I think Apple has made a very wise choice by devleoping the iPad and announcing it today. I agree with Steve Jobs that the netbook is dead. Actually, I never thought it was alive from the start. Netbooks also seemed like crippled devices, and I couldn’t understand or justify paying a lump sum of money for hardware that was only to be used for browsing the Internet. I would rather much prefer an iPhone or an Android phone, or even a regular laptop, over a netbook.
Apple really seems to be pushing the all-in-one be-all end-all solution for general consumers’ computing needs with the iPad. I seriously think that just the introduction of the iPad is going to revolutionize future devices even more so. Being closed isn’t so bad in Apple’s case. They have been continuously creating revolutions for years and years. The iPad actually reminds me of the various futuristic devices seen in movies. They are devices that very small and compartmentalized but yet seem to do so much.
I like that it’s a larger iTouch. The iTouch, while a nifty device, never felt more than a novelty to me considering that it’s nothing but a stripped-down iPhone and beefed-up iPod on a teeny-tiny screen. Apple has certainly created a very nice platform with their store of applications, and it is certainly nice to not have to worry about managing the nitty-gritty underpinnings of the operating system (me, being a crazy computer user).
I would love to lug around a slim-profile computer around especially to my living room where I can do a quick web browsing during live TV without having to switch inputs to my living room PC (whose only purpose if for gaming anyway) or walking the 20 feet back to my other computer (despite how small my apartment is, it’s very annoying to do and I spend enough time in my room as it is).
However, my lifestyle also does not necessarily beg the need for an iPad much like I don’t need a smartphone either. There is rarely a time that I am not near a computer throughout the day. Being a full-time programmer requires me to use a computer. IÂ hardly travel anywhere besides commuting to work everyday by car. It would be a stupid idea and a death wish to use a computer while driving. I am doing some kind of physical activity nearly everyday or taking care of household tasks that computers can’t do. The free time I do have isn’t much, and usually by that time I am ready to fall asleep.
I realize why I can’t get excited about the iPad. Apple’s technologies don’t provide me with any advantage over what I can already do now on my own systems. I still believe that watching movies and listening to music and shrunken devices is a very cheapening experience. Apple still isn’t at the point where they can compete with the video game industry despite that developers have created casual, mobile games. That is the one area that I think where they can at least decently compete with Nintendo.
I think Apple has hit a very good price point for it. The cost of Apple’s technologies has always been a huge turnoff for me because I don’t feel they offer a justifiable value for what they offer at their price. $500 as a base price plus the data pricing plans ($30 for unlimited data) is incredibly attractive. Bu I honestly thought Apple was going to develop a better non-app-based system at least running Mac OS X and having a decent solid state drive. I don’t discredit them though; I really like think they are onto something in the world of computers.
