The iPad is for everyone BUT us!

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

I came across this article and thought of sharing it. specially for the people who are bashing the iPad in every single way the can imagine! give it a break people! it has LOTS of potential, and just because it doesn't DO everything, it doesn't mean it doesn't deliver what it's meant to do in very good and stylish way! tell me what you all think!

The iPad Is For Everyone BUT Us

I'm a power user; a professional software designer and developer. I use computers (specifically, Macs running Mac OS X) to do my job and I'm guessing that most of you are in the same boat.

Most people are not power users, they mainly consume content using their computer rather than produce it. When they produce content it's more casual: posting to Twitter, updating Facebook, writing personal blog entries and notes, uploading photos. Their personal computer usage may include the following:

- Chatting with friends
- Sending and receiving email
- Listening to music
- Watching videos
- Playing games
- Browsing the web

The iPad excels at almost all of those things. Some of those tasks can be done at the same time on the iPad (or using the same application) but some cannot, so building multitasking into the iPad seems like the logical way to fully duplicate how most people use their personal computers at the moment.

Most people who attended the iPad unveiling and are now writing about the iPad are misunderstanding its intended audience because they're not in it. Some smart folks — who happen to also be power users — see the iPad's potential and are trying to convince everyone else. This will certainly take some time, just like there are still iPhone doubters even after Apple sold 40 million of them.

The market for potential iPad users is tremendous, possibly larger than the iPhone's market. There are millions of PC users who are dissatisfied with their virus-ridden, clunky computers who just want it to work better for the simple things they do every day. They might want a MacBook knowing that it's easier to use, but the thousand-dollar price point scares them off. But wait! For $500 less they can own a piece of Apple technology that lets them do almost everything they currently do in a form-factor that's more convenient, mobile and beautiful. This is the iPad's intended audience.

People who have a PC and use 10% of its features and software 90% of the time. People like my Mom & Dad who browse the web, read news, send email and watch videos. People like my cousin Jenny who chats with friends, uses Facebook and uploads photos. Regular folks. Consumers. People who use computers to stay informed, connected and entertained.

There are also many people not in the iPad's intended audience who want one, myself included. We'd use it as a secondary computing device; a casual, home-browsing entertainment piece. The iPad is perfect for this.

The iPad is not made for you, it's made for everyone else.

here's the original page containing the article:
The iPad is for everyone BUT us!


[EDIT]: personally, I know I'll be getting one of these babies as soon as they get out. which one? I still don't know yet; depending on my budget in 2 months

 

[bossxii]

Nice post

In before the flaming starts!

This can be posted on any of the 100's of threads posted here to answer all the "why would anyone buy this" and every other person that feels the need to create a thread to act like a moron and bashing anyone that thinks different.

Oh hell... think different? Someone help me out... I know some company uses that as a slogan.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

This can be posted on any of the 100's of threads posted here to answer all the "why would anyone buy this" and every other person that feels the need to create a thread to act like a moron and bashing anyone that thinks different.

ya think!? I'm really getting sick of all those threads about how the iPad is an 'epic-fail' or how it is just an XL iphone/ipod touch... give this thing a couple months (which is the time when apple expects to launch it) and all of those thread starters will be well hidden under some rocks next to their houses...

Oh hell... think different? Someone help me out... I know some company uses that as a slogan.

hmmmmmmm, i dont know let me think.... well, nothing's coming to my mind right now

 

[mackmgg]

As a student, pages on something like this would be very helpful in class. I currently take my $2000 macbook to school when I need it, but would much rather take this

 

[dlemmon]

I could see it being a family device

I hope it will someday be integrated with the library, so my wife can check out her 3 books a week on it.
I think it would be cool to read comic books... sorry, graphic novels on it. It would be nice to wifi access your home movie collection if you don't like what the kids are watching.

who wants to sit at the computer desk, in another room while everyone else is relaxing at night on the couch?

I could see a use for it, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy one right off the bat. I don't want to pay 14$ for a book that will be read once by one person.

It would also do a great job keeping the everyone entertained on a long drive or flight.

 

[mackmgg]

I hope it will someday be integrated with the library, so my wife can check out her 3 books a week on it.
I think it would be cool to read comic books... sorry, graphic novels on it. It would be nice to wifi access your home movie collection if you don't like what the kids are watching.

who wants to sit at the computer desk, in another room while everyone else is relaxing at night on the couch?

