A long time ago, in a land far away, I had a Creative Jukebox MP3 player. It was bulky, heavy, difficult to operate and had limited storage. I thought it was the coolest thing ever but obviously it was a device of limited interest. After all, not many people were interested in carrying around some of their music in a substantial box. It was a niche product for music-loving geeks like me.
Then, in 2001, Steve Jobs stood up and introduced the first iPod. Two hundred and twenty million iPods later, clearly there was a latent market for a small, high capacity, personal music player; it just needed a company to supply a well-designed product. Once I had an iPod, I didn’t know how I had lived without it.
And so we carried around our mobile phones and our iPod players, and accepted that personal computing came in no smaller form than a laptop. There was no obvious gap in the market for something different.
Then, in 2007, Steve Jobs stood up and introduced the first iPhone. Thirty five million iPhones and more than one billion application downloads later, clearly there was a latent market for a small personal computing device which would allow you to access the web from almost anywhere, play games, watch movies and, almost as an aside, make phone calls. While waiting for my lunch today I checked my mail, read the news and played a bit of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. On the way home I plugged the iPhone into my car and listened to music. Now I have an iPhone, I don’t know how I lived without it.
Today (early tomorrow in Thailand), Steve jobs will stand up and introduce the Apple tablet computer. Tech media sources have been speculating madly about this for months. Not only does nobody know exactly what form the device will take; more importantly, nobody really knows why it needs to exist. As with the iPod and the iPhone (and to an extent with the original Apple computer), Mr. Jobs and his gang think there is a gap in the market that needs filling (or rather, creating), and the tablet is going to do it.
With an anticipated ten inch screen, this will not be something you can fit in your pocket. Almost certainly the operating system will look more like an iPhone than a laptop; providing a restricted but hassle-free computing environment. A better gaming experience, more impressive movies, and no doubt it will play your music. You will be able to read e-books on it too, if such a thing appeals. So far, not much of a product.
How about other media? When is the last time you bought a newspaper? The print media world is hurting; why buy paper when you can get it for free on the internet? But what if my favourite photography magazine, for example, was available to download in full colour and included videos of photo processing techniques and camera reviews? I would pay something for that. A car magazine with videos of car tests, sports magazine with video coverage of events. This is increasingly how web information is presented, why not magazines?
Assuming they have cracked the problems associated with providing a usable keyboard on a flat screen, then there may also be input intensive applications such as a word processor available. Perhaps photo processing software in a slimmed down version of iPhoto.
Then it all starts to make sense. A small, light, portable computer with a gorgeous screen (this is a given). Content downloadable from iTunes, including movies, games, music, books and magazines. An operating system which, like the iPhone, is kept robust by being limited to updates and applications from a central provider. Keep the price point around $500 and you maybe have something which will redefine what a personal computer in the home should be for a substantial proportion of the population (that have $500 to spend on a computer). Maybe, finally “a computer for the rest of us” as the original Macintsosh 1984 advert rather optimistically declared.
Of course, all these predictions are probably total bollocks and we will just have to see what they have come up with. Of course only a fool would stay up till the early hours of tomorrow morning to watch the launch….
Comments 🔗
2010-01-26| Jock saysLook forward to tommorrow’s ‘breaking news’ on Pattaya Days … anytime soon there will be an ‘app’ for that …
… just imagine being amongst the first in the world to know that Pattaya Days has just been updated … coming to a tablet near you real soon …
… would probably need a good looking Thai biker chic and a semi decent photographer to pull the marketing off though ….
2010-01-26| Pete saysIf you are staying up waiting, perhaps you could use the time to tell us what a “Macinstosh” is? Let’s have none of that retro-editing either, we’ve all seen that before.
2010-01-27| Spike saysJock, you are so 2009. You can get notice of the latest Pattaya Days posts, and occasional extras, by following @spiketennyson on Twitter. See this: 2009_10_twittering-about-with-deepak-chopra Put Twitter on your phone to stay right up to date. If your phone does not support Twitter, change your phone.
Pete, It was either:
- A deliberately inserted mistake to give spelling Nazis something to say, in the event they had no observations to offer on what I thought was a reasonably perceptive piece on a potentially major shift in the personal computer industry. or
- A typo
P.S. I assume you mean “Macintsosh”
2010-01-27| Spike saysPredictions were pretty close. But I don’t think I want one. 0238, time for bed.
