Why I am Currently Inclined to Say “No” to The iPad

Before you take one look at this post and say “Just another Apple hater” just wait a second. I am aware I have been a notorious Apple hater in the past, but I’d like to justify that and take an honest look at what I think of the iPad, and why I think what I do. First lets talk about why I have a tendency to hate on Apple. Its not Apple themselves so much as the Apple fanboys. I have no problem with Apple’s products, they’re not for me but not everyone is me. I doubt I’ll ever recommend an Apple product but again that’s me. But I would not go out of my way to insult them. However, Apple fanboys tend to do the opposite. They bash anything that’s not Apple for no reason, and with no evidence to back up their claims. And when you call them on it they just start listing off reasons why their Mac or other Apple product is better than everything else, so to combat this I have to explain why they’re wrong, and that often comes off as a personal insult to the Apple products themselves. So I have nothing against Steve Jobs or any Apple products, they’re just not for me. But I can’t stand Apple fanboys who love to size up their gear.

With that in mind, this is an honest and un-bias judging of the iPad. I asked myself that if it was produced by Microsoft if I would feel the same way and I honestly can say that I would. Right now, I have to say that I find the iPad to lack a purpose, and it has several deal breaking drawbacks. Its beautifully designed however, but that’s not really what makes or breaks the product for me. The iPad is, and is designed to be, something in between a phone and a computer. In the past, Apple has made great successes by guessing what people want, but they don’t know it yet. Honestly, I’m guessing they made this guess and it wasn’t all that accurate. It lacks a general purpose, and can not accomplish hardly anything in a better way than an already existing device, and the few things it does make more convenient to do are hardly worth paying $500 for. I can see if you have money to burn, but most people, if they are going to buy a piece of unnecessary technology will spend it on something else. My only other gripe about the Apple iPad is the lack of flash and multitasking support. I realize these two drawbacks are beaten to death but these are serious deal breakers in my opinion. HTML 5 in most likely going to replace flash, and lord know I can’t wait until it does. But for now, flash is still an important part of the online experience and something that really shouldn’t be ignored. Multitasking will most likely be released in a future software update but for now its a problem that completely compromises the usability of the tablet. Paying, at the very least, $500 for a device that can’t play music while I read is, in no lesser terms, stupid, in my opinion. Like I said however, the aesthetics of the device are, like all Apple products, really attractive to a user. It will look very pretty on your coffee table, that’s for sure. And the software looks very nice. In conclusion, the Apple tablet is not what I, or many other from what I understand, expected. It leaves a little too much to be desired for it to grab my interest. I’m personally looking forward to the next generation of the device. I think that the necessary changes will be made and it will be a popular product. What do you think of the iPad? Do you think it has what it takes to be a successful product? What pros and cons do you find in it? Comments are appreciated!