As we close in on the first week of iPads in public, and on the eve of Apple’s interestingly timed event to talk about iPhone’s 4.0 platform, can I just have a moment to rant in as non fan-boy a fashion as possible?
What the deuce is this insult-by-faint-praise thing that some folks have about the iPad?
If you don’t like it, fine. Follow Jeff Jarvis’ example (if you actually bought one)9 and take it back. get your money back and wait for whatever better you think may come along from wherever else.
But this salvo of “meh” sentiments, along with the big “slam” that the iPad is some kind of “toy”? Just baffling to me, friends.
People have been asking for some kind of portable device that would allow people to surf the Internet and read email. For hours on end. That device was going to be the “netbook”. Nice try, but netbooks are just laptops that shrunk a bit too much in the dryer, for my taste.
IPhones and all of the imitators that have followed were another good attempt, but the screen and keyboard was good for your pocket, but too small for your eyes and fingers. OK to do a quick Google search to win a bar bet, but not so much for extended surfing.
So the iPad debuts, and behold, it meets many people’s idea of a solid digital companion. Certainly adequate for accessing and enjoying the Internet (save for that whole not having Flash thing, which can be annoying, open standard or not.). Email too? Check. If this was all the iPad did, it would still be a pretty hot piece of tech.
But the slam on it is that it’s a toy?
Because you can’t write a term paper or biz report on it? (Which you could, but probably would grow a little weary doing). Is anyone going to mistake the thing for “my first computer”? Or a replacement for the PSP or Nintendo DS-whatever?
I guess that is possible, but the underlying motive on this calling the iPad “a toy” might seem to be that it isn’t a “serious enough tool”.
Or perhaps just the people who are doing the name calling are actually the bigger ones.
Tools,
Let’s give the thing a little time to gain some critical mass before sounding so damn shortsighted. After all, the “t word” also was thrown around some after the first iPhone lunch in 2007.
And that Apple innovation hasn’t turned so bad, so far…has it?