Opinion: We’re At The iPad Starting Line
8:10 am, January 28th, 2010, Giles Turnbull
When Steve Jobs first revealed the iPod on 23 October 2001, no-one had the slightest inkling of what it might become.
Nobody at the time predicted that the music player would morph into a phone, and then into a multi-purpose tablet device.
The iPad is itself a very similar starting point. What we’re looking at here is the very beginning of a new product line, one that we can expect to adapt, metamorphose, and grow just as the iPod did.
OK, iPad haters, we know there’s a lot that’s missing. We know the multitasking thing annoys you. But Steve doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t expect you to buy this first version, or even version 2. He’ll save the really geeky stuff for later.
Right now, he wants your parents and grandparents to buy the iPad. He wants schools to buy iPads by the six-dozen. He wants businesses to arm their mobile employees with iPads.
The iPad’s evolution has already begun, because overnight thousands of developers downloaded the new iPad SDK and starting burying their noses in it. All of them are working furiously on new ideas, they’re doing that right now, so they can be ready with apps when the device hits the Apple Stores.
And while evolution of the hardware is certain, evolution of the software will be much, much faster.
I’ve seen dozens of iPhone apps that have amazed me with their inventiveness, with the way they are perfectly adapted for the device they run on. The software will drive iPad sales, and drive them through the roof, because developers will create things you and I haven’t even thought of yet.
The best iPad comment post I’ve seen anywhere else in the last few hours is this one by Rory Marinich. He nails it, completely, with this one-liner:
“The product is, simply put, a magical screen that can do anything you ever want it to, no matter what that is.”
Yes! That’s it. Right now it’s a magical screen that will do anything you want it to, given the limitations of the current hardware. In five years from now, it will still be a magical screen, but the hardware limitations will be totally different, and will make today’s iPad look as old and retro as the first-gen iPod at the top of this post.
This is the starting line. Ready. Set. Go.
Posted by Giles Turnbull in Apple Tablet, Opinions, Top stories, iPad | Comment on this article
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Greatest review I’ve read about the iPad for now!
I’ll join you all in the startingline!
Freek, on January 28th, 2010 at 8:14 am
bout time there was a realistic tone about the iPad. My wife watched the Keynote, and she wants one because it does exactly what she wants, she is not interested about multitasking, she wants to watch TV programs or Films in bed, read her emails sitting down in a chair, surf the web in comfort, ie not tied to a desk, or balancing a laptop/netbook.
It just has to 1 one thing at a time really really well without any fuss or bother.
Jim, on January 28th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Yep, I know already hate the name and can’t really see how I could use it… but I am SOOOOOOO excited because once again, Apple broke the door down and paved a new path for technology. Meaning, I think this iPad is going to open a door for a lot more. I can’t wait. I so <3 Apple seriously.
alyssa, on January 28th, 2010 at 8:38 am
I agree, but analysing Apple’s trends for revolutionary products last decade year makes for an interesting conclusion. The iPod took 3 generations to take off, the iPhone took 2. It feels like this generation is make or break for the tablet.
By the way, by “analysing” if of course mean “verifying my knowledge of Apple History with Wikipedia and thinking about it for a while”.
Inflatable Nerd, on January 28th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Finally someone who sees the iPad for what it actually is… It truly is a revolutionary device that is going to change the way we do things!
talhah, on January 28th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Spot on Giles.
Doing individual tasks very well is what apple has been concentrating on and with the iPad this is no different. I can think of plenty of people that would love one of these just to do what i already do with my iPhone. They wont care about front facing cameras, multitasking or even 3G.
Being one who is aware of early adoption of devices, i can see no reason why i would be disappointed with the iPad at this revision. If its as little as a big iPod touch then its exactly what i wanted.
I’m very excited about what this device will look like when my boy is at secondary school (7years) and how the academic world will embrace this tool.
I’m now off to apple to download SDK.
mike karthauser, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I think the difference is, when the iPod came out, even though there were already MP3 players (with better specs), the iPod interface, both hardware and software, was original and revolutionary. Once everyone used it and realized that, boom, iPod revolution.
But the iPad is using a three-year old OS that was designed for 2.5-inch devices; that’s neither original nor revolutionary.
I’m not saying the iPad won’t (eventually) be great, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did re-invent the OS in the next year or so, but comparing it today to the iPod launch of 2001 is apples and oranges.
Josh, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Yes, I shall keep my mind open, especially for when Apple comes out with the 2nd generation iPad.
However, the iPad 2G better not be called the MaxiPad
Brentoni, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Nice to read an intelligent comment.
Nice to read an intelligent comment.
I can add that most shortcommings will be addressed via software updates.
Third party multitasking will probably be addressed with the next OS X update. A camera add on is not that difficult to make and can communicate via wifi and the peripherals API. And so on.
