iPad Excitement

After weeks of excitement, build up suspense and leaks, Apple finally got around to announcing their large form iPod Touch, called the iPad. Already it is being decried all over the internet for its many deficiencies. In summary, the complaints come from a bunch of geeks who say that the iPad is too deficient and locked down to be the kind of computer system that they can play with, and anyway they already have enough computer systems, so why do they need another one. The simple answer to these complaints is that nobody is forcing them to buy an iPad.

I see the iPad as a lifestyle device. It is the thing I have in my living room so that while watching a movie, I can look it up on IMDB, perhaps to find out who is that familiar looking actor in a cameo role. In the kitchen I can use the iPad to look up a recipe, and in the breakfast nook to skim the morning newspaper headlines over a cup of coffee. Last thing at night, I can use the iPad to read blogs, news magazines or a few pages from a book before going to sleep.

In my opinion, the most interesting thing about the iPad is that Apple is playing to their strength as a systems integrator. The iPad has lightning performance and good battery life because Apple has developed their own processor chip in tune with the software that runs on it. Admittedly the software comes with plenty of restrictions like a lack of multi-tasking. However, as is often the case with Apple, the end result is "less is more".