“The iPad was supposed to change the face of computing, to be a completely new form of digital experience. But what Steve Jobs showed us yesterday was in fact little more than a giant iPhone. A giant iPhone that doesn’t even make calls. Many were expecting cameras, kickstands and some crazy new form of text input. The iPad, though, is better defined by what isn’t there,” Charlie Sorrel writes for Wired.
Ten things missing from Apple’s new iPad:
• Adobe Flash: Who needs Flash, anyway? YouTube and Vimeo have both switched to H.264 for video streaming (in Chrome and Safari, at least — Firefox doesn’t support it), and the rest of the world of Flash is painful to use. In fact, we think the lack of Flash in the iPad will be the thing that finally kills Flash itself. If the iPad is as popular as the iPhone and iPod Touch, Flash-capable browsers will eventually be in the minority.
• OLED: It may be more colorful, but it uses more power than an LED backlit screen when all the diodes are lit up… It is also rather dim in comparison, and making an e-reader that you can’t use outdoors would be a stupid move from Apple.
• USB: The iPad is meant to be an easy-to-use appliance, not an all-purpose computer. A USB port would mean installing drivers for printers, scanners and anything else you might hook up. But there is a workaround: the dock connector. Apple has already announced a camera connection kit, a $30 pair of adapters which will let you either plug the camera in direct or plug in an SD card to pull off the photos.
• GPS in the WiFi-only model: The WiFi-only models don’t have GPS, just like the iPod Touch, but the 3G iPads do have AGPS
• Multitasking: It will not matter at all to the target user.
• Keyboard: Nobody really thought the iPad would have a physical keyboard… The fact that Apple actually has made an optional keyboard for it is the biggest surprise (apart from the iPad’s base $500 price).
• Camera: I figure this is a cost-saving measure on Apple’s part. Too bad, though, as it is the only thing that stops me buying an iPad for my parents, whom I talk to on Skype. There seems to be no other reason not to have a webcam in the bezel other than price. We expect to see one in v2.0.
• Verizon: Until Verizon switches to the world-standard GSM SIM card, don’t expect to see an Apple product on its network.
• 16:9 Aspect Ratio: The Apple on the back, and the position of the home button both tell us that the iPad is meant to be used in portrait mode, at least most of the time. And a 16:9 aspect ratio in this orientation would look oddly tall and skinny, like an electronic Marilyn Manson. It’s a compromise, and a good one.
• HDMI: There will be video out, likely through the dock connector, as Jobs said during his presentation that you’ll be able to hook the iPad up to a projector. But no HDMI out? How do you hook it up to your HD monitor? The short answer is that you don’t. Remember, there are two kinds of people who will buy the iPad. One, nerds like you and me, who care about things like HDMI and also already own a computer that can do that. And two, people who are buying this instead of a computer. Those people will probably still have DVD collections, or even VCRs. They don’t even know what HDMI is.
Read the full article as it contains fuller explanations of the ten points than we could excerpt. Check it out here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Baron Von Raske” for the heads up.]
iChat web cam is my only disappointment about this device. Otherwise, it looks amazing!
Sheesh.. it isn’t supposed to solve every problem or be the device for every need. Also, it is a first generation device. I bet many of these complaints will be solved eventually.
Try to find a comparable device for the price…
The iPad will do well (I want one!)
HOW IS BEING A BIGGER IPHONE RESTRICTIVE SOMEBODY TELL ME PLEASE.
I don’t think the camera is cost cutting. It’s very cheap and hardly hits the battery. I think it’s to avoid people trying to iChat over 3G and crashing the networks, thereby sullying their experience of the iPad (as many will attribute failures to connect and block-o-vision to limitations in the device, rather than the carrier). A brief review of the problems caused just by iPhones for AT&T;and O2 (over here in Blightly) would seem to point to that conclusion. Expect a camera to appear when the carriers can handle the bandwidth without disgracing the product.
I am gutted, though, as I was all set to get an iPad for my mum to use on the broadband wireless (so no bandwidth issues and she can’t get on with a mouse), but given that one of its main functions was to be iChatting with her kiddy diaspora, the lack of built-in camera is a bit of a deal breaker currently.
Lack of isight is the biggest drawback for me. The iPad might be fine for millions of people, that’s great. But I will wait for the camera version 2.0.
Now worries, I have a MacBook Pro to keep me busy in the meantime!
I agree with almost all of this article. The thing I disagree with the most is the last comment about “two kinds of people that will buy the iPad.” This is a terribly narrow and simplistic view of Apple’s marketshare. To put the entire world (many of which are potential Apple customers) into only TWO categories is wrong. All types of people will buy this device… and I believe it will be a huge success.
The one thing I do agree with the most is the lack of a camera for video chat is a HUGE negative. I was looking forward to buying one for my grandma and at $15/month having a way for the great grandkids to skype with her. In fact, I just realized that it was most likely an intentional omission because it would overwhelm the already lagging 3G network. When the networks catch up, cameras will soon follow and EVERYONE will buy one.
Would really liked to have seen GPS for the turn by turn nav apps. How great would it be to plug the ipad into my car and have that 10″ screen guide me.
I think that multi-tasking will be introduced with iPhone OS 4.0 The camera really isn’t that big of a deal, you won’t want to use it as a camera and most people don’t video chat.
I’m looking forward to watching the iPad mature. Remember, the first iPhone didn’t have third party apps.
The iPad is a platform. It’s gonna be fun to watch.
