09 February 2010
iPad or iPhad?
Will the iPad establish a new market or will it be a footnote in Apple's history?
One advertisement, aired during the 1984 Superbowl, effectively changed the course of consumer electronics technology. That ad was Apple's launch of the Mac. Building on the imagery associated with Orwell's novel 1984, it implied that users could break free from products of another, much larger, company.
The ad – only aired once, incidentally – positioned Apple as a mould breaker and, since then, Apple has cleverly – and carefully – managed its image. Now, every January, the world waits with eager anticipation for Steve Jobs' to unveil the company's latest consumer 'toy'.
Some of these announcements have had immense significance – the iPod and the iPhone are two examples. Some have not had the success which afficionados and Apple itself expected – Apple TV and the Newton, for instance.
The burning question at the moment is whether the iPad will establish a new category in the consumer electronics world and become something which we can't do without, or will it be the rare example of an Apple product that didn't fly?
Certainly, the iPad is too big to be a smartphone, maybe too constrained to be a laptop. Is it an e-reader? If so, why doesn't it have an e-paper screen? While it boasts the iPhone's ease of use, questions are being asked about how you use it: do you hold it in front of you or is it a laptop, or even tabletop, device? Either way, it doesn't appear to lend itself readily to how we use technology today.
Apple enthusiasts have, almost unanimously, hailed the iPad as a triumph, but those not fully signed up to the Apple agenda aren't so sure.
While the iPad is probably assured modest short term success, simply because it's a new Apple device, its long term success remains open to debate.
Author
Graham Pitcher
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Companies
Apple Computer Limited
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Much as I hate the term, I've been an Apple FanBoy since 1984, when I started using a Mac; at the time, I was lucky enough to be working for Schlumberger Automatic Test Equipment (nee Membrain), who equipped me with an Apple Mac almost as soon as it was launched. I've never looked back - though I did subsequently have to endure a year of using a PC laptop and Microsoft's Windows XP before I threw that particular toy out of my pram and regained some sort of sanity.
I currently use a 15-inch MacBook Pro. And yes, I have an iPhone. And an Apple TV.So I guess I'm more than a little bit biased in favour of Apple.
But like you, when Apple introduced the iPad a week or so back, I was initially somewhat underwhelmed. The product didn't seem to have an obvious market, and I couldn't envisage it enjoying huge sales success.
However, the more I read, the more I'm changing my mind. Quite aside from the obvious targets, it is likely to appeal to anyone who currently uses a clipboard and walks around during their day-to-day business. So that's doctors, nurses, teachers, lecturers, administrators, couriers, police, fire and rescue service personnel, to name just a few. The product can be held in one hand and has a large (colour) display that can be read in bright sunlight or total darkness - try doing that with an e-reader!
For what it's worth, my own forecast is that the iPad effectively introduces a completely new class of mobile device to the market, and will quickly gain volume sales.
But then, only time will tell. And I have been wrong before …
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Nick Leatherdale,
10/02/2010
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