The Ipad-Flop or Not?



You have all heard the buzz about the new iPad; whenever Steve Jobs takes the stage and unveils a new piece of gadgetry the news filters down to our generation rapidly, often in a matter of hours.  I watched Job’s keynote speech in which he demonstrated the new product with interest, but I was more interested in what I would hear around school. As I’ve kept my ears open I’ve heard variations on a theme; “Really cool, like a giant iTouch!” says sophomore Hannah Plunkett. But when asked if she would consider buying one she says, “Probably not, because I have an iPhone already.” Sophomore Matthew Harikian says “At first I thought it looked cool; neat how it blended a laptop with an iPod.” However, he agreed with Hannah that it probably wouldn’t be worth buying, saying that on closer inspection he discovered that it looks more “like an overpriced iPod touch; it doesn’t do much more; its just bigger and more expensive.”

I found this interesting. Generally speaking, Apple’s products appeal to my generation immensely and are always an instant success. Or are they…? I did some research and discovered a thread on Mac Rumors, a popular Apple discussion blog which has many passionate Apple users, dating back to October 23, 2001; the release date of the original iPod. As I scrolled down through pages and pages of posts and comments, I was frankly stunned. These were the zealots; the fanboys! And yet I was reading past dozens of posts such as this particularly irate rant: “I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! Why oh why would they do this?! It’s so wrong! It’s so stupid!” And of course the ever present price complaints: “OH NO! Just checked Apple Store – they want $399.00 for this thing…Ouch!!!”

This was a revelation to me; Apple products AREN’T always treated as gifts from the gods, apparently. Which made me wonder; will the iPad be the flop? Apple has had flops before; it spent almost 10 years from ‘89 to ‘98 developing the “Newton”, a touch screen device, similar in size to the iPad, which was supposed to revolutionize mobile computing with its handwriting recognition software. However, Apple cut the project shortly after the initial release due to the vast number of bugs, and their doubt that a strong market existed for the product.

So what, if anything, sets the iPad above the Newton? Is there a market for this device, which on the surface seems to be just an “oversized iPod”? Well, Apple thinks so. Steve Jobs claims that  “the iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” His company has built a line  of applications to accompany the device. It includes an advanced calendar application, contact management, of course the iPod music player, as well as the other standard applications for an iPod or iPhone.

Apple has also announced that they will open a new online book store and include a book reader application (you guessed it; iBooks) on the iPad. This gives the device capabilities similar to those of the Kindle and other book readers on the market. They have re-built Pages, Keynote, and Numbers to function intuitively on the touchscreen. These applications are Apple’s line of word processing, powerpoint, and spreadsheet editors, and their presence on the iPad truly does set it above the iPhone and iPod Touch. Their decision to include 3G wireless internet on selected models also gives the device extended usages. Additionally, they have decided to not require customers to have a contract with AT&T to use the 3G internet service. This means that customers can pay a fixed month to month rate; $15 a month for 250MB of data, or $29.99 a month for unlimited data, making it more attractive to customers who already have another carrier, or who don’t want to pay the high monthly costs that are associated with the iPhone.

So what market could the device have? Well I have already discovered one unexpected potential customer; my mother! She took one look at it and said “Now I could use that!” She explained how as a mother of five she needs something that lets her stay connected on the go; “When I am out and about, or waiting for you guys to finish piano lessons or gymnastics, I need to be able to stay connected. If I could check my email and browse the web on the go, I wouldn’t have to sit and go through email when I got home.” She says it looks to be just about the right size to fit in her purse, and Apple has already announced a leather case that seems to be targeted in that direction.

Personally I would probably not buy the device, as I already have an iPod touch and my MacBook; I feel pretty well connected at home and on the go. And as a high school student, I don’t see much use for the device. I cant imagine it being practical to type out a paper on the touch screen, and it really is too big to use as an iPod. However, during a recent speech to students, Dr. Bushman  mentioned the possibility of buying a device similar to the iPad for students to use as a book reader for the 48 books. I find this possibility intriguing, and I wonder how students would respond. (Hint hint, comment below).

Ultimately, I think that we will just have to wait and see. It is easy to nay-say and join the crowd of pessimists, but I wouldn’t want to be one of the the people to say “Ohhh it will just fail” too early. Apple does have a track history of success, and I am fairly confident that they will find a market niche, starting with my mom. I eagerly await the release of the device (April 3), and can’t wait to go into a store and get my hands on one. Maybe I will be posting a product review sometime soon. But until then, I will keep my mouth shut and give Apple a chance to work their magic.

-Shaun Lichti



4 Responses to “The Ipad-Flop or Not?”

1. Burke Rea says:

   March 9, 2010 at 6:19 am

   Personally, I don’t think the iPad is worth my money. When I first heard about it, I thought “Woah, this is going to be so cool!” But the more I thought about it, the more I agreed that it is an “oversized iPod”. As for Steve Jobs’ response to a market for the product, “the iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices…”, OK, that’s fine to say, but those broad statements could be used just as well to talk about any other new mobile device. The reason I love my iPod touch, and I think one of the main reasons millions of people love their iDevices, is because it fits comfortably in my pocket. The iPad may fit inside purses and backpacks, but with the popularity of netbooks, I don’t know if that is going to be a big selling point. I can’t really say that the iPad will flop as far as sales go (the American public does love new gadgets), but they will not be getting my iDollars.
2. tehmadbeserker says:

   March 16, 2010 at 3:37 am

   but come to think of it, the ipad, which runs iphone OS 3.2 will have USB support which is very very useful for them old iphones and itouches

   the downside is,

   ipad DOES NOT HAVE FLASH!!!!
3. Kathy says:

   March 17, 2010 at 10:59 am

   Hi! I want to say thanks for an interesting site about a subject I have had an interest in for a long time now. I have been lurking and reading the posts avidly so just wanted to express my thanks for providing me with some very good reading material. I look forward to more, and taking a more active part in the discussions here.
4. Phillippe Prohoroff says:

   March 27, 2010 at 11:20 pm

   As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that functionally distinguishes the iPad from the iPhone/iPod Touch is the Camera Connection Kit accessory. Couple that with 3G, and you have something that has real potential as a very useful accessory for a professional photographer (or a wealthy recreational photographer).