Multi-tasking won’t matter to the target user? WTF, am I not the target user? And if so then who is and why wouldn’t they appreciate the chance to run Pandora or an radio app for their favorite talk radio station while browsing the web and checking e-mails? Would this feature go unused if it was offered? I highly doubt it.
I hate shit like that. Whenever Apple leaves something out, it doesn’t matter, the people who want it are all stupid. Then when Apple finally adds it, it’s the greatest thing ever and we’re expected to drop to our knees and thank the heavens that we finally have it. It’s like SteveJack telling us that the iPhone didn’t need to record video, then low and behold Apple has a commercial showing us how amazing it is that the iPhone 3GS records video.
I’m beginning to feel like the Apple fanbase really is a cult.
People are like children…. I waaant my caaaamara
think… It’ll record how many hairs u have up ur nose
Why is multitasking such a big deal? You can’t work on more than 1 app at a time. It saves battery life and let’s the app running run faster if you don’t have multitasking.
Will you be able to share your main iTunes library? (stream) or will you need to sync everything?
Your excuses for the missing features are pure sour grapes and lame.
Well, it’s unanimous- the lack of a front-facing camera is a deal breaker. First adopters will be out there in droves, but I will buy one for my daughter when there’s a camera so we can Skype.
It’s a no brainer. Maybe AT& T can’t handle the load, but there are other carriers around the world who can- no reason to punish them for the faults of one (albeit big) carrier…
@R2: Hey get a grip! You just don’t understand Apples philosophy…. 1. They spent more time extolling the speed of the chip than any other feature, 2. The OS is based on the iPhone OS, 3. The iPhone OS is multitask capable, but disabled for 3rd party apps due to concerns of processing power & a drag on the battery, 4. The next feature highly touted is the amazing efficiency of the new A4 Chip, which no-doubt solves the multitasking debate. So, as they say in TV land…. it’s in there. Apple chose not to announce it just yet for reasons of their own, but they would not build this device without a true multitasking ability…. It’s Apple, just hold on you’ll see.
This IS a first generation Ipad after all. It is possible that these things will be added later. Hell, the Ipod did not have a video or photo camera until the 5th generation.
My biggest complaint is that tethering wasn’t announced. AT&T;needs to make this happen, at least for an iPhone/iPad connection only. I don’t see the need to pay $130 PLUS 15/30 per month, when my iPhone is sitting right there beside my iPad!
I despise Verizon, but I would love them to get on board, if only to kick AT&T;in the butt!
Cereal port for Applejack?
Call me a corny flake, but I am one of those fruit loops that that gets his kix from being special, K?
Cheerio
@R2
I agree.
I will probably buy one of these devices down the road – perhaps v2. But right now it’s not compelling for me, just as the Apple TV is not compelling. For me to buy it it would have to have a camera, multi-tasking and also some form of sharing in the data agreement. Why pay for data on an iPhone and on an iPad ?
Steve himself said it’s intended to fit between the iPhone and a laptop. Well, guess what, at home I have both, and when on the road if I want to do work I’ll have my laptop with me. If not, I’m happy watching movies or reading books on my iPhone. Other folks will have different needs. But I just don’t see this thing selling anywhere near the 75 million of the iPhone and iPod Touch. I see it appealing largely to those who have neither an iPhone or a MacBook. We’ll see…
And why wouldn’t this work for the iPad:
http://www.bt-1.com/
As far as the camera…. BFD!!!! it’s a simple $20.00 add-on device, and their will be a market for these until apple decides to include it integrated into the device.
I think the iPad does what it does very well. The user interface is great, all the apps it uses seem very nice, the weight and pricing are both attractive, the data plan for the 3Gs is a great.
However, I think they missed their mark, mostly due to current technological limitations. So, they were not able to create the novel space that they obviously wanted to create (I disagreed with Jobs when he presented the list of things at which is was better than either the iPhone or a laptop). Of course, like all devices, it will get better, but the iPad is likely to have major advances with nearly every iteration. What they are obviously aiming for will be great, it just hasn’t reached the mark yet.
So, everything they accomplished was done well. That does not mean that certain exclusions were good. In particular, the two below:
USB: the logic on the response is poor – if USB really complicates things too much, why even give the option via a dongle? The reality is that the iPad is not being positioned as a tablet version of a laptop. It is really a larger iPod Touch/iPhone. It is clear that people love the experience of those devices, but it can be limiting. Right now it is not technologically feasible to make an ultraportable that is the computing equivalent – weight, battery life, etc are all problematic for staying in their weight range.
Multitasking: to say it is not a dealbreaker for at least a decent portion of the target audience is a denial of reality. It is a deal breaker for my wife, who both would like one.
While I do not think Apple’s near term goal is to make an iPad that can do everything a laptop can, printing/scanning/uploading from camera, etc, all fit in someway. However, the multitasking is something they are clearly working towards incorporating. I do think it is the right choice to emphasize the factors they are (battery life, weight, etc), but when they can incorporate multitasking into that, the iPad will have a much broader appeal.
For those who keep saying wait for version 2 for webcam. Word of caution to you. Don’t put your hands on this thing. Yes when you get your hands on YOU WILL WANT IT THEN AND NOW.
Just because you say it isn’t important doesn’t make is so. Apple is already at a disadvantage for just being apple. You can’t expect a product with a disadvantage to succeed unless you pull out all the stops, like with the iphone. This is an intermediary that people just wont understand