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If tablets suck, why did I order an iPad?

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Jeremy Toeman

Last summer I wrote a blog post in which I claimed that tablets, for lack of a better word, suck.  Yet I actually woke up early today to confirm that I’d be able to get an iPad the day it came out. I wanted to take a moment to explain why I am actually excited about the iPad (image source = Scobleizer + my wannabe Photoshop skills).

First, my anti-tablet arguments, and how they do/don’t apply:

  • Tablets suck at handwriting recognition.
    Still true, hence Apple implementing an on-screen keyboard and building a physical keyboard to go along with it. I don’t consider this a particularly great solution, I’d actually prefer a “Palm Graffiti-like” option (yeah, not elegant, but once you knew it, you were fast).
  • Tablets suck to carry around.
    Still true, actually one of my biggest concerns about my personal use of the iPad.
  • Tablets make you tired.
    From using my Droid Eris I’ve already noticed slightly different types of strains on the muscles in my forearms, not sure if its from the typing or the swiping (or the general frustrations with Android).  Curious to see how this plays out with the iPad.
  • Tablets can’t share nicely with others.
    In typical Apple fashion, rather than try to make all Office apps work they’ve created a new ecosystem for productivity apps.  I feel this is an okay approach, but still not what I want.  I am concerned that I’m going to want to sketch notes and markup docs and have no way to effectively do it – but I can’t really tell if this’ll work or not yet.
  • Tablets suck at hiding smudges.
    Any carrying case worth buying will have a little pouch to keep glass cleaner.  It’s going to be smudgeriffic for sure.
  • Tablets are bad Web browsers.
    I think this is one area I’ll have to eat my words a bit – mobile browsing is better than it used to be, and it really seems that Apple has focused specifically on the Web experience.
  • Tablets are priced poorly.
    Well, it’s not cheap, but it’s not crazy either.  For an early adopter product, I’d say its priced appropriately, though will need to eventually come down.  Unless it’s actually a viable personal laptop replacement (more below), in which case the price point is awesome.
  • Tablets suck at everything else.
    Still true – unless the entire ecosystem is built off a custom app platform and instead of trying to run traditional computing applications (ahem, Windows), it’s running all new stuff… But it still might suck.

So what happened here? Am I just a rampant hypocrite? Have I been drinking too much Apple Kool-Aid?  Do I just want to be the first kid on the block with some shiny new object (unlikely)? Or is it something different?

For the “haters” (basically all the crazy tablet fanatics who got offended that I don’t love their products as much as they do and am apparently not supposed to state said opinion), this will sound bizarre, but in a nutshell I don’t really consider the iPad a tablet.  Yes, it’s a slate form factor. Yes, it has a touch screen. Yes, there are a ton of similarities to the tablet category. But it’s not a tablet.

I consider the iPad much closer to a “big iPod Touch” than any other category of product.  While it has some aspects of productivity tools, the reality is the product is optimized for other types of usage.  Let’s face it, that virtual keyboard is probably going to get annoying pretty fast.  Further, with no USB there’s very few options for extensibility.  Which means you can’t think of it like a “computer”, since it’s actually much less versatile than one.  But as a product, it’s just as versatile as it needs to be.

From one perspective I guess I do drink a bit of the Kool-Aid, as I do believe the company has effectively built the “not a phone, not a laptop” product.  I also think they’ve built something with tons of versatility and practical use.  As we continue to march down the post-computing era of gadgets, I think the iPad will start transforming a lot of peoples’ mindsets on what exactly can be done with innovative technology.

And as I said in the original tablets suck post, “But if you do figure it out, I’m buying!”

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Posted in Gadgets | Tags: Apple, ipad, iphone, tablet | 8 Comments
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8 thoughts on “If tablets suck, why did I order an iPad?”

  1. Jim Schaff says:
    March 12, 2010 at 12:41 pm

    Having owned the 1st generation iPhone, I am guessing you will go through the exact same experience with the 1st generation iPad. It will do a lot of things very well (mostly), and the things it doesn’t do won’t bother you too much until the 2nd generation is announced. This is worse than your traditional PC envy, where any computer purchase is outdated as soon as your CC is charged. But you will love it for the first 6-9 months – and you WILL be the kid with newest shiny toy on the block.

