Apple iPad cannot compete against this if they are priced the same....
The Adam:
Adam Tablet will be one of the first devices due out with a Pixel Qi display and NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipset. The specs, which were posted on the outfit's website show it has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel matte (non-glossy) touchscreen which can function as a full color display or as a high contrast (almost black and white), low power display that’s easily readable in direct sunlight.
It is based around a Tegra 2 chipset which combines a low power dual-core ARM A9 CPU with enough graphics power to play 1080p HD video. The tablet has a 3 cell battery, which should run for up to 16 hours in full color mode. Technoholik claims you’ll get up to 160 hours with the backlight off.
The Adam tablet supports 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, 2.1 and 3G wireless. And it has a 3.2MP camera that you can rotate so it faces the front or back of the tablet, allowing you to snap pictures or use the tablet as a webcam. There are 3 USB ports, an HDMI output, A-GPS, and an accelerometer. It will weigh about 1.4 pounds and measure just about half an inch thick.
The problem Apple will have with the iPad is when a competitor comes out with a very similar product that will do all the things the iPad can't. The iPad itself isn't a marvel of development. Apple created the iPad to be controlled by Apple, you can't put or do anything on the iPad that Apple doesn't want you to.
Any company (HP, Sony, Dell, Google, HTC, etc) can design and develop a similar size/shape device and install a full OS with full featured software. This would draw more attention.
Since you guys both said essentially the same thing, one in a specific way (citing the Adam), and one in a general way, I thought it'd be useful to respond to both together.
Quick aside: as to drawing attention, I think it's been proven quite clearly that Apple is the master of that game, and no amount of specs one-upmanship is going to change that. Even the Windows event today isn't getting the coverage that the iPad got.
To the point: the market is littered (and I mean
littered) with devices which, when taken from a spec-sheet comparison POV alone, would seem to imply that the iPhone should be a failure in the market place. Even the 3GS 32GB model is an also-ran when looking at just about any single spec.
To wit - phones with higher res/larger screens, more RAM, faster CPUs, zomg FLASH!, tethering, multi-tasking (talking to you Pre!), 8MP cameras with LED flash, and on and on.
Yet experience has shown us that even when taken together as a group these phones have done extremely little to dislodge the iPhone in the marketplace.
Why?
The iPhone provides a
consistently superior and polished user experience for the average user. Not sure why we'd expect anything else from the iPad as it relates to 'competing' products in the marketplace, including the Adam.
Further, though the iPhone had the benefit of a long head start compared to Android, Pre, etc. don't forget that the iPad
directly benefits from this head start, even if the Adam and others hit the market at the same time and at similar price points as the iPad.
Why?
-140,000 apps
-an ecosystem devs are familiar with
-tens of millions of customers who already know how to use the iPad
The technoluster in me sees neat things in the Adam, and will no doubt see neat things in other products. But the
everyday user in me - the user with direct long term experience with the iPhone, and passing experience with the Droid, Nexus One, and Pre, knows that iPad is where I'll be spending my time and money.
