Apple's iPad

It is impossible to avoid the flood of news surrounding the release of the iPad.  Even for someone who doesn’t closely follow the latest technology news, the iPad has appeared on non-gadget related TV venues such as the Late Show with David Letterman, The Colbert Report, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

We discussed the iPad here on TechClicker back in January, when Steve Jobs first introduced this third mobile computing product type.  While the iPad seems like nothing more than a keyboard-less computer, Apple is selling the device as a hybrid between the smartphone and laptop mobile computing markets.  Now that it’s actually released, it’s time for an update to try and determine whether it truly is a revolutionary third mobile computing product type.

The overall reception to the iPad has been mixed.  While some have praised the responsiveness of its touchscreen and its intuitive control, others have criticized its various limitations, such as a lack of multitasking support.

In all, it seems that the iPad was designed to be used in a specific and novel way.  If you attempt to use it in a way that is outside its intended scope, the limitations of the device will become immediately apparent.  Otherwise, there is no denying the simplicity and ease-of-use of the UI and applications.  It has an elegance that makes people want to purchase it.

The iBook application, which is used for buying, storing, and reading e-books, is beautifully designed.  With just a few screen taps, the application resizes the book’s text, brightens or darkens the display, and facilitates further research about a particular word or passage.  For the first time in centuries, it changes the way readers interact with printed text.

It is clear that Apple has aimed to create a novel and exciting user experience, one that can’t currently be had anywhere else.  Existing iPhone and a Mac owners may wonder what the iPad can do for them.  This is where thinking in the context of  a “third product type” becomes important.  While there are tasks that you could perform on any of these three devices, each has its potential advantage over the others.

So if you already carry your iPhone around with you everywhere, and you use your Mac at home, where does the iPad fit in?  It seems like the iPad is finding a niche in casual use, such as idle web browsing, checking mail, reading ebooks, watching videos, and even playing games.  It can be used for these purposes at home or on the road and thus appropriately fits its billing as a revolutionary device.