks at Redmond are currently breathing a sigh of relief. Their market share should be fine and their technology in the “third device” department is still going to be adopted as it has been.
In conclusion, the iPad is a cool device and might have been largely accepted as cutting edge and “the most important thing ever” had it been released two or three years ago, but it was released in the wake of Windows 7′s great success and the largely lauded Android devices, so for now, it’s kind of …eh.
this sounds like something that females wud use monthly.. the name sucks!!!
I don’t think they can rest easy. Shortcomings aside, analysts are projecting 3-4 million iPads sold this year and double that next. If that happens, Apple becomes the leader in tablets, a category MS has pioneered for a decade. That’s also more than $4 billion of incremental revenue and nearly $2 billion of extra profit for Apple by next year, bringing them ever closer to surpassing MS in total revenue. And, assuming some of those iPad buyers are new to Apple, there’s potential for them to become Mac buyers as well.
On the contrary. Redmond needs to get its ass in gear and have a W7-equipped, fully touch enabled Slate in the market asap, and at a competitive price.
Paul, after the hype letdown that the iPad has done, I doubt 3-4 million is a number it can attain, especially considering the price and the economy. Why would anyone NEED this, anyway? And for $500 MINIMUM? It can’t even do Flash content, so 90% of the web pages out there won’t look right on it. It too big to be a music player, and it’s not flexible enough to do anything other than be a fancy iPod Touch on steroids. Big deal. I see this thing failing and quickly! Redmond has nothing to worry about. Apple, on the other hand, has Dell and MSI to worry about. They will be releasing tablets soon that will run Windows 7(which blows away OSX SL), OR Unix OR even OSX SL, if Apple lets you(which I doubt). They will be REAL computers, with multitasking, multi-touch(thanks to Win7), and be able to show ALL web based content, INCLUDING Flash. Sorry, but the iPad(STOOPIT name) will not be a success for Apple. Look at what’s being said already about it and it’s still early in the game. When Dell and MSI bring theirs out, the iPad will officially be DONE. Period!
The hype was enormous, so a letdown is expected even if it didn’t have some obvious shortcomings. Nevertheless, the numbers still look very attainable to me. Fanbois alone will take care of half that. Indeed, had it been available for pre-order Apple probably would have booked a million already. Price and the economy are issues, but Apple has demonstrated that their customers tend to be less economically sensitive. I also expect the list to drop quickly and carriers to offer attractive discounts for iPad/3G bundles in the meantime. Lack of flash is a big deal. Bigger even on the iPad that it is on the iPhone/iTouch. But those devices still lead everyone in mobile browsing, and I suspect Apple will get it sorted quickly (videos of an internal Apple iPad with Flash support was already reported today). Don’t think Apple has much reason to worry about Dell. MSI, maybe. But their initial tablet appears to be Android-based (as I believe is Dell’s). The most interesting W7 unit appears to be the HP one from CES, but no date or price. On W7 versus SL, disagree. At best they’re close. Many can and would argue SL is still better. Maybe W8 will move the bar clearly ahead. W7 versus iPhone OS though, I agree. As I would OS X versus iPhone OS. But you still need touch enabled applications, which Apple has and MS currently doesn’t.
Paul, I agree on some of your points, most notably the fanboy aspect of iPad sales, but I still think with so many in the press and on various web sites already making cracks and jokes at the expense of the iPad, I see it not being one of Apples most promising new releases…..no where near the iPhone. Dell’s and MSI’s tablets are already being touted as running REAL OS’s, and doing multi-tasking, something the iPad can’t do. And as far as OS’s go, I think it’s readily apparent that I’m a Windows fan, you are not, or not as much. Windows 7 has already outsold all of Apple’s OS’s combined, and, is the fastest selling OS in history. If it wasn’t very good, it would have already started suffering from negative press and user comments. So far, the positives FAR out-weight the negatives. Vista started out with promise, but almost as soon as it was released, it was being slammed. I have noticed that the Apple vs. MS commercials have really died down from the Fruit Factory’s Ad camp! I guess they too realize they can’t find enough wrong with Windows 7 to slam it like they did XP(which is still better than OSX), and Vista(also not too bad now. After all the fixes, mind you). I have had a computer of some kind since 1981(had game systems before that), and have been a PC user since 1986. I can easily say, Windows 7 is the best OS I have ever worked with, and YES, I have worked with OSX, including Snow Leopard, over the years as well. And believe me, I don’t know how to explain it either! Just something solid, reliable, and slick about Windows 7, and the fact EVERYTHING I have, including old DOS programs and games work great in 7. Not something I could say about Vista, and for the most part about XP either. I won’t even go into OSX’s issues with “PC” based applications. But, in the long run, it’s a wait and see issues on both the OS wars and the iPad. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens! Nice chatting with ya!
