The Apple iPad

It doesn’t have flash, it doesn’t have a USB port (without an adapter), it doesn’t do “multiple-tasking” (yet), it doesn’t do back flips or allow you to run some customized, hacked up OS, BUT it will change the face of consumer computing fo years to come. There seems to be an overwhelming amount of comments about what the new Apple iPad doesn’t do. Similar to the complaints about the original iPhone not having 3G, copy and paste, or MMS. People said the iPhone MUST have these features to be successful and yet it changed the landscape of mobile phones. I believe the iPad will do the same for mobile computing and in a big way. Oh, and about the name, iPad. Many people seem to think was a bad choice and just plain silly. While I also prefered some of the other names floated around (like Canvas), iPad fits in better with the iPhone and iPod family. I also thought Wii was a horrible name and that seemed to work out just fine for Nintendo. The iPad is to computing what the Wii has become to gaming. It has lowered the barrier of entry, removed the mouse, keyboard, and “stuff” that has become so common with desktop computing. It takes away the clutter and does the basics so elegantly. It allows people to focus on the things they do the most: e-mail, internet, photos, movies, and document creation. For many people, this may be the only computer they need. The iPad is a revolution of the way we think of personal computing. Clearly there is room for growth and improvement, as their was with the original iPhone, but this is an incredible start. 59 days and counting…

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