There’s certainly no lack of commentary, opinion and conversation about Apple’s ultra-anticipated tablet computer, the iPad.
First, it’s a terrible name for lots of reasons; the iSlate or iTablet would have been better choices. As for my take on the device itself, it’s pretty interesting, particularly as an e-Reader, but the real story is how the iPad could evolve in the future.
In the scheme of things, the iPad is simply Apple dipping its strategic toes in the water. It lets Apple get into the tablet computer market, and probably selling millions of units to a growing customer base. In the meantime, Apple will continue to work on adding features to the iPad, and evolve it into a device could go far beyond it being a cool way to watch movies or read books.
For example, the iPad could be a key part of a home entertainment system that connects computers, televisions and the Internet in a user-friendly package – something that the consumer electronics market has been salivating about for years. The iPad could be the always-on device that provides consumers with instant access to the Internet than a laptop or home computer. The iPad could be the way that Apple extends its domination from music to books.
The iPad could also morph into lots of different things based on where Apple wants to focus on, what developers create around it, and what consumers want. This is a far more exciting proposition than the device that Steve Jobs unveiled yesterday.
For more thoughts, check out David Pogue’s review in the New York Times, Daring Fireball, which also takes a big picture view of the iPad, while Alex Payne has a different and though-provoking post in which he describes the iPod as “disturbing”.
