The $Pad
01/27/2010Like every other geek, hipster and tech nerd on the planet, I spent my day waiting with abated breath for 10:00am PST and another overhyped Apple media event. Today is the day we get, what I think was fittingly dubbed, "The Ultimate Fix for the Non-existant Problem!"… a.k.a. Apple's tablet PC.
This event has been all anybody's talked about for what feels like decades. What's it going to be? Will it even be a tablet? Will it be a huge iPhone? Will it brew coffee? All the while, the cynical types like myself have been sitting back wondering, "Why the hell would I need something that does a little more than my iPhone and a lot less than my MacBook?".
So there I sat, eating my freshly microwaved lunch, watching the Gizmodo live blog of the event waiting to either have my face melted by "The Most Incredible Piece of Technology to Ever Grace the Planet"… or to watch Steve Jobs frantically try to convince hundreds of nerds that this 9.5" roofing shingle is "The Most Incredible Piece of Technology to Ever Grace the Planet". And dammit, I was right… sort of.
The iPad, potentially could lead us to the promised land of futuristic movie scenes where you're entire life is controlled from your fingertips. The type of world where you can adjust your thermostat, turn down the stereo, turn off the lights in the basement, and lock all the doors while lying in bed. We're talking Star Trek type stuff here. In the regard of what it COULD be, it's pretty groundbreaking.
The problem, however, is that it's pretty clear that the current iteration of the iPad is simply another platform for Apple to bleed your dry $0.99 at a time. Why do you think all the cool stuff everybody has been harping over are absent? Let's go through the list.
1) Flash
Apple wants you to play games and view video content on their devices. They practically spend half their presentations showing you how well they do it. But they want you to play games and watch video you bought from them. What better way to funnel you to the App and iTunes stores than by restricting 70-75% of free online games and video streamed using Flash?
2) Multitasking
Let's be honest, outside of Pandora, what other app do you want to keep running in the background? (I know there are others, but this is the big one.) Now let's think about this, what other app on your iPhone and iPad will play music in the background while you check email and what not? Why, of course, the iPod full of songs you bought at the iTunes Store.
3) Camera(s), Keyboard
There are lots of Apple devices that have built in cameras: iPhones, iPods, MacBooks, iMacs, Cinema Displays… but not the iPad? Guess you'll have to go and buy one of those. Why? Apple wants your money.
Bottom line, Apple is a business, as much as people like to think their sole purpose is to make cool gadgets and speed up the future, it's just not the truth. The reason they're a $50b company is because they're very good at making you believe otherwise.
The iPad will be successful, and I have no doubt it's something that will lead to a whole new platform for the masses to consume media. But this version, this watered down, giant iPod Touch isn't there yet.
Categories: Thoughts
Tags: Apple, Technology