I've seen a lot of articles about iPad lately, especially from "list pundits". Everybody and their brother has an opinion about the iPad and generally the consensus has been that either you will love it or hate it.
The people who love it think the iPad will change the world. The people who hate it will continue to bemoan its shortcomings, stuff that it can't do.
I will admit I'm not firmly in the former camp, but I'm likely to think that it will change how we interact with websites and how we interact with computing devices.
The iPad is not a replacement for netbook or smartphone...I'm not sure why people keep harping on that. Does it need to replace either of them? Didn't Steve Jobs indicate that it's intended to replace neither? Did the iPod replace anything, other than really crappy MP3 players? It would seem that these people are firmly entrenched in how they pigeonhole devices.
Remember the 3Com Audrey, the hyped Internet appliance? This is how I think about the iPad. Granted that the Internet has grown beyond e-mail and web browsing, but have our most common Internet habits grown beyond that?
The iPad is all new. What's different between the iPad and the iPod and the iPhone, was that when the iPod came out, there was no good distribution model for music that everyone was happy with. With the iPhone, the music and video distribution model was already established, but a lot of web content was not formatted for mobile consumption. The proliferation of smartphones has changed that, especially in the clean UI department.
With both those devices, they had broken the ground for this device. Apple is attempting to implement a distribution and consumption of printed books (which is already established so there's an established, large user base), and streaming video content (check out ABC's app and Netflix's app)...all wrapped up in a desirable user interface experience. The iPad is evolutionary in that it builds upon the content distribution and application distribution model established in previous devices. It is revolutionary in that it successfully combines many technologies that have failed individually to break through into widespread use.
Ultimately it's not about the technology, it's how it's applied. That will always be the difference between Apple and everyone else. When you think about all the consumer devices that have been home runs, the technology has pre-existed Apple -- MP3 players, touch screens, smartphones, video players...and they all more or less failed to proliferate as consumer electronic appliances until Apple stepped into each marketplace.
The iPad is different in the industry in that there is no other device that does what it does. There are devices like netbooks that can do more, but it can't match the web browsing experience of the iPad. There are devices like smartphones that are phones but do less in terms of web browsing and e-mail functionality. This device fits squarely between the two and yet exceeds the imagination and excitement that no smartphone nor netbook can generate.
Is it over-hyped? Surely it is. But I believe the power of the iPad interface is what is drawing people to it. Again, it's not so much about the technology, but how it's applied. The browsing experience using the touchscreen makes web browsing more natural and intuitive, completely unlike directing a cursor with a disconnected mouse -- a behavior that we've learned. The iPad browsing experience is more natural with taps, gestures and other simple finger movements.
Ultimately time will tell whether the success of the iPhone can be duplicated by the iPad. Many pundits have nay-sayed the iPad, many sight unseen, and will continue to do so despite the device's success. They do so with tired excuses, like the iTunes app store restricts freedom. That business model predated the iPad. Why is this now an issue? Why is it an issue at all? Obviously it's not for a lot of developers. They will continue to write with their campaign of fear of hypotheticals. Read these critiques with a grain of salt. There are as many positive opinions as there are negative, which means it's not a unanimous success or failure. Decide on your own based on opinions that can see the positives AND the negatives.
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