Apple announces iPad, apprehension continues to spread
Last week, Steve Jobs’ announcement of a “magical” and “revolutionary” technology was announced and the iPad was revealed to the world that had been rumoring its existence for months. We had been talking about tablet technology as a game changer for some time and believe it still has a chance to be a massive change in how we compute, most notably while mobile. The current iPad however, fails to meet the criteria for being a game changer in business OR personal use in its current form, therefore, we predict that the third generation will be about when Apple fixes all the bugs and adds basic functionality to its iPad offering.
I reiterate, in the long run, the iPad will have a massive impact business, but in its current form, it’s a flop and an embarrassment to the Apple brand. Like I’ve said before, I think SNL said it best: “this week, Apple released a thing that does stuff that its other stuff already does.”
What’s a dealbreaker for you?
I asked on Twitter “regarding the IPAD, what is the dealbreaker for YOU?” My personal take is that no flash functionality and no ability multitask (use multiple apps) is a dealbreaker. Here are just some of the other answers that poured in (excluding the direct messages with dirty jokes about the iPad, of course):
Name something GOOD about the iPad
With the outpouring, I had to know if there was any positive sentiment, so I asked, “I need to know why you would buy an iPad despite public apprehension. Name something GOOD about the iPad…”
So what do YOU think about the Apple iPad?
Nanette Labastida
February 4, 2010 at 12:16 am
i love this post!!! way to get the word of the people!!
it’s also funny how pretty much the positives are superficial and smarty pants answers.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:48 am
Well, in fairness, it’s only people that are following me personally on Twitter that were asked, and you know what they say about like minds…
Michelle
February 4, 2010 at 12:25 am
I think it looks just like a bigger version of the iPhone/iPod Touch. I could see it being usable for reading books/playing games on the go, but it seems almost like…a crippled version of a tablet computer. Personally, I’m holding out for the Courier!
https://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:51 am
Agreed! The Courier looks crazy awesome. Stay tuned, we’re doing a roundup of iPad alternatives- have you seen the mini5?? wow.
Lucky Lobos
February 4, 2010 at 12:49 am
Well according to this: https://www.pcworld.com/article/188348/sleuthing_for_an_ipad_camera.html
it’s like they’re holding a carrot in front of donkey with a fishing pole till maybe the next generation of iPad. Kind of reminds me of the bank commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4TVRPvFGt0
“Even kids know it’s wrong to hold out on somebody.”
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:52 am
Great analogy and AWESOME url you left for your “homepage.” LOL
Stephanie Crawford
February 4, 2010 at 1:59 am
It’s amazing the varying opinions on the iPad. The consensus at AG is that it’s a dud, but Greg Swann over at BHB has been opining for days (a 9 part thesis so far) about it’s virtues and game-changingness.
I personally think it’s a pretty cool device for things other than real estate… eBooks, feeding my sudoku addiction, reading blogs in bed. Unfortunately my wallet can’t afford to spend $500 to $1000 on such things.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:35 am
We don’t think it’s a dud, “We had been talking about tablet technology as a game changer for some time and believe it still has a chance to be a massive change in how we compute, most notably while mobile. The current iPad however, fails to meet the criteria for being a game changer in business OR personal use in its current form, therefore, we predict that the third generation will be about when Apple fixes all the bugs and adds basic functionality to its iPad offering.”
THIS VERSION is a dud. The concept and the future of iPad is not. It’s reasonably priced, it’s a strong tablet contender, and it’s a Mac (all hail, Mac!). The point of the story above is that it may or may not matter how awesome it is if public sentiment is (correctly or incorrectly) that it is lacking.
Benn Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:59 am
it will be game changing at it’s $2,000 retail price, not in it’s $500 state – generation is really not at issue is it? there’s no way they’d compete at $500 with their smaller laptops.
Ira Serkes
February 4, 2010 at 2:47 am
Here’s who I see using it:
College Students – Imagine being to “rent” the most up-to-date expensive and heavy textbooks for a semester rather buying and reselling them.
Commuters – Read the paper, books, annotate, tech manuals (I’m guessing that will happen) listen to music, watch video. When I’m on BART I’d guess that 20% of the people on the train listen to their iPods
Travelers – Looks like a great device which can even be used while seated in steerage.
Is it lust-worthy? No.
Will I get one – probably.
Will it replace my 15″ Mac Book Pro? Nope.
I’d probably use it all the time if I were traveling to a meeting via BART, but would carry this AND my laptop if I were flying to a conference.
It’s a device which complements a laptop, but doesn’t replace it. Just another tool in the arsenal.
I’ve read pros/cons why it doesn’t have flash – would be nice to have, but not a big deal for me (though I understand lots of video is in flash). The fact that it doesn’t have flash is valuable for site developers – IMHO EVERY web site should NOT be flash dependent for information, but can have it as long as it’s usable w/o flash.
