Is the Apple iPad Really Worth It?
Wow. Wednesday. Big Day. Apple finally confirmed the rumors and unveiled its latest masterpiece. And now we have the iPad to add to our stack of devices that charge by the bedside every night. Well some of mine actually sleep in the bed with me. My iPhone has its own pillow. But move over. Because it appears the days of me and my iPhone cavorting alone in our own little world are coming to a close. This has just become an open relationship.
Because I will have an iPad.
And it will be getting a pillow.
So how can we be so sure that the iPad is really worth getting hot and bothered about? How can we get excited, get our debit cards ready and holstered, when pretty much everything we’ve heard in the last 48 hours is that the iPad is nothing more than a glorified iPhone?
And with less functionality?
Oh, Apple. Can we really have faith in your “magical and revolutionary” new device that apparently lacks all the features we’ve come to know and love?
(Such as:)
If you’re inclined to believe the interwebs, the iPad:
“sucks and you shouldn’t buy one”
“has some absolutely backbreaking failures”
and
Heck, some are even saying a netbook (gasp!) is a better choice than the iPad.
So with the realization that the iPad is covered in frosting but not fully baked, can we (and our debit cards) overlook what appears to be such glaring and fatal flaws and allow the liberation of $499+ from our checking accounts?
Yes. And I’ll tell you why.
Because it’s an Apple.
And if there’s one (or two) things history tells us about Apple, it’s that there will be a lot of critics.
And there will be a revolution.
The key reason the iPad is worth owning, despite its shortcomings, is because no matter what it lacks today, no matter which functional “oversights” the critics say will make it a lame duck or an irrelevant yet shiny toy… no matter… as the iPad evolves it’s pretty much guaranteed to exceed expectations. And most likely spark a user revolution that turns the iPad into a ubiquitous, can’t-live-without product that flies off shelves.
How do we know this?
The iPhone. Look back to when it was unveiled in 2007. Remember what it was lacking and what the critics were saying? It didn’t have GPS. It didn’t have MMS or 3G or downloadable apps. It didn’t have push notification or cut-and-paste or video recording. And we were walking to school uphill in the snow.
And lest we overlook the most heinous offense, it didn’t have Verizon.
But three years later, 75 million iPhones and iPod Touches have been sold, there have been more than 12 billion iPhone app downloads, and let us not forget the more than 125 million Apple borgs using the iTunes store.
Not bad for an irrelevant, shiny toy.
Sure, the first-generation iPad lacks some compelling features. Some essential features. But just like any long-term relationship, you have to accept some flaws in the beginning… overlook the mouth breathing… the outdated hair… questionable fashion choices. (And if you’re in New Jersey, the spray-on tan.) And have some faith in what could develop.
After 34 years and countless revolutionary ideas that have changed the way we connect with the world, Apple has earned at least that.
And certainly a little space on the pillow.
If you’d like to tweet this post, here’s a trimmed link you can copy and paste: http://tr.im/buyipad
(Statistics via Steve Jobs during Apple keynote on January 27, 2010. Story image from photo sharing site, imgur.com).
Michelle, I enjoyed your post and I share your optimism and enthusiasm for Apple. Isn't it amazing that so many tech journalists are criticizing the iPad but no one has actually used one yet?
Anyone can look at the spec sheet and criticize Apple for glaring feature set omissions. (BTW, It does have GPS.) But the most vocal techie journalists and critics are not Apple's target for the iPad. Apple designed it for consumers, for people who could care less about all the nuts and bolts of technology innovation but who really appreciate and will adopt en masse Apple's elegantly designed devices because they work intuitively and reliably.
John Gruber just wrote a piece on daring fireball that addresses this strength of Apple's as a consumer products company. (See http://daringfireball.net/2010/01/various_ipad_th... They don't build prototypes and show them at CES; they show products at Apple events that are real, that they have developed and brought to market when the time is right, that you can buy in 60 days.
Two things for sure: First, I am going to buy one in 90 days – I want a 3G model. And, second, right now we're only looking at the start of Apple's new product. To imagine how magical and innovative it will be you must stay tuned to see all the great new iPad enabled apps the developers will write for it between now and the time it sells at retail.
The proof will really be in the pudding – i.e. sales, when it hits the market. For now I'm not convinced. But it may be for those who don't yet want a laptop, but need something bigger than a smartphone? Time will tell.
Thanks for the comment, Don!
I agree that it's a little premature for critics to pounce on the iPad before they've even touched one. You'd think from all the great things Apple has done in the past it would be clear the iPad is going to be something special. Even if it's not yet perfect.
That's really the foundation of this post… that regardless of the specs or "cost analysis," it's an Apple and that means it's going to be good. In case you want to see the annual cost of ownership in a sharp analysis, here's a great post: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/article/a...
On another note, thanks for mentioning the GPS. I went back and clarified that it's Assisted GPS (only available if you're on wi-fi or 3G). There's been some debate on whether the iPad has "true" GPS. It appears it doesn't have a dedicated GPS chip. But then again neither does the iPhone and we do just fine with that.
Thanks again, Don… I appreciate the feedback!