Alex Stone

So this is the iPad. Apple’s entry into a few different markets at the same time.

I’m not sure which is worse, the name or the tampon jokes that go with it. The first few were funny, but after iTampon became a trending topic on Twitter, it was incredibly stale and retweeting an iTampon joke only meant you weren’t clever enough to dig up and link to the old MadTV spot.

Wacky name aside, this thing is kind of cool, but not cool enough for me to feel like I should own one (ask me how I feel after I’ve held one - I am in the market for an ereader, but I’d like to stay with e-ink).

I’d like to simply straighten a few things out.

The iPad is NOT a Kindle/Nook-killer or even a Kindle/Nook-competitor
You know why? Because there’s no e-ink display. Sure the thing reads books in ePub format, but that’s because people would complain if it didn’t. Truth is, reading books or anything longer than a blog entry on a computer screen is just not realistic. E-ink displays are the go-to solution for reading books digitally, because of how e-ink works. Actual ink globules are simulated to display text in a manner that won’t kill your eyes after a while. Furthermore, the thing is reportedly heavy. Imagine holding two iPhones and an iPod touch… in one hand… for an hour. Not happening. What will be cool is when Panelfly drops an iPad version of their service and we can start reading full color comics on this thing.

The iPad is NOT meant to replace your notebook
That is, unless you own one of those dreadful netbooks (seriously - will someone explain those God-awful things to me?) . This is more like Apple’s entry into the netbook market. Apple didn’t drop a netbook for a long time because, well, netbooks are stupid. For the things people are telling you netbooks are for (browsing the web, writing papers, and “doing email”), netbooks are immensely underpowered and overpriced and frankly, very confused about their intended use.

So who is the iPad intended for?
I’m not exactly sure. It seems like if you have a laptop and an iPhone or iPod touch, then this is definitely not for you. If you read a ton of books and are looking for an ereader, you’re still better off with a Kindle or Nook (half the price and no month-to-month 3G contract + e-ink display). If you listen to a lot of music, you’re better off with an iPod or iPod touch.

This is tricky.

I can’t think of who the iPad is intended for. Hopefully, Apple will put out more and more promotional material towards the iPad’s launch and we’ll get a better idea.

All this being said, it feels like the iPad was made out of pressure from the board. This doesn’t feel like the product Apple wanted to make, but felt they had to, to have an entry in to the netbook market.

I’m guessing that Apple studied their success with the iPhone and iPod touch and came to the conclusion that people intuitively liked the idea of interacting with a computer by touch. I mean, look how much smartphone use has gone up since we’ve stopped using a stylus.

What will be interesting to see is how Amazon and B&N improve on their iPhone/iPod touch apps. Because then Kindle & Nook owners can bring their whole library to their iPads (just as they can currently do with iPhones and iPod touches).

In conclusion, calling this a Kindle-killer will make you sound dumb. Calling this an Apple tampon will make you sound 12-years-old, and buying one means you don’t have a need for a real computer.