Companies often claim to have a product that can change the world. Most of the time, these types of statements don't meet the expectations they set.
When the Segway was in the development stages, known only by the codename "Ginger," it was heralded as something that would change the world of transportation, as we knew it. One famous quote about the Segway before it was released came from the mouth of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Time Magazine quoted him as saying that the Segway would be "as big a deal as the PC." Apart from making a few mall security cops who hated walking happy and the hilarious photos of President Bush falling off of something that was believed to be unfalloffable, the Segway hasn't revolutionized a thing.
Nearly a decade later, Jobs and his friends at Apple have a new product to claim as something that will forever alter our landscape. Steve has allegedly said to have told people close to him that his Apple Tablet (codename) would be the most important thing he's ever done. Steve Jobs, the guy who created the iPod, Macbooks and Apple in general, said that this thing he's working on is the most important thing he's ever done?!
This gadget, nay, tool must be the thing that will lead us into a prosperous future filled with glorious riches, world peace, and crab rangoons. My iPod already lets me not deal with people I don't like while I walk to class. What could possibly top that? All right Steve, what is it?
Oh, a giant iPhone. That's neat I guess. Enter the iPad.
The reason for the iPad's case of gigantism is its 9.7 inch touch screen. The screen is backlit with LED lighting, and since it's so big, it may act like a tanning bed after prolonged use. That last part isn't true, but maybe they will make an app for it. Yes, the iPad can access nearly every app available, even ones that I just made up.
The iPad has Wi-Fi and can use iTunes, which allows for the instant download of music, movies, TV shows, and the newest type of digital entertainment available, books.
Personally, I think it's sad that the last things the world's largest digital entertainment emporium added as downloadable digital products were books, but, you know, supply and demand.
I could go on and on about the features of the iPad, but you can look them up on anything that hooks up to the Internet. In fact, some of you may all ready own a portable Apple product that does that and doesn't look like a high-definition cookie sheet.
For example, a Macbook, an iPod touch or an iPhone can connect to the Internet and Apple made all of these products before the iPad came out. What's so innovative about a bigger version of what you had available before? Heck, the iPhone can do all of those things I mentioned, despite having a smaller screen. Plus, the iPhone has a camera, which no model of the iPad possesses, not even the $829 model.
If the iPad was what Steve Jobs wanted his legacy to be, then he could have retired in 2007 after the iPhone came out. He has done all of this before so the innovation is fairly lacking, but if someone designs a hoverboard application to take advantage of the iPad's staggering size, I'll buy 20.
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3 comments
Its success is going to depend heavily of app developers ability to come up with interesting and useful ways to take advantage of the bigger screen.People aren't going to use this to listen to music, for word processing or even surfing the web (at least in the traditional sense), there are already products that do those things well. Apple is trying to find something that will work for that place in between, or that can changes the way we interact with things that seem old hat.
This article hits the nail on the head!