Thank you Gentlemen for insightful comments. I agree with you maxpcfan with respect to Windows 7. I have been using it since last September and it is rock solid, very quick and when something goes wrong, like drivers I wanted to install, it tells me, looks for a fix and if none, it tells me that to. Of course I never had problems with Vista either except a self-inflicted problem loading a game. Then I just used system restore.
Apple hardware products here in Canada are very expensive relative to PC’s. It is classed as a ‘luxury’ item, not main stream. Indeed, if the ipod and iphone were not so successful, where would Apple be? I mean $1300 Canadian dollars for the entry level MAC laptop?
Paul, I’m sorry but this product just isn’t quite going to make it.
For example, you’ve got smart phones, who do you see these days carrying around a PDA like the old days, 7 or 8 years ago? Almost no one. Why? Because, why need a PDA when you have a smart phone like an iPhone or a BlackBerry, right? So why buy an iPad, when you have a portable Mac or an iPhone, laptop, or netbook? Apple is adding on to the things people carry around with them daily, and I don’t know about you, but carrying around an extra over sized iPhone just does not attract me, or other consumers with busy lives. If people DO buy it, it’s just going to be sitting there, rarely used, just to show off (“Look guys, I got an iPad.” “Ooooh, ahhh it’s so shiny.”) The iPad is a toy, not a necessity, and definitely not a ‘creation that will rock the foundations of technology.’And I’m not throwing mud in Apple’s face, mind you, but they had a chance and they lost it.
So after a million sales and growing I guess you nailed that right on the head. In fact many people would rather carry a device that is lighter that can still perform the same simple functions as a laptop. At&T has failed with too many dropped calls. The medical field is using the iPad for record keeping, while grad students use them for note taking, email, researching and so on. Further more the Flash is slowly being replace by a new standard. So yes like it or not Apple is making changes that Microsoft is adapting to and will get some great ideas to bring something else out.
Only time will tell how iPad will do, and if I am wrong, I bow my head down in acceptance. But something I keep hearing is iPad “gaining momentum”, or “going forward”, etc. The iPad is, a fad, a luxury item. Fanboys like it, and thats where the million or 2 million sales are coming from. After that, what is going to happen? After it’s gained momentum, it’s just going to slow down. Other companies will throw their slates out and Apple will be sort of mixed in with all the others. And when you look at price, that’s where Apple fails to attract the rest of the consumers. That’s just my opinion.
Hype letdown? Why would anyone set their expectations on rumors? I want one because it *is* an oversized iPod Touch. My iPhone allows me to only use my Windows7 desktop when I need to burn a DVD or something I want to see on the big screen which isn’t daily. I want something inbetween and bought an Asus netbook with Windows 7. It went back the next day. Netbooks with Windows are underpowered laptops with awkwardly small screens. Apple’s devices are built to be what they are. YMMV.
I laugh my ass off when people talk about how this is a letdown and how the pricepoint is going to be prohibitive.Let me refresh our collective memories here… 1) At $600 +, all 1st gen iphones were sold out.2) People said Steve Jobs would never revolutionize selling music and the record companies would never agree…Itunes anyone?3) If anyone doubts the Ipad will put the kindle out of business forever, they are smoking crack. I own(ed) a second gen kindle. It can’t hold a flame to the Ipad.My prediction:The price point is steep and may be reduced ever so slightly but they will fly off the shelves and will single handedly restart (digi)print media again.People read the news online and they will be able to do so online and pay for it with the right device….aka an Ipad.Ironically, i believe Iphone sales will suffer as a result. Itunes and Iapps in 2 places will prove a little too redundant…
http://www.windows7update.com
I think the device is disappointing, and there won’t be one on my cocktail table. I want a device that doubles as a solid ereader, and for that you need a suitable display technology. I will hold out and see what devices show up with Mirasol and Liquivista screens this year.
