Everyone is right about their views on iPad.
"I would not touch it with a barge pole" said one
" Who would want to lug this thing around?" asked the other
"It will redefine computing devices even it flops" quipped an analyst.
I believe all of them are right. I believe iPad kind of devices will eventually catch the fancy of those who use netbooks. Time and again we have maintained that netbooks are suitable only for those who wish to use a device for just browsing and light tasks. Its intended target market are those people who do not require a heavy duty processing device just to organize their photographs, movies and a whole bunch of emails which mostly reside on a server these days.
I use a laptop at home and what do I do with it?
i. Browse the web
ii. Store my Photographs
iii. Download music
iv. store my personal documents (bank statements yadda yadda..)
v. work on my personal financing software
vi. photoshop my snaps
vii. Occasionally type letters and print them
viii. Watch movies again ocassionally
ix. Games, online mostly
for a majority of home users who are not "tech savvy", points v,vi may not be applicable and this may be a sizable number of them.
If one were to consider iPad(or a similar) with the above requirements, its hard to dispute that this device actually can do most of the above activities with elan!
Netbooks with their wheezy processors do not fare much better except for the freedom of installing one's choice of browser and media player and perhaps a choice of connector ports it has on offer, netbooks hardly fare better spec wise.
Of course, iPad cannot multi-task and I figure it has to do with 'battery' issues more than anything else. A little compromise on the form factor, enough juice can be had to make this gizmo multitask! But that is for another discussion.
So, it is very likely that a home user will go in for an iPad style of device that they can simply place in a leather bound folder along with a scribbling pad and just insert it in a bookshelf!
Look at the plus points,
i. No Squinting the eye
ii. No booting time
iii. No space requirements
iv. light!
v. No learning curve
vi. Can download /write emails
vii. Can connect over the network using wi-fi (I Hope?????. Not sure if iPhone os will support this., but a ChromeOS could!). A lot rides on this flexibility and could be a deal breaker too!
viii. Can use card slots to copy photos and organize them! (Dont know if iPad has one, but the others that will eventually follow iPad will have these :) )
ix. No Installs and no virus!
Overall, a home user who will otherwise go for a netbook looks like a might good candidate customer for iPad like devices. A few additions and firmwareOS based devices would soon send netbooks to the nearest blackhole!
Coming to eReaders, single function devices have their days numbered unless they innovate on their USP failing which, we have another candidate for the black hole ride!
It would be interesting to watch how Moblin, ChromeOS work with other hardware manufacturers to improve on the bar set by Apple and throw a credible challenger into the market!
We live in good times don't we :)
"I would not touch it with a barge pole" said one
" Who would want to lug this thing around?" asked the other
"It will redefine computing devices even it flops" quipped an analyst.
I believe all of them are right. I believe iPad kind of devices will eventually catch the fancy of those who use netbooks. Time and again we have maintained that netbooks are suitable only for those who wish to use a device for just browsing and light tasks. Its intended target market are those people who do not require a heavy duty processing device just to organize their photographs, movies and a whole bunch of emails which mostly reside on a server these days.
I use a laptop at home and what do I do with it?
i. Browse the web
ii. Store my Photographs
iii. Download music
iv. store my personal documents (bank statements yadda yadda..)
v. work on my personal financing software
vi. photoshop my snaps
vii. Occasionally type letters and print them
viii. Watch movies again ocassionally
ix. Games, online mostly
for a majority of home users who are not "tech savvy", points v,vi may not be applicable and this may be a sizable number of them.
If one were to consider iPad(or a similar) with the above requirements, its hard to dispute that this device actually can do most of the above activities with elan!
Netbooks with their wheezy processors do not fare much better except for the freedom of installing one's choice of browser and media player and perhaps a choice of connector ports it has on offer, netbooks hardly fare better spec wise.
Of course, iPad cannot multi-task and I figure it has to do with 'battery' issues more than anything else. A little compromise on the form factor, enough juice can be had to make this gizmo multitask! But that is for another discussion.
So, it is very likely that a home user will go in for an iPad style of device that they can simply place in a leather bound folder along with a scribbling pad and just insert it in a bookshelf!
Look at the plus points,
i. No Squinting the eye
ii. No booting time
iii. No space requirements
iv. light!
v. No learning curve
vi. Can download /write emails
vii. Can connect over the network using wi-fi (I Hope?????. Not sure if iPhone os will support this., but a ChromeOS could!). A lot rides on this flexibility and could be a deal breaker too!
viii. Can use card slots to copy photos and organize them! (Dont know if iPad has one, but the others that will eventually follow iPad will have these :) )
ix. No Installs and no virus!
Overall, a home user who will otherwise go for a netbook looks like a might good candidate customer for iPad like devices. A few additions and firmwareOS based devices would soon send netbooks to the nearest blackhole!
Coming to eReaders, single function devices have their days numbered unless they innovate on their USP failing which, we have another candidate for the black hole ride!
It would be interesting to watch how Moblin, ChromeOS work with other hardware manufacturers to improve on the bar set by Apple and throw a credible challenger into the market!
We live in good times don't we :)