The point is that updated software, the appstore and hardware addons will make an iPad a long lasting product. In the same way as the iMac and
acBooks.
No need at all to wait for the next generation.
J.
J, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Not a fan of multitasking in mobile devices – rather have the battery life to be honest. With push technology it seems worthless. Like flash.
Peter, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Oh my god common. While I will readily admit its neat, at best, calling this magical and revolutionary is ridiculous. I mean read this:
“she is not interested about multitasking”
“ie not tied to a desk, or balancing a laptop/netbook.”
Okay so what, Is the iPad just gonna magically float in front of you? And just because your wife isn’t interested in Multitasking, doesn’t meant the rest of the world isn’t either. Infact 95% of the people who buy this want it to multitask.
Anyways, its neat, but not revolutionary or magical, at all.
Ben, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Too boring,
When the iPod came it contained a new design and a new way of thinking: Don’t overflood the user with too many options. Easy navigation, easy to use, cool design, great hardware.
This device doesnøt bring anything new. At all. The lack of real camera, connectivity, phone capabilities make it less worth as a device than my iPhone. But it comes with low battery time and single threading.
I care about that.
I love Apples products, – and I’ve probably been one of the first buyers of practically anything they produced. I develop applications for them. I’ve even purchased the wireless hub. But this device is nothing more than an big-ass size screen iTouch with WIFI.
Even with the next generation, with 3G connectivity and a few other features it is simply too simple.
Only decent thing to say about it is that my existing applications (iPhone) would work with it. But then again, – not optimized for it.
I am disappointed.
Lasse, on January 28th, 2010 at 10:29 am
I couldn’t agree more. The iPhone, iMac and iPod all had a starting line where a lot of folks said “whatever” and complained. I will probably buy the first generation (iWork definitely sold me) but i’m sure version 2-3 is when our jaw will drop. A great beginning for so much potential down the road. O hope they get the iBook part right as I own a kindle and this seemed like a great option to replace this.
I think the biggest mistake by the apple people yesterday was to overhype it with labels like “magical”, which will probably the right word when we see generation 3 of the ipad, but not today.
Emmanuel Henri, on January 28th, 2010 at 10:50 am
@Josh
“But the iPad is using a three-year old OS that was designed for 2.5-inch devices; that’s neither original nor revolutionary.”
Actually, Josh, you could say it’s a 40 year old OS called UNIX that has morphed into OS X then made scalable so it can run on any size device. This has been Apple’s plan all along; one OS across the whole range. That’s why they are able to do things like making iWork for the iPad. Don’t need to rewrite the whole program, just the UI. As the hardware improves iMovie and Garageband will also find there way across as well as many other powerful third party programs. To paraphrase Giles, Welcome to the starting line.
MikeP, on January 28th, 2010 at 10:56 am
@ben ” Infact 95% of the people who buy this want it to multitask.”
That sounds like a very bold statement. Can you link the research that this statistic is from? Or did you just make it up?
shaunathan, on January 28th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Best review about the iPad I have seen so far.
Yes, the iPad starts a completely new genre of geek-tools.
The possibilities that the huge screen gives the App developpers are just endless.
Reflektionen, on January 28th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Man, you are really defending Apple here.
What company uses this business model?
“He doesn’t expect you to buy this first version, or even version 2. He’ll save the really geeky stuff for later.”
If you have the tech to do the “really geeky stuff” now, why hold off? Why not release the iPad when it is really ready for Prime Time? Where is iMovie lite, Photoshop lite, or Garageband lite? The iPad is an entertainment device, not a productivity device.
Why would businesses and schools buy tons of these when they are only good for movies, games, and email?
Unlike every other keynote, I just felt sorry for Steve Jobs at the end of it. There was a longer list of what iPad didn’t do than what it did.
Laughtech, on January 28th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Laughtech: you quote without context. The full paragraph reads:
“OK, iPad haters, we know there’s a lot that’s missing. We know the multitasking thing annoys you. But Steve doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t expect you to buy this first version, or even version 2. He’ll save the really geeky stuff for later.”
So by “you”, I’m referring to the “iPad haters”. My point is that Steve doesn’t care about the people who hate it – who are predominantly geeky types – right now. The aim is to sell iPads to everyone else first, *then* sell to the geeks in a couple of years when it becomes profitable to add all the extra features that the geeks demand.
Giles Turnbull, on January 28th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
@ Ben
“Infact [sic] 95% of the people who want to buy this want it to multitask.”
I’ve got to call you out on this, sorry. Where do you pull a number like that from? Have you completed a statistically significant survey in the last 24 hours that shows that 95 out of 100 people want this to multitask? Please post a reference to back up your ridiculous claims.
I’m not saying I don’t want it to multitask. I think that’s a huge shortcoming but I also think that Steve J. has built a machine that is going to sell like mad because most people who want to buy it don’t give a rat’s ass if it multitasks. I can’t back up that statement with any kind of hard data but I’m also not making statistical claims that come from nowhere.
