Andrew's View
Andrew's View is a place where I get to express my feelings, views and opinions on various issues.
Andrew's View Index - iPad: Will it or won't it?
| iPad: Will it or won't it? | General | 6/02/2010 |
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There’s been plenty of talk about the iPad, due for release in a few months. But will it be the hit that the iPhone is? To be honest, I don’t know. In fact, anyone who makes a prediction (and there have been plenty) really has no idea. People claim they know what will happen without having even seen let alone used the device. I have only seen one genuine review, which was actually quite favourable.
Many have predicted that it won’t be a success due to the limitations – no USB, no camera, etc. But the iPhone also had limitations at the start (2MP camera, no MMS, no forward-facing camera) and look at where it is now! It still has some limitations, but has grown to be one of the most popular phones on the planet.
What makes the iPhone so attractive? For me it’s the ease of use and availability of applications. Sure other phones may have more features when you put them side-by-side, but nothing to date has matched the simple and intuitive interface of the iPhone. The simplicity extends to applications, both in functionality and availability. No hunting around the net for a decent application. They’re all in the one place – all checked and verified not to screw up your phone. There are a lot of knockers of the App Store, but it is one of the major factors that lead to the iPhone’s success. Some applications are free – some are affordable at just a few dollars. This is the way software should be!
But will the success extend to the iPad? Apple is actually playing it safe. They have essentially created an oversized iTouch/iPhone in order to test the market. If it is a success, I’m sure we’ll see more invested to further develop the iPad.
Strangely enough, its success will have little to do with how useful it actually is. If it takes off, everyone will want one.
So let’s see what happens over the next few months. It could be a hit! It could fail! It will be interesting to see how it goes.
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