Apple iPad: The missing link or an evolutionary failure?

After waking to the news that Apple had finally announced it's long-rumored tablet device, I was initially extremely excited. As I scrolled through Cnet's Live Blog of the announcement however, the awe that I initially had for the device began to dissapear. I had simply been conditioned by the many tech blogs in previous weeks into thinking that the iPad would be more computer than iPhone. Irrespective of the actual possibility that the iPad would be more computer and less iPhone, I was bitterly disappointed. I imagined an Apple tablet that ran a Mac/Microsoft-based OS that would allow the user to have most of the benefits offered by Netbooks, if not Notebooks. And while is it clear that the price-point of the iPad would not have allowed this sort of technology, it seems strange that Apple went about producing this device at all.

The iPad clearly does not provide the versatility of a Net/Notebook. Furthermore, it does not provide the portability of an iPhone/iPod Touch. Does Steve Jobs expect us to lug around this new device as well, when the combination of the older two (iPhone/Notebook) is more than capable solution to the requirements of the average person?

Ensuring that the iPad is hamstrung by the limitations of an app-based system was one of Apple's biggest mistakes, in my opinion. While a consumer can purchase an AU$400 netbook boasting, at the very least, Windows XP and the benefits inherent in typing using a tactile, if small, keyboard, the same cannot be said for the iPad. I am not saying that typing on the iPad is not a pleasant experience. I just question its capacity for extended typing sessions, in addition to the fact that a document typed-up on the iPad will never be automatically be saved as a Microsoft Word file. While heavy typing may not have been in the mind of Apple as they made the iPad, this omission is the most disappointing aspect of the device to me. Having said this, I can still see the iPad providing an adequate mobile blogging device.


The iPad still has some worthwhile features that will make it desirable to many. It is undisputedly the sexiest media-player in existence despite the fact that the sub-par memory storage (especially in the cheaper models) means that media storage will be somewhat hampered. As the big brother of the iPod Touch, the iPad will assumedly reflect the high pedigree of mobile gaming that Apple has achieved in recent years. Additionally, the increase in screen size and processing power will probably allow for even more complex, engrossing and visually pleasing games.

While at this point, I see the iPad as a rather pointless attempt by Apple to carve a new market where one does and should not exist, it is impossible to see what might be possible with this device in the future. If, for example, the new processing power of the iPad allowed for games such as World of Warcraft to be played on the device, I would seriously consider purchasing a unit. Furthermore, if Apple came up with a solution for the lack of Microsoft Word compatibility, not to mention the problem of data transfer without USB slots, then I could see myself getting some use out of the device. However, as the device stands at this time, I feel as though anyone who already owns an iPhone/iPod Touch and especially anyone who owns one in addition to a Netbook or Notebook should wait for Apple to really prove to consumers how the iPad should warrant the creation of a new market in portable devices.