There is a lot of excitement about the new iPad, but could this product launch turn out to be an Apple flop? I admit that I was really excited when I saw Steve present the iPad, but the more I learn about the new tablet, the less I like about it. It appears to be an overgrown iPhone with limited new features. I find myself wondering what I would do with such a product.
Steve Jobs said that the iPad will be ready to ship within 60 days, and prices will range between $499 and $829. I’m not declaring that no one will buy this thing. I’m sure many people will, especially the hardcore MacHeads. It looks cool, but will buyers be disappointed? In my opinion, there are several drawbacks.
1. No camera
I can’t believe Apple didn’t include a camera on the iPad. So, let me get this straight. To get pictures onto my tablet, I will have to take them with a digital camera, download them to my desktop and then upload them to my iPad? What if I want to change my Facebook profile picture or Skype with a friend. Oh, and how about the apps that require a camera for use? Maybe Apple should block us from being able to download them to the iPad or some people will be sadly disappointed. I can imagine the error now, “I’m sorry, this application does not support devices without a camera.” Even my old Motorola phone had a camera.
2. The AT&T Blues
There will be models of the iPad that support 3G, but AT&T has been selected as the carrier. I guess Apple hasn’t learned anything from all the problems they’ve had with supporting iPhones. Even more disheartening is that AT&T doesn’t offer 3G support anywhere in my area, so it’s pointless for me to get the 3G model. That means I’m still stuck with Wifi only access, which my laptop already provides.
3. No Flash?
How is the iPad going to deliver “the best web experience you’ve ever had” without flash support? Sure, the screen is bigger so that I can see the whole page as it was meant to be displayed, but what about rich media?
4. No Multitasking?
And you expect the tablet to be a replacement for a netbook? Seriously, this is 2010. People expect to be able to run multiple applications at a time. I think this is a major oversight on Apple’s part.
5. Awkward Touch Keyboard
Well, well, the touch keyboard appears to be a larger version of the one on the iPhone. To be honest with you, I think this thing is going to be difficult to type on.
6. Where is HDMI output?
iPad is supposed to be the coolest gadget we’ve ever seen geared towards entertainment, but don’t plan on plugging it into your TV. Yeh, you can stream HD videos on your iPad, but you will be watching them on a 10 inch screen!
7. Screen ratio of 4:3
I saw a video demo on this thing and realized right away that something wasn’t right. Don’t expect your widescreen movies to be up to par on the iPad.
The upshot
The iPad looks cool and I certainly think that the style and sleekness of it are to be admired as all Apple products are. However, I think today’s iPad announcement was a big let down. After all the hype and excitement that has been building for weeks, it turns out that the iPad is nothing more than an oversized version of the iPhone. I do think that Amazon should be very concerned about the Kindle becoming obsolete, but we will have to wait and see how much of a market share the iPad takes.
As for me, I’m still undecided. I think the iPad would offer a very interesting way to present website designs and other creative deliverables to potential clients and would look cool on my coffee table, but I’m not sure what else I would use it for.
What are your thoughts?
