Re: 8 Things That Suck About the iPad

// January 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

I can be a Mac fanboy, I admit it.  But even if I wasn’t, I’d like to think I would still be excited about the iPad.  Jokes around the name aside, it’s a pretty cool device.  I’ve wanted a tablet for years – but nothing on the market for the past 7 years has come close to being what I want.  Just look at the Lenovo X Series Tablet.  Really?  People bought that?Come on.

I couldn’t ever find a tablet that did what I wanted, so I often looked for substitutes.  Dell has come out with a couple sleek laptops that look neat (until you get to the price tag) but they’re all still laptops.  My iPod Touch has been my friend for a couple years now.  It’s really the closest I’ve come to getting what I want – but it’s so small it’s hard to think of it as a tablet.

Anyway, my tablet dream started to come true today.   I’ve been reading all the articles about the device…informational, critical or otherwise.  I like most of what I’m reading, even when the reviews aren’t too positive.  I just read a post on Gizmodo titled the “8 Things That Suck About the iPad” and I must say, most of these things don’t bother me.

Here’s what they complain about and why I don’t personally care:

• Big, Ugly Bezel
  Sure  a full width display would be nice (like the newest MacBook Pro) – but this just isn’t a deal breaker for me
• No Multitasking
  I think a software update will address this down the road.  But even for now, I’m okay with this.  I’m not going to be doing any design or development work on this thing – which is where multitasking is absolutely critical.  I just want to be able to get on the web, manage my email and calendar, and run a handful of other useful apps on a daily basis in a nice, notepad form factor.  That alone would make me happy.
• No Cameras
  Okay, honestly.  Who is going to stop to take a photo and pull out a 10″ device to do so.  Even SLRs are more compact that this thing (due to the 10″ size).  As long as it could display photos I take using another device nicely…I’m happy.
• Touch Keyboard
  I haven’t tried it yet, so I could be wrong…but it just doesn’t seem like a deal breaker to me.  Initially I didn’t love to iPod Touch keyboard.  I got used to that.  This seems like an improvement when I compare the two…
• No HDMI Out
  Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see this thing as a super, catch-all, does-everything device.  I could watch movies on it and that’s nice…but if I really want to watch a movie on my TV I’ve got loads of other options.  I just don’t think a tablet PC would be my go to solution for HD movies on my HDTV.
• The Name iPad
  Personally, I think the jokes already running around are funny.  But I’d still want the device if you called it the iSuck.  The name just doesn’t matter to me if it does what I want it to do.  Silly point Gizmodo.
• No Flash
  This is the one thing that bothers me the most.  But it’s not a hardware issue.  It’s all software and licensing from my understanding.  Apple and Adobe just aren’t on the same page.  But if they get in line and offer flash support then I think it’ll come in the form of a software update – so I will remain hopeful and keep this (barely) off a deal breaker list.
• Adapters, Adapters, Adapters
  I’ll give them this one.  I think it will be annoying for sure.  But I don’t see this annoyance as a deal breaker.  I know there is going to be something I don’t love about the device.  If something like this is it, I’m okay with that.
• It’s Not Widescreen
  If I were purchasing this to watch movies I would be pissed off – and this could be a dealbreaker.  But I’m not, so once again, no big deal.  Perhaps a v2 or v3 will be widescreen as most displays are moving to widescreen aspect ratios…but a website, my email, or calendar will look just fine without.
• Doesn’t support T-Mobile 3G
  I don’t have AT&T and I hate it.   But Apple really saved themselves by allowing non-contract use of AT&T’s 3G.  That would have been a deal-breaker.
• Closed App Ecosystem
  As a developer I actually like the App-Store model.  Sure, it’s closed and Apple has more control than we might ideally like.  But I think without this type of closed ecosystem the entire model wouldn’t have gotten as big as it is.  It allowed Apple to keep quality and other bars set high and will probably continue to do so.

I guess in the end it’s all personal preference.  If the stuff Gizmodo points out really bothers you then perhaps the device isn’t for you.  I’m personally excited about the device.  I think it’s a big step forward in computing.  More importantly it’s going to revolutionize the currently craptastic tablet landscape (just like the iPhone did the smartphone market)…and that’s badly needed.

I’ll keep reading in the coming weeks and if I’m still happy when it’s out for sale I’ll report back on how my personal experience with it is going.