The obligatory comment (or two) about the Apple iPad

Posted on January 27, 2010 by David Forbes

The Internets were all a-Twitter (ah-ha! Look at me being all clever ‘n’ stuff!) with today’s unveiling of Apple’s long-rumored tablet device, rather unfortunately christened the iPad. (There were numerous comments online about whether or not Apple had any living, breathing females working for them in whatever department came up with the name.)

I’m sorry to say I was rather underwhelmed by the unveiling, for a couple of reasons. One, the fact that it’s still tied to the ghastly AT&T network is just awful. I left AT&T years ago because of quality service issues and I’m not going back (which is the reason I still don’t have an iPhone). Yes, I understand the iPad doesn’t require a subscription or long-term contract with AT&T, but I was still hoping for some announcement regarding Verizon.

Another reason for my tepid response is that you can’t multitask on it. That seems incredibly short-sighted to me. I dismiss out of hand complaints about it not having a camera or removable battery (which is required for increased body rigidity), but you would think Apple would have thought users might want to, oh, I don’t know, do more than one thing at a time. Like almost everyone does. Like even lowly netbooks do. I expect this will be fixed in subsequent generations, but we’ll see.

It really is, more or less, a super-sized iPhone. And that’s okay, but I guess with all the hype I was expecting a bit more. Some super-killer functionality that no one had ever considered before, especially considering Jobs’ comment that this was “the most important thing I’ve ever done.”

What I am interested in is the iBook store, which may become to ebooks what iTunes is to music. That may be the iPad’s killer app. It’s too soon to tell for sure what will happen in the market at large, but it’s already killed any lingering desire I had for a Kindle or Nook. I really don’t expect either of those devices to exist for more than a couple of years at this point. Apple is simply too good with content delivery.

Would I buy one now? I am surprised by the pricing (in a good way), and I think they’ll sell a ton. However, I’m not going to be one of the early adopters. I’ll read the reviews from users when it becomes available and decide if there are any other features missing that I would really want (other than those listed above) before plunking down some coin on this.

I do see myself owning one at some point, but probably not before the second or third generation.

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  • Karrde

    I find it a little depressing that an author of all people would actually refer to this as a eReader killer.

    I’ll give all credit that Apple makes a great vertical integration with tier products. And I think the iBooks store will be a boon for digital books, but a Kindle/Nook killer it isn’t

    glossy screen + active lit display + iBooks == instant headache

    It’s also too big to reasonable carry and hold for reading purposes.

    Yes I do happen to have a Nook on the way, and I love my Apple products (even my AppleTVs). Like you this will likely find a place in my life sometime in the future, but for now I’m happy with a iMac/MacBook/Nook/Android combo in my life.

  • David Forbes

    I’m not sure why you’d find my view depressing. I’m not against eReaders in the least. I’m just not a huge fan of fairly expensive, single-purpose electronic devices. I’d much rather have a multi-purpose device (but that’s just me). My sister-in-law has a Kindle and I guess I’m not really wowed by a monochrome display. I don’t get headaches from reading from an LCD, so I don’t see what the big deal is with e-ink (other than it can’t be backlit, which is a negative in my view). I haven’t held an iPad yet or seen one in person so I can’t say whether the size will be awkward or not. It doesn’t seem like it should be, but I’ll need to play with it to be sure.

    I still think the Kindle and Nook’s days are numbered unless they drop their prices drastically. The higher-end Kindle is $489 for a device that does one thing only. The lower end is $250. Compared to the iPad at $499, there’s not much of a competition. I think for eReader only devices to survive they’ll have to drop to sub-$100 pricing, and pretty quickly.

  • Tony

    Not disappointing, but a little premature. The eReader will be around for quite some time. (I am typing this on an Apple MacBook Pro btw) As a multi use device, the iPad is weak in that it is not multitasking, no OSX, weight (cannot replace an eReader for portability) and price in order to get the higher end model (0ver $800.00) If you want to read and do some net surfing, the $499.00 will do just fine. However, a backlit LCD WILL damage your eyes. It is a medical fact. That is the purpose behind an eReader. It is designed for reading only. eInk is not for surfing the net or browsing. These devices are designed to have the same portability as a paperback, which they achieve nicely and the reading experience is comfortable for hours at a time.

    Bottom line, the overwhelming consensus is that until Apple builds an iPad with a camera, multitasking and some sort of “eInk like” solution, the eReader has a firm grip in the market.

    I do appreciate an author giving his opinion about a very cool device though. It has sparked some interest in your work and I will be interested in reading some of your work. Thank you!

  • David Forbes

    Hi Tony. Thanks for writing. Your points are all valid in their own way, but not really for me. I have no desire for a dedicated, single-function device. I agree with you about the multitasking on the iPad (and I mentioned it in my post). I won’t be buying one until that’s available.

    As for e-ink … I really, really dislike it. It just looks dull to me. I don’t use supernova-bright LCDs (I keep the brightness down pretty low), and I prefer backlighting, so for me the iPad is the winner hands-down. The page turning on a Kindle is so excruciatingly slow and bad that I get irritated putzing around with one.

    You mentioned portability in the Kindle’s (or other dedicated eReader’s) favor, but here’s my take on that. For traveling (which is where I would use an eReader the most), I would have to take an eReader *and* a laptop in order to do what I need to do. For me, the iPad simplifies this, since I can check email, surf the web, and write on a single device. That’s simply not possible on a dedicated eReader.

    And even if I ended up using an iPad for my primary reading at home, I still like the ability to have access to my website or Twitter feed or Facebook account or email with the touch of a screen on a single device.

    I still think that once the iPad is out in the market and the public gets a feel for it, the price of dedicated eReaders is going to be forced down pretty quickly. I just don’t see them remaining competitive at their price points for what they offer. And if the iPad is even moderately successful, dedicated eReaders are going to become largely a niche market.

  • David Forbes

    Just be be clear, I have nothing against dedicated eReaders like the Kindle and Nook and Sony devices. I don’t have any particular use for them, but that certainly shouldn’t devalue how those who own them or want to own them feel. My take on this is simply me looking at the future market as logically as I can and finding their value points rapidly diminishing. But hey, I’m guessing the future and we all know how accurate that can be! :-) I just wanted to make sure that I’m not rooting *against* them or hoping them to fail or anything like that — I’m not.

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  • http://www.ipadhacks.org iPad news

    Couldn’t agree with you more. I’m stoked for the Ipad though!Thanks!

  • http://www.admissions.com/news/facebookplattsburgh Modesto Inscore

    I’ve been a fan of Apple for sometime, they produce gadgets that is aesthetically beautiful while working like a champ. Alot of companies aren’t able to say that, it’s typically one or the other. Companies don’t usually take aesthetics seriously like Apple. With me stating that I’ve got to say that I’m very excited about the upcoming Tablet. One thing I question though, is it too soon? I think that this product may be ahead of its time. What do you think?