I think the iPad is a very ordinary product. I was very surprised that this was Apple’s take on the tablet device. They did get the price right, and all that really matters is public perception. They will sell a LOT of iPads. Maybe not to you and me, but they will.
Don’t sweat it. It just means that the cool tablet devices are going to have a tougher time gaining market space, which should mean user-friendly prices.
I agree wholeheartedly…
Jason,
I agree with you that the Ipad doesn’t seem like a revolutionary device when you simply look at specs and focus on the shortcomings. Microsoft however would be very foolish to rest easy after the Ipad. Microsoft was paranoid company, and that was why they were able get on top and remain there for so long.
The Ipad IS a revolution in disguise. It is NOT an oversized Iphone. The additional real estate and more powerful processor will allow it to run more powerful and productive programs which will be fully touch oriented. People will interact differently with this device.
Gates well understands the power of touch computing: he advocated tablet PC’s years ago. Microsoft however wasn’t able to let go of the Windows desktop framework, and failed to understand that it needed something fundamentally different to make this category work. As a result it couldn’t get the device right to appeal to a broad group of people (business or consumer).
There are 60+ million people or so which have Iphones or Ipod touches. Using the Iphone/Ipod Touch with dedicated Apps you can do certain things, access certain information so seamlessly that it is a delight to work with. It becomes almost an extension of your body. Almost everybody I know that has an Iphone or Ipod touch I know is interested in the Ipad. Not every is sure whether to buy, but interested to see whether you could be more productive (business), have more fun (consumer) with such a device.
I see the Ipad as a very interesting productivity tool. You can take it to meetings, where (in Europe) you can’t all take laptops because it’s too disruptive for the meeting if everybody is behind their screens.
Certain types of activity can be done faster and much better in a touch environment. I could image one could do project planning faster, data analysis type of activities faster, prepare presentations with the right apps. You could access BI information more intuitively and have information much more readily available (during meetings for example). People will come up with smart ideas and programs how to do that.
Although it may not multitask (which might end soon with the OS 4.0 release), the user interface has no clutter, no “noise” from superfluous buttons, options etc. It takes away all the distractions, allowing you to focus on its primary function: providing a flawless interface to do certain things exceptionally well. For all the other functions there is always a laptop and a smart phone.
Microsoft must respond, because with the right apps and the right ecosystem Apple might be able to pull of something similar to the Iphone. Microsoft has certain innate strengths to get something potentially more compelling to business users to the table. It has 12-24 months to counter this device or it finds itself scrambling as it seems to be doing with Windows Mobile.
Laughing. I love to read these comments. Wow the iPad failed so badly eh? Yet Hp’s so call iPad killer has been scrapped. Michael says the iPad is a very ordinary product. What then has Microsoft release that everyone is rushing out to get? Windows 7? That may be from the poor Vista response. Yet there is no other option to iPad because everyone wants to see what Apple will bring out. Let’s face it. Microsoft is always late. It took them several versions to finally get a decent O/S. We not are the blazing awesome Windows of the 80′s-90′s. Other companies are whooping us. Get over guys.
I am very interested to see an HP tablet running webOS….also the Notion Ink Adam is a lot cooler looking tablet than the iPad.
Kevin, I think you may have forgotten that Microsoft doesn’t release gadgets, other than the Zune, they are a software company. They have both the money and workforce to release an equal to the iPad if they wanted, but that’s not their market. They’re satisfied with 95% of the PC market share. And yes, people are rushing out to get Windows 7. Microsoft is probably not going to concern themselves with the iPad niche market.
I’m sure it’s a neat, if expensive, little iSheep device, but I don’t know of one Apple fan that I personally know who plans to buy one, because it’s too big to be an mp3 player and too limited to be a useful laptop replacement.