iPad: Game Changer or Lame Duck?

by David Finch on January 28, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - JANUARY 27: A worker holds th...

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If for some reason you’ve been asleep for the past few weeks, yesterday Apple unveiled their latest creation, the iPad. In the past 24 hours I’ve read reviews, insights and wish-lists. While it may lack features, it still doesn’t mean the product is a complete bust.

Do I really need it to be a larger version of my iPhone? Do I want to snap photos with a camera the size of a book or mid-size picture frame?

Steve Jobs positioned the iPad at yesterday’s keynote as the missing product between your iPhone and your laptop. At the end of the day it’s a lifestyle product that gives you another way of consuming content. So, instead of focusing on what it can’t do, what are the opportunities that this product offers that you can leverage for your content to be consumed?

For many, this may be the only source they consume content. Maybe the new consumer doesn’t for an iPhone. Maybe don’t see the need for a laptop, but want to have a device that is mobile that they can read the news, respond to email, bank online etc.

How can I get content into that person’s hands? Do you look at apps differently? Does mobile advertising on apps suddenly gain momentum? Will you now be able to view multiple columns from your Twitter clients? Questions, questions, questions.

If consumers will buy the iPod Touch, than they will buy the iPad.

The question is , “how can I make it work for me ”

How I intend to use it in conjunction with my iPhone:

  1. Ebook reader (will replace my Kindle)
  2. Draft and upload blog posts via the Wordpress app.
  3. Draft and review notes in Evernote
  4. Monitor my social streams
  5. Read feeds from Google Reader
  6. Use the Calendar
  7. Read my newspaper subscriptions from it.

Are you planning on purchasing the iPad? Have you thought about how you will use?

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Tagged as: Apple, iPad, iPhone

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  • I long for a lifestyle in which passive consumption occurs more often and willfully. Of the use cases you presented, I see 'read' a lot. I still need the form factor and OS (and mouse) associated with my laptop and desktop.
  • Nick, thanks for the comment. "Read" is intentional. At this point, I see it as just a device to consume. However, I think that the applications that will be developed specifically for the iPad will change how it is used.
  • I'm definitely aligned with the idea; it's just not one that fits my habits
    or behavior currently. Whenever a new OS emerges that transforms the device
    into more of a platform for creating and interacting (and mult-tasking)
    rather than the passive / light-weight ux, I'll bite the bullet!
  • No, the iPad is not a game-changer. It's just an supersized iPod touch. The HP Slate, on the other hand, is a game-changer and a product I will be watching closely. Microsoft has hit a homerun with Win7, a multi-touch OS.
  • Mike, not up to speed on the HP Slate accept a few renderings that I've seen. Let me know if you purchase one. I would love to see it.
  • kevinpalmer
    Right now I have a desktop, laptop, and a Palm Pre. My laptop is old and it is ready to be replaced, I realize that the way I use my laptop is that I consume content, write, and do some web based work. I don't need a full blown laptop again and I don't want one because I hate carrying them around. Also I would prefer to do any design work or coding on my desktop because the screen is so much larger and it is a much more pleasant experience. So I started thinking about a netbook and now the iPad.

    The problem for me with the iPad is that I can't multi-task. I can't be on a Twitter app while surfing the web, or being at a conference taking notes. That is a big deal breaker for me. It sounds like with the newer version of the OS it will be fixed but I am content until the next generation of models comes out. I want one but I am willing to wait a year to make sure it can do what I want.
  • Kevin, thanks for the comment. I wonder how many people will change their thoughts about it after the OS has been updated?
  • kevinpalmer
    I think that and if flash becomes accepted will get more people on board.

    Like I said they make that one change, which I think they will, and I am onboard.
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