Among all the iPad hype the term “game changer” has been used frequently, including in the headlines of the mainstream tech media. I hear terms like this and my reaction is always skeptical (to say the least). First off, how many game changers were seen as game changers from Day 1? Don’t most things promoted as game changers fall short? And real game changers come as a surprise?
I’ve had the iPad since Saturday so I decided to consider just what games might be changing now that the iPad is in the mix.
Seems to me the Netbook was a game changer no one saw coming. You can argue about what the first network was but things started to heat up around the time the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) was being developed. While the OLPC wasn’t a commercial success it sparked interest in OS and chip makers. Then Asus released their first Eee PC and the game really changed. I don’t recall many people calling it a game changer prior to its release, but I do recall other manufacturers scrambling to release similar products.
The iPad seems to be generating the same flurry of manufacturers trying to release similar products. Manufacturers are falling all over themselves trying to release “slates”, “pads” or the old fashioned “tablet”. So it seems like the game is changing, but it remains to be seen if the change is permanent or wishful thinking on the part of manufacturers.
There is one area where I think the iPad will change things, and it’s not any single feature or use. Rather, it’s because the iPad is a nice clean slate that future applications can use to their advantage. I’ve yet to come across a single “killer app” for the iPad. But the quantity and quality of apps is killer (and there are some apps that should be killed to be put out of our misery). iPad users can adapt pick the app that adapt that clean slate into their own killer apps.
The leads to another potential game change, helped along by the iPhone and even Android. The rise of web apps over websites. Many of the apps I have are simply interfaces to websites or a customized view of a website. (Including one app where the associated website is inaccessible until enabled by the app and even then all the data is entered from the app). Rather than a cross-platform website these are being tied into a platform specific app the iPhone is seen as the place to be, and at least for now, the iPad is the second place to be. While intellectually I prefer a cross-platform solution I won’t deny I’m seduced by the ease of use of an app. The iPad brings the app paradigm to a larger screen that can compete with a small laptop.
There’s also been reports that the recent slowing of growth in netbook sales were due to the iPad. So the not-yet-released iPad was due to netbook sales only growing 33.6% year over year? Now, I’m not saying the iPad had absolutely nothing to do with that, there might be a couple people who waited. But seems to be it’s more likely netbook sales are just reaching a saturation point. Netbooks may be cheap, but I doubt people plan to replace them every year.
Still, in the time I’ve had my iPad I’ve yet to pull out my netbook. This doesn’t mean the iPad is a netbook killer, only that for what I typically use my netbook for around the house is covered by the iPad. Around the house the netbook is typically a couch PC. Any real computing gets done on my desk. And that’s what the iPad is good at – being a living room device. Surfing the net or reading while watching TV are big uses. The iPad is a bit awkward to get comfortable with at times, but so is a netbook.
Lastly, a game changing interface? Touch screen aren’t new anymore. But in typical Apple fashion it’s obvious a lot of thought went into the interface. Sure, there are some frustrations that pop up, but I have to admit the iPad is just plain fun to use. And to it’s credit, it’s intuitive to use. My parents had no problems exploring it, despite having no experience with smart phones or any other touch interface. I can’t say I’ve used to many touch interfaces, but every other one I’ve tried has been clunky out of the gate. In the iPad’s case the UI annoyances are buried deep, and while annoying, don’t destroy the experience.
It’ll be interesting to see what sort of interface the other vendors put on their iPad competitors. The HP Slate is an example of something that has nice specs and a compelling feature list. I’m not sure what can be done with Windows 7, but just shrinking Windows 7 isn’t going to cut it. We’ll see how well HP, and others, can deliver usability.
So, game changing? Not the device itself. But maybe the hype and resulting stampede into apps and similar hardware will result in a changed game. It all depends on whether or not people want the changes the iPad brings.
No comments yet.