What you’re seeing in the industry’s reaction to the iPad is nothing less than future shock.
For years we’ve all held to the belief that computing had to be made simpler for the ‘average person’. I find it difficult to come to any conclusion other than that we have totally failed in this effort.
The iPad bashing reminds me of how hardcore gamers made fun of the Nintendo Wii near its release. Nintendo made a game system for non-gamers, and there are tons more of them than folks who care about polygons, shaders and fps. Nintendo made serious money on that system, and continues to do so because for every serious gaming enthusiast, there’s about four people who just want to play virtual bowling with their friends.
Case in point: my step-mother. She would love the iPad. As far as I know, all she has every used her computer for are the following tasks:
- Play solitaire (or some game like it)
- Read her email
- Browse the web
I don’t doubt there are many other people whose requirements for a personal computing device are about as pithy.