Video? Perhaps a disadvantage, but think of the mechanics of video – you’d have to put the iPad on a stand to keep from having the video jitter.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:56 am
All good points. What generation do you think it will be before you fork over the cash for one?
Coy Davidson
February 4, 2010 at 3:00 am
So the question is will iBuy one? yes ultimately I likely will purchase a later version when the features that make it a great tool for business are added and the bugs are removed. good article!
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:57 am
We’re on the same page. Thanks, Coy!
andreslucero
February 4, 2010 at 3:41 am
I’m amazed at all the misinformed people making decisions based on “negatives” that are either unconfirmed or outright wrong:
No printing: Apple hasn’t made any announcements about print support for the iPad. There are third-party apps for printing on the iPhone, so even if Apple doesn’t enable printing at the OS level, individual apps can include print functionality themselves.
No file storage: You mean aside from audio and video files, email attachments, iWork files, applications, and app-specific filetypes, right? I guess that 64GB SSD is just for browsing the web.
No 3G: I don’t even know what to say about this guy. Considering one of the two iPad models announced is called “Wi-Fi + 3G”, I’m just going to assume this response was a joke.
Some of the other gripes are valid, but for all the cries over “no multitasking”, I’ve yet to see anyone describe an actual scenario in which multitasking (as opposed to saving state and caching data) would be useful.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 11:01 am
Like we talked about on Twitter, there’s a lot of misinformation (and I agree about the 3G, I’ve seen announcements for that myself), but that’s Apple’s responsibility to be in front of those problems in the public arena.
But as to multitasking- if I buy a tablet, it’s to replace a technology, most notably my HP laptop that it’s time to replace. That said, I am looking at everything I’m running right now- Firefox with 14 tabs open, Pandora, TweetDeck, notepad, XL, Evernote, Klok and Adobe Reader (and often, Realtors are required to use IE for the MLS programs that aren’t compatible with any other browser). So, to me, multitasking is critical as I have yet to do one thing at a time on a laptop and refer to multiple programs throughout my work day (but of course, most importantly is running Pandora while I work! lol).
andreslucero
February 4, 2010 at 3:02 pm
The Pandora example is one of the few I agree with—but I think you’re still conflating the term “multitasking” with “background processes”.
Background processes would allow for apps like Pandora to run even when it’s not the current app. Apple’s own Mail and iPod apps have this ability, and they would be almost unusable without it.
On the other hand, multitasking usually refers to the ability to run multiple apps simultaneously, so that the user can switch between them easily. However, iPad apps run full-screen, so without a traditional windowing system you wouldn’t see much benefit—you’re still going to have to switch between apps one at a time.
The marginally faster launch times you’d get with multitasking would not make up for the problems you’d be likely to experience when you have 5-10 apps all competing for limited system RAM and processing power. The best iPhone apps currently save the user’s state on exit, cache any unsaved data, and bring the user right back where they left off on the next launch. I think you’ll see this practice adopted by more and more developers once the iPad officially ships.
Also, Apple is positioning the iPad as a third device: not a replacement for your laptop or iPhone, but as a compliment to them. They’re targeting people who might have otherwise purchased a netbook or a Kindle; sure, there will be cool apps for people working in the “field” (hospitals, teachers, artists, etc.), but so far they’re marketing this as something that lives on your coffee table.
Matt Stigliano
February 4, 2010 at 7:37 am
Lani – Computing in general seems to be on a “simple is better” kick lately, so I’m not surprised. The iPad looks cool and for now that is it’s biggest draw. I wonder how it for typing while holding it. We’ve all been able to adapt to the typing with our thumbs method thanks to smart phones, but I imagine if you’re holding the iPad, typing will go back to the ancient art of hunt and peck.
As with all things Apple, the first generation product is a little weak on features, but I suspect 2nd and 3rd will correct some of this. Multitasking has been a big gripe of iPhone users even so I would wager there will be an OS to include it someday.
As for Flash I recently read that Apple and Adobe have gotten over the hump and begun developing a version for the iPhone OS. It’s about time. That development alone will vastly improve the usefulness of iPhones, iPods, and the iPad.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@rerockstar, all that said, what do you think the iPad is really replacing?
Matt Stigliano
February 4, 2010 at 3:41 pm
@LaniAR As of right now, I don’t see it as a replacement for anything other than maybe a cooler-looking and hip-factor-having version of a Kindle.
This wasn’t one of Apple’s true innovations – this was the set up to later dominance. Think of this if it works like a netbook or replaces a laptop (with the functionality of a laptop) – would that then be a replacement? I think it could easily dominate the market if they can get a full featured “computer” into it, but it needs more work.