I could see a use for it, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy one right off the bat. I don't want to pay 14$ for a book that will be read once by one person.

It would also do a great job keeping the everyone entertained on a long drive or flight.

If it supports PDFs too, there are plenty of free PDF and ePubs online

 

[Aegelward]

I guess what really irks me about the iPad is the lack of multi-tasking, i like flicking between apps, chatting and browsing, flicking to youtube (it would be nice if there was a way for any chat clients to intelligently link to the youtube app rather than the browser).

Oh, that and a built in SD card reader would be nice.

I'm cool with it using iPhone apps, but personally i think they should be like applets on the home screen- or dashboard if you will, not fullscreen, single use apps.

While, native iPad apps could be designed as fullscreen or applets.

Well, maybe certain software like games can retain the option to go fullscreen.

... But what do i know, i'm not a genius at UI design like steve is, right?

P.S. i'm willing to bet one of the first third party accessories will be a case with an integrated keyboard.

 

[bossxii]

ya think!? I'm really getting sick of all those threads about how the iPad is an 'epic-fail' or how it is just an XL iphone/ipod touch... give this thing a couple months (which is the time when apple expects to launch it) and all of those thread starters will be well hidden under some rocks next to their houses...



hmmmmmmm, i dont know let me think.... well, nothing's coming to my mind right now

...using their iPads lol

 

[bossxii]

I guess what really irks me about the iPad is the lack of multi-tasking, i like flicking between apps, chatting and browsing, flicking to youtube (it would be nice if there was a way for any chat clients to intelligently link to the youtube app rather than the browser).

Oh, that and a built in SD card reader would be nice.

I'm cool with it using iPhone apps, but personally i think they should be like applets on the home screen- or dashboard if you will, not fullscreen, single use apps.

While, native iPad apps could be designed as fullscreen or applets.

Well, maybe certain software like games can retain the option to go fullscreen.

... But what do i know, i'm not a genius at UI design like steve is, right?

P.S. i'm willing to bet one of the first third party accessories will be a case with an integrated keyboard.

I think we all would love multitasking, and correct me if I'm wrong?, this can be a software/SDK type of fix? Who knows what Rev B, C or whatever will hold.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

...using their iPads lol

I just literary laughed out loud on this one!!

 

[Hankster]

No Flash = Poor Web Browsing.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

No Flash = Poor Web Browsing.

here we go again... urgh...

 

[boxstboy]

Quote:
The iPad Is For Everyone BUT Us

I'm a power user; a professional software designer and developer. I use computers (specifically, Macs running Mac OS X) to do my job and I'm guessing that most of you are in the same boat.

Most people are not power users, they mainly consume content using their computer rather than produce it. When they produce content it's more casual: posting to Twitter, updating Facebook, writing personal blog entries and notes, uploading photos. Their personal computer usage may include the following:

- Chatting with friends
- Sending and receiving email
- Listening to music
- Watching videos
- Playing games
- Browsing the web

The iPad excels at almost all of those things. Some of those tasks can be done at the same time on the iPad (or using the same application) but some cannot, so building multitasking into the iPad seems like the logical way to fully duplicate how most people use their personal computers at the moment.

Most people who attended the iPad unveiling and are now writing about the iPad are misunderstanding its intended audience because they're not in it. Some smart folks — who happen to also be power users — see the iPad's potential and are trying to convince everyone else. This will certainly take some time, just like there are still iPhone doubters even after Apple sold 40 million of them.

The market for potential iPad users is tremendous, possibly larger than the iPhone's market. There are millions of PC users who are dissatisfied with their virus-ridden, clunky computers who just want it to work better for the simple things they do every day. They might want a MacBook knowing that it's easier to use, but the thousand-dollar price point scares them off. But wait! For $500 less they can own a piece of Apple technology that lets them do almost everything they currently do in a form-factor that's more convenient, mobile and beautiful. This is the iPad's intended audience.

People who have a PC and use 10% of its features and software 90% of the time. People like my Mom & Dad who browse the web, read news, send email and watch videos. People like my cousin Jenny who chats with friends, uses Facebook and uploads photos. Regular folks. Consumers. People who use computers to stay informed, connected and entertained.

There are also many people not in the iPad's intended audience who want one, myself included. We'd use it as a secondary computing device; a casual, home-browsing entertainment piece. The iPad is perfect for this.

The iPad is not made for you, it's made for everyone else.

