The Apple iPad

Apple do hype, really well. In fact, it is probably safe to say that amongst all major technology companies, the Apple hype machine is the most well oiled there is. And to a point, it’s all well and good. After all, it’s the feeding of our gadget habit that keeps us interested in the latest products, in particular for us, our craving is for the latest mobile phones.

The latest product from Apple is not a phone, so ordinarily we wouldn’t be looking at this device, but the hype surrounding this launch was so high, it’s worth a word or two. In the run up to the launch event, there was a lot of speculation and rumour about the device Apple was due to launch. Whilst most had guessed that there would be a tablet style device of some kind, there was also hope of news of a new iPhone perhaps, or at least detail on a new Operating System, version 4.0. Sadly, neither showed, but there is still time for 2010.

What we did get, is the iPad. Now, if someone were to say “What is it for?” I’d struggle to give them a proper response. I can tell you what it is, and I can tell you what it does, but what is it for? That’s not so straight forward. It seems to me, that Apple are trying to create a market that doesn’t really exist, and supplying a device for a market that doesn’t exist, with the expectation that the Apple name will generate enough interest that people will buy the product. Because it’s Apple. I don’t see it, maybe I am not ‘visionary’ enough, but I really don’t see the appeal. The iPad is too large to be portable, and if I’m going out I can use an iPod Touch, or an iPhone, or choose from a wide variety of capable, better connected mobile devices to use. At home, I have a PC, if I want to browse the web at home, or create media content, send emails, etc, I use my PC.

The main points of the iPad are as follows: it can run existing iPhone apps, it browses the web, and you can use it to check email, play music and watch videos. The screen is a large 9.7 inches, and it supports multi touch. The QWERTY keyboard is the same as found on the iPhone, but because of the larger screen it is much more comfortable to use. Apple are also launching iWork for the device, giving new versions of Keynote, Pages and Numbers, which is good for some people, I guess. The iPad is also an e-book reader, with the launch of iBooks. Apple has done a deal with some major big names in the publishing industry, such as Penguin, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster. The iPad can be connected to a projector, and to a PC via USB, and all content can be sync’d as with an iPhone or iPod Touch, like photos, music, movies, contacts, calendar, TV shows, apps and so on. So really, apart from iWork and iBooks, it does all an iPod Touch can. It’s just bigger.

Pricing on the new device is still set in dollars, it will be interesting to see how the price converts when it launches here in the UK. WiFi comes as standard on all the devices, as does Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, the 16GB model will retail for $499, 32GB for $599 and 64GB for $699. Interestingly, the device can be purchased with a 3G module built in, but this is for data only, and adds $130 to the cost of each device. Apparently the device is unlocked to any network, and compatible with Micro SIM cards. Now, I’ve been working in the industry for some time, and I do not know what a Micro SIM card is, and neither do any of the technology links I follow on Twitter. Whether any of the UK networks support Micro SIM cards, I just don’t know. If what is meant is the standard SIM we use now, as opposed to the old credit card style SIMs of years gone by, then great, but we could have done without the confusing terminology!

And that was it. I have to say the whole thing left me completely underwhelmed, and my own personal opinion is the iPad is nothing more than a glorified, overly large, iPod. It will sell, but not in great numbers I don’t think. But then, if only 5 percent of iPhone owners were to buy one, that would still be a fairly healthy return. But the iPad is most definitely not on my wishlist.