Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
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Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
1–10 of 23 posts
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#2I think I'd fall into the impulsive group, have a desktop/ laptop/ netbook/ decentish phone but still could see myself buying the ipad if I had a bit more money currently.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#3> “everything it does I can do on my PC or my phone right now.”
Right. But when your PC gets a virus/hardware-failure or your phone keypad is too small to type up a paper, what would you buy? Maybe not this current version of iPad but eventually the only computer my parents will use/buy will be an iPad or a very similar device. It will be something that works like iPad Wifi (3G not required), will connect to cameras, printers, and have live video chat features.
If it runs Farmville, it addresses every single use-case for my parents. And since it will be easy enough to move around the house, they will love it. I bought them an iPad Wifi for now but hopefully will get them the iPad + USB + Camera device sometime in the near future.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#4Unfortunately, sales receipts and investment firms don't share your reticence. What is mass market anyways? is it 1 million? 100 million? 1 billion sold? If the mass market was just techbloggers you might be right, but now they are looking like the new Cmdr Taco iPod review.
The mass market are people like my family and friends who don't know what it does but know they have to have one. I don't need one and I plan on getting one. Just waiting for v2, Apple has a history of v1 bugs I'd rather avoid.
If anything, Apple has already established the long tail. They've got apps and add-ons. It's hard to find an alarm clock without an iPod dock these days. j/k
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#5> It occupies too much territory already covered by
> smartphones, PCs, laptops and traditional media.
For me, the question isn't whether it covers territory already covered by existing electronic devices like netbooks or what have you, but whether it covers a significant amount of the territory covered by _paper_. Can it substitute my A4 notebook, or my diary, that's what I want to know. It won't be the same, but will it be as good or better, all told?
As a substitute for a PC, netbook or smartphone, it's compromised in important, possibly fundamental ways. I don't know if it is similarly compromised as a paper substitute. If not, mass market acceptance awaits.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#6As an owner, I can say that it's only substantial drawback for me, is the inability to access or manipulate shares of any kind. Seeing the world through the iTunes keyhole is infuriating.
I have several hundred gb of media on AFP and cifs shares, and I hate that I have to drag out the lappy to move them around, or even view them. On the upside, lacking cell juice makes cracking the iPad much more attractive than the iPhone.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#7I wasn't going to buy an iPad either. I'm a gadget geek, so I had all the same feelings about the iPad that are outlined in the article. "It's just a big iPhone," I thought. And I already had an iPhone, so why bother? Then release date went by and I was sitting around using my tiny iPhone when I finally realized: it sure would be cool if this thing had a bigger screen.
I went out and picked up an iPad, and I'm glad I did. People are wrong when they say "it doesn't do anything my PC won't do right now." Your PC doesn't fit in your hand. I owned a netbook for a short time as well. It's light, it's small, and in a lot of ways it's similar to the iPad, but it still follows the laptop format. By consequence, it's most comfortable on your lap. When I hold my iPad I hold it at right at my sternum; just like you would a book. When I used a netbook I'd try resting in the same location, but netbooks get pretty warm, and it quickly becomes uncomfortable. The laptop form factor just isn't built for casual consumption. They're built for a desk.
I agree with the assessment that the iPad won't go "mass market" any time soon, but Apple has a long history of not caring about "mainstream". They only care about making a good margin on a reasonable number of units. Mission accomplished.
I'm hoping that more companies will roll out touch-based devices in a tablet form factor. All Apple-fanboy-ism aside, I think the form-factor is incredible exciting for personal computing. I'm finally untethered from my desk, and most importantly, REALLY comfortable when using a computer in my comfy chair. Unlike Apple, I'm not principally opposed to Flash. I'm principally opposed to sacrificing good battery life, heat, and performance to Flash, but I think the recent spat with Apple has lit a fire under Adobe. I won't hesitate to jump ship when a better touch-tablet comes along.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#8As an owner, I can say that it's only substantial drawback for me, is the inability to access or manipulate shares of any kind. Seeing the world through the iTunes keyhole is infuriating. I have several hundred gb of media on AFP and cifs shares, and I hate that I have to drag out the lappy to move them around, or even view them. On the upside, lacking cell juice makes cracking the iPad much more attractive than the…
I know how you feel, and you should still be backing this horse. The better the iPad does, the more likely it is that other manufacturers will create a touch-based tablet. Android is probably the best hope for a geek-friendly touch-tablet in the near future. We just need a manufacturer with a commitment to quality to produce one. Most of what we've seen so far has been junk.
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#9> “everything it does I can do on my PC or my phone right now.” Right. But when your PC gets a virus/hardware-failure or your phone keypad is too small to type up a paper, what would you buy? Maybe not this current version of iPad but eventually the only computer my parents will use/buy will be an iPad or a very similar device. It will be something that works like iPad Wifi (3G not required), will connect to cameras,…
The article isn't asserting that people won't like an iPad if you buy it for them. It is asserting that (most) people like your parents won't decide to go buy an iPad.
Were your parents planning to buy an iPad anyway, or did you buy it for them because you believed they wouldn't figure out that they wanted it?
Re: Report: The iPad won’t go mass market anytime soon
#10These are the same flawed reasons the iPad wasn't going to be a huge hit in the US and we've seen how well those predictions worked out.