“The target market for the iPad isn’t as clearly defined as it is for most Apple products,” Ryan Faas writes for Computerworld. “Is it appropriate for business use? Is it a media player or e-reader? How would it be used in educational environments? Is it just an oversized iPod Touch? Exactly what needs does it meet that a smartphone or notebook can’t fulfill?”
“We won’t fully know the answer to those questions until the iPad hits the market in March or April or for a little while after it’s released,” Faas writes. “But maybe the point isn’t what the iPad is, but what it represents.”
Faas writes, “The iPad is the latest and most striking example of Apple’s use of multi-touch technology. True multi-touch capability was more concept than reality before the iPhone’s debut in 2007. In less than three years, Apple has taken that technology and baked it into every one of its product lines. After the iPhone came multi-touch trackpads on Apple’s laptops. Then, last fall, came the new magic mouse. And now it’s being used in a full tablet. With each advance, Apple rolls out new ways to interact with devices.”
“The iPad’s arrival also demonstrates Apple’s continued ability to push the envelope in other technologies, including battery life,” Fass writes. “Over the past year or so, Apple has pioneered the concept that innovative battery design can lead to better battery life and better design. Not everyone is happy about the trend toward built-in, nonreplaceable batteries, but Apple at least makes the concept seem feasible, and even desirable.”
“Finally, the iPad is proof positive that Apple has the financial resources to develop completely new products from the ground up,” Fass writes. “The fact that Apple designed and manufactured its own processor specifically for the iPad speaks volumes about the company’s vitality, even in an uncertain economy. And it bodes well for Apple’s ability to innovate in the years ahead.”
Fass writes, “All that said, I have no doubt that even if the immediate market for the iPad isn’t obvious, Apple wouldn’t have developed the device without believing it could be a vital product… So, what sweet spot is Apple aiming for?”
Full article, in which Fass looks at all of the markets to which iPad appeals (entertainment, business, education, etc.), here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s simple really, just look at it when it’s off: iPad is a blank slate. Apple’s iPad is for moms, dads, grandparents, kids, teens, and single adults. It’s basically for humans (and some primates) ages 1-100+.
The iPad is indeed for everyone; that is, for everyone with faith in the future.
Jobs mentioned being at the crossroads of technology and the liberal arts. He was talking about his task of creating social change. The iPad amounts to a training device, to allow us to change the way in which we go about doing the things we do – by simply using a piece of multi-touch glass. Ives comments in Apple’s online video, “In many ways, this defines our vision, our sense, of what’s next.”
The iPad user isn’t alone with this task of using this piece of multi-touch glass. The entire web must also adapt, renew itself, to be seen through this glass. All this learning will take considerable effort but, in time, the pieces will fall together in a way that might well accelerate wide-spread societal improvement.
Does everyone have faith in Apple products? What a question!
It took a drop kick of an advertisement to get people’s attention to the graphical user interface. (This Super Bowl ad also created continuing sickening, nauseating, and hateful feelings toward all things Apple, so the cost of that ad was a bit more than dollars.) Today, however, nobody doubts the use of the graphical user interface. Everybody has faith in its continued use.
Common use of the mouse appears to be doomed, though, to be replaced by the use of the fingers. First the iPhone, then the iPod touch, and now the iPad rely on use of the fingers, marvelously. I suspect he technology will spread into the entire chain of Apple products soon enough. (If multi-touch were to be introduced on the widest scale immediately, likely society would reject it. Apple doesn’t want another drop kick reaction so the time will be taken for people to learn to rely on the multi-touch approach. With the iPad, likely most people will learn to use their fingers better, quickly, and be proud of the fact.
I’ve noticed that parents do not ever object to buying their children iPod touches. There’s a common sense that says the children need this device. As it used to be important for children to learn to use the newspaper for its proper value, today parents believe it is important for their children to learn how to use the web for its value. Do parents have faith in Apple’s iPod touch, in Apple’s touch interface? You can bet on it!
Will everybody have faith in Apple’s iPad? Well, there remains a strong crowd of the sickening, nauseating, and hateful but, most people believe Apple will deliver yet another must-have product. People also have faith that Apple will improve on this product in time, as well, that Apple will improve primarily given apt user input after the product is first made available.
There are at least two problems ahead for iPad usage that bothers me right now. One is the speed with which the web responds to the use of the iPad. The second worry I have has to do with that intersection of technology and the liberal arts: Social control on the web. It seems past time to bring some law and order to the wild west of the internet. I suspect it will take Apple to first deal with the latter issue for mankind.
Argh.
Yet another tech “journalist” complaining about non-replacable batteries.
There are thee big problems with this complaint:
1) The batteries *are* replaceable in many of Apple’s products, just ask a Genius.
2) 99% of electronics owners *never* replace “replaceable” batteries. It’s only an eensy teensy percentage of consumers (read: tech journalists) that even think to purchase replacement batteries.
