It’s been said a lot recently about iPad and one common thing observed in all reviews is that people tend to split into those who realize all disadvantages of this gadget and those who simply overlook them trying to convince themselves that this device is well worth the money they wasted on it. Well, I’m a very rational person and simply knowing all disadvantages of iPad I can’t even think of buying it. So here is the list of what makes me skeptical about it:
1) No Multi-Tasking. Yeah, this one bothers me the most. 5-years old symbian-enabled Nokia phone can do it, so why the device that Steve Jobs calls a "magical and revolutionary " can not? Why can’t someone listen to music while browsing the web? Twitting while reading? What the heck? For a device that intended to be a substitution for laptops/netbooks and costs as much as the iPad does, the inability to multitask is unforgiving.
2) No Camera. Yeah, the same old Nokia has camera, 2 actually. I can’t say what is worse: not to have a front-facing camera for video-chats or not-having a back camera which should be natural for a such mobile device. Camera now is commodity. Very cheap commodity. And I see no reason not to include it. Even iPhone which I don’t like either has 2-3mp camera.
3) No USB. Since its inception in 2001 miniUSB became a standard for mobile devices. Then it was followed by microUSB. But Apple always has its own way. And usually this way is quite awkward (recall how long Apple was torturing its users with PowerPCs). Only Apple with its hunger for $ that could be earned on proprietary adapters (adapter for USB for god’s sake) could do it.
4) No Flash. End of last month Steve Jobs published very unusual letter that ended up with very thoughtful claim: “Flash is no longer necessary”. Yes, Steve, perhaps for you. But I’d still prefer to be able to browse many web-sites, play games and watch videos. Perhaps this guy believe in HTML5 – but Apple took no action in its development and it will be another 2-3 years before it takes off.
5) No VoIP. Sounds weird? But that’s true. As Dan Neary, Skype VP, stated this week: “I think the iPad is an exciting product but it is clearly not the same communications device in its current form that the iPhone is. So we’re looking forward to further advancements in the iPad and where that can go in the future.” Politically correctly, indeed. But the point is clear: I think he said the same earlier this year when Skype discontinued its Windows Mobile support.
6) Small storage. 16-64Gb – what is it? Are you kidding? My external hard drive is 1500Gb. My 500$ laptop is 320Gb. My tiny USB stick is 16Gb. It’s not a Nook, nor a Kindle that are supposed to store mainly books. This is a multimedia device and memory is crucial. And we all know that Apple never gives us a chance to increase memory in its devices.
7) Lack of widescreen. New iMac is 16:9. iPhone is 3:2. iPad is 4:3. The past is back. Welcome and enjoy almost forgotten old-TV experience.
8) No GPS on pure-WiFi versions. Many called iPad a giant iPhone. It’s not quite true. iPad is worse in all aspects except it’s bigger. And GPS is not exception: iPad for $699 doesn’t have it.
9) Poor reading experience. Unique combination of a heavy weight and the glare on the screen makes using iPad for a long periods “a battle for comfort”. Unlike with Kindle one can’t read well in direct sunlight with iPad. Moreover you can’t download books you bought from Apple bookstore for your iPad to your Mac or iPhone.
10) Price. I kept it for a last but it’s a very important aspect for many. $699 for 64GB for pure-WiFi and $829 for 64 GB for WiFi/3G model – come on, Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-3t does it all for less than $500 and boasts much better specs than any generation of iPad is likely to have. Modern netbooks start from $250 and by $499, which is starting price for 16Gb iPad, you have a big choice of very good devices. Add to it quite expensive apps and it’s hard to believe in Job’s intention “to put this (device) in the hands of lots of people”.
You are not yet convinced with these 10? Then consider some “bonus”: no SD slot, no HDMI out, closed apps (i.e. you don’t have a choice for pre-installed programs like browser), use of microSIMs (the whole purpose of it was to fit into devices otherwise too small for a mini-SIM – and it’s not iPad for sure), poor reviews on keyboard experience and quality of WiFi receiver.
And yes, I do realize that some of these drawbacks were made by Apple intentionally as a part of their strategy of introducing more advanced models a year or so later after the first release. I think about it as a unique way of Apple to minimize its R&D costs – there are so many simple things missing in iPad that you can add them in the new models another 2-3 years. And while it may be a good strategy from marketing standpoint, it completely undermines my view of iPad as an innovative product.
So my suggestion: wait for HP Slate and MS Courier later this year just to see the differences yourselves or buy a good netbook from Acer or Lenovo already now.
Saul Hansell in his May 29 New York Times article, “The Ascendance of Internet Radio”, discusses the Tivoli radio with its CEO, Tom DeVesto.
For those who are unaware, Tivoli radio is an Internet Wi-Fi radio that is priced from a few hundred dollars to as high a thousand dollars. The user can select a station by genre or geography. There are probably at least 100 stations broadcasting via the Internet. Is this real competition for Pandora and Last FM? No, in my view. I purchased a similar WI-Fi radio from Acoustic Energy a few years ago, and have disconnected it since my discovery of Pandora.
The problem with Tivoli radio is just that. It is a radio. Pandora and Last FM are software based. These music solutions can be used with a desktop, a notebook or even a mobile phone like the iPhone. The computer can be easily hooked in to a stereo system with a mini pin to RCA adapter to get a big stereo sound. Moreover the music is from Pandora is customized by the user. Software leapfrogs the hard ware again.