    Reply
  2. Speed says:
    March 12, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    Jeremy,

    “Tablets suck at handwriting recognition.”
    In my experience, handwriting recognition on a TabletPC running Windows 7 is amazing. Uncanny. Creepy even. And this platform takes care of “Tablets can’t share nicely with others” and “Tablets suck at everything else.” But it is ‘spensive.

    I’m sure that Apple has a good idea of what kind of people will buy their tablet and how it will be used. I’m not sure that you, I or their customers have quite figured it out yet.

    Reply
  3. Matt Langan says:
    March 12, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    Interesting that Jim provided the iPhone analogy. The recent announcement that iPhone OS 4.x will include multi-tasking support could be the single biggest determinant in me deciding to get an iPad (just like potential iPhone users weren’t satisfied initially with a device that lacked a developer ecosystem). These incremental updates from Apple have been powerful and very much in line with what their install base is looking for (copy/paste, developer platform, push notifications, etc…).

    I feel like after 20 minutes handling a demo iPad in a store I’ll be able to make my decision whether or not to buy.

    Reply
  4. tivoboy says:
    March 12, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    ordered a couple as well, found a limit of two. Don’t know why either. if I don’t like it, sell it. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Dave Mathews says:
    March 13, 2010 at 12:29 pm

    Great points JT, but I think that your opportunistic dream of how Apple will handle web browsing with this device will be short lived. I predict you will have a post on April 4th about how you are giving the unit away to a lucky LD reader, or selling it to raise funds for a charity.

    I played with the device at the announcement, it is a sexy piece of hardware, in true Apple fashion. Smudges were abound and lets hope they employ the same oleophobic polymer coating that the 3GS quietly introduced. Check out the explanation from Bill Nye on how this works to reduce the collection of fingertip oil smudges. http://gizmodo.com/5302097/giz-bill-nye-explains-the-iphone-3gss-oleophobic-screen/gallery/
    ‘
    Unfortunately Adobe Flash has proliferated the Internet and Jobs’ hatred of the format is not unfounded, but until the media sites that we love move to HTML 5 a lot of the pages that you normally visit on a laptop will have broken links within the iPad Safari browser.

    I have not played with this yet, but take a look at the HP Slate “The whole web” demo video at hp.com/slate, which shows the same type of multi-touch, with the ability to play flash video. It is going to be interesting to see how these products compete with one another, but early adopter that I am, will still be waiting for the second generation products, or these first generations to be greatly discounted.

    Most of all, the closed app store is another big killer for my proposed usage, like your comments around lack of USB. My Dell Mini 9 running a full version of OS-X for $199 + $100 in hardware upgrades gives me 3 USB, and a fast SD card slot. Plus I can run programs. Real programs.

    There is one thing that I am excited about that the iPad is brought from AT&T, a $19.99 per month, no contract, unlimited data plan that I will be using in an iPhone 3G. No more 100MB limit on the same $19.99 data plan that I have used on my iPhone with AT&T’s Go Phone prepaid service. I chew through that amount of data in an afternoon.

    Here’s my story on this, and a review from my G4TV segment…
    http://www.telepixels.com/2010/03/why-i-am-finally-excited-about-ipad-i.html

    Reply
  6. Pingback: What’s Up Wednesdays: Tablets and Airlines « Beyond the Rhetoric

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  8. jscottu says:
    January 6, 2012 at 11:41 am

    I can see the value of a pocket pc (smartphone) since it can be with you always. But a tablet is a compromise in every respect…quality of sound, quality of picture, keyboard, programs available, cost, convenience, the list goes on and on. For under $100 anyone can get a used desktop that will do FAR more than ANY tablet and do it with much more class and ease. You can even put more than one operating system on a desktop, thus increasing it’s potential. Try that with a tablet.

    Reply

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Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

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