As a product designer, I have seen and used a LOT of mobile devices. Some were epiphanies, others were technology flops. I'm not an Apple follower, yet I was really looking forward to Apple's latest electronic offering. The world of mobile computing has very stringent standards and expectations from tech users who have seen devices succeed or go by the wayside. It is generally not the place to gamble with device designs which are ill-conceived, "good enough," or lacking basic features.
So, amongst the millions of posts you will read about the now famous iPad, here is some digital food for thought... The new Apple iPad is basically a giant iTouch (or a giant iPhone if you get the 3G version). It reminds me of the giant 12" x 8" TV remote that my wife bought for me as a joke last Christmas.
Sure, the iPad looks cool, it looks hip, it looks "Apple." But the shear lack of features, many of which we all were "expecting" to have on a mobile device, boggles the mind. Let's examine.
No USB port - Wow... can you say "gamble"? What portable, non-cellphone device doesn't offer at least one USB port? How many mobile devices and accessories need that valuable port, to make life fun, easy, and productive? Who in their right mind would "assume" that mobile device users would not be interested in a laptop-sized device that didn't have a USB port? You have to be kidding me. The same thing goes for "no memory card reader". My reaction is an immediate "HUH?"
No OS X - OK, so let's see; no ports other than a headphone jack and a 30-pin port, and it's running OS what..? Oh, excuse me, it's the iPhone OS, which is not really an OS, but an "applications manager," sort of what my trusty 7-year old HP PDA runs. OK, its an HP iPaq, and yes it plays MP3s, it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it has a touchscreen. I have to guess that with limited headroom from the hardware, Apple was forced to either offer a less-feature-packed mobile device, or a really slow tablet computer. So the iPad is not really a computer, unless you're one of those folks who call their iPhones "portable computers". Sorry Virginia, glorified PDAs are not computers, and neither is the iPad. Add to this, all of the thousands of computer apps out there that will not find a home with the OSX-less iPad. You'll have to bring along that laptop or Macbook after all. Sorry.
Connectivity - or lack thereof. So we have Wi-Fi, and we have Bluetooth, a 30-pin port, and then there's... wi-fi and Bluetooth and a 30-pin port. Don't forget the... Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and that 30-pin port!
What happened to all of the other great options? SD, ethernet, USB, HDMI, etc.? Was the hardware really THAT limited that it couldn't thoroughly support additional ports? Oh, wait - the iTouch and iPhone don't sport those ports either... forgot about that.
I really want to like the iPad -- I really do. I love Apple as an industrial design company. As a product designer, I see more user-required concessions than I do user-friendly features in the iPad.
Steve, what were you thinking..?
The iPad does nothing that an iPhone doesn't already do, and it's size and akward proportions make it far to clumsy to lug around. Why would you ever get this thing if you already have an iPhone, and why would you ever buy it instead of an iPhone?
As a previous commenter said, I would not hire this guy as my product designer.
I don't see what's so hard to get, the main thing most people do with their home computers is surf the web and communicate with friends. This is an ideal form factor for home use. Kick back on the couch, in your easy chair, on the john, just like you would with a magazine or paper. This probably isn't what most computer geeks want (if you want a net book get a net book) but it's ideal for the average consumer. I think Jobs has a talent for recognizing how most non tech people would like to use a product. No other vendor comes close to the multi touch user interface. I think this is going to have huge consumer appeal.
The icing on the cake is Apple already has a huge library of apps and media content in a well established online retail outlet with Itunes.
I don't think I'd hire this Gil guy if I was looking for a product designer.
Also, many people aren't realizing how much the iPhone 1G changed over time due to JUST software updates... the iPad's software is going to see major improvements over the next year and beyond. Many of the gripes that I'm reading about will be solved by either software updates OR third party companies adding peripheries through the 30 pin connector; has anyone taken a look at the CD card reader or USB connection for cameras through the pin connector that apple announced?... you're going to see much more of that.
But a camera for video chats would have been fun.
I think it not on there because the 3G net can't handle video calls.
Shame since I would only buy the cheap one anyway.
Still someone will make a clip on camera for it.
http://timtalk.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-could-live-with-lack-of-ports-on-this.html
Enjoy.
iPad Camera Connection Kit
The Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. The Camera Connector lets you import your photos and videos to iPad using the camera’s USB cable. Or you can use the SD Card Reader to import photos and videos directly from the camera’s SD card.
So, optional USB and SD. Since the Apple 30-pin connector also supports video out, I expect we'll also see an adapter for that sooner or later.
The 30 pin doesn't output HD video. This thing needs and HDMI jack
Apple is trying to redefine the Kindle space not the notebook market
It has no interest is making any kind of cheap product.
That philosophy obviously has it's pros and cons.
If this thing can access, store and play HD video then I want the option of hooking it up to my flat screen. This should be able to replace my AppleTV.
Then it would truly be a solid consumer of all media.
1. USB. This isn't a general purpose computer. It's a media appliance that can do some content creation. The 30pin connector has USB signals and since many people have iPods/iPod Touches/iPhones, chances are you already have a 30pin connector-cable and are using it now.
2. HDMI&Ethernet The thin edge of the design eliminates these ports since they are too thick. As a designer, you should know that. For an external screen, I'm thinking somebody is going to come up with a solution for this (it can technically drive an external 480p display). Since it runs existing iPhone apps anyway, you cans use it to remotely drive a Mac serving your presentation while you operate your iPad in your hand wirelessly. And since it supports 802.11n, wireless Ethernet is extremely speedy, especially at home where the majority of 802.11n routers are.
Face it fanboy, Steve made a mistake. The mass of people wants FEATURES not beauty.
iWorks (spreadsheet, presentation software, and word processor)
Mail (eMail)
iCal (Calendar)
Safari (Web browser)
Opens just about every common kind of document
None of these constitute real work?