[WARNING: ENGAGING RANT]
Apple held their latest media event yesterday for the launch of their new pseudo tablet device, the Apple iPad. I think it’s a bit telling that before the event actually took place there was more hype around the fact that people were expecting an iPhone ’4′ announcement, and / or AT&T exclusivity expiration, but that’s another story…
In any event Apple did indeed finally reveal their long hinted at tablet device. So now that the details are out, what’s the consensus? Sure, just like every other Apple device launch event, the fan-boys and technologists gather at the Church of Jobs, kneel at his pews, and wait to behold the second coming of any Apple ‘Jesus’ Device 2.0. Personally, I am completely unimpressed with the device, and there are a lot of people around the internet (Apple fan-boys and otherwise) that feel the same way.
Despite of what I think about Apple, along their ridiculous software and related policies, I will say one thing about them: they make gorgeous hardware. I cannot — nor will not — deny this arguable fact; not to mention they make a great MP3 player (albeit bound to atrocious iTunes software). They have a design aesthetic unlike most major hardware manufacturers in the industry. So, as it relates to the iPad, I don’t have an issue with the hardware per se (outside of two points mentioned below) so much as I have an issue with their software decisions.
I’m sure you’ve all seen plenty of coverage around the launch, and are already privy to all the features of the iPad. So, I’ll go straight into my discrepancies with this product:
Operating System – ok seriously Apple, seriously?? Maybe asking for Mac OSX would be a bit much, granted, but what about at least a ‘lite’ version of OSX? No, instead we get a glorified version of the iPod Touch OS with a new skin slapped onto it to make it appear as if it is all that different from their mobile OS. This is an absolute joke. Sure, I can run iPod Touch / iPhone apps and blow them up to 2X their native resolution. Wonderful! But really, who gives a shit? If I’m buying something larger than an iPhone I want it to absolutely blow it away in terms of functionality, not just have a super large screen and an app to draw with my fingers. This was an absolutely terrible let down.
No Flash – yes, everyone has security discrepancies with Flash, but let’s face it: it’s a web standard. This continues Apple’s now long running tradition of not having Flash on their mobile devices, but what’s the point of having a nice big 9″ LCD screen to browse the web with, when I’m missing a huge chunk of the content due to not having Flash? ‘Good move’ there guys.
No Multi-tasking – I know this kind of ties into the OS, but it’s so bad it deserves it’s own mention. If this is supposed to be a tablet computer of sorts, can’t all modern — even portable — computers multi-task now-a-days? That’s not too much to ask, is it? Oh wait, I apologize, I forgot we were dealing with the Apple’s fabulous iPhone OS here.
AT&T Data Plan – you would think that Apple would start to distance themselves at least a bit from AT&T considering future events (read: iPhone exclusivity loss), but the decision to partner with them again on a data plan just for the iPad is just nuts. As it stands AT&T is the only partner right now if you want mobile data usage, using one of two pre-paid AT&T plans. $14.99 a month for 250 MB of data, or $29.99 a month for unlimited data, which mind you isn’t unlimited (capped at 5 GB). All this along with being stuck with ‘more bars in more places‘. Le sigh…
Software Keyboard – now this one I wouldn’t mind so much if it wasn’t for one small detail. I’d want to lay this thing down flat to type on a keyboard, considering it’s a 9″ LCD and I am not a giant. But the problem is since the back bezel is curved when you lay it down on a surface it rocks slightly, depending on the surface you’re using. This was a poor choice, and rather than sticking to their ‘everything is curved’ aesthetic they should have make it completely flat.
No Stylus Pen (by default) – that’s right folks, you have to use your fingers. Sure, that’s not so bad, and there’s multi-touch and all that crap, but what about that fancy drawing app they showed off? Sure I may want to doodle with my fingers, but what about someone actually wanting to draw something serious, write a letter, or provide an electronic signature of sorts? There are already mentions of there being a 3rd party stylus being available later on, but if it’s not a native Apple product then I’d be concerned about running a stylus across the gorgeous 9″ LCD.
I’ll leave this by saying that this product continues to show off Apple’s existing ignorance when it comes to software, and now (just a bit) in terms of their decisions with hardware design. Yes, it is a very pretty device, and it should come in handy for something, but it fails spectacularly in very key areas, way too far to be considered a serious must have device. Regardless of what I say the fan-boys really won’t care, and this will still be touted as a ‘netbook killer’, or ‘touch pad PC replacement’, but I don’t think there is any denying the deficiencies in this product.
Apple, you’re doing it wrong:
