iPad, what people are missing.

Why is everyone so negative on the iPad? What am I missing?

I have looked at the specs of the device, and I actually think it is a wonderful device. Why do I think that? Because the interface with this device does not match any other device available. People either try to compare it with a laptop or call it a giant iPod touch. That’s like comparing a midsize SUV to a compact car and a full sized truck. Actually, I will run with that analogy.

The compact car is inexpensive and can easily get people around, but maybe not in the most comfortable way. The full size truck can haul large loads, potentially carry several people comfortably, and do most things that would ever be needed. The problem with the truck comes with the expense of operating it, and the hassle of maneuvering a larger vehicle. Enter the SUV. For the most part, it is not as expensive as the truck, can haul people comfortably, and has additional room for hauling other items. It’s more than the compact car and less that the truck. Trying to push a feature of one onto the other will then also push those issues. Making it smaller makes it less comfortable, making it bigger makes it more costly. You can see that each one has it’s market. (In case you missed it: car = smartphone, SUV = iPad, truck = laptop)

I think this analogy translates perfectly to the current situation. You have to realize that this device is not meant to have all the features of a laptop, we have laptops for that. It is also not meant to have the portability of an iPod. It wants to take that portable experience and the do everything laptop experience, and intuitively have the features meet in the middle.

A couple of the most common complaints:

No Camera

Have you actually thought about trying to use a camera on a device like this? How would you hold it? Would you have to set it on a docking station, or are you going to hold in with your hands and give the person you are talking to the Blaire Witch Project I need to puke feeling? I am sure this will eventually be a feature of the device, but I don’t see how the experience could be good unless it is on a stationary dock. At this point, it is trying to be a laptop.

No Multitasking

I would love to hear you thoughts on your solution for this? It must intuitively manage the applications without letting all of them continue to run and kill the battery. It has to be simple enough that you don’t even feel like you have to worry about it. That is the experience that Apple is trying to create.

I would love to have the ability to listen to my Pandora radio while I am reading or working on a document. The issue I have with this is I don’t really know how this could be done without creating the management nightmare they were trying to avoid on the iPhone. I understand it is a limitation, but it is also nice to not to have to worry about:

• Do I need to quite this application, or close it? Because I don’t think I will need it for a while?
• I will just leave all my apps open, so they will load faster. What happened to my battery life, this device sucks.

Yes, these are very simple things, but they are things I honestly would like to not have to worry about.

I don’t want to make this post extremely long and cover every point because you probably get my drift. But my main point is this: many people are quick to complain that it does not have a specific feature. Before you do that, realize that this is a new device for a new market. It is not being made to give you everything that you need, because it then would lose everything that it is trying to be.

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