Apple's iPad: I'm not convinced

Have you heard the news? Apple has successfully mated an iPhone and an iMac. Steve Jobs has given birth to a beautiful baby... wait... what the heck is that?

The internet came to virtual standstill as the world drooled and gasped at Apple's latest offering, the iPad. Twitter, forums, Facebook and just about everything else was buzzing with the news.

So what sweet new features does it have, you ask?

Yeah, that's what I'd like to know as well. For all the hype, I expect some amazing, mind-blowing features and so far I haven't seen them. Not that I'm disappointed or bitter, I'm just failing to see the big deal in this device and wondering if they could have put out something much better.

Well, we can start by saying it's an e-reader (similar to Amazon's Kindle), so that's going to appeal to some people. It comes with a completely new e-book service, iBooks, which I guess will be like an iTunes-store-type function. I'm still not sure it will devastate Amazon in to non-existence, but I'm sure it will attract sales.

It also works like an iPod Touch, playing back music and video etc. It might prove a bit big for the pocket, though, and I already have an iPod, and a smartphone with a 3.5mm jack for that matter.

In Mr Jobs' keynote announcement video, he seems very enthusiastic about the fact that the iPad is wafer-thin, but I find that rather worrying in terms of resistance to damage by bending or pressure. It'll be interesting to see the build quality when full specs and samples start to flow out.

Even more interesting will be the number of breakdowns and repairs reported once they hit the market, though the solid-state hard-drive will work to prevent a lot of problems, I'm sure.

The operating system is typically Apple: glassy, smooth-looking and almost childish with vivid colours and oversized look-at-me Play-dough icons. The multi-touch capability is a gene inherited from the iPhone. Of course you also have your internet access - mail and full-size web browsing through wireless and 3G networking, depending on which device you buy.

The iPad incorporates a new Apple A4 processor which clocks at about 1GHz, apparently. That puts it on par with Google's Nexus One phone in processing power - roughly the same as many netbooks, but still significantly less than a laptop.

My initial thoughts are that, like much of Apple's range, it's all about the presentation, the marketing and the combination of features, rather than anything really outstanding and new.

At the moment. I'm seeing a middle-ground device where two separate gadgets (smartphone and laptop) are the best option.

If I want to watch video, surf the net or check my email I'll use a laptop. E-books? Laptop is fine for me. I still think a full-size screen (mine is 15") is more comfortable to use at home, in most cases. When I leave the house, a smartphone fits in the pocket easily, and makes calls (unlike the iPad) and lets me access the net and check mail at a pinch.

The thing is, you wouldn't walk around with the iPad in your pocket, but you probably wouldn't want to use it as your sole computer either. So where does it fit in?

The iPad has been criticised for its lack of ability to multitask, like a netbook or laptop can. This is a big issue, meaning you do one thing at a time, no running background tasks, just one. Perhaps simplicity is what some people like though.

Not me. I like multi-tasking. Sorry, Apple, but it's true.

Netbooks are cool and all but if you have a laptop, why do you need a netbook or tablet? Because it's smaller? Come on - is size really that much of an issue? If you have a 13" laptop, is stepping down to 9.7" really going to make a huge difference?

Some may think this to be the next big thing and a global phenomenon. I'm not so convinced, though. The wild success of the iPod is due to a variety of factors, style being a big one, along with the simplicity, the cost and the basic fact that people like music on the go. Clever marketing also played a huge part.

IPod is now a household brand name. You don't say "Oh, do you have a portable music device we can put on in the car?" It's iPod, plain and simple. If it's not iPod, a music device is often viewed as a cheap knockoff. This mentality is much like the way other brand-names have been generalised to cover the entire genre of product - like Gladwrap or Bandaids.

Never mind the fact that iPods are known to break down fairly often, require unique-to-Apple connectors and software and don't allow easy content transfer in a universal format to other devices, no, it looks and feels "cool" and that's what matters most to a lot of people.

Sometimes I feel that some people just want to live an iLife with their iJob and iPhone and iMac and iWife and they "subscribe" to the brand without weighing up individual devices for their pros and cons and for how useful they are.

Apple has a family of products, and they don't get on too well with other families. They say hello in the street, but they don't go for runs or have dinner together.

Now, I'm being a bit mean to the iPod, but in reality I do own one, like most of you probably do (or have). I own an iPod video 80Gb, which holds my entire collection of music and doubles as portable file storage and transfer, and for that I like it. It may be my second iPod in three years, but it's still the best in its class.

I try to judge each product on its individual merit, but for others it's purely aesthetics.

A while back I told a friend I had recently bought an iPod and her first comment was "Oh nice, what colour did you get?"

"Black," I replied.

But the truth is, we are well and truly heading towards the all-in-one gadget. The iPad is a good guess at what it's going to look like. Smaller than a laptop but larger than a smart-phone with endless possibilities.

I'm just not so convinced that this is it. The jury is still out though and I wait with bated breath the arrival of the iPad in New Zealand, when I can check it out in person.

So now you've heard my opinion, go make up your own. Don't believe the hype. For the full rundown on the features of the iPad, click here.

In the meantime, check out this hilarious mock-video in a familiar Hitler's-response style. I can tell you - he's not impressed, either. (Warning: coarse language.)

What do you think? God's gift to geeks? Plain over-hyped? Are you going to buy one? Or is the iPad unnecessary and disappointing?

Join Connector on Facebook. Email Luke at connectornz@gmail.com

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