Apple released the iPad yesterday and we are still recovering from the massive overload of coverage that this thing got. Now that we know about the cheap data package from AT&T, the (seemingly) cheap base price of $499 and the apparently butter smooth UI response — we ask ourselves the basic question — what the hell is Apple trying to do here?
Well, there were broad hints in what Steve was saying during the keynote and what parts they emphasized during the keynote. So let’s put the obvious out into the open here — this is a device focussed on media consumption. It also a device meant for the masses and not necessarily for tech geeks like us. Which is why the iPad doesn’t have that many ports or that many confusing features. It just gets you all the content you need and allows you consume them a natural way.
So those who used to carry around some kind of a netbook or smartbook device to do only web-surfing, youtube watching and music listening on the go can now replace their netbooks with the iPad. The UI is hands down better than anything you can have on a netbook and it completely gets out of your way when you are viewing. That’s because if you have something to do, you just touch the screen and it is of course like touching the media itself.
Those who carry around laptops for short trips just so that they can shoot off a quick post or two, answer a few emails and watch a few videos, can use the iPad instead. A lot of people don’t like the netbook for their sluggishness and they will really enjoy the speed of the UI.
A lot of people (including me) have wanted something larger than a smartphone with the simplicity of a touch based smartphone UI for doing things that are digital in places where carrying a laptop is just plain inconvenient. Best examples would be the bed and the couch. And in my case, I really want something like this with me when I am out and about in the city. I am a blogger and I need to read a lot and also take notes and make bookmarks. So when I am sitting at the doctor’s, standing in a line or waiting for someone, I can actually get work done instead of curse my luck for losing precious hours doing nothing.
Everyone will enjoy the eBooks of course and Apple has not really shown us what kind of content they are going to get into this device, which is why people are not entirely sure about this thing. But now that the veil has been lifted, I know a lot of publishers are already lusting to get on to this device. That means content explosion. Once you get your daily news, your favorite comic books, latest paperback and hardcover and your magazines all into once place, managed centrally by iTunes, you are sure to start depending on it.
Apple is not counting on selling iPads just because of what it is but they are going to sell it because of what they have on the iTunes store. Rather, what they will have in a few months’ times. That is where the difference will lie. This may look like a huge iPhone but once you take a closer look at the apps, the speed and the gorgeous display with great content, you will know why such simple looking move can change so much.
Of course, price is still a barrier for those who want to get a fully featured model ($829). But for home use, the base model of $499 is really quite enough. However, if Apple fails to strike proper content deals and fails to attract specialized third-party development for the iPad, this will sink faster than the Titanic. Also, the adoption curve will not be very fast. People will take their time to understand this. Hence, only time will tell whether this device will live up to the potential that some of us see in it.