Can't the iphone do all this and in a much more efficient, smaller package? Plus talk on the phone to someone.

 

[bossxii]

No Flash = Poor Web Browsing.

While I do miss Hulu, and hope they change to HTML 5. I'm curious why Firefox mobile has now "removed" flash support? Great for full desktop systems with the power to deal with it, kills mobile browsers performance. It's a love/hate relationship for me. I want to view some of the sites that have flash, but I don't want to have it kill the performance and smooth operation of the browser to do so.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

Can't the iphone do all this and in a much more efficient, smaller package? Plus talk on the phone to someone.

you people are just not getting it... the iPad is a hybrid between the iphone/ipod touch and the macbook... it is a touchscreen wireless device enhanced for gaming, browsing, reading, watching movies... and now they made it with a larger display than the iphone (and with that comes a WHOLE LOT of new potentials) for the consumers that have used an iphone/ipod touch and said, "man i love this! but i wish it had a bigger screen"
want examples? a Piano app... i have one, it is just so hard to play decent tunes with just one octave on-screen... imagine now, i can easily play piano! what about DJ's this could be their next turn tables! etc.. etc... get the picture?

 

[surferfromuk]

Once people actually understand what it actually is and stop confusing it with what it isn't (and demanding it to live up to that) then potentially it's got some great fun and practical value for everyone

..but I agree power-users will, for the next five years at least, always need a good powerful OSX based machine first and foremost.

 

[puffnstuff]

*applauds*

 

[budselectjr]

Us= Small market
Everybody else= Huge market

Pretty smart choice for apple.

 

[dpaanlka]

Then buy something else. That simple.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

Then buy something else. That simple.

Thank you

 

[surferfromuk]

No Flash = Poor Web Browsing.

I've been running click-to-flash on my mac for sometime - my browsing and my mac have never been smoother - your talking crazy.

 

[deckwalker]

Can't the iphone do all this and in a much more efficient, smaller package? Plus talk on the phone to someone.

Yes, the iPhone can do all of this, but that doesn't mean much. I don't like watching videos or surfing the web on the iPhone for more than a few minutes. It's simply too small to spend an hour or so. I have the kindle app on my iPhone and I personally won't read on it - it's just too dang small.

I'm delighted with a "Large iPod Touch" - it's exactly what I wanted. No I'm not a power user in the sense of using my Macs for my living, but I do use my iMac for my hobby - photography, and the iPad still makes sense to me.

 

[batchtaster]

The iPad is for everyone BUT us!

Well, duh. The uber-geek are the hardest to satisfy. Why wouldn't they tackle 90% of the needs of 90% of the regular humans first, then work out the rest later? People on sites like this get so hot and bothered, not to mention surprised, when companies make products for civilians instead of the ultra-specific (and often conflicting) demands of a small militia. Since you're probably going to be angry anyway, better to try and satisfy the people who they actually have a shot with.

 

[Nebrie]

I remember encountering this in the days of Windows CE - the OS that did a LOT of things, and every single one of them pretty horrifically. It didn't matter that the interface made no sense, that processes had to be constantly killed, that everything was butt-ugly, or that you were lucky if it only had to be hard reset 5x a day - as long as it had more feature bulletpoints than any other product, you had to be a mentally retarded kool-aid drinking sheep to use anything else. They couldn't grasp the concept that I wanted to be able to create a calendar entry within 10 seconds, or start a new note in under 3 clicks... "but that crappy thing can't even run a webserver....."

I just looked at the Courier video again, and I realized all it was is a digital scrapbook. There's nothing else shown and nothing the iPad couldn't do (nevermind that it can't be held in one hand or be a decent movie player) and yet everyone who hates the iPad is determined that this is a thousand times superior.

I've read thousands of negative iPad comments and 99% of them deal with feature bulletpoints and shiny baubles. Not a single one about the thousands of hours spent figuring out how people would actually use this in real life.

 

[Palm Pimp]

Pure fallacy.

Casuals won't use it once they realise they can't copy youtube links to send to their friends, or have to close Myspace just to open Notes, or doyble take when ESPN, Disney, CNN, and other popular websites are missing info and look like crap.

Business professionals, doctors etc can't use a device that can't multitask, or transfer files on its own without having to be hooked up to a real computer, like say a laptop or notebook.

Who exactly is spending $500- $800 for such a gimped product? A lot of you like to think of casuals as blind retards. Well, they aren't buying this, only the fanboys are.