Well, the moment is past and Apple has introduced its new iPad to the world. There were few surprises, but generally they were good ones. With pundits forecasting prices in the range of $750 – $1,000, the iPad’s starting price of $499 was unexpected (even if few people will actually buy the really low end version). Furthermore, the unlimited data plan of $30 a month is half what I predicted yesterday and the option of a $15 250 mb/month download plan for people like me who would only be occasional users of 3G service was even sweeter. The one major unpleasant surprise was the fact that the iPad remains tied to AT&T and with the ridiculously low 3G prices that Apple obviously dictated, my guess is that Verizon support is probably a good way off.
Unfortunately, this means that AT&T already overburdened data network is going to get smacked even harder making the decision to purchase a wi-fi only version of the Gen 1 device an easier one.
What is instructive is how so many blogs and others have come out discussing the shortcomings of the device. Expectations were lofty no doubt, but from where I sit, the iPad pretty much hits its target. For discussion purposes, let’s have a look at objections raised by Crave, a CNET gadget blog. They cited five shortcomings of the iPad, most of which I think are a bit ridiculous. Let’s look at them:
The iPad isn’t wide screen – I have to admit that after reading this twice, I still don’t understand what the author is getting at. I think he is complaining about the lack of true HD proportions in the iPad. If so, then all I can say is whether this is 720p or 1080p, it is still a friggin’ 10 inch screen. You are not, repeat, not, going to really be able to appreciate a High Def picture on such a small screen.
Video Output is only 480p If you plug this into your TV, you are only going to be able to stream at 480p, not 720p or 1080p. Okay, granted, but really, these days, I have dedicated media streaming devices plugged into my televisions that are capable of streaming anything I want in high def. The iPad for me (like the iPod and Zune) is strictly a portable playback device. I have no interest in plugging it into my TV, so I have no problem with Apple leaving this feature out.
No GPS – Granted, there is Cellphone-assisted GPS in the 3G model, but you need a 3G subscription to use it. This is a shortcoming that I will agree is a shame as this would have been a dynamite device for navigation applications. A second gen device might have it, but Apple does not have any history of using straight GPS chips – it’s iPhone also uses 3G assisted GPS, so it might also be a feature many years away.
No USB Ports – Not sure if I really care here. The iPad has a dock connector like the Ipod and Iphone models do. The CNet writer bemoans that he cannot plug his digital camera in to download pictures. Well, with 16/32/64 GB of memory total, I’m not sure how much I want to be downloading pictures directly into the limited memory of the iPad. I think that Jobs did mention some sort of interface for cameras being in the works, but we’ll have to see on this.
No Camera - This is probably the only objection that I really agree with. The form factor of this device would have made it a perfect as a personal videoconferencing terminal, so having a camera in the bezel would have been nice. Perhaps this might be a Gen 2 feature.
Beyond objections like the aforementioned one, it’s instructive to see the various comparisons floating around the net, specifically the ones that compare the Amazon Kindle to the Apple iPad. These concerns are kind of silly because at the end of the day, you are comparing Apples (no pun intended) to Oranges. The Kindle is a single purpose device that does its job very well. The Apple is a multi-purpose one that does a reasonably good job as an ebook reader, but also does a whole lot more. To understand how things will fare, one needs to look back at the early days of the cell phones and PDAs. For a while people carried two devices, however once converged phone/PDAs came out, the specialized devices started to fall by the wayside. These early converged devices were not as good at phone and PDA functions as the single purpose devices were, but people preferred a single multi-purpose unit to two single purpose ones. I think the same will happen here. Unless the kindle becomes very cheap (sub-$100 price point), ultimately, it will be supplanted by the iPad.
Interestingly, if Amazon is smart (and I’m sure they are), they will quickly develop a version of their Kindle reader software that is optimized for the larger form factor of the iPad (rather than simply pixel doubling the iPhone version). This will give Amazon a continuing revenue model in the form of e-books which after all is where they make their money. The Kindle is simply a means to an end as Amazon is a content, not a device company.
In summary, I suggest that we look at the iPad simply as a large screen version of the iPod Touch. Granted, it’s twice as expensive as the iPod touch, but it can do a lot more. From this perspective, this looks to be a product that is going to be a very good seller for Apple. I just wish I didn’t have to wait 2 months to get one.
