With all my gushing over the iPad (considering I haven’t even touched one yet), I thought I would take a moment to write about the dark side of the device. After all, it very well could miss the mark for fitting into my lifestyle. The more I considered it, the more I realized the potential gadget parallel – the bread machine.
If you’ve ever had a bread machine, or know someone who has, the following probably sounds a little familiar.
Day zero:
Day one:
- Receive bread machine. Either as gift or because someone told you that you just had to have one.
- Unbox it with extreme excitement.
- Plug it in.
- Find all the ingredients you need, make a loaf of bread.
- Eat the loaf, marveling in the joy of fresh hot bread.
- Tell all your friends about the amazing new bread machine.
Days two-ten:
- Research more bread recipes.
- Buy different types of grains, flours, seeds, yeasts, and other ingredients.
- Make some “wacky” types of breads. No less than one loaf per day.
- Slowly settle in on your personal favorite.
- Tell all your friends about the amazing new bread machine and that they HAVE to have one.
Days ten-thirty:
- Make a loaf every few days.
- Run out of ingredients when you want to make bread, get annoyed.
- Get a little tired of cleaning the bread machine.
- Start buying some bread from stores again.
Days thirty-sixty:
- Make a loaf or two.
- Move the bread from the middle of the kitchen counter to a cabinet somewhere.
- Buy lots of bread.
Day sixty-one:
- Either put bread machine in the garage, or give it to a friend/relative
Now other than the bread machine enthusiasts who are going to come leave nasty comments, I think I’ve done a fair job recounting the story of the “gadget I didn’t truly need, but had a lot of fun with for a little while.” The iPad may certainly fall into this category. As I’ve previously blogged, I’m quite excited about the device, but still don’t quite know why. My hunch says it won’t be just a novelty that gets shelved in a few weeks or months, but it could happen.
My Flip cam is a bit of a novelty gadget – I still use it from time to time, but not the way I expected to. I’d put bluetooth headsets into this category for most people. Any kind of “power mouse” or other computer accessory that really just adds to the complexity. The Sony Dash. Digital Picture Frames. Most kitchen gadgets (hence the bread machine). My OLPC is my grand champion worthless piece of green plastic. Novelty stuff.
How can you tell if something is just a novelty? I’d say it falls into one, or both of the following definitions: Things that people buy without a clearly defined lifestyle benefit, OR things that don’t provide value in a easier/faster/better way in life. So a digital picture frame has a benefit (see your pictures without using your computer), but it’s actually harder/slower to do so than a computer, so it’s a novelty. Bluetooth headsets have clear benefits, but having to remember to bring them with you AND keep them charged creates more work. The OLPC? Fuggedaboutit!
So the iPad? No clearly defined lifestyle benefit I can think of (I can do all the same things with my laptop). But is it easier/faster/better for doing anything? Yes. This may sound trite, but I firmly believe it will be a easier/faster/better way to do “general Internet things.” And I’m fairly convinced that that category is ill-defined today, but will be a distant memory in the not-all-that-distant future.
Or I could be wrong and you’ll hear about my mom using it in a couple of months…
It’s the content that will determine if it’s a bread machine or a long standing piece of must have technology. Problem I see, it’s a $500+ bread machine, which seems like a high price to pay to make Internet things easier/faster/better. My iPhone works great for faster and convenience, otherwise, the laptop is not so difficult that I consciously think “wish this was easier”.
If the iPad was < $300, sure winner, but look at the Kindle – ridiculous price, yet consistent high-volume sales. Why? Content – 10s of thousands of free titles, including most of the "classics". New titles, even NYT best sellers for a reasonable price, etc. The iPad takes it to a new level with a virtually endless supply of apps that do an endless variety of "things". Is that enough? At $500+, I am not sure I believe it is.
I am going to put my vote in for Bread Machine in the 1st generation, but they still make and sell a crap load of bread machines – the iPad will be a success and we'll see v2, v3, and a reduced price over time that finally takes the iPad out of the "bread machine" category. But it's going to take longer than people think…
You mean like my Wii Fit? Gathering dust? I haven’t seen anybody who has a Wii Fit who has used theirs in the last week, but they were the must-have tech just a year or so ago. The iPad is a very cool product, but I have to strain to find a place it fits for me, in addition to my iPhone and MacBook Air. That’s not to say I won’t ever get one, but I won’t in the first few weeks. I also expect a ton of people to get one and love them. It’s a great device. But for some, it may seem like a bread machine.
Oh my god, that is so funny.
I can totally relate to this, except.
I didn’t make it past
DAY TWO
STEP TWO!!!
neone need a bread maker?
First you’ll have to tell me what it is and what it does!
A bread machine? At least I know what it is and does……I don’t want one……but I understand it…maybe……
It’s a giant iPod touch (and I mean that in a good way). The iPod touch doesn’t replace a phone or a PC either, and there is absolutely no question that nobody NEEDS an iPad. That said, having used one for several days now I am fairly certain that if you do shell out for one you’re going to be pretty happy with it. I have yet to find anyone who bought an iPod touch who doesn’t still use it regularly. I can see the argument that the iPod touch replaces an MP3 player and that the iPad is too big for that, but in practice, a lot of people use the iPod touch to play games, surf the web, and watch movies when traveling. The iPad does all those things well, and it’s better for email and eBook reading. I completely see Jim’s point that many consumers are going to have a hard time justifying it at $500, but I don’t forsee it being a bread machine. Or a Wii.
The Wii is an interesting case, BTW. It’s a game machine frequently purchased by non-gamers. Once the novelty wears off, you either need to invest in better content or have the discipline to use it as an exercise machine. Since non-gamers don’t invest in content and most people don’t use exercise equipment over the long term, the Wii is frequently abandoned.
At least no one ever stole my bread machine. I loved using my Ipad as kitchen gadget though so…