So now that the world has seen the capabilities and specs of the new Apple iPad, it looks as though the general consensus has been that the device hasn’t lived up to expectations. I’m sure that most gadget geeks were anticipating a whole new evolution of tablet computers with the start of the Apple iPad, but so far it’s looking like a “larger iPod Touch”. I guess from the standpoint of many gadget fans, they feel that existing products like netbooks can basically everything the iPad has to offer (and more!) at a fraction of the cost.

I think the iPad is supposed to be market towards a more casual crowd, as opposed to the techies who clamour about features and functionality. I have to admit that the device does look very nice aesthetically and the screen is beautiful to look at photos and watch movies. I suppose people will buy this as an inbetween for their smartphone and laptop/desktop, but I think that the netbook market fills that segment nicely. The largest barrier for mass adoption for this device (or any tablet device/ebook reader) would be price. Though it would definitely save space in terms of storage of books, many people will refuse to buy ebooks unless they become cheaper than the printed form.

The iPad is a good start into the tablet market, but for it to dominate, they’ll either have to make the device A LOT cheaper or start adding more functions that most techies are accustomed to. I’m still on the fence with getting an iPad, but I’ll have to wait till it’s released to test it out personally. Until then, I still have my iPad Nano (which is basically my iPhone..lol).

-Stephen