3) Apple’s battery technology lasts *five years.* Do you really need to replace the battery on your Powerbook G4?
Powerful desktop computers with big screens are cheaper than powerful laptops with big screens. I am a film maker. Editing is done on my home desktop, but I need something to take to meetings to show videos, take notes easily and other things the iPhone just isn’t good enough for due to the smaller screen. The iPad is PERFECT for me, it will end up being cheaper than buying a good desktop computer and a laptop!
“Finally, the iPad is proof positive that Apple has the financial resources to develop completely new products from the ground up,” Fass writes.
Financial resources? It the guy totally nuts? Apple has the *financial* resources to create the ground, itself, and *then* build new products from the ground up just to support the next level of ground.
It isn’t the financial resources that were in question. It was the engineering design and integration capability to pull all of the necessary activities together effectively. You know, the kind of challenge that has brought many a company to its knees. Apple is very carefully choosing its battlegrounds between what it designs/contracts for fabrication and what it sources from suppliers. And Apple has been wildly successful so far. No debt and tens of billions in the piggy bank give a little fruit stand a lot of clout.
There are many ways to use the iPad…it’s an EverybodyPad:
-Designer showing furniture samples to a client on an outing or to look up items that provider the designer and client inspiration.
-Real Estate Agent showing homes to client at an initial meeting.
-Sharing photos with Gramdma.
-Making everyone at Starbucks jealous
-Offering clients at a Salon something other than a magazine (at least that’s what my partner will do). Or looking up celebrity hairystyles.
-Reading RSS feeds in a more rewarding way
-enjoying stumbleupon in a most satisfying way
-photographer showing portfolio to prospective client
-use paint app in a creative way to say whatever you want to people not in hearing distance. (fun messages to other drivers)
-entertaining every niece and nephew I have
-bring bathroom reading to a whole new level
-view an excel sheet or pdf in full view on the go (huge benefit)
-ipod touch for the vision impaired. large print for any book…as I get older this will come in more handy.
-To make the airport experience more tolerable.
-To view weather radars in full high threatening definition.
-To make maps actually visible in the car.
-To highly annoy the IT folks in my company.
-Let’s face it….Porn or glorious porn.
Hey! Can we get back to the puns, double-entendres and alliteration again? This name-callin’ stuff is so low-brow. How ’bout we just start with excessive punctuation and abbreviations?
And about this “backward-facing” camera thing.
TURN AROUND!
AJ
U R so funny.
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Thanks for the laugh
AppleJack: “Hey! Can we get back to the puns, double-entendres and alliteration again? “
Amen.
I’m a doctor. Will be getting in line to get mine. I would love to see some good medical apps.
I’ve used this space to criticize the iPad and it’s lack of support for Micro$hafts Office.
Then it struck me, Micro$haft is doing almost nothing in the application end of mobile computing. While they misfire on windows mobile, most stunning is their lack of a strategy to profit from mobile even if their windows mobile os strategy falters.
Apple needs to keep developing iWorks, and most importantly numbers, to become a capable (macro’s, add ins, more mathematical functions, etc) to be a complete competitor to Excel.
I’m hoping that is what Apple is hoarding all the cash to have the ability either through acquisition, or funding development, to burst onto the software application scene in a way that creates a 7.0 earthquake in Microsoft under the Office Monopoly.
In my view, Office is a much stronger stranglehold on the market place that he Windows OS. I’m quite surprised Micro$haft doesn’t realize this and forge ahead with mobile apps for this “true” monopoly they own. It is certainly theirs to lose.
Brian:
How about carrying around an entire Library of reference and text books for students and professionals everywhere?
How about Teaching professionals hooking up the iPad to projectors anywhere and doing a pre prepared presentation that enables pre prepared work to be accompany their lecture/lessons and enables keyword searches into any of the books in their libraries or simultaneous live internet searches to supplement and encourage debate ?
How about a live library subscription providing access to all books in the Public Library?
How about no more lugging around piles of books for students?
How about……
Oh, just off the top of my head:
Package delivery folks (UPS/Fed-Ex, etc.)
Medical professionals, especially emergency first responders and field hospitals
Anyone who wants to provide “live” bulletin boards of current activities
Students taking “open book” examinations
Real estate agents (photos and all specs related to current offerings)
Seriously, think back to the Apple II and IBM PC. Exactly who and what were *they* really for?
Attorneys who will store case records and legal references
@Finn
“I pre-ordered three iPads”
That’s a neat trick, considering it is illegal to offer these devices for sale or loan before they clear the FCC.
Where at?
@TT
‘Could this be just the item to bring all Americans together?’
Nope but it will Canadians as it can operate at -20oF
DallasM is Zune Tang during that time of the month
Not enough O’s in Stoopid to describe UR Jokking
The iPad is ideal for me to read the newspaper on the deck, show some photo’s at a get together, take off the shelf to look up something quick on the Net…etc etc…
@Applejack
That statement was a stupendously superb supplication
I will jot it down on my pad.
