Do you need or want an iPad?
What do you make of the iPad? Do you want one? I’m a big fan of carrying fewer devices, but I don’t see the iPad as helping me do that. It’s just one more thing to drag along. It won’t replace either my phone or my laptop, so why bother?
I expect I’ll be in the minority, however, with the majority following the lead of Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, writing a post called “iRelent” in the Washington Post: “I want one. An iPad. As if he knew that I have resisted iStuff for many years, Steve Jobs finally broke through my iResistance…. He knows it’s not about what I need, but what I want.”
I have to say, I don’t even want one, but maybe I’ll change my mind after actually getting to touch one–see Farhad Manjoo’s over-the-top “I Love the iPad” in Slate.
Speaking of over-the-top, do the media hype Apple products too much? On Howard Kurtz’s “Reliable Sources” program on CNN yesterday morning, Steven Levy of Wired says the media aren’t exactly shoving iPad information down their audience’s throats; people are eager for the information. Consumer advocate Robin Liss, though, said that the media are not asking Apple the tough questions.
Meanwhile, Dan Holden notes that during the joint Apple/New York Times demo at the iPad launch, the iPad failed to display all the New York Times content properly because the iPad lacks support for Adobe Flash.
What’s your take on the iPad? Do you want or need one? Does it represent the pinnacle of engineering prowess? Is lack of Flash a fatal defect in a multimedia device? What tough questions would you like to put to Steve Jobs?
Update: The New York Times calls devices like the iPad Goldilocks devices: not too big, not too small, just right. I say too big for a phone and not big enough for a laptop.
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Vural commented:
opa fani ego pantos mporo na akoyo mosiuki kai na eimai sto net apo to kinito ton spileon opos les (nokia) esi den mporis!!! ego mporo na trabao video esi thes efarmogi giana to kaneis kai alla pola !!!!! kai ean exeis to iphone tis protis genias anafora staminimata exeis ?????? malon oxi . oso gia to ipad exei akoma ama na bgaloun kamia nea ekdosi giana mporis na kaneis 2 pragmata mazi kai meta blepoume . mporei kai an toys katsi na balloune kai ellinika h kamia kamera kai na min kremaei to wifi ante aniperke blaxako xaxaxaxaxaxa
Duane commented:
I want an iPad. I was going to get another Macbook since my daughter is always using mine. I will be able to do 90% of what I want to use the laptop for at half the price. When I travel I tend to take a lot of magazines so it would be great to have them plus books plus music plus internet on a small device. Also, replacing textbooks with an iPad will revolutionize learning.
Apple user commented:
Not really, I have a Macbook Air(Windows 7) and an iPhone so I am both an Apple convert and skeptic. The iPad doesn't provide any additional functionality and the size is awkward for real portability. It might be nice at home on the davenport but not enough to get me to pry open my wallet.
No batteries commented:
Let's see. I can read the newspaper in an iPad and when I'm done, a still have to carry around the iPad. When I'm done reading the paper, I recycle it. Nothing left to carry around. Newspapers/magazines require no batteries. They work everywhere, even when the captain tells you put away electronic devices.
iGet-It commented:
Despite arguments that it doesn't replace anything they already have, users are forgetting that it does replace lots of things you don't.
It's not a computer, or a phone. It's a digital media player for people with less than 20/15 eyesight. As such, and given that it brings new revenue streams to existing Apple markets, it's a sure thing. Don't want an iPad? Don't buy one -- but you're crazy if you don't buy Apple stock instead.
Frank commented:
I avoid propriety vendor lock-ins like a stop street. The iPad is a half-bred overpriced product with so many deficiencies people will regret they ever bought it. The sort of things one would expect that are not there are:
No GPS, No USB, No Flash, No Camera, No multi-tasking, No external display connectivity. Not for me thanks.
SNarky commented:
Due to the features similar to that of a nice cell phone (but more limited) perhaps new device could be more effectively marketed to unaware females under the name MAX-i pad.
iPhone Owner commented:
No for business use, Maybe for home use. I can see the utility in having an instant-on, easy to use device for browsing, email and gaming.
roddalitz commented:
Yes, I have a desktop and a tiny cheap phone, but I want a small portable Wi-Fi device to do email and internet while traveling - fed up with finding internet cafes and rip-off hotel rates. I could use a netbook but I reckon a little experience with the iPad will show some good reasons why I will have one in maybe a year, second generation with everything fixed.
Earld commented:
I'm just too old to appreciate it. It does seem to be too big for a phone, and too small for a laptop. My Palm Pre delivers all my emails, and gives me web pages. And now, there are plenty of apps to keep me happy. Sprint gives me such a good deal for my 6 phones, I couldn't switch.
EdKorczynski commented:
Just as iPod/iTunes saved the music industry, iPad will save the publishing industry. Ignore feature-creap and spec-battles, but notice integrated functionality and user experience. Ref: "Praying for Jobs ex machina" posted January 27 at betasights dot net.
Jon Fields commented:
When my Kindle bites the dust, I'll upgrade to an iPad. Reading/browsing/buying books and newspapers on the Kindle is a real joy. I don't desperately need the Kindle's enormous battery life, and adding a larger color display and basic Internet applications is a huge plus.
Steven J. Ackerman commented:
No thanks - don't want the Apple lock-in. Thanks to Steve Jobs and the vaporware iPad eBook prices are now going up 50%.
J. Williams commented:
No and no. Too big for a phone, too small for a laptop, and given the non-standardized state of e-readers, I wouldn't buy one of those either. I spent some number of years on the bleeding edge. It wasn't worth it.
No to ESPN commented:
I think a faster netbook with phone features built in is a better device as you can do REAL work with it and therefore it can replace items. The iPad is of questionable value except to watch dirty movies in your bedroom.
Daniel Payne commented:
Without Flash this iPad becomes kind of a toy, especially for anyone doing serious web browsing. Maybe v2.0 will include Flash support. Just wait.
