Apple's Chance to Win Me Over

I know, I know. This blog is long since due. I know what you're thinking. If I was going to post a blog about this particular subject it should have been done several weeks ago, in the few days following it's release. Oh well. You'll get over it. So what if I'm posting my opinions two weeks after the initial hype is over? Sue me.

The subject I want to discuss is Apple's new iPad. I have several things to say about it, but I started this post almost three weeks ago, and as such they aren't as fresh in my memory as they once were. Bear with me.

You've no doubt heard about the iPad already. If you haven't, you most likely either live in a hole, are completely out of the loop or just do not care about technology in any way, shape or form. Or maybe you've heard of it but still don't really know what it is, exactly, or don't know how it differs from the iPod. If you're in any of these categories, here's a good video clip with the answer to all the questions of life. (Well, not quite. But it explains the iPad.)

Hmm... Let's rephrase that. I had a video clip to show you, but it has disappeared from YouTube due to copyright claims from Apple Inc, or something along those lines. However, do not fear, for I have found it on Apple's website. Head over to the following link to watch it, then be sure to come back here!

http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video (note that you will need Quick Time to watch it)

Anyway, onwards this blog must go! To be different, I'll start with my conclusion.

The Apple iPad failed to live up to it's claims, particularly the much repeated claim of being "the best way to browse the web". I agree that it could potentially be the best way, but as of yet it's not. No way.

Why? You may ask. What did they do wrong?

It's not so much what they did. It's more what they didn't do.

Problem #1: No flash support. How the heck can you not have support for flash? A large portion of websites today use flash of some sort, either just for navigation, or for the entire site. Games, too. Many, many, games are designed using flash. Yet there is no support for this in the iPad? That make no sense whatsoever. How can it be "the best way to browse the web" if it cannot browse a huge selection of websites?

Problem #2: No camera. Say what? No webcam in the iPad? No video chat, obviously. Already you need your PC to use Skype or Mac to use iChat. That's another reason you'll still need to keep your laptop nearby so that you can use the web to it's full potential. Need I again question the claim of "the best way to browse the web"?

Problem #3: No multi-tasking. HUH? Come again? If you're replying to an email and need to check something on a webpage, you'll need to first save that email, close out of the email application, open up the browser, look up what you needed. Then close the browser, open email, retrieve the email you were writing from the drafts and continue writing. What an effort! If you're one of those people who do a lot of things at once, such as emailing and browsing and sorting photos all at the same time... the iPad will drive you insane. Because you can't. One at a time, sorry. You've got all the time in the world to dispose of by doing things one. at. a. time. on the iPad. Slowly does it! I mean, seriously?! What's with that?

Those are the main issues I have with the iPad so far. And I haven't even seen or touched one. If there are such big issues as these without actually using an iPad, what unseen problems are there?

Of course, there are a lot of really cool features on there that I would love to try out. Such as the eBook software and shop. The photo albums. The tablet functions in general. I have to admit, it looks good. But they failed in my eyes. Once again, Apple just doesn't live up to expectations. Some are saying they left out these features on purpose.

Why would they do that?

It's simple. Money. Release the iPad, everyone buys it. Add in the features purposefully left out in the first version, release the iPad 2.0, everyone buys that one, too, to replace the first one (as it has better features). Apple make double the money. They're certainly not stupid, I have to admit.

Though that is the one thing that I like very much about this brand new release. For once, Apple aren't outrageously overpricing this state-of-the-art technology like they usually do. An iPad can be initially bought off-the-shelf at just US$499 (approx. NZ$716), which sounds expensive, but for brand new Apple technology that does all that and more, it's cheap. Trust me.

But they aren't getting double the money out of me. There's no way I'm spending any money on the first version of the iPad when it falls far short. If version 2.0 incorporates all the above -mentioned features and more, then maybe, just maybe, Apple might have a decent shot at winning me over. And that's no small feat, for those who know me. (I'm a hard-out anti-Apple fanatic.)

Of course, I've also caught wind of rumours about Google's project in-the-making. The Chrome OS tablet...