CPDubbleU (twitter), on January 28th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Thank you.
I’m so tired of people saying it’s the same thing as an iPhone except with an e-book store. It’s so much more than that. As a developer I can appreciate the extra screen space and new processor. This is going to change things.
Austin, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
@everyone complaining about this running iPhone OS…
What about all the tablets running Android? Wasn’t that designed for a phone? and isn’t it being used on a lot of tablets? iPhone OS is perfect for this device…how would you make it better?
Austin, on January 28th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
yours is about the only kind of commentary that could be valid at this point in time. Most of the fools who comment on the iPad, and Apple generally, including the many unemployable bozos at CoM, aren’t afraid to advertise their dishonesty, incompetence, inadequacy and wholesale lack of integrity by naysaying a product they have not seen or touched. Shameless, but they don’t see their own duplicity.
As to your final line, you’re likely right but it is also entirely possible that the shipping iPad may be a little different in spec terms.
I see you wear glasses Mr. T. I do too.
Nothing wrong with your vision though.
Thanks for an insightful article.
Don’t let the bastards wear you down.
It is what it is. Bozos are what they are.
chano, on January 29th, 2010 at 2:54 am
I think this is great. I really don’t care about the name. I think I am going to find this much more useful than a laptop. When I think about all the productivity apps that are on the way I wonder why most folks would even need a laptop or a desktop.
What I hope happens is that Apple finds a way to make this a standalone device. Why not allow folks to buy space in the cloud so that iPad users could backup their apps , music pictures etc. there instead of on a local computer?
Steve Messimer, on January 29th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Right now im reading this web page, playing brother in arms, scrolling through emails and sending a text to my girl. Its called multitasking. I know iphone fanboys kind of look down on this and block it out as whatever steve says must be right. So ipad huh. This is great, a giant device that can only do 1 thing at a time. I could be more productive on my palm pre. Hurry up buy the giant email reader. Its very shiny and its name starts with i
braincell, on January 29th, 2010 at 10:55 am
@ Josh:
“But the iPad is using a three-year old OS that was designed for 2.5-inch devices; that’s neither original nor revolutionary.”
Neither original nor revolutionary compared to what? Straw man arguement.
Just because it might seem instantly familiar to iPhone and iPod touch users says nothing about its originality and especially says nothing about its potential for revolution.
eaDGbe, on January 29th, 2010 at 11:02 am
I’m a geek. I’m currently on the fence about buying the iPad. My wife (not a geek) watched the Apple video and said, “This does everything my laptop does. I’m pre-ordering this today.” Of course, we all know that the iPad doesn’t do everything that her laptop does. However, the iPad does perform all of the functions (and more) that she uses her laptop for. I asked her for her opinion on the lack of multitasking. “What would I use that for?”, she responded. “How about something like listening to Pandora while surfing the internet?” “Yeah, that would be cool, but I don’t listen to Pandora while I’m surfing the web on my laptop.” Okay, I’m starting to get it. I then asked her about the lack of a camera. “I don’t even use my phone to take pictures or video”, she said. “Well wouldn’t it be cool iChat using the iPad?” “I only iChatted one time in the past year and that was with you while you were upstairs and I was downstairs [in the same house]“. Hmmmmmm…Now I get it! My wife is a freakin’ “geek-to-non-geek” translation dictionary. I ask her a question in geek and she translates it into non-geek. It’s obvious that Apple has done their homework here and spoken to numerous non-geeks.
Call it the Nintendo Wii effect. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would buy a Wii with both the Xbox 360 and PS3 out there. Here’s a console that is not HD, underpowered, and offers mediocre game titles. But, the Wii destroys the other two consoles when it comes to sales. BTW, my wife also wants a Wii.
As an aside, I find it laughable when people say that the iPad offers nothing new over the iPhone. I think those people are seriously underestimating the greatest piece of technology that the iPad possesses…a 10″ multi-touch screen surface.
Jeve Stobs, on January 29th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I agree with you. I think that the iPad has the potential to be a true game changer. Having said that, I’m on the fence re: purchasing this first generation. This 1st gen is relatively cheap but is not amped up in all the other things the haters have been complaining about which makes me think that when Apple creates the amped up iPad, it wouldn’t be as cheap.
Anyway, I was hoping that they could make an iPad with the MacBook Pro specs, with multitasking, can run Flash, can run Adobe and a beefier HDD. 64 GB is a major turn-off. Too little space, IMHO.
itskaye, on January 30th, 2010 at 1:46 am
>>And just because your wife isn’t interested in Multitasking, doesn’t meant the rest of the world isn’t either. <<
The rest of the world already HAS a portable multitasking device. It's called a macbook!
O
oPad, on March 12th, 2010 at 12:43 am