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On January 27th, Apple announced the iPad. Much to no one’s surprise, it’s a tablet computer. However, some are touting it as being something “more” than just a tablet PC and more as an appliance. I’m not so sure I buy that.

Sure, it has a few nice things. For one, it has a large display making it nice and easy to look at. The interface is not new, allowing most people to become oriented with the device without thinking. A lot of people (millions upon millions) already know how to use the iPod Touch or iPhone interface which is exactly what the iPad uses. Not only does this mean that people will be accustomed to it before it even releases, but it also means developers already know how to code for it as well. Those 150,000 apps? They’ll work right out of the box. However, this can also be seen as a bad thing.

The apps out right now are made specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Between these 2 devices, there is essentially only one hardware SKU to develop for, one screen. With the iPad thrown in the mix, this creates the problem of needing more than one app SKU that the developer will have to make. This may not seem like such a big deal, but if the developer only makes an iPhone SKU, the app will either be tiny on the iPad screen or blown up and distorted to fit the full screen; hence the need for 2 app SKUs. Not only does this take away developer time in making a new interface for the iPad, but it also makes a good chunk of those 150,000 apps useless. I’ve always seen Apple as a company that was very focused on what they wanted but it seems a bit off with the iPad. 

Some think a big blunder is the price. I am inclined to think it is not as much of an issue as some think. Sure, $500 could buy you a bigger, better laptop but that’s not the audience the iPad is aiming for; at least, that’s what everyone seems to be saying in its defense. Personally, I don’t know and it’s too early to say. However, I do not want one as my Android smartphone (Motorola Droid) seems to do me just fine when I’m away from home. As far as it being a newspaper replacement, I don’t see that happening with my parents either. My father never reads the newspaper as it is, and my mother just visits the websites she needs for her news. The thing is, people that want the iPad already have a computer and likely know how to find news with it.

Lastly, the device as a reader could be good, but I’m not a big reader as it is so I’m not sure how this would work. However, LCD screens do tend to hurt my eyes after a while of looking at them so I do see problems there. The verdict on that? We’ll see. I think the iPad will be interesting to follow in the upcoming months and I’m looking forward to see how it sells.

What are your thoughts on the iPad?