- The first group are those who are disappointed by the iPad's lack of a camera, multitasking, flash, and being stuck with AT&T for data. For them the iPad didn't live up to the mountain of hype before the announcement.
- The second group are excited and "get" something about the User Interface and what it promises for the future. Place me in the second group.
I remember when the iPhone first came out and tech pundits bemoaned it's lack of multitasking and flash. At the time there were other phones which arguably had a richer feature set--and there still are. Despite this, the iPhone has become a runaway hit. One reason is the User Interface. On the iPhone, the operating system is not in the way, it's transparent. Have you ever tried to use a Windows Mobile phone?
Some people like fiddling with settings and getting "under the hood" of their operating system. They spend so much time tweaking the system that it interferes with getting real work done. These people tend to be tech savvy "geeks" who look down on the average computer user with distain.
Most people just want to read the web, check out Facebook, or send an email. To them the operating system shouldn't get in the way. That's what the iPhone and now the iPad manage to do. There's no need for the end user to get into the file system to read an email or surf the web.
I"m excited about this and what the iPad means for the future. It means that someday the operating system will disappear. It will still be there of course, below the surface, it just won't matter to the average user.
The iPad also marks the beginning of the end of the "desktop metaphor" and mouse. It's the start of a more tactile interface with physical manipulation of objects via tablet or trackpad.
The iPad is in version 1.0. Like the iPhone, the iPad's hardware and software will evolve and get better over time. I can't wait to see what the iPad becomes!
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