The iPad, Much Ado About Nothing --Or is it?

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I have to admit that when the iPad came out, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a Mac Tablet, much like my former Acer Windows XP tablet. To my dismay, the iPad is a big iPhone/iTouch. Why would I want one? I have an iPhone. What I wanted was a MAC tablet, one that would replace my MacBook. This device simply won’t do. What is the purpose of this device?

So I though of how Apple is always competing with Microsoft and [I] came to the conclusion that a fat PC OS (Operating System) is so old school. The iPad was never meant to compete with Tablet PCs. It is a cloud device and this is a definitely a shot across the bow of Google --the iPad could be a Chrome killer. After all Chrome isn't a full (fat) OS, it is a light OS and all apps are delivered via the cloud.

Granted hardware specs are inferior to the PC/Mac, but this isn't a PC or a Mac, it is a simple device. All the processing power is needed on the backend, processing and memory on the iPad should be minimal. After all this isn't a PC (or MAC) running a full OS and its apps with billions of lines of code!

We should all rethink what the user computing experience should look like. Maybe the [real] computers will go back to the scientists, students, and other technical folks. Most application users simply need a platform to run their applications and in most cases a full computer is overkill. Desktop computing can be replaced with simple cloud computing devices. Something Citrix and other thin computing technology companies have tried to do for years, now with the cloud --thin computing may become a reality.

I applaud Apple for the iPad and they are a true visionary in the cloud. They brought us legal downloadable music at a fair price (iTunes), cloud application delivery with the AppStore, and now they may deliver all kinds of media such as books and magazines. Apple has evolved from the old business of desktop computing into the new business of the cloud

Comments

Unknown said…
While I think the iPad has potential, I'm not sure I buy the whole "cloud" aspect. What I'd like is the Star Trek'ish "pad" that everyone seems to carry around the starship of the future. It clearly interfaces with the ships computer. The interface is intuitive. No keyboard or stylus is necessary. And it's size is somewhere between the iPhone and the iPad. To me, the iPad is just too big. Just like the iPhone/iPod is a bit too small. We need a middle-ware pad... no, I'm going to avoid all the potential humor here. I'm trying to be serious, really. :)

Give me the Star Trek pad. Mid sized, and integrated wirelessly into your own home system or the cloud. And please, open it up. My biggest complaint about the i"Products" is being tied into iTunes to get any apps. That's why I'd prefer an Android phone to an iPhone. But, hey that's just me and I'm clearly not an Apple fanboy!
February 2, 2010 at 6:11 PM
Jerry Rhoads said…
Randy,

I was thinking the same in regards to Star Trek. One thing to note, as you are technical guy --you have a need for an unlocked type of device such as the Droid.

I am thinking of the non-technical folks out there (more of them than us), that could care less about jailbreaking their iPhone/iTouch/iPad.

Jerry
February 3, 2010 at 9:58 AM
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