Sorry,,,,that stinker was 2/3rds of a pun…P.U.
to all those naysayers —
If you cannot recognize the fact that the iPad represents
“The Next Big Thing” ..then you have already missed the boat !
Remember– you were wrong about the iPod —
You were wrong about the iPhone–
So– what makes you think you have any clue about the iPad ?
I really hate to make predictions– but…
IMHO — the iPad IS the future !!
(get used to it !)
Apple stock down $20 for the week. That’s the steepest decline in resent time. Ipad failed to meet expectations. Ipad did not surprize anyone nor revolutionize anything. It lacks needed features. It’s hard to figure what was Steve Jobs thinking. We see that Apple fanboys are impressed but the world is not. IPhone is a super product, ipad is not. Ipad will sell to apple fans and their dependents but thei will buy anything with apple logo anyway.
@ palaver,
Foolish statement. Prepare to eat your words.
@palaver
Learn how to write English. Moreover, it is iPad and iPhone not Ipad or IPhone.
Gee….fluctuations in a stock….never seen THAT before. How does it work on your planet?
my cat gets string theory
DallasM-go take your meds.
What sort of apps? Here are some ideas.
As a stand-alone IO device – With the right transducers:
it could control your home systems, security, light, heat from wherever you happen to be;
it could help you to map your home’s energy loss weaknesses, so you can fix them;
it can monitor the life signs of a patient and sound alarms. Useful if a family member is sick;
it can be the ultimate, easiest to use and to program home remote control;
it could adjust your energy use as the weather changes outside;
an amazing, interactive learning tool for anyone;
it can be an automated data gatherer for almost any situation;
an automatic stop-motion trigger for a camera;
a point and go navigation tool for the car;
an easy to use Star Trek style life signs display/alarm for ambulances, clinics and hospitals;
etc etc you add your own ideas.
As a connected controller for apps running on a Mac (or a WinPC):
a drumskin to ‘hit’ to create percussion beats in Logic Pro etc;
a piano keyboard to drive a music app, sequencer or synthesizer;
a guitar fretboard to ……. yada yada yada
a multi-handed, multi-fingered active surface on which you could create a musical instrument design to your liking (imagine that)…..single note pads chord pads y y y:
a music mixing deck controller;
an MIDI control interface for a rack-based synth;
a highly effective, multi-modal control panel for Final Cut/Logic Studio apps;
a finger-driven graphic tablet surface for any graphics app on the Mac;
etc etc etc you add your own ideas.
And, as time passes and it gets camera(s), multi-tasking, phone capabilities and more features, these lists will grow.
Give it time
There are a lot of talented, imaginative people out there.
Also, all those add-on devices expected for the iPhone, now have a better platform to run on.
It’s a cool device but I’ll pas for now. My Touch is just about perfect for me.
Coupla things: firstly, I don’t think steve intended this to be anybody’s primary computer. You are supposed to bring it back to base and sync it every so often.
Secondly, I’m hopeful that the remote desktop apps will run better on the iPad due to the n-wifi, faster processor, and bigger screen. We might be able to run 99% of our desktop applications remotely from the iPad.
Now, that being said, do you think I could play Hulu on my iMac but have the picture streamed to
my ipad?
I’ve been warming up to the iPad and I think it’s going to be for a lot of people. That is, as long as there’s someone semi-technical around for syncing help.
I would like to think my mom would dig it, but I can hear the tech support calls now walking her through syncing iPad to iTunes on her computer… which would be necessary for updates, backups, etc. The only way it’d really work is if I did the syncs and maintenance when I came to visit. Wireless auto sync would be more compelling. (But, ya, there’d be support calls for that too.)
I want handwriting recognition. At the end, the app for the Newton was very good.
And a few years ago I had an otherwise terrible Toshiba PDA that recognized my terrible handwriting. Yes, as hard as it was for me to say, it was Windows.
That tells me that Apple can make it great now.
I am a teacher who likes to take notes in my classes, comment on my own lesson plans , what worked and what did not, make markup comments on student documents.
Typing, whether virtual or real keyboard will not do it. That requires me to shift my eyes and my attention to the keyboard. No way.
So here goes, I am going to bring the stylus argument to this thread. I want a stylus option even if I have to develop the app myself.
When taking notes with the stylus, all I will need to do is look for position, write notes while watching and listening at the same time.
If some of you have done that successfully with a keyboard, more power to you, but………………
And I am not going to write or draw with a finger. Are you kidding? Gestures do have some great functions, writing and drawing…..No.
But as someone said, this thing is a great starting point, and a year from now we will be amazed at the things that people are doing with them that we have not imagined now. Uh…….make a phone call?
@ M159 – 05:17 PM
I don’t doubt for a second the iPhone camera is good but I would have preferred an iPhone without a camera (I know I’m in the minority) like… my Leica doesn’t make phone calls, my pen can’t turn screws, my desk lamp doesn’t play music, etc.