Readers Respond: Apple iPad a Boom or a Bust? Discussion

People forget but this is pretty much how the iPod was met. Some considered it revolutionary while others thought it was unpractical (DOWNLOAD songs? Whaa?), expensive (for that price you can get dozens of CDs), had no real market share (it plays MP3? What's that?) and pretty pointless thanks to the alternatives (CD players).

And now look at it.

Apple is very good at turning niche products into something very sleek and practical. Look what they did for the MP3 market. Before that consumer laptops (Powerbook anyone?) and the smartphone market.

Steve Job's policy of go big or go home has payed off well for both the company and consumers. If Apple wasn't so aggressive about reinventing niche products most companies would be totally content on doing slow refreshes and not pushing new ideas around.

I'm personally very excited about the iPad and what it brings. It lacks certain features and the price point is high but that's the norm for an Apple product and I'm real curious to see what the competitors will be bringing to the table.

 

While Ill agree with what they did for the mp3 market, the ipad is in a class between 2 practical ones that already exist. I just see the ipad as a tech toy that will have people say "Why use an ipad when I have my (insert iphone/smart phone or laptop or kindle) right here that does the same thing?". I won't say that the ipad will definitely fail, it's just not the right device when what is already out covers everything that it will do. The ipod, while weird like the ipad for its time, filled a spot which already existed but was needing to be changed/upgraded. The alternative to an ipod at the time was a clunky cd player that, even with anti skip, skipped during workouts or work; not to mention having to carry around CDs on the go was a pain and required a bulky case. That is why the ipod took off because people saw how useful it was when compared to the alternative. The ipad does not have that effect on the market, what its trying to replace already does the job better and for a much cheaper price and that is the inherent problem with the ipad.

 

The iPad is a solution in search of a problem. Just like the Foleo.

 

This is quite possibly the most useless device I've heard of in recent years. And that price is just unbelievable. I can't imagine using this thing for ANYTHING. But of course, because it's an Apple product, a flock of mindless sheep will buy it up like hotcakes and think it's the most revolutionary device ever. I just love how these people bend over and take it from Apple.

 

This is a succinct summary of the iPad. Nice avatar btw, surfasb.

 

you're right to a degree.
But if it's bending to the needs of people as opposed to their wants then flash should be included too.
Every other website contains flash and flash based functionality. During the unveiling Job's himself had issues with the NYTimes website whilst browsing/demonstrating it to the appleites in the crowd.

I can't see myself spending over £600 on a device that limits and prevents browsing rather than supports it

 

because there isn't a market for a device that makes consumption easier? your average person still struggles to use and maintain a computer. Much less optimize it for great performance. When you come down off of your mountain, you'll realize that the reason this has sold over a million in under a month...the reason why world-renowned tech heads in the media...the reason why every magazine and website that has reviewed the product say it's fantastic......is because it is.

life isn't always about doing something that can't already be done: it's about doing them better. or easier. or more conveniently. or faster. the average person will use an iPad and find that apps that they use on a regular basis (web browser, e-mail client, music player) load *instantly* rather than having to wait 2-10 seconds for it those things to open. they'll find that "apps" are organized in very logical and easy to use ways. people find it can do things that their laptop can't do (Sky Walk is AWESOME.). People will find the UI experience as a whole is a more enjoyable experience than they've had before in other computing products and they'll defer to it whenever they can (which for many people will be a good portion of the time).

Magazines, Comics, and books on this device collectively give a better experience than any other solution out there, bro.

LOL.

let's rant about products we don't understand and have never used before.

when you've tried it for more than 30 seconds in Best Buy (purely hoping to dismiss the product), come back and let us know what you think. your opinion will probably have changed.

For just about *everything* consumption-oriented, the iPad can really quickly become a go-to device. If it were a bit lighter, had a built-in camera, and maybe 256MB of more ram, it'd be the perfect travel machine for when you don't have to get serious work done. and if Microsoft creates an Office 2011 version for the iPad...all bets are off. I can see many forgoing buying laptops in favor of an iPad to compliment their desktop.

It's that good. More than a solution searching for a problem, we have a lot of people who are akin to Boromir from Lord of The Rings.

More people who "did not see".



Try one out for a week without looking for reasons to dislike the product. You'll find out what many former haters (like myself) found out: good product is good. Otherwise, complaining about the presence and popularity of a product you don't have or use (and thus don't really understand) makes you look like a tool.

Take it from a formerly FIERCE iPad skeptic who would have put all my marbles behind the HP Slate before April 4th, 2010. The iPad delivers.

 

i loll'ed

YouTube - iPad Unboxing - HOT HOT HOT!

 

As long as the iPad requires iTunes and locks you into Apple's ecosystem, it's still just a toy. A neat toy, but not one I want when I know that it's only a matter of time before an Android tablet comes out that can do the same things without the same disadvantages.

 

Id love to get a tablet around the office so i can just rdp into say a server but the iPad might be too closed off to cater for my needs

 

I vote for bust. Unless Apple has big plans for the iPhone OS, it's just too rigid to make for more than an over-sized iPod. Furthermore, all these touchscreen devices are snazzy, but the next revolution in handheld computing/electronics probably will come when someone addresses the keyboard issue. Touchscreen keyboards are a serviceable solution on phones, but its just silly on a device like the iPad.