Jason Trent, Associate Writer

The iPad Fiasco

Let me preface this by saying that I'm no fanboy. I use whatever piece of technology gets the job done best, but I absolutely love Apple's handheld products. I've owned many an iPod and many an iPhone. I love them as much as one could love a piece of technology, so I was very excited as we neared the announcement of the then unnamed Apple tablet.

Before the unveiling, I felt that this was Apple's way to get an edge on the current netbook boom. Offering users something less expensive than a MacBook, but larger and more powerful than an iPhone would help fill a gap in Apple's current product line up. I wanted something that I could haul around with me from place to place, something I could do some writing on, and something for my living room that I could track social networking sites with. The needs were very basic and I figured that Apple of all companies would know what I wanted and how I'd like to use this product. I was wrong.

Apple's official announcement came, and I was shocked. Shock changed to denial, and denial into guilt. Finally I experienced anger, depression, and lastly acceptance. I went through each and every step of the grieving process. The iPad was little more than a massive iPod Touch. The first problem: no multi-tasking. Although I only wanted to use this for a few things, those things still required that I run a handful of applications at once. Something for Twitter, Facebook, email, instant messaging; the necessities. Adding insult to injury, Apple has still not yet implemented Flash. If you want me to use something like this to view the web, you'd better provide a competitive browsing experience. Sure, you still have your YouTube application, but so many other sites use Flash. I want all the content. This isn't as big of a deal on the iPhone or iPod touch. I don't really miss the ability to view Flash on a screen that small, but on something like the iPad, Flash is a must have. It's a glaring and sad omission that could very well cause many customers to be disinterested.

The hardware in general seems fine. It has a fast processor, a fair amount of memory, and looks to kill. Apple really made a sexy device here but user input seems awful. When I think of using the iPad, I don't think of resting it in my lap for two-handed typing. I think more of the experience I have with my iPhone. Would it have killed Apple to give an option to split the keyboard to both sides of the screen? This would allow us to type with our thumbs, which we're already used to. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be an option for a somewhat full-sized keyboard, but more consideration should have been given to the precedent set with previous devices.

Then there's the name. What's in a name? Sometimes a lot, especially when you're Apple. Apple has a habit of making their products' names into buzzwords. iPod, iPhone, MacBook: these names sound catchy, hip, and easy to remember. iPad on the other hand? Feminine hygiene jokes aside, it just doesn't have the bang or the the pop that these other names have.

There's just no place for an iPad in my home. It doesn't have a niche. If I want a portable and convenient way to read news, I go with the iPhone. If I need something a little larger and more robust, I go with my netbook. I don't have a need for anything in-between. The iPad won't likely go the way of the Newton, but it surely won't see the explosive success that the iPhone has seen. It has potential, but I'm afraid that it's not something we're going to see until some very big changes are made. If anything, Apple has succeeded at creating yet another sub-genre of computer; something between a netbook and an iPhone, and I'm not sure there's an audience for that.

I'm not saying there isn't hope. After all, the iPhone is not the same product as it was when it launched. Thanks to software updates, we've seen huge changes and additions to functionality. I expect the same thing to happen with the iPad. I'm sure we've not seen all of Apple's master plan with this new product. There must be something up their sleeve that will make this a must-have instead of a fun commodity. The following months leading up to the iPad's release should hold some pretty big announcements if Apple wishes for consumers to take it seriously.