“What the iPad can do is offer simplicity, not just ease-of-use, but ‘simplicity,'” Copeland writes. “Most people don’t get it and here’s why.”
“Being directly involved in the tech industry for over 25 years, I know what a computer can and cannot do. I know what I want a simple computing device to do for me. But I am a techie. I tinker, I play, I tweak… 95% or more of the population doesn’t (that percentage could be higher). They don’t care,” Copeland writes. “They want something that gets the job done and done fast (gets to the point) without having to learn for weeks or months before using the device.”
“We wouldn’t tolerate having to put the spark plugs in or tuning the car every time we go to the store to get eggs or milk. So why would we, on a computer, to just check our email? Think about what you had to learn to do that. (If you are a tech reading that last sentence, chances are you can’t think back that far (even if it was last year); you have forgotten. You are a nerd, like me. It’s in your DNA to forget back that far,” Copeland writes. “The rest of the population do remember the hassle of learning and being frustrated because they are still there.”
Copeland writes, “So, 95% of the population are not nerds or techs. They are everyday people like your brother, sister, mom or neighbour. They see the computer as one thing: an appliance to get a task done and most of their tasks consist of doing the following six things:”
1) Browsing
2) Searching
3) Email
4) Facebook / Twitter / Chat
5) Photos, video, music, media
6) Playing games
“They (this 95%+ of the population) really were never interested in anything more about what a computer can do. They want to do those 6 things the majority of the time,” Copeland writes. “So, imagine something that will do all those things (plus way more for the rest of us) without having to ‘learn’ how to use it. [Where] pressing a button where it turns on instantly (this is the ‘New Booting’); where the five things that are most wanted by most people can be seen on the screen; whereby touching the picture of one of those 5 things causes it to show up instantly?”
iPad “will revolutionize everyday computer use, and then some,” Copeland writes. “However, I believe there are 3 things missing, in these 3 areas: short term, 6-18 months; mid term, 3-5 years; and long term, 5-10 years. They are the following:”
• Short term: A Webcam
• Mid term: Allow the iPad to fold in half
• Long term: Voice recognition
Full article here.
@excellent
most excellent!!!
Another desirable future feature would be a hard drive option for the keyboard dock. (And maybe some “connector” options for the dock too.) That way there’d be no dependence on an external PC or Mac.
@ MacnScott
“The author left one item off that people want to do with a computer…word processing – typing out a note, a letter or a paper for work or school.”
Uh… he left it off the list because the iPad can do word processing. It’s called Pages, you buy if for iPad through the iTunes music store for $9.99.
You can also load your word docs by emailing them to yourself, or through syncing your iPad with your computer.
To all that say it’s a first gen product. It isn’t. I own one and like it. However, you have to admit it… It is basically an iPod touch with a big screen. There is nothing functionally revolutionary or magical about the device. It is just bigger.
I feel like the author of this read my latest blog post and ripped me off….. sort of.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Sounds like a more detailed version of mine: http://mattjacoby.com Oh well, the more people reiterate this basic idea the better!
I’ve read all the the posts here and there seems to be an overwhelming sense that the author has regurgitated info from others’ blogs. Not exactly critical thinking . . .