I’ve made some predictions before the Apple iPad was released in my previous post – and you can see how accurate they are, in terms of what it is, what you can do with it and what it’s called – with just one exception – the iPad cover (there isn’t any).
This isn’t to brag, it’s simply a lot of common sense coming together (and a lot of fun too), to guess the features of the IT gadget of the decade.
And so the Apple iPad will be available to the public on April 3rd – this Saturday.
Is it going to be a hit or miss?
Nobody on the Internet (at least, on many of the technical blogs that I’ve been to) dared to commit to the iPad being a success.
Well, here’s my prediction:
It’ll not only be a hit, it’ll be a MASSIVE HIT.
So who cares if it doesn’t come with USB ports, camera, or Flash support?
Only the geeks, and Apple haters would care.
And even then if the iPad came with those, they wouldn’t buy it anyway, since it’ll still be “inferior” to their notebooks or laptops in their minds.
My Mom couldn’t care less. Nor my Dad, nor my sons – nor many people who still don’t use a laptop everyday – and they’re the very people Apple is really targeting, with many BILLIONS more of them than the geeks in the first place.
I could picture my Mom and Dad, both computer dinosaurs, having a whale of a time with the iPad. They could FINALLY now surf the Internet without having to sit in front of a desk, or learning how to use a mouse.
They may need help to type in the URL for the very first site they want to visit – and I can do it for them – or they can select from a list of important websites that the Safari browser will surely come with. From then onward, they’ll get by with tapping on the screen all the way.
In fact, my Mom had so many problems with her desktop computer (she could never remember how to log into the net, or even which icon to click on to start the browser, or even control the mouse properly), she gave up on it after using it for a few weeks. I got extremely frustrated teaching her again and again some of the things she had to do to use her computer properly – like a “double click” here, a “single click” there, and to click on the “Start” button if she wants to look for some programs to start, and again to click on the “Start” button to shut the computer off.
“Hmmm…click on the ‘Start’ button to end my computer session? Makes a lot of sense to me.”
My Mom will be 75 this year – and she’ll be getting the iPad when it’s available, and she’ll be able to use it almost as soon as it’s out of the box.
To view photos with.
To read books with.
Even to send and receive e-mail (finally, with her fingers tapping directly on the screen) with.
And of course, my Dad, to read the newspapers with.
And magazines with.
And my sons.
To play games with.
To learn new things with.
And me, to create products with.
And do some business planning with.
And do some slide presentations with.
What’s there not to like about the iPad, for any of us?
The Business In Your Pajamas Lesson
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Apple has redefined computing in the past, and it is now redefining it for the present and future.
It has created a massive hit in the iPhone and iTouch – and the iPad takes the same approach to computing, but into a much bigger space in our lives. Many of the things that we do everyday with paper or the usual laptop or the tube – are all now going to be in a 9.7″ screen that we can hold comfortably in our hands, or rest on a table, depending on our preference.
So Apple simply took a winning concept – the user interface in the iPhone and iTouch – to create the iPad.
It isn’t a sexy approach.
It isn’t a “ground breaking” concept – like the iPhone was.
And it IS a bigger iTouch.
But so what if it is?
If you liked the iTouch (and the iPhone), you’ll likely LOVE the iPad, because it’s essentially the same thing, only bigger, with even more possibilities for enjoyment that the iTouch and iPhone couldn’t provide due to their smaller screens.
And that’s all that matters – isn’t it?
Apple has smartly taken what is already working like gangbusters on a small screen, put it on a bigger screen, and lined up even more good stuff and applications to be shown and used on that screen, so that even more people can enjoy what millions of iTouch and iPhone users are already enjoying.
Think about it:
1. Current iTouch/iPhone users will likely buy the iPad if they’ve enjoyed their smaller experiences.
2. Non-iTouch/iPhone users will also likely buy the iPad if they like what the iPad can give them that they cannot already get from their existing notebooks (if any) – and there are already many applications available for it (apps ported from the Apple store which will work for both iPhones and iPads)
3. Existing notebook users who are sick of the weight and bulk of their current computers or their slow boot up time or the Windows OS will likely find the iPad a wonderful alternative.
4. Those thinking of buying a notebook but are put off by its price, or simply couldn’t figure out what features they need or don’t need from a notebook from among the many available.
5. Those who are never notebook Prospects (like my parents or my sons) are not necessarily never iPad Prospects. In fact, the iPad will attract new target markets all in one fell swoop – the ebook readers, the simple computer game players, and the occasional computer user.
This simple approach of taking what works, and then SCALING IT UP to work on a bigger scale, is what puts lots of money into Apple’s bank accounts.
It couldn’t care less if this product isn’t “ground breaking”, if it’s going to sell hundreds of millions of units of it nevertheless.
Would you?
All the naysayers want to see “ground breaking” stuff, because it gives them lots of materials to fill up their blogs with.
But you and me – we just want a good alternative to the notebook/laptop – and a way out of Microsoft’s incredibly badly-written OS (Operating System) and its definition of computing for the past 3 decades or so.
The future of computing is as exciting as ever – because it’s getting simpler than ever.
Simplicity is good.
Sen Ze
