The Apple divide
Apple has the most hype and anticipation around its product launches than anyone else. It doesn't matter whether their "leaks" are precisely engineered to build anticipation or if their secrecy makes them a prime target for spreading just about any rumor we can conjure up, but they always leave a massively divisive (if not flatout upset) mob in the aftermath of their product announcements. After pondering the iPad and iProducts in general, here's my take on why:
A tech company for the masses
As a tech company, Apple makes products that enable us do all sorts of productive, enjoyable, and sometimes magical things. Unsurprisingly, these products sell well and establish a geek following (then followed by investors and their money). Yet, when they make technology that enables more people to do these things - we become dissatisfied because we know they could have done more for us. Yes, it's your wallet and purchase decision at the end of the day - but let's not get carried away into thinking the world revolves around ourselves.
But it doesn't even have _____!
Sometimes I wonder how we survived waiting in line to pay $599 for a first-generation iPhones with no App Store and no 3G...then how we survived not having cut & paste until several software updates later (sarcasm!). If another company sells a product that better fits your needs, ragging on the iProduct of the day is just a waste of time. If you'd rather go with the HP slate over the iPad so you can watch Hulu, that's fine. It's disingenuous, however, to omit the tradeoffs and suggest either device as strictly better than the other in every way. There's also no need to act offended or insulted that Apple is offering you something you can (decline to) buy; the melodramatics are really not that impressive or fashionable at all.
Admittedly, it's beyond easy to get sucked in by the hype and all the rumored features and specs. Apple's history of innovation and Steve Jobs's reality distortion field makes us want to believe the next iProduct will be the ultimate gadget and save us all. Unfortunately, no number of buildups and disappointments will ever defeat the human capacity to dream and desire.
Spoiler alert: As long as companies need to make money, the ultimate gadget cannot and will not exist.
"Pin the market on the iProduct"
As geeks, we're often puzzled by why Apple releases these so-called "gimped" products. Is it that they're following carefully planned product cycles, that their product people are plain lazy, or that they love denying you of your tech nirvana? Does it matter which? We play this game of trying to identify who Apple's target market is every time, and end up with those who proudly proclaim they've figured it out and those who think the iProduct will be a flop. Not that Apple hasn't had its share of flops ($99 leather case and iPod HiFi, to name a couple), but it's appalling how seriously we manage to take ourselves. As a topic of discussion, Apple always stirs up a heap of contrasting opinions and arguments that show how badly we need to get our word in (guilty) and our inability to let things be. That said, the controversy is both tiresome and overrated.
As geeks, we're often puzzled by why Apple releases these so-called "gimped" products. Is it that they're following carefully planned product cycles, that their product people are plain lazy, or that they love denying you of your tech nirvana? Does it matter which? We play this game of trying to identify who Apple's target market is every time, and end up with those who proudly proclaim they've figured it out and those who think the iProduct will be a flop. Not that Apple hasn't had its share of flops ($99 leather case and iPod HiFi, to name a couple), but it's appalling how seriously we manage to take ourselves. As a topic of discussion, Apple always stirs up a heap of contrasting opinions and arguments that show how badly we need to get our word in (guilty) and our inability to let things be. That said, the controversy is both tiresome and overrated.
How much do we really know?
Companies sell user experiences, and Apple is no exception. Hardware and the code that runs on it are meaningless beyond what experiences they can deliver to the user. To that end, I think all conclusions about the iPad are premature until actual availability (we're still about 60 days out at this point).
From the announcement, it seems the general consensus is that the iPad is "just" a bigger iPhone or iPod touch. I wouldn't dismiss the iPad as a nonstarter based on that observation. Specifically, I don't agree with the "just" part of it, and I think a larger iPhone has many positive implications when it comes to user experience. I think it's actually a good thing that we can comprehend what using an iPad would be like (familiarity), though I'm not sure we can fully appreciate the device before getting our hands on it. I am most looking forward to the web browsing experience, which I agree will be "orders of magnitude" better than on the iPhone.
...until March!
