I’ve given up even trying to read the pro and anti iPad hype or even the iTampon jokes (yes I may have made one or two on twitter myself). I’ve given up trying to argue with zealot fans on both sides of the argument (*). I’ve even given up reading the tech specs of the competing devices or which price point each device fits into.
I thought about doing a blog post pointing out how my 3 year old Asus R2H is still more powerful. How flexible and user friendly it is in the full knowledge that I could do a nice little graph showing all the features and benefits of the device. Here in lies the issue, the R2H is a great device which I use all the time. Sadly though as one of the first Origami devices from Asus and Microsoft most of you have never heard of it.
This is a device like so many was built for those like me. Not built for an audience that was going to buy it.
This is where people are failing in their criticism of the iPad. Of course the Kindle is cheaper; of course a Win7 based netbook has more functionality for half the price; of course the Nexus One has a processor just as if not faster.
Why would anyone buy an iPod when the Zen drives have more storage and are cheaper.
Yes if you are reading this and even know what a Zen drive is you are already showing yourself not to be the target audience. In a world where people Google for something, Photoshop an image and listen to their music on an iPod you see what has become genericized in the tech industry. People may not even use Google, Photoshop or an iPod, but these are the terms we use when using similar tools. Not because these companies were the first (or even best) but they were the ones that created the tools and the framework to establish themselves as the dominate paradigm and a verb.
Sure the iPad doesn’t have a changeable battery, can’t multitask, is a closed OS environment, doesn’t have Flash, and so forth.  There is also the very long list of acronyms that the public never understand, that is does and does not have. Even with all of these points there is the fact that it costs more than devices that can do all of the above.
The feature list on my 2 year old Nokia N95-8GB in some aspects still outstrips the iPhone 3GS, such as the camera, flash, Real (for streaming audio), multitasking. Which phone do people now own and which phone do people even remember.
People are buying iPhones and iPods despite the reasons the tech commentators complained about in the first place. Why because Apple marketed the devices to the people that wanted them, not people like you and I.
When I built my new computer for home last year it would have cost me twice as much to build even close to the same specs in the Apple environment, but then I am not the audience. If you are dual booting your Mac laptop into Linux distro’s and have jail -broken your iPhone you also are not the audience.
The iPad will make a lot of money for Apple, you developers are going to need them.  I guarantee before year’s end you will see people sitting on the train reading books and watching video on the commute to and from work. Parents will buy them for themselves and quickly work out that the iPad is the perfect way to quiet children in waiting room or the back of the car. Before very long they will be buying a second device just for the kids.
We can at least for today all pat ourselves on the back as we all know why we won’t buy the iPad.
The arguments that we all used when the iPod and the iPhone were released are still the same today with this new device. Yet the cult of Mac has grown, grown to the point that now a large number of very technical people use nothing but Mac. Sure it is not Mac as the public knows it but seeing the Apple logo on the back on a laptop all they see is that it’s a Mac.
Yes we are not the audience… but a large number of you even reading this blog will go out and buy one. You’ll wait for the jail-break and side load all that useful software. Some of you will even work out how to put Linux or even Android on the device and Apple will be grateful for the sale.
But you are not the audience, try and remember that.
*ok this part is not true 🙂
Tags: apple, General, n95 by Me
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