 In Defense Of Atheism |
Why I Won’t Get An iPad
A couple of weekends ago I got to spend some semi-quality time with an iPad, about 30 minutes total. It took me some time to digest my feelings on the device and where I think it lands, it has both good and bad sides to it and before I get into my reasons why I’ll never own one, I’d like to talk about it’s strengths.
Apple hit it out of the park on the interface, within 20 seconds I was ripping through programs, zooming on pictures, playing games, tinkering with video’s. I explored every section I could find, it’s incredibly intuitive and it will eventually change the way we interface with all devices someday. Everything was fast, fluid and incredibly satisfying, Apple should be proud of what they have accomplished.
On the other hand though it felt in many ways like a giant iPod, I was skeptical when people who have held neither made those claims. But I have an iPod touch (have since they came out) and I’ll be honest, there’s not a whole lot of difference. In fact I would not be surprised to see the iPad features ported over, it’s a form factor issue around how the UI is laid out. Apple mis-calculated a bit by re-using the same look and feel, if the iPad was a serious device there should have been more distinction between the two. I realize why they kept it the same, but I never lost the feeling that my iPod could do all the same things.
To compound this feeling, Apple has decided to lock down the system, making the system reliant on iTunes just like the iPhone and iPod. There’s no USB, no flash memory slots, nothing other than the ubiquitous Apple connector, again making me feel like I was not holding an evolution but simply a bigger version of what I already have. If I take pictures with my camera using a flash card, why do I have to go to my computer, load them there, tell iTunes where they, and synch my device?, why can’t I just plug it and have the iPad pull them onto it’s system?. I predict the next version will do something like this, and until Apple does, sorry but it’s just a giant iPod.
While I understand where Apple is going as far as the non-computer crowd, I think they took the easy road by locking down the system with an iron fist. It made the device feel more like just another MP3/Game system than an actual computer, since I already have an iPod I see no reason to upgrade.
Before any Apple fans knock me, let me toss out something else. I just upgraded to an HTC Incredible running Android 2.1, and I am more than impressed. Google is about 1 major release away from knocking Apple off it’s little tower, Android does %90 of everything I need it to do. The only exception that I’ve not explored is loading music from my library onto it, once that is solved I’ll have no need of anything else.
Certainly I see little need right now for another device to lug around, and I want one that’s not totally dependent on my home computer. Not that I mind doing a synch, but there should be more options to get updates and other things. I’m looking for a standalone computer that fits in my pocket, can act as a phone, an mp3 player and run a myriad of apps. Certainly an iPhone can do all those things, but only the ones that Apple approves of and only through their limited methods (don’t get me started on flash support), but honestly I think Google has actually done a better job than Apple. They may not have the polish *yet*, but when they do they will take over and put Apple on the defensive. And from where I sit it’s about time.
One more little note, Steve Jobs has lost all credibility with his anti-flash/Adobe rant. I’ve never seen a more infantile display from a company than this. Honestly, if I was on the Apple BOD, I would be after Jobs to at least try to appear professional and not act like a total horses read end every time he opens his mouth. I was going to buy a Mac Book pro for school, but given where Apple’s going with this flash thing, I’m not certain that’s going to be a good idea. I just love the irony of Jobs spouting about open standards while he locks down his own OS, pot meet kettle. They make great products, they just need to get over themselves first…
-Paul-
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