I don't need an iPad but it's still cool
Apple's Steve Jobs introduced the new iPad tablet device today with his usual Barnum showmanship. It looks really slick and cool - like a giant iPhone - and plays music, video, surfs the web, and you can read books and magazines on its large, snazzy color screen. Students will love it because it soon might be used to replace heavy text books with electronic versions. As Apple saved the music industry with the iPod, they can do the same for the publishing world with the iPad. Many people who actually got to play with one today said that you really won't understand it until you hold it in your hands. It's all about the user experience.
At this time, I can't really justify getting one. In my home and at work, I'm only steps away from a computer and I always have my iPhone on my side. However, at a starting point of $499 a lot of people will want one because it can probably do most of the work of a home computer. The iPad has the added advantage of being as smart and functional as a computer, but the user is totally isolated from the operating system. It's pretty much self-maintaining. It's an appliance like a toaster. You don't have to know how iPad works - you just use it. That's how all future computers need to work.
Did Apple re-invent the wheel? Only time will tell, but it's never wise bet against Apple. People who mocked the iPhone when it was first introduced are now eating their words. Like the iPhone, the iPad will be defined by the Apps which will be written for it. We can only imagine what cool stuff lies ahead. The sky's the limit. So, does the iPod live up to all the the hype? I'll let you know when I try it out. Will I buy one soon? Probably not, but you never know. Is Amazon's Kindle dead? I think it's on life support.
