Kevin Cawley Goes Mobile

I’m Sick of the iPad BS

I can’t take it any more… I am so sick, tired, and embarrassed for the tech community with regard to the iPad hysteria.

Wen you have people making up absurd use cases for a device you know something is wrong. I am sure the iPad will sell well and many people will be happy w/ the device but this thing is no savior.  If, and this is a big if… if the tablet segment develops into a real market, the iPad will be just another player.  I guarantee that.

Seth Meyers put it best on SNL, “This week Apple released a thing that does stuff that its other stuff already does.”

I am an impartial fan boy - I have no favorite… i think Microsoft dropped the ball w/ their first crack at mobile/tablet and Google has done some rush jobs recently w/ buzz and wave.  But when it comes to mobile/tablet strategies I think msft and google will be the tortoises who embarrass the hare.

Now, I get that there will always be the loudmouths in the blogotwitterverse who are clueless sheeps and latch on to what their cyberlords think is hot.  But there are some smart people who are buying into the iPad crap and it is frustrating.  I just saw that there was a fund dedicated to iPad.  Really?

Yes, the iPad will be a beautiful device - but the reality is it is just like the Tesla’s sitting across the street from me… pretty to look at but I really don’t need one and I can’t afford one.

There are people out there who just a few years ago were praising the open web and open api’s as the future of computing (which i think is on the right track) and bashing on client applications (specifically msft apps).  Now these same people are praising the iPad and it’s app cache.  Well guess what, it is almost like windows apps but worse.  ridiculous… absurd.  How is this better than msft apps? The UI may be sexier and prettier, but now you are not only forced to install apps but you have to go through a gatekeeper who has final say on the selection of what you can install.  How is this good for anyone?  It’s not.  And this is what irks me so much… the hypocrisy and shortsightedness.

How is this happening..

Well, I’ll tell you how people are getting duped here.  First, Apple builds gorgeous devices no doubt and they deserve props for that, but this does not warrant the hysteria. People like the cool new bright shiny object.  You want to be that cool kid with the cool gadget - but eventually that wears off. It’s kind of like the early days of the bluetooth headset - at first you thought you looked cool and important with this big blob hanging off your ear.  Eventually you realized you look like a dork.  There are just a lot of dorks out there who think Apple products will somehow make them cool.  Sorry, they won’t.

Second, media companies who are breathing through a straw are desperate for more air.  They will make you think the iPad is the answer and think you will open your wallet to buy their content.  Don’t be fooled and these media companies will quickly find out they are wrong.  It is a supply and demand problem folks, not a device issue… there is plenty of free content out there that is almost as good or better. 

Third, developers see dollar signs (i don’t blame them and they do deserve it).  They think they can take their iPhone apps and stretch them out into more money.  This is a short term win, but don’t quit your day job because this app economy is a blip and will dry up.

Fourth, the Apple fanatics are just that… blindly following their leader like some kind of weird cult an they are vocal about it.

Now, the only sensible argument I have heard for the iPad is that it will be a good device for browsing.  If you fall into that camp, then save yourself some money and get another tablet (running windows, ubuntu, or google when it comes).  You will be able to drop any browser and you will be making a smart choice.

I challenge you to find any use case where the iPad makes sense.  And no, hanging off the fridge as a revolving picture frame (I really heard that) and sitting on the coffee table like my trashed remote or coffee stained magazines don’t cut it.