2010-01-28| Lloyd saysHaving now seen it I can only see one good purpose for it, as a device you can leave lying around the lounge room or connected to a music device like the B&W Zypher.
If it functions as good as the iPhone it wont sell very well for long.
2010-01-28| Spike saysIndeed, the iPhone is crap; what were those thirty five million people thinking. Idiots.
You could turn the iPad upside down and eat Sushi from it. That’s my plan.
I suspect that once there have been some more apps written for it and people have the chance to actually use and work with multi-touch on a big screen, and they refine the OS, it is going to sell very well. A second computer for the family, people on the road who don’t need the full facilities of a laptop, people who are scared by “real computers”, people who just think it is cool.
She who must be obeyed watched the video and said “you should get one, would be great for showing images to clients after a photo shoot”. I take that as management approval.
2010-01-28| Spike saysSteven Fry has an, admittedly biased, opinion: http://www.stephenfry.com/2010/01/28/ipad-about/
2010-01-28| Lloyd saysSales volumes alone do not qualify a device or piece of software as being any good, look at Microsoft Windows ME, or the iMac’s for instance!
So far everyone is make assumptions based on a few minutes “playing” with demonstration devices that may have little in common with the actual devices released.
What is rediculous is the available flash memory, 32Gb and 64Gb, this is simply pathetic and hardly enough to be of any use to anyone who wanted to use it for much more than what they use an iPhone for.
Personally I think it has its uses but they are very limited and the device will sell purely because its made by Apple, not because its useful.
2010-01-28| Lloyd saysAnother opinion from BBC… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8484808.stm
2010-01-28| Spike saysShhhh, not too loud! She who must be obeyed loves her 24" classic white iMac; and I loved it too before I handed it off to her. Small footprint, beautiful matte ips monitor, whisper quiet; what’s not to like? Got it cheap too, persuaded the local shop into a heavy discount when the shiny metal models superceded it.
2010-01-28| Spike saysAh yes, Click On-line, “The BBC’s flagship technology programme”, possibly the most puerile dumbed-down technology TV show I have ever witnessed (once, then never watched again).
So, according to their genius presenter, it’s all about the extra keyboard…. I’m surprised Jobs hasn’t called him up and offered him a senior position as a strategist.
You may not like them, but Apple are not dumb. They reshaped the music industry with the iPod, shook up the phone industry with the iPhone, I would not bet against them doing the same with the book/magazine and gaming industries with the iPad.
Like the first iPod and iPhone, it’s not a perfect product, but it will sell enough to make people want to create content for it. I think it will take off. Next version will have more memory, speed, features and lower price. I’ll take one of those (probably).
2010-01-29| Pancho saysOk Spike The iPad is out and so are the jokes Follow this link: http://jezebel.com/5458338/that-time-of-the-month-the-internets-best-period+related-ipad-jokes
I can’t stop laughing But I am sure it is a great device I just know I can never look at anyone who has it with a straight face
Pancho
2010-01-29| Spike saysOh I see, pad as in sanitary towel; that is so unexpected and genuinely witty (if you are 14).
How about the Xbox? Rhymes with “cocks”. Snigger.
2010-02-01| Lloyd saysFinally someone with some common sense, an Apple product that is actually useful… http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-iPad-Can-Run-Windows-7-133714.shtml
2010-02-01| Spike saysSo you believe it’s only useful if it can run Windows applications?
2010-02-02| Lloyd saysNo many improvements would make its more useful, multi tasking, decent email interface, file download support, decent memory, USB/Firewire ports, HD capable screen, no video conferencing, yada yada yada. I know there are a lot of changes coming in the iPhone OS 3.2 release but thats only part of the problem.
I will get one to “play” with and then dump it off on eBay or return it within the 2 week period allowed under UK consumer laws.
I have been trialling Windows Mobile 7 on a PDA for development testing, value for money and what can be done through the SDK and Mobile framework puts the iPhone OS to shame. Then theres the pending release of Micrsoft Courier which is certainly getting more positive hype than the iPad.
2010-02-02| Jock saysRe #3. I’ trying to avoid being known as a ‘Tweet’.
I’m still getting pyscotherapy to deal with all the ’twat’ comments.
2010-02-19| Spike saysA last, some common sense: http://mattgemmell.com/2010/02/05/how-to-compete-with-ipad
2010-04-30| Bendt says“pending release of Micrsoft Courier which is certainly getting mIore positive hype than the iPad.”
" pending" as in ““cancelled”