Knowing that there’s no where you have to be. This is the life! (Written Saturday, but just as true yesterday… it’s snowy in West Virginia!)
Last week, Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple, Inc) unveiled their newest gadget, the Apple iPad. I’m certainly not the first or last to opine on the topic, but I do want to talk about it a little bit. I should probably have a silly joke here about the terrible name they’ve given the thing, but I’ll let you come up with one instead.
So far, a lot of the opinions expressed about the iPad have been negative. It’s mostly gone like this: I already have a laptop and a smart phone, why would I need this device in the middle? I think it would be unwise to take a gadget geek’s perspective on the iPad. I don’t think gadget geeks were particularly in mind when they designed the device. It’s similar to the argument between people who like to play video games on computers (I can configure my PC however I want, use the controller I want, and change the soundtrack by modifying the MP3 directory) and people who like to play video games on dedicated video game systems (I put the disk in, I use the controller it came with, and it just works). The iPad is designed for people who want that dedicated device that is going to do just a few things easily and well.
I think the iPad fits on your coffee table, where you used to keep newspapers, magazines and nice books (or stacks of bills and receipts, or clean clothes). It makes sense as a “life accessory” like the note pad that my wife keeps around to scratch grocery lists on, combined with the books we have laying around, and the photo albums on our bookshelf. With 10 hours of active battery time (okay, make it 5-6, because of the silicon valley battery warp that nearly doubles battery endurance) and up to 30 days of standby time (15 days?), you really could pick this thing up to read blogs in the morning, set it back down, pick it up to show off pictures when your sister-in-law drops by, put it down, pick it up to update your grocery list or the family calendar, put it down, remember that there was something on TV you wanted to watch, check the listings, make a note of it, and so on… it could just make life easier.
Again, for people who have already integrated smart phones into their lives, there’s a little bit of “why would I need to duplicate functionality,” going on. But, I’d propose that the iPad wasn’t made for those people, even if they are a secondary market. The iPad is aimed at the consumers who haven’t already integrated a device into their life at this level. Oh yeah, also, I’d pretty much love to have one. So, maybe I’m a little biased (crazy?).
Have I mentioned that I love Winston Churchill?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Love that.
