There have been a lot of complaints about the upcoming Apple iPad. Although a few of the criticisms have some merit, many are nit-picky and even borderline ridiculous. How about waiting until after a gadget has been released before tearing it down?
The Apple iPad is yet to be released. In fact, you can’t even preorder it until March 12. But, that hasn’t stopped hundreds of websites, blogs, and news writers from passing judgment. Just search for “iPad” in Google News, and you’ll see plenty of articles, most of them negative. Writers everywhere are feeling the need to create lists expressing their deep disappointment with iPad’s lack of this, or omission of that. Well, I’m just going to come right out and say it, “Shut Up!” How is it that we are so spoiled and pissy that we can just dismiss this new product without giving it a chance?
I’m going to go a different way. I’m going to respond to some of the most common (and weakest) complaints. And, yes, I do know the risks. I’ll be called a “Fanboy,” and an “Apple lover” and will be seen as a person who is defending a product just because it comes from Apple. Fine. Whatever. That’s a chance I’ll have to take. I don’t purchase things because they have an Apple logo on them. I purchase things that work for me and my business. I have an Apple computer, and a Logitech mouse. I have a strong dislike for the Magic Mouse, and you’ll never see me using one. I use what works. End of story. So, let’s see what people are saying about the iPad:
1. No OSX
The iPad was not created to be a laptop without a keyboard. What would be the point of that? As if the folding screen is such a huge burden? This little machine is meant for entertainment and light work. If you have serious work to do, get a laptop. Or, any number of PC tablets available with a complete operating system in place. But, don’t be surprised if the touch screen is frustrating on your tablet PC. The OS wasn’t created for touch, so it’s not going to be user-friendly. Everything available for the iPad was created specifically with touch in mind, so I’m expecting a much more pleasing experience. Perhaps someday when Apple has time to reinvent OSX for touch, you’ll see an iPad with a full OS.
2. The Name Sucks
Oh please. Have you never used a PAD of paper? Have you not ever jotted something down on a notePAD? Do you giggle and think of feminine products every time you use a legal PAD during a meeting? I think we can let this go.
3. No Flash
I’ll give this one to the naysayers. Surfing the web without Flash is not going to be fun. On one hand, I’ll like skipping all of the annoying banner ads. On the other hand, I’m not sure what I’ll do without Hulu.
4. No Web Cam
Everyone is devastated that they won’t be able to use their iPads for Skyping on the go. I can see their point, but I’m going to be selfish here. You know all of those annoying people on the trains having very loud conversations on their cell phones during your commute? Just imagine them all Skyping on the train. The horror!! Plus, who wants to Skype or video-conference with someone holding their own camera? I don’t want to get nauseous watching you bounce around my screen. Use your laptop webcam instead.
5. No Stylus
I’m not sure what a stylus would be useful for other than drawing. When is the last time you even used a device with a stylus? They seem to have faded away — assumingly because people prefer to work without one. And, on a device where all available applications were designed for multi-touch, I’m guessing a stylus will hardly be necessary.
6. No Phone
This one always makes me laugh. Really? You want to have phone conversations on a device that is over 9.5 inches tall?
7. No Camera
Again, I can’t really see myself pulling out this large tablet to take a photo. I’m assuming that later versions will include a camera, but I still can’t imagine it will be as useful as people think. If my dog is doing something adorable, I’m going to whip out my iPad to take a photo? I have a camera on my phone, and being a designer, I carry a small cheap-o digital camera with me everywhere I go. Taking a photo on an iPad wouldn’t be too different than turning my laptop webcam around to snap a photo of my dog. Just doesn’t seem natural.
8. Reader Doesn’t Use e-Ink
Someday, I’m sure we’ll have devices that allow us to switch between a backlit screen and an e-ink screen. I’m a little surprised that it was expected this soon in the iPad though. I’m not going to get into a big e-ink vs. backlit argument, I’m just going to say that at this point in time, no device (that I know of) is pulling off an e-ink/backlit switch option. If you’re really that attached to e-ink, get a Kindle. The iPad is more than just an e-reader, so it needs to have a backlit, color screen.
9. No Handwriting Recognition
I know I’m not the only person out there who can type faster than they can write. Do you really want to write out emails and notes instead of type them?
10. No Multi-Tasking
iPad (and iPhone) apps are created so that when you close them, they reopen in the same place you left off. What is the big advantage to having multiple apps open at once? As long as you pick up in the same place, is that not good enough? I, for one, will take a longer battery life over multi-tasking any day.
