The iPad Dilemma

As I start writing this, its 3am and in the 9 hours since Apple introduced the iPad, and I’ve been trying to figure out why I feel let down. Everything about the event was perfect. Steve Jobs, as usual, put on an excellent show. He could sell you a used mattress and you’d be leaving happy. The device however was an utter disappointment, and the reason Apple gave for selling it is even worse.

They say they are trying to bridge the gap between the smartphone and the portable computer, that it has to excel in key things like: Browsing, Email, Movies, Music,  eBooks. But Apple has forgotten that they have already made products that to these things, and they do them well.

When buying my iPhone, I justified the purchase by saying to myself that it would mean one less device. Instead of having a phone and a MP3 player, I could just have a phone that can play music, movies, browse the web, read PDFs & emails. Sound familiar?

Apple is now trying to make us believe our experience would be best serve if they crammed the best from the iPhone & Mac into tablet form, hence a “One-for-all” device. That sounds acceptable in theory, but it just doesn’t work that way. The PC is already the best way to browse the web and compose documents. The iPhone already has the best solution for checking emails on the couch. And the TV, which has been at the pinnacle of must-have devices for the past 60 years, is still the best way to watch movies.

So when Apple say they’re trying to bridge the gap, the real reasoning behind it is for more exposure to their online stores. The iPad has the iBookstore (bit of convoluted name, no?), App Store, and the iTunes Store, built right into the device. So the $499 price point is pittance compared to how much they will earn through their online repositories, from the stats given at the start of the Press Event anyway.

In the months following up to the iPad’s announcement, we have let ourselves fall victim the rumors and hype surrounding the device. It was going to have cameras, flash,  20 hours battery life and it would run OS X. Sadly, none of these were true, yet 24 hours prior to writing this, it seemed entirely plausible. Usually when Apple announces a new product, there are always more than a few rumors.

But when those rumors didnt turn into a reality, before we accepted it because Apple countered with an outstanding device. This time however, there was no outstanding device, and there was mixed emotions following the iPad announcement.

Expecting all things “magical” when it started, I felt like that was an hour of my life gone once it finished. I’m really not surprised that others felt the same way. Gizmodo’s “8 Things that Suck About the iPad” lists its failures succinctly, while theNextWeb describes how Apple “missed the mark”.

I’m not saying that I cant see any usefulness in the device, but that there are not enough reasons to warrant a purchase. For example it would be nice to not have to bring books with me to college, and have them stored on that device, but I can already store them on my Mac, and its not that much heavier than the iPad.

But why would I need to see my emails on my couch when I have an iPhone? Why do I need to browse the web on a device that can’t do everything that the web has to offer. There is no doubt that the iPad will be snapped up by millions and indeed it’s price is very appealing.

Perhaps after 30 days and your iPad is gathering dust on the coffee table, it may still have power, but it wont do anything you cant do already.