Apple has let customers pre-order iPads this week, and the device will be available to play around with on April 3.
With the release on the fateful day in April will also come some closure, as to if the device will really be revolutionary, or go the way of the Newton or AppleTV.
Many have compared the device to a the iPhone, saying it’s only difference is the lack of a cellular antennae and it’s screen being markedly bigger.
Many other devices, such as HP’s Slate tablet, and the Entourage Edge, threaten to put a dent in Apple’s new tablet. But, without the sleek look of Apple and the smooth user interface, they’ll be about as much competition as the Palm Pre was for the iPhone. (Check out the WSJ article)
The iPad may be just an iPhone on steroids, but the market seems to be begging for exactly that. Many companies are dishing out touch-screen, fully functional computers, such as HP’s TouchSmart 600 desktop and Toshiba’s touch-screen laptop, the Satellite M505.
But, as David Pogue states in his March 10 New York Times article, using the touch screen on a desktop can be tedious and tiring, resulting in what is known as “gorilla arm.” Touch screens are much more comfortable and easier to use when you can place the device however you like. Mice and trackpads are horizontal for a reason: you don’t have to rase your whole arm to use them.
Touch is great on the iPhone, and will be even better on a big, beautiful 9.7 inch screen of the dreadfully named iPad.
For bulky, stationary objects like a desktop, or even a laptop, the formula just doesn’t work. Sure, the designers on Project Runway have traded in their sketch pads for fancy HP TouchSmart computers, but HP is paying thousands for them to do so. Toucj is about breaking down physical barriers with technology, to immerse yourself in what you are doing, it’s natural. To make it even more natural, complete mobility and freedom of movement are essential. It’s like writing on a notepad placed on a table as opposed to on a whiteboard, it’s just awkward.
Touch technology is the it thing right now in computing devices, but just because you can does not mean you should. If your product weighs over a pound, touch is not the best option. Apple’s multitouch trackpad found on MacBook and MacBook pro’s, and on their new Magic Mouse, is what competitors should be focusing on, not their über portable devices. There’s a reason Apple created an iPad and not a MacBook Touch.
Most touch screen cellphones s can’t get it right, and my guess would be that other tablets will have touch screens that are about as effective as the ones used to keep score at your local bowling alley.
The tech world is a very showy, surface value, first impression kind of land. But, just because you spray paint your hubcaps metallic silver doesn’t change the fact that their cheap, plastic hubcaps. A mix of patience and perseverance is what’s needed, with the perfect blend of the two a tough combination to achieve.
There’s a reason that Apple has dominance in the tech world: it strives for near perfection and complete control. This is why other companies may be able to create superior products, but generally end up with inferior sales.
The public knows what works well and what doesn’t, and just because you’re the latest and most flashy product out there doesn’t mean you’re in any way the best. The National Inquirer may be up for a Pulitzer because it was the first to break the John Edwards story, but most of other stories it puts out aren’ of a high enough quality to wipe off the Windex of Columbia Universities’ windows. Being first isn’t always best or right. Flashy is not not always functional, and not always complicated. Sometimes it’s the simplicity that makes things stand out, especially in the consumer technology industry.
The iPad may not be the most creative product, but it’s certainly the most functional, and due to it’s use of an improved version iPhone operating system, one of the most simple. There are many things that it can be faulted for, but simplicity and functionality will be the ones that will no doubt make it a best seller.
Photo: Apple
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