iPad, youPad, we-allPad
Six months is a long time in computing. Before the launch of the iPad, naysayers were predicting that Apple would never make the product stick - now things are a little different.
11 October 2010
We reviewed the Apple iPad around the time of its UK launch, in June. We liked it - although there were plenty who were predicting that such a limited device would flop and that the form factor would be a flash in the pan.
A few months down the line and things are looking a little different. According to Reuters, the iPad's growth is so fast that it is destructive - essentially crushing the competition as it becomes the fastest adopted consumer device ever. Ever - read that word again. Faster than DVDs, Blu-ray, Xbox, you name it - that doesn't strictly mean volume of course, but the share within its own market.
Apple's competitors haven't missed this jaw-dropping success, although they are in danger of missing the boat. Those competitors are scrabbling to get products to market - but it looks like Apple's out-manoeuvred the market and left everyone eating its dust.
The most likely contender for an iPad competitor will be Android-based devices. In many ways Android is similar to iOS - it's built to be used on portable devices and already has multi-touch support. Unlike iOS, it's available to any manufacturer to use - they 'just' have to build the hardware.
Perhaps the most interesting contender is the BlackBerry tablet - to be called the Playbook - which will be launched in November. The name of this is an interesting misnomer, because BlackBerry insists that it will be a business-focused device. BlackBerry is currently keeping quite a few details of the device under wraps, but we do know that in some ways it trumps the iPad - for instance, it will offer face-to-face conversations, a rather strange omission from the Apple device. It will offer multitasking, full Web browsing and is described as 'business ready' which almost certainly means that it will play well with Microsoft Exchange. Like the iPad, it will also have full support for HTML 5 - but unlike the iPad it will also support Flash. It even support Adobe Air applications, which will make it easy for Air developers to port their programs to this new platform. With a 7-inch display, it's smaller than the iPad - which cuts both ways, it's lighter and easier to carry around but limited for some tasks. The BlackBerry benefits from having an OS that's built for mobile devices - BlackBerry Tablet OS - which will support the installation of third-party applications.
It certainly looks at this point like a competent contender - but a lot will depend on the cost.
Interestingly, the new-found popularity of tablets is allowing phone manufacturers to get products to market quickly. An example is the Sumsung Galaxy tablet, which is rumoured to have a cost (with a 3G contract) of around $399. Like the BlackBerry, the Galaxy features a 7-inch screen, but this time is running Google's Android operating system. Again, Apple's competitors are rounding on the iPad's weaknesses - so the Galaxy has a front- and rear-facing camera, so it can be used to both take pictures and for video conferencing. It also features a highly useful microCD card reader - for additional storage and so on. It's also a lot lighter than the iPad (because of its size). And, because it's running Android, lots of apps should be available almost instantly.
Even Dixons is getting in on the act, announcing its own-brand of Advent tablets. These iPad-like 10.1-inch display models will again run Android - and the entry-level model is reportedly going to sell for a stunning £249.99. Again, it includes a camera.
Bizarrely, even high-street reseller Next (yes, you read that correctly) is going to sell its own tablet, the Next 10" Tablet - at an astonishing £180. However the specs of the device are pretty limited - with just 2GB of storage and WiFi only. But for many people, for a sofa-browsing device, that will be fine.
Even Dell, which has long-built its success on Windows devices, is switching to Android for its soon-to-be-released tablet, which is going to be a 7-inch device.
The list of new devices rolls on and it's clear that the tablet form factor is not only here to stay, but is destined for massive success.
One name is conspicuously missing from the list of iPad competitors - Microsoft. Microsoft has been seriously wrong-footed by the success of the iPad. Microsoft's problem is that Windows simply doesn't work as a tablet OS, whichever way you look at it. It's far too resource hungry and the interface just isn't suitable for using with your fingers. And of course, Microsoft has axed the Courier tablet which it had so proudly displayed around the time of the launch of the iPad. HP, which has been working on a Windows-based tablet, has clearly seen the writing on the wall and acquired Palm, giving it access to a truly mobile OS (WebOS) on which to build its new line of tablet devices - although the company says it may still release a Windows-based device.
This is a seismic shift in terms of computing devices - the start of a trend with an outcome that's impossible to predict. However, it looks clear that the days of needing a PC or Mac as a 'one size fits all device' are drawing to a close and those with less intense and mobile needs will switch over to tablet computing.