Ira Serkes
February 4, 2010 at 5:30 pm
What’s the iPad replacing?
iTouch (perhaps)
Kindle (for sure – no more buying heavy and expensive textbooks, so it will also replace books)
DVDs for Airplanes (though how would you load a DVD into the memory)
andreslucero
February 4, 2010 at 6:06 pm
It syncs with iTunes, so you can either rent/buy movies from the iTunes store or rip DVDs using something like Handbrake and add them to your iTunes library.
@HOTLabrescue
February 4, 2010 at 8:01 am
Apple is not in the business of making less money. If they thought that iPad would replace the Mac, given that it is less expensive then they had to have run the numbers and it must have come up that over the long run by locking you into the iStore would generate as much if not more money then purchasing a Mac Notebook.
There are some interesting things that I am going to be watching.
1. How does the touch pad keyboard that can be brought up work.
2. How much resistance does not having a USB port for you to download pictures from your camera cause. (this is a deal breaker for me right now)
3. How does the screen stand up to every day use. iPhone and iPod have much smaller screens which are easier to care for.
4. How much resentment being locked into the app store causes.
Things I like.
1. No built in Camera. I see no reason to have a camera built into a computer. I have one on my Netbook and have never used it in over a year.
2. No built in Phone. Again if I want a phone, I’ll bring a phone.
Lani Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Regarding money making, there is an untapped lower end segment that the iPhone doesn’t reach (because it’s expensive for a phone, and AT&T isn’t exactly reasonable for everyone) nor does the macbook (because it’s expensive for a laptop), so the market untapped is that $500 mini laptop market. Apple’s not looking to refocus users, it’s looking to add users that aren’t using Macs right now.
I think your point about the screen is interesting and one I hadn’t considered. Will there be silicone cases like for the iPhone and protective screen covers? I also agree about the phone, I don’t care if it has phone capabilities, honestly.
andreslucero
February 4, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Cases and covers have already been announced by a handful of companies. Third-party accessories, like a USB multi-card reader, will surely be available shortly after launch.
Apple typically makes 20-30% margins on their hardware products. They’ve lowered their guidance in recent quarters due to “upcoming products”, but they’re still going to make money on every iPad sold. This is why it won’t be a flop for Apple, even if sales aren’t through the roof. They’ll make back their hardware investments, and all that software R&D can be applied just as well to iPhone/iPod touch.
BawldGuy
February 4, 2010 at 9:48 am
When folks who’ve earned my high regard for geekness disagree to such a wide degree, it pains me, the poster guy for TechTard. I’d love to hear what you guys think of Greg Swann’s take on the iPad. He’s written several substantive posts about it, and thinks it’s a slam dunk game changer on more than one level.
Much thanks.
Benn Rosales
February 4, 2010 at 10:40 am
no one says is it doesnt have potential, it’s an infant, and raw. if you can only run one app then you have a productivity issue.
BawldGuy
February 4, 2010 at 10:37 am
Thanks Lani.
Gordon McGregor
February 4, 2010 at 3:31 pm
The only two reasonable ‘multitasking’ needs I see for an iPad are background apps like Pandora, streaming audio, and being able to do background download/ upload of data.
E.g., uploading edited photos to flickr/ facebook, without having to sit with the app open, or downloading a SXSW program update, without opening the app. Or refreshing my netflix queue data in showtime, without having to have the app front and center. Push notifications don’t really allow for that sort of background refresh, at least not in the way currently implemented.
The various other specious arguments for multitasking are just not taking account of what this actually is. I have half a dozen apps running and often look at several of them, across several monitors – but on a small device, designed for consumption of data, then single tasking just makes more sense. You don’t have the screen real estate to look at three or four windows on an iPad – so thinking it needs it just isn’t paying attention.
iPhone OS has all the features you need for state persistence across launches of an app, so as long as they (re)start fast enough, it’ll look like task switching. There’s no room to watch video while browsing your email, so no need for it.
Background streaming/ download/ upload of data maybe. Perhaps playing audio streams (but iPhone OS already supports that as a background process for third party apps – so that’s already covered)
Maybe the next round of iphone OS coming in a few months will address some of opening up these APIs, but there isn’t much of a compelling need.
Lots of people are complaining the iPad isn’t revolutionary and game changing enough, by complaining it doesn’t do exactly what their laptop currently does. Seems somewhat lacking in revolutionary thought to argue that.
Jeff Lindsay
February 4, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Having previously written about the errant thinking that led many Apple fans to bemoan to the iPod when it was launched, I have been hesitant to join the iPad skeptics – but “this time it’s different” as far as I can tell. The potential to create new levels of convenience and a new user experience just doesn’t seem to be there. User needs and expectations ahve evolved. I think this will show reasonably good sales for a while, but won’t be a game changer.