Is The iPad Revolutionary?
Is the iPad Revolutionary?
There’s been A LOT of talk about the iPad. Some people assert that it’s an amazingly revolutionary product. Some people just call it a jumbo sized iPod touch. And some people who wear black turtle necks call it magical. Is it any of these? Well yes and no. The iPad is defiantly a change in the industry and really something new that will really expand on the tablet market, but will it change the tech industry forever? Read on to find out!
It’s Magical!
Please find another word to describe it...
I just want to remove that word from our vocabulary when describing technology. Nothing is really “magical” unless unicorns are popping out of it. Come on Steve, let’s see some better word choice. Anyways, the rumors leading up to the iPad were very mixed and no one really knew what to expect. After the release of the original iPhone, rumors had never been stronger or crazier. The dimension, size, what it would run, everything was being guessed until the final weeks when things started to solidify and it started to look like a giant iPod touch. Which, let’s be honest, it is in ways. After the announcement, my inner Apple fanboy cried a little. Apple had done NOTHING interesting AT ALL! It was literally a giant iPod touch that cost a lot more. I thought Apple would fail and the iPad would just flop.
The Launch
iPad Launch
As time went on, my feelings towards the iPad warmed up. The expectations I had for the device faded and I looked at the device how it really was. It was decent, but nothing that I would ever buy. I didn’t really have any iPad envy until Apps started to show up. How people were going to optimize their apps completely changed my mind at how the device would be used. When there were screenshots of the apps running, I could see it as a useful device, but the home screen of widely spaced icons always left those feelings behind.
So, I think we can say launch went pretty well! It’s estimated that 600,00 – 700,000 units were sold on launch day alone. I guess Apple didn’t really fail! But why has it succeeded? What has made it this much of a success? There’s a few reasons why…
The Aftermath
The future of the iPad, Where will it Go?
The iPad has changed things. Maybe not as dramatically as I had wanted them to, but they have. They have once again taken a big step into untested waters of the tech industry and pushed the netbook & tablet markets to a new level. Yes, I do think it competes with netbooks, but not all the time. Netbooks do allow for far more content creation, but it has been proved that the iPad is capable of it too, just to a much lesser degree; however, most netbooks are for entertainment and content consumption and that’s of course where the iPad shines.
The iPad is computer. That’s the big change. To see a device running a mobile OS, but is a computer. It’s a slick, very well done, and easy experience that most of the world can use without consulting a manual or asking for help. I think we’re going to a see netbooks go in this direction. We don’t really need Windows XP/7 for typing documents, browsing the web, and listening to music. I think this is Apple’s greatest victory with the iPad. They’ve finally broken that mindset. I think that they’ve now defined the way for future device in this price range. And the App Store will continue to drive innovation on this new form factor. Already we’ve seen some REALLY cool apps that I think will win over some people and force the iPad crowd to grow.
The iPad has defined what a low-class computer should be able to do and how they should be executed. The innovation from developers will push this device to grow in potential as they did for the iPhone. Only time will truly show the iPad’s
full effects. Bravo Apple!
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