Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Party of iPad No Can't Filibuster


Best Web Browsing or a big blocky question mark? Steve Jobs demonsrates how a lack of Flash support means the video element on the NY Times front page just can't play on iPad.

Even before Steve Jobs had switched off the Reality Distortion Field Generator, objections to the iPad starting pouring out (even from Hitler): no multi-tasking, no camera, doesn't replace my laptop, name sounds uncomfortably tamponic, AT&T. At the same time other folks were reaching for their handkerchiefs to wipe the drool off their chins and developers, sniffing out another app store gold rush were diving into the SDK (software development kit).

It turns out that reactions to the Apple iPad are as sharply divided as the U.S. Senate, but with this important difference: people saying no to iPad don't have the filibuster. The naysayers can't block the yaysayers from buying it.

The first truth about the iPad is that nobody outside of Apple yet knows the truth about the iPad. Of course it doesn't do everything a notebook does. It wasn't intended to. The critical question was posed by Steve Jobs early in the keynote: does iPad do a useful set of things appreciably better than a notebook? The list Steve proposed was this: browsing, email, photos, video, music, and games. I venture it's safe to say that the gaming experience on iPad will smoke gaming on a notebook. As for the others, the jury is out.

What's the experience really like? Will people really prefer it enough to shell out for three devices (phone, iPad, and notebook)? I don't see any reliable way to answer those questions without actually living with it for a couple of weeks. I'm curious about hands-on reports from folks at the launch event, but I don't put much stock in their brief encounters.

The second truth about the iPad is that the product Apple introduced yesterday is just a teaser for the product that will ship in March and April. And that, in turn, will be just a teaser of the product that will be available a year from now. What's missing? The apps and the content deals. And then the next rev of the OS.

Just as today's iPhone is very much defined by the apps available for it, so will the iPad be defined by apps that take full advantage of its larger size and faster processor.

The weeks preceding the launch were filled with rumors about negotiations between Apple and TV networks and print media. If there's truth to those rumors, it's likely that Apple had hoped to tell us more about the glories of subscriptions to content. The negotiations, if they are happening, clearly dragged on beyond intro date. But I think it's safe to expect a number of content-specific apps, not all of them free.

MIckeleh's Take: The party of iPad no has lots of good arguments. But until shipping, they're arguing against a phantom. They can stay on the sidelines jeering as loudly as they want. The iPad will still attract buyers. And the user-experience may well prove revolutionary.


11 comments:

FFcommunicator said...

"...name sounds uncomfortably tamponic." Brilliant!

@FFcommunicator
http://www.famefoundry.com

Tricon said...

I find the user experience to be revolutionary. Think of it as a peripheral: "The new Final Cut Studio: Now use your iPad to select clips for editing. Rearrange with your hands. Introducing the new Logic Pro: Use your iPad as a mixer, jog wheel, MIDI controller."

The possibilities are endless with a multitouch computer of this size.

Dave said...

I think it's a positive step in the grand scheme of things, but I'd rather see something of that size running a proper OS... Something in between what it has and OSX, the apps can be easy and accessible, but you should also have a bit of your own space to work with. I want a desktop to clutter up with files and folders!

Won't be getting one, but I look forward to seeing where it leads.

神待ち said...

神待ち少女を助けられるのは貴方しかいません。是非近所でウロウロしている少女を助けてあげてください。

モバゲー said...

モバゲーで楽しめるであいがココにある!素敵なであいからちょっとHなであいまで…幅広いであいを提供しております。今までには経験したことが無かったであいを体験していきましょう

阪神ジュベナイルフィリーズ 2010 said...

阪神ジュベナイルフィリーズ 2010 枠順から勝ち馬予想!オッズから分かる隠れた注目馬・・・過去の結果やデータから分かる誰もが驚く枠馬を大公開

出合い掲示板 said...

本当に出合える!出合い掲示板の決定版「LOVE-TREE BBS」へようこそ!友達を作りたい人や恋人募集中の人などが集まる当掲示板で理想のパートナーと愛の木を育ててみませんか?

Hチェッカー said...

自分のエロさってどのぐらいなんだろう?と思ったらHチェッカー!年始の期間限定で特別に診断結果に合わせて、異性を紹介するおまけつき!自分と同じぐらいHな異性と知り合えるのですぐに仲良くなれる!

逆援助バイト said...

逆援するなら絶対このサイトで間違いないよ!!!すげえ美人が凄い金額でお前の事買ってくれるぜ

出合いサイト said...

今最高にアツい出合いサイトをご存知ですか?恋愛に繋がる出会いは必ずある!ほんとに出合いの無い人だけアクセスして下さい!業者が蔓延しているSNS系サイトよりも出合いサイトが今アツい!

man and van in London said...

Thousands of blogs, each different on its own way, but the good looking ones, if I can name them like that, are very few. Yours is one of them, very nice desing, love each part of it. That doesn't leave its content, some of the posts were very useful for me.