There are a few things that I’m nervous about myself: no expandable memory, availability of the ebooks I want (design and web design training books please!), and AT&T’s service. Some of the iPad complaints have been valid, but you have to admit, some are simply ridiculous. And, when it comes down to it, I just don’t think it’s right to jump all over a product before you’ve even tried it.
What do you think? Will you be preordering an iPad?
10 Responses
I can’t agree more, why can’t anyone see how amazing it is for what it does. If you want a laptop, buy a laptop. If you want a phone, buy a phone (although I would like to see someone holding one of these up to their ear for a laugh). Believe it or not, it’s not going to do your laundry either!
The iPad has it’s place, it’s not meant to take over for every device you own.
Manda Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Your comments are so refreshing, Bill! You’ve hit on my thoughts exactly!
It’s not a laptop, and it’s not a phone! And, how about the people arguing that they would be better off buying a netbook? How is that even considered a competitor for the iPad? If I made a list of all of the things the apps in the app store can do, and then added all of the other things an iPad can do — and then compared it to a list of all of the things a netbook can do, I can’t imagine it would even be close.
I agree that the iPad is not meant to be the end-all-be-all solution, BUT I am going to agree with the complaints about no handwriting recognition and no stylus. Yes, it’s faster to type than to write, but on a touch screen? I’ve never successfully been able to get all the letters to recognize properly.
Not to mention, if you can sketch alongside taking notes, and save it in your tablet instead of having pieces of paper everywhere, or taking the time to scan them, THEN I would see more of a use personally for the iPad. Without it, I’m still not even sure what “need” this product is going to fill.
jhoysi´s last blog ..Designers: Our Job Includes Thorough Communication
Manda Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 1:17 am
I’ll agree with you, jhoysi, that it would be nice to sketch with a stylus instead of my finger. Being a designer, I do sketch often. In fact, I’d love to have one of these.
But, have you ever used handwriting recognition software on a tablet? It’s not magic. You have to draw your letters a very specific way for it to translate properly — slowing you down much more, in my opinion, than an onscreen keyboard.
For me, the iPad is going to fill lots of needs. First, it will be my calendar. I have never used a calendar app on any phone that would come close to replacing my paper calendar, but I think the iPad can do it. I’ll also be using it as an ereader. I purchase ebooks all of the time (mostly in pdf form) because so many of my favorite bloggers publish their books digitally. I can’t WAIT to have a comfortable way to read them. And, as a blogger, I can’t imagine anything better than having access to the internet everywhere I go so I can always be doing research and writing posts as ideas come to me. I do have my to-do lists, photos, and Twitter and Facebook apps on my phone, but I’d much prefer to manage them on a larger screen. The ONLY thing holding me back from purchasing this in two days is AT&T.
I completely agree with all of this – however, I would buy one the day it came out if the multi-tasking option was a little more flexible. My biggest complaint is that I can’t listen to Pandora.com while I read a book / news. Easy fix via software update – but they have yet to do this for the iPhone.
Manda Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 1:23 am
I too am a Pandoraholic. But, I see my iPad being more of an outside-the-office tool, not a full-day project tool. I’ll be using it to write a post in the living room while my husband watches baseball, research an article on the train, or get directions en route to a meeting. I think that in those situations, I can listen to my iTunes collection, or even plug my headset into my Blackberry to listen to Pandora while I work. If I’m working for a full day on something, I’ll be on my laptop, and can listen to Pandora there. I absolutely see your point, but for me, the positives outweigh multitasking.
Awesome post!!! This was hilarious! Definitely some great points. I really wish they would add Flash support at some point. I think it has the potential to be an awesome product. I just don’t trust apple! I bought the first generation iPhone and a few months later they dropped the price in half and updated the phone. You should have seen the steam bursting out of my ears!!! They also got with the 2nd generation iPod. I paid $400 for them to drop the price by half again and add an extra 10 gigs! I really want one right out of the gate, but Apple is notorious for update 1st generations a few months later.
Manda Reply:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Hey Chris, I’m totally with you on being nervous to jump on the iPad bandwagon before the 2nd generation. It’s so hard though. I want one so bad. I keep doing things and thinking, “This will be so much easier when I have my iPad!” It’s my own personal struggle between common sense (for all of the reasons you listed) and just R-E-A-L-L-Y wanting an iPad NOW!
I would have to say that I am a huge fan of the iPad against my previous thoughts. Nice post haha.
Adam Zilko´s last blog ..Half a Million iPads Sold and Still Going