I’m surprised how critical the tech community has been of the iPad, and the specific choices Apple made in designing the device. It’s annoying and shows the propensity of this community to all too often miss (or ignore) the big picture. Really, the iPad sucks because there is no SD card reader? Really?
It’s true that the iPad is essentially a big iPod Touch. But why is that a bad thing? With the iPhone / iPod Touch Apple introduced a new mobile computing platform with a fundamentally new multi-touch interaction model. The first time I picked up an iPhone it took some getting used to. Now with millions of users happily swiping and pinching away, why would Apple introduce another OS variant or interaction model? Sticking with the iPhone OS makes sense on so many levels, the most significant of which is the massive developer community and apps already available for the platform. To even imply that Apple should add a new layer of complexity to this thriving ecosystem by introducing a new OS variant is just plain stupid.
Whether or not the iPad will be successful as a first generation device that fills (some would say) a questionable need somewhere between the smartphone and laptop, is less significant than what the device represents in the evolution of personal computing. The iPhone gave Apple a rare opportunity to create a new interaction model that addressed many of the flaws and complexities we now take for granted in our everyday use of computers. By extension the iPad (or at least the promise of the iPad – I haven’t actually used one yet) is much closer to the ideal of what a modern computing experience should be for the average consumer.
Anyone who’s watched their 65 year old mother or 6 year old nephew struggle with device drivers, screen resolutions or even concepts as seemingly simple as the difference between an “application” and a “document,” should know that today’s computers are far too complex for the average user. Take the the Finder (or whatever the hell they call it in Windows these days – file explorer?) for instance. Completely unnecessary and confusing for most users. When my mom wants to work on a document she’s writing, her instinct is to open up Word, not find the doc on the file system and open it from there. This is why she loves iPhoto – her photos are “in there.” Of course they are! Where else would they be? Guess what else she doesn’t need? The ability to run multiple apps at once.
Will I be bring my iPad to meetings with me and endure the fanboy ridicule of my co-workers? Probably not, but then again, that’s somewhat dependent on the apps that are created for it. Apple porting iWorks to the iPad was more about demonstrating that sophisticated office apps could be developed for the platform. Will my wife buy one, whose computing needs don’t go far beyond reading online news (HuffPo is her favorite), Facebooking, email, Google docs and Flickr? Absolutely. Will I use one for surfing the web and general media consumption at home? Hell yes. Will your children and your children’s children be using devices that more closely resemble the iPad then your laptop. I’d bet on it.
By the way, this is not just a pro Apple rant. I’m (almost) equally enthusiastic about Google’s Chrome OS. Another major step in the right direction for personal computing and consumer tech.