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I can’t help but compare the iPad launch to that of the iPhone.  A similar anticipation, a similar hope for something revolutionary.

The difference is: there was already a need, and the iPhone delivered.

In 2007, smartphones really did suck, and the iPhone was the intuitive answer other companies had been fumbling around blindly for.  A simple device that made telephony easier.

• It managed contacts better.
• Ditto for voicemail.
• Even with the initial lack of MMS, text messaging was easier on the iPhone.

Not to mention it created a whole new economy of apps, and literally put the Internet in your pocket.  I could go on.

The iPad suffers from two problems: there is no direct need for it, nor does it adequately bridge anything.  What are its actual innovations?

• It’s a big iPhone.
• “We redid the Calendar app!”

Jobs claims the iPad offers the best Internet experience anywhere, but frankly, it was embarrassing to watch him attempt to scroll around the broken Flash sections of the New York Times.  (I believe the antiquated “netbook” can still watch YouTube without a specialized app).

There are some who argue this device is going to open the floodgates of a whole new way of computing.  I think it has the potential, but not until it offers something that can’t be substituted by existing technology.  ”Doing it cooler” isn’t enough.  It has to do it better.

I REMAIN PATIENT

However this might seem, I am still a believer in the Apple product line.  If there is enough support for the iPad, next year we’ll be seeing a much-improved model, with a front-facing camera for video chat, and perhaps a decent file structure system at last (Why can I not load PDFs onto my own device?  Until this is solved, the Kindle and the Nook still have a big chunk of the market).  When that happens, I’ll be dropping money down at my local Apple store.

Till then, I will stand by, let the early-adopters jump on the bandwagon, and pray this device doesn’t go the way of the AppleTV.

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