iPad: An Unnecessary Obsession

And Steve Jobs said, “And let there be iPad.” And there was iPad.

My goodness am I glad that’s over. Finally, the torrential rain of rumors can stop.  The Apple community can quiet down for a little while. And there can be peace on Earth.

Needless to say, I was getting more than tired of hearing about the Apple tablet, iSlate, iTab, or whatever the heck it was going to be called. I wasn’t particularly excited about it, and, now that the thing has finally been announced, I can’t say that my feelings of it have changed whatsoever. It was a predictable disappointment.

Apple has had a long history of revolutionizing technology. I will be the first to admit that. The iPod was a savior for their company, and, although it was far from the first portable music player, it offered so much flexibility that it quickly caught on. And look at it today. It’s become an electronic staple, making it virtually impossible for any other device to even try getting a share at the handheld music market. It was that successful. 

And then, in 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, and that too transformed its market. It was definitely ahead of its time, and inspired other smart phone developers to work harder and create more impressive products that made things easier and more convenient. Then there were the apps. The little pieces of software that offered big potential. They too caught on, and the iPhone was yet another success for Apple.

But now, in 2010, Apple tries to convince us that we need one more device to carry around, in addition to a phone and a laptop, since it’s not supposed to replace those products. Humorously entitled the iPad (see http://bit.ly/uxIoq), Jobs promised that it would be better than a Netbook. That it would be the best way to experience the Internet, and that it would shake up the touch-screen market. But, although it has a striking design, stronger core apps and the potential for some cool software, it’s still missing too much. What with the embarrassing lack of Flash support, 16:9 widescreen viewing, multitasking, a camera, SD card slot, HDMI ports, USB ports, GPS, and so on, and so on, there are just not enough features to make the iPad a better buy over a Netbook.

It’s no replacement for paper, and, if Apple really wants to compete with the Kindle, this is a poor attempt. With no e-ink/LCD hybrid display here, reading books on the iPad will not be fun. The iBooks store is not on Amazon’s level, and, right now, the iPad’s integration with books seems very sloppy.

And yet we are all still obsessing over it; a device that is really just an oversized iPod touch. Something no one actually needs. It’s merely a conversation piece, and, at the moment, nothing more. Hoards of people (read: Apple die-hards) will still run out on launch day and purchase one of these, giddy with exciting while they show it to their friends and family members. Although Apple is probably disappointed with the public’s initial reaction to their so-called ‘god-send,’ they will still make a huge profit.

At the moment, the iPad is a flawed product in desperate need of an actual market.  It’s a definite disappointment, but that doesn’t mean it is a failure. However, no one should buy one of these on launch day, because, as it is now, it’s not ready to be taken seriously. In a few iterations and with a couple, scratch, that, a lot of enhancements, the iPad could be a winner. It still has a chance to come into its own. It just needs a little more time.