It’s finally here. The ultimate device that we’ve all been waiting for, right?
The iPad is probably the most controversial and polarizing piece of consumer technology to date. Never has anything been hyped this much before its announcement - not the iPod, not even the iPhone. And with such a monumental build up, shattered expectations could only follow.
All this, and so few have even touched this thing.
I have to admit, when I saw Steve Jobs unveil the same over-sized iTouch that all the Photoshop retouchers had predicted with such a lack of imagination, I was disappointed. We expect more from Apple. I mean, don’t I already have the Internet in my had with my iTouch?
It all really clicked for me, however, when Steve played the promo video - seeing the device on the coffee table and on the couch, watching people having a shared experience. I really think Apple has reinvented the computing experience here. Surely they have on the UI, but much much more on the where and how we interact with the computer. Apple has un-glued us from our desks, un-cramped our hands from the laptop, and shown us how the computer can more seamlessly and naturally be integrated into our home.
And man are we pissed. Why do so many people want this thing to fail? We all look to Apple to innovate, and when they do we’re criticizing them for going too far (or not far enough if you ask others) - “it does too much”, “it doesn’t do enough”.
All of us who live in this (tech) world tend to forget that using a computer is not a pleasurable experience for the average person - Macs included. The iPad just might change that. Apple’s talent is in stripping away the features, not adding them. Do fewer things, but do them right. That was the magic of iPhone 1.0.
There’s a lot of debate over how the public will perceive needing a device like this. Many are calling it a luxury device. Need is a relative and ever-changing thing though. At what point did you realize you needed a smartphone, or a netbook, or a Kindle, or an mp3 player? I distinctly remember turning the corner on the Kindle - going from “that’s too expensive” to “that would make my life easier and more enjoyable”. Many said the Kindle would never succeed - it’s too expensive and it only does one thing. I was one of those people. Turns out we were wrong.
But rather than ramble on further ... My thoughts on all this are probably best summarized in a response I posted on a friend’s blog - which I’ve re-posted below. It’s probably best to read his post first. He’s skeptical, I’m optimistic. We’ve bet a bottle on it.
OK Kip … Let’s first get it out of the way that you will buy one of these - I have no doubt.
I think we all got fatigued from the hype machine - and how the tech community was feeding us insane headlines along the lines of how the Tablet would improve our sex lives. Especially this past week. Only to have Steve Jobs show us a big iTouch yesterday?! I admit that those first moments of seeing the device were hugely disappointing. For once, all those Photoshoppers out there actually got it right. We always expect Apple to delight us with something we never could have predicted or imagined.
Thus the let down in the early moments of the presentation - for me at least.
So, let’s take a breath and release …
We haven’t even held one of these things yet. A lot of the follow up coverage yesterday was about how great this thing feels in your hand - how natural. I think we can agree among gentlemen to hold off judgement until then.
Now let me pick apart your argument a bit.
Is this really a new category? Ok, well maybe it kinda is. But in classic Apple fashion they’re improving upon (and in this case converging) things that are already out there: Kindle, iTouch, Netbooks, Multitouch computers (my mom just got one of these), portable dvd players.
OK, so maybe version 1.0 isn’t appropriate for the kitchen. But how about when they build in the camera and I can flip the pages without having to touch the screen - or speak to it even!? Not a huge leap there.
Won’t replace TV’s in the bedroom? How many people do you know who sit in bed and watch movies on their laptop? I know a lot. Not to mention the web browsing / book reading that happens in bed too. I guess in that sense it won’t improve your sex life.
Remember portable DVD players? They’re still around. I can’t tell you how many parents I see shoving them in front of their kids during dinner. The iPad is better though. I can load it up with educational games for the kids. My little guy loves my iTouch, btw.
Productivity? Yes, if we equate productivity with intense researching on the web, typing long documents in Word, and manipulating spreadsheets - this surely will not replace the Netbook. But what about a new kind of productivity? Imagine bringing this to Crate & Barrel and using their app to help you decorate and view your room layout - getting large screen, real time recommendations. Or maybe now I can video conference with my repair guy and show him what’s wrong with my whachmacallit - and he can send me the part number and isle number of where to pick up a part at HomeDepot? Point is - there’s another kind of productivity that laptops and smartphones aren’t ideal to solve.
And lastly … the subway. I too always forget that most of the US doesn’t commute via public transportation (or at least the ones that can afford devices like the Kindle). My guess is that Kindle sales don’t hinge on the work commute experience. I could be wrong there though.
The idea of having your Sunday Times (or that pre-ordered Dan Brown book) waiting for you on your coffee table is pretty appealing. Both very different experiences than cracking open your netbook and getting sucked into a black hole. I mean, imagine enjoying the Sunday Times again.
“The Internet in your hands” - once again Jobs distilled the value proposition down to its simplicity. No laptop (macs included) feels natural in the living room. They’re ugly, awkward, anti-social, anti-human machines. Picking up an iPad looks like picking up a book - it looks inviting - it looks social even - it looks fun - it (the video) makes browsing the web look natural.
In that sense Apple just might have truly dimensionalized how we experience the web - and reinvented the midsize-screen computing experience. So, yes, maybe Apple is going out on a huge limb here.
The general vibe out there is “i want this, but do I need this?” My feeling is that the general public is not clamoring to get one of these - yet. The true test will be once this gets into people’s hands. If this survives until version 2.0, I think, it will be (iPhone) huge.
And, no, I’m not a fanboy.
... another response from me in the comments thread
Let me clarify the huge thing … My rolling train of thought when writing that was more on relevance than revenue. That said, if they get the price point down a bit (which is doubtful, this is Apple), and/or make the 3G free (possible) - this could gain some traction there.
I don’t think it’s fair to put it in the Apple TV category. I don’t think that normal people even know what that is. If it was positioned as a DVR with so much more, they woulda had something - maybe.
The need-factor is where the gamble is at. 15 years ago we didn’t need mobile phones. 5 years ago we didn’t need smartphones. Sure, some were walking around with portable music players 10 years ago - but how many more people got a device after the iPod? Was it really the capacity that got 30 and 40 somethings opening their wallets?
As everyone has pointed out, Apple is great at showing us new things we need.
And remember, the iPod didn’t take off out of the gate. It took them a few years to get their act together - both on the hardware side and on the desktop/store side.
The iPhone was their real magic moment - all the stars aligned for that one.
This is still very much a version 1.0.
The key sign for me will be that initial experience I (and others) have with the device. People LOVED the iPhone when they first got it. Apple just got it right there.
If I love it after I get my hands on this baby - then, yea, I’m in for a bottle.