A user's reply to this article http://www.pcworld.com/article/188219/ipad_who_wants_it_anyway.html is very good:
In fact, this is NOT all the computer most people will ever need. Most people aren't tech savvy enough to know how to deal with web mail. There is no native e-mail client. You can't multitask, so even if there was an e-mail client, you can't run it and a browser (to click on the links in an e-mail) at the same time. When it comes to apps, most people don't know how to go about getting new ones (or that they even exist), and many people won't give out credit card information on the Internet.
A netbook is about all the computer many people will ever need, barring the small keyboard and limited screen size. MOST people, though, need the full capabilities of a laptop or desktop for the simple fact that they need to print, scan, take pictures, video-chat, IM and do it all simply, easily and at the same time.
How you think this is a quantum shift in how people interact with computers is beyond me. The trend, and demand from consumers, has been toward MORE functionality - not less. They want convenience. They want portability. They want to be able to do what they want to do with one device - not rely on learning five different devices (and BUYING five different devices) in order to do what they want to do. Rather than giving them more, Apple gave them less. They gave them an iPod on it's iPeriod: an iPad. Bloated in size, limited in features and generally unpleasant to be around because it doesn't want to do all the things you want to do.
I'm certain you feel strongly about this product, but as an IT expert with 25 of experience years in the field, who works with PEOPLE, rather than corporations, I have an up-close and personal knowledge of what the 'average user' needs. I am not some Apple apologist, I am not a Microsoft fan. I believe in helping the people find what works based on THEIR needs and budget. And I know a [censored] sight more about the subject of the average user's needs and wants than most tech pundits.
Based on my expert opinion, and from the multiple stories I've read about this device from sources both praising it and bashing it, I have come to the conclusion that MOST people will be ill served by it. It inherently lacks functions and features that people have come to desire in their computing devices and MOST people do not need a fragile, limited, lay-about-at-home, inconveniently sized personal entertainment media device. Some may find it the perfect fit for their lives. And for those who need it, AND have the budget for it, I'll recommend it.
But of my 382 active clients, I can't currently think of ONE who actually fits those two qualifications.
In fact, this is NOT all the computer most people will ever need. Most people aren't tech savvy enough to know how to deal with web mail. There is no native e-mail client. You can't multitask, so even if there was an e-mail client, you can't run it and a browser (to click on the links in an e-mail) at the same time. When it comes to apps, most people don't know how to go about getting new ones (or that they even exist), and many people won't give out credit card information on the Internet.
A netbook is about all the computer many people will ever need, barring the small keyboard and limited screen size. MOST people, though, need the full capabilities of a laptop or desktop for the simple fact that they need to print, scan, take pictures, video-chat, IM and do it all simply, easily and at the same time.
How you think this is a quantum shift in how people interact with computers is beyond me. The trend, and demand from consumers, has been toward MORE functionality - not less. They want convenience. They want portability. They want to be able to do what they want to do with one device - not rely on learning five different devices (and BUYING five different devices) in order to do what they want to do. Rather than giving them more, Apple gave them less. They gave them an iPod on it's iPeriod: an iPad. Bloated in size, limited in features and generally unpleasant to be around because it doesn't want to do all the things you want to do.
I'm certain you feel strongly about this product, but as an IT expert with 25 of experience years in the field, who works with PEOPLE, rather than corporations, I have an up-close and personal knowledge of what the 'average user' needs. I am not some Apple apologist, I am not a Microsoft fan. I believe in helping the people find what works based on THEIR needs and budget. And I know a [censored] sight more about the subject of the average user's needs and wants than most tech pundits.
Based on my expert opinion, and from the multiple stories I've read about this device from sources both praising it and bashing it, I have come to the conclusion that MOST people will be ill served by it. It inherently lacks functions and features that people have come to desire in their computing devices and MOST people do not need a fragile, limited, lay-about-at-home, inconveniently sized personal entertainment media device. Some may find it the perfect fit for their lives. And for those who need it, AND have the budget for it, I'll recommend it.
But of my 382 active clients, I can't currently think of ONE who actually fits those two qualifications.
