I'm sick of hearing about iPad! iPad iPad iPad!!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Okay, I'm not really sick of it... I was merely thinking of an essay I wrote, in a similar vein, about the Kindle. (Not to mention a certain sibling rivalry from a certain old TV show.)

There's certainly nothing wrong with the iPad catching the attention of the public and the media, and taking off. But I worry about what its influence is doing to the e-book industry (among others), in a similar way that I registered concern about the iPhone and Kindle and all the attention they were getting when they were released.

The iPad and its app store may be a wonderful combination, and individuals and companies want to swarm to it to add apps and make their (potential) millions. But many companies are putting all their eggs in the iPad basket, and ignoring the fact that at some point, the iPad is not going to be the Big Toy on the block. I've said before: "Today's iPhone is tomorrow's Razr." As it is with all technologies, sooner or later a new device will come along, and everyone will run to catch up with it. In fact, the Kindle was the Big Toy to get onto just last year... remember? And those who are tied too tightly to the last device will have a hard time switching over... and in some cases, may not survive the switch.

And in the meantime, all this concentration on one device is leaving other devices relatively or completely unsupported. How many e-book apps are being readied for Windows-based smartphones and PDAs, for instance? Amazon is creating an app for the iPad... where is the app for my HTC phone? Where's the Popular Science digital magazine app for my laptop? How many Kindle products are being canceled at this moment, in favor of iPad apps? Creating proprietary apps for one device is leaving a lot of other devices unsupported.

If you think I'm just feeling left out... I am. A bit. But I'll wager I'm not the only one. And as others will feel the iPad iterations are not for them (or too expensive for them), others will take up the same cry: "What about us? Aren't we worth selling to? Aren't we worth providing for? Must we become Madison Avenue zombies, jumping on the latest what-the-#^@!-ever bandwagon, to get noticed?"

iPad owners: Sooner or later, someone's going to come along with something brand new, and better than what's out here now... and every manufacturer will switch over, again. Think about how you'll feel when all the apps you loaded into your iPad can't be ported into your new device, or at least, not without paying for it all over again. Think about all those e-books you're buying, that won't be making the transition off of the iPad to your new device. Enjoy that Razr while you can, darling.

And don't think the rest of us will be gloating over your pain. We'll be too busy complaining about one more device that is pushing our devices further into non-proprietary oblivion.

[poohbear_nc]

I am wondering too (in light of the near media fixation on the iPad) about the fate(s) of the numerous companies that launched their version of a 6" eInk reader. Flooding the market with different brands of basically the same reader may drive down prices - but at a time when media hype is focusing on one brand of device?

[kindlekitten]

I just can't get beyond this;

[Greg Anos]

Steve, most people are happy to be fleeced, as long as they are in the "in" crowd. That's the one truism that Mr. Jobs has completely grasped. Make things easy, simple and cool, and you can overcharge with impunity..

A harsh view of humanity, I'll grant you, but consistent with my observations over the years....

[dsvick]

To a certain extent it is a self fulfilling cycle.
Since it is currently the most popular device, more and more people will be purchasing it.
Since more and more people are purchasing them, there is more money to had in making apps for it than for comparable devices.
Since there are more apps being made for it than for other devices, more people will buy it.

I don't doubt that you're correct in that sooner or later something else will come along that is better, but at best that is probably at least a year or two away. When that happens the apps will follow the people.

I also share poohbear's concern in that the iPad and all its competitors may drive the market away from dedicated eReaders, which will raise their prices considerably and possibly impede future developments in them.

[vivaldirules]

I hear that your brain will overheat and steam will come out of your ears if you look at an iPad too long.

[GA Russell]

I guess I don't understand the apps, because I don't know why I would want one even if it were ten dollars.

[Lady Blue]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Steve, most people are happy to be fleeced, as long as they are in the "in" crowd. That's the one truism that Mr. Jobs has completely grasped. Make things easy, simple and cool, and you can overcharge with impunity..

A harsh view of humanity, I'll grant you, but consistent with my observations over the years....

I believe you're right in your observations.


I tend to react contrary to that, and I'm not really sure why. I'd ask pshrynk, but I'm fresh out of $300 bills at the moment.

Whether it's a new bockbuster movie, the newest "Da Vinci Code"-type novel, or something that's most enthusiasticly endorsed by Oprah, I usually give it little or no consideration at all (deliberately so) for my own use or consumption. I might be missing out on some good stuff, but the more something is pushed in my face, the stronger my resistance to it is.

Gotta run now ... I'll be late for rehab.

[DixieGal]

Awwww, wwhy'd you have to start this?

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by Lady Blue

I tend to react contrary to that, and I'm not really sure why. I'd ask pshrynk, but I'm fresh out of $300 bills at the moment.

That, and he's dead at the moment as well.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Awwww, wwhy'd you have to start this?

Same reason I brought it up with the Kindle and the iPhone. I'd like to see good support of as many devices as possible; and any time a single devices catches so much of the limelight that other good devices get shafted, I see that as a bad thing.

What? You were enjoying that limelight, weren't you?

[wodin]

I absolutly refuse to post in any iPad related thread! I'm sick of hearing about iPad! iPad iPad iPad!!

An besides that, never will the word iPad pass these lips...uhh...fingers!

No more iPad threads please!

[TGS]

Originally Posted by wodin

No more iPad threads please!

They are kinda nice though, in a tactile and pleasing sort of way, don't you think? Not saying they are a good thing, or any use to man nor beast, but nice.

[vivaldirules]

No more iPad threads? Shucks, I was gonna start a thread about 1001 creative things to do with an iPad. But I suppose we could do that here, if you don't want a new thread. How about I start?

1. You can use it to start a campfire with. Just toss it on some kindling on a bright day.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by TGS

They are kinda nice though, in a tactile and pleasing sort of way, don't you think? Not saying they are a good thing, or any use to man nor beast, but nice.

Actually I dropped by the Apple store the other evening, and poked at one for a while. If it did what I need it to do, I'd prolly ignore my personal boycott of all things Apple and buy one.