Update: As it turns out, it’s the iPad. Isn’t that awfully close to ‘iPod?’ Farhad Manjoo raves about it at Slate, but even he admits that it isn’t suited to typing much more than a tweet. Does it matter? We’re about to find out.
[Original post]
Steve Jobs knows what I am thinking: Does the world really need a tablet computer? The idea has been around forever in geek years. Jobs’ former nemesis Bill Gates predicted in 2001 that tablets would be the most popular type of PC within five years.
We are still waiting for them to break the 1 percent barrier, but the wait could be over tomorrow, when Apple is expected to make the public launch of its tablet, rumored (by Slate magazine) to be the iSlate.
So, does the world really need a gadget that is too big for your pocket or even your purse, but too small to have a true keyboard? Steve Jobs knows that my opinion doesn’t matter, since I’m not a mobile device user and don’t own iAnything. I’m not the target market.
The consensus seems to be that no, there really isn’t much market out there for a tablet computer – but Apple will probably manage to create one. I have to agree with the conventional wisdom.
The Apple mystique has always eluded me, but there is no doubting that it exists. The iPod transformed music listening, and the iPhone is transforming the way we think about smartphones, so no one will be surprised if Apple also transforms the way we think about tablet PCs.
They have a rare talent for guessing what consumers will like, and they certainly have everyone’s attention. I wouldn’t want to bet against them.
Tags: Apple, tablet computer
If the iPad allows me to read a book, magazine, or view a picture/video without straining my eyes, then, HELL YEAH! there’s a market for it…especially if it had a touch-screen interface!
At one level, it must irk Steve Jobs, who was widely ridiculed for launching a one-button touchscreen phone, as each of those same critics launch their own devices. I do have to agree though, that the market will quickly sift through the pale imitators and Apple could end up with the same dominance it has in music players. Either way, it’s good theater, and highlights that Google no revenue-generating business model other than the ad business.
As a longtime Mac guy and Apple fan, I had eagerly planned to buy an iPad. And then: No multitasking, no Flash, no webcam, no… So where’s the value added? Fuggedaboutit.
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