iPad has landed

Ok, so who won bets on what the name of Apple’s new tablet device was gonna be? There’s a great table list here on accuracy of rumours ranging all the way back to 2002 for those who are interested. Personally I wasn’t too interested in the rumours. I was more interested in the actual device which has finally been unveiled. First impression? Boring.

I guess by now Apple has firmly established what an Apple product should look and feel like. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, if it’s not broken why fix it right? True. Apple is well known for being consistent in all it’s products which prevents a lot of customers headache when it comes with compatibility and ease of use (unlike another major player in the IT industry). I guess in a way my only disappointment is knowing that as a world leader in design, there won’t be anything really new for others to ‘copy’ this time around (then again, I’m sure iPad imitations will pop up soon).

So what’s the iPad? Supersized iTouch? Close enough I guess. If you read this article by AnandTech, you’ll find that we have gone full circle in trying to get a device that allows you to do ‘light-weight’ tasks like surfing, movies, word processing with ease in a form factor that makes sense. Netbooks are the rage nowadays and goes in the right direction, but aren’t quite there yet. Apple’s take? You got it. The iPad. Rather than downscale the established laptop, they have decided to upscale a form factor they have largely pioneered. Will it work? The success of iPod Touch and iPhone seems to indicate that it will. Apple is currently the largest mobile device company in the world.

The iPad isn’t a revolutionary device. Just like the iPhone, what Apple has done is given a new spin on the solution to an existing problem. So what makes it attractive? It’s Apple’s ultimate lifestyle device. Looking at the iPad, you might wonder whether this has been the goal all along as Apple slowly built up it’s portfolio of devices. Take a look at the bundled apps and you’ll see what I mean. Media, Internet, Organizer. Does the average user need much else in daily life? The only thing missing is a phone but then you could argue that Internet more or less takes care of Communications (Skype or Chat anyone?) The only thing is that the iPad doesn’t come with a camera (according to this it doesn’t). Then again, Apple has always been a little weird in the things they sacrifice. No multi-tasking is one of them.

So there you have it. Beyond the boring first impression of the iPad, I must say it looks like Apple has placed itself right where it wants to be in the consumer space. To put icing on the cake, it has introduced a very attractive starting price for those still mulling over the netbook option. Is it a hit or miss? We’ll see.

Further reading:

Malaysian Insider – Apple unveils iPad, bets on new device class
Engadget – iPad or Kindle: Will our wallets decide?
CrunchGear – The iPad: our take

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