Why the iPad is a Useless Device
30 Jan
On the 27th of January the whole tech world had it’s eyes on what Apple was about to release. It had been hyped ad nauseum, and everyone expected something as revolutionary as the iPhone. It would single-handedly kill the netbook and the Kindle (and other e-readers, for that matter), and be the next step in how we interact with computers.
As soon as Steve Jobs gave birth to the iPad, the Internet went crazy with all the reviews/opinions about this new device. Everyone was in awe because of its slickness and beautiful design. And the ease of use of the multitouch, and the lightness and thinness of it. It looked perfect.
While more details kept being revealed, the first doubts started to appear, and by the end of the keynote the fight started. On one side the die-hard fans of Apple defended it as something magical. On the other the Apple-haters that automatically discard every Apple product without even looking at it. And somewhere in between the ones that looked at it with a critical eye, trying to make sense of this new thing.
I’ve avoided commenting on it earlier because I wanted to know what I’m talking about before giving my opinion. Now that I’ve read way too many stuff about the iPad (the only thing missing is the experience of holding one), I’m ready to share my opinion about it.
And to put it short and simple: the iPad is a useless device. Allow me to elaborate:
It’s not the best way to browse the web
One of the things I heard more than once during the iPad promotional video was “the iPad is the best web surfing experience”. Well I’ll have to disagree with that. It can be argued that it’s the best way to browse the web in a mobile device, but then again, calling the iPad a mobile device is debatable (it’s small, but not small enough for my pocket, unless I get the iPants…).
The big problem: no support for Flash! Which means that you won’t be able to use that gorgeous screen on all those video sites on the web. Not to mention all the games and other apps.
While there are some arguments for Apple’s choice to not enable it, how can a device be considered “the best way to browse the web” if one of the most ubiquitous web technologies is not present? Start getting used to the blue legos…
No multitasking or file management system
Because it uses some variant of the iPhone OS, there’s no multitasking in the iPad. This means you can’t listen to Spotify and browse the web at the same time. No working in Pages while making a VoIP call. And the list goes on…
And because of the closed nature of all things Apple, there’s no simple way to transfer files to and from the iPad. Why is this relevant? Well, it means all the media files will have to be synced through iTunes, which always involves conversions to the mad Apple formats. There’s no way to just drag and drop them over WiFi or using a USB Mass Storage Device.
Not to mention all the documents produced with iWork (which even deserved to be ported to the iPad). Where will those go? And while we’re in this department, how can a device coined as a “great productivity tool” lack the support for non-Apple office software (Microsoft and Openoffice).
It’s not the best way to watch movies
Again, the iPad video… (that thing is so over the top… it’s ridiculous). Full HD is not supported, 720p will be the maximum. Also, the display is not widescreen. So any widescreen movie will be framed inside yet more black space (in addition to the bevel, which is not that small).
These are not huge problems, but the “best movie watching experience” should take care of them.
It’s not as affordable as it might look
The base price for the iPad is $499 (and apparently will be €499 in Europe, because Apple fails to acknowledge that 1€ > $1). For that you’ll get 16GB of storage and WiFi. Want 3G? Prepare to spend $130 more. Want more storage? That’ll be $100 extra for the 32GB version, and another $100 for the 64GB. You might be able to use an external disk for storage (again, not sure about the syncing), but for that you need to buy some kind of adapter since the iPad doesn’t have a USB port. Same for SD cards, so go on and buy the adapter to be able to transfer photos from your camera to the iPad.
How much does it cost now?
It’s useless
One may think that the most obvious buyers are the Apple clients. But I think that even those won’t find a use for it. They already have an iPhone and a MacBook. The iPad can’t make calls or take pics like the iPhone. And it’s also way bigger and not that portable. It can’t be used for video conferencing like the MacBook, and the lack of multitasking make it useless for any kind of serious work.
It makes even less sense for the non-Apple crowd. With half the money you can buy a pretty decent netbook that will do everything the iPad does and more. It will be a bit heavier and it won’t have touchscreen, but at least it will have more functionality than a digital coffee table book.
Stan Schroeder, of Mashable, makes a good point by asking when do you plan to use the iPad:
It’s going to be very hard to find enough time to use the iPad. When you’re at home or at work, you’re going to use your computer. When you’re on the go, you have your smartphone. If you’re on a train or a plane and need to do some work, you can use a laptop. When you’re doing something else, such as running, well, then your attention is focused on that. When, exactly, are you going to use the iPad?
Waiting for the next version
Now, with all that said I’m still waiting to see if this will end up becoming the next big thing. If I remember correctly, the iPod also faced some resistance when it was first announced, and even the first version of the iPhone was quite poor compared to the current one.
We might as well be looking at the New World of computing and not even know it. All the negative reactions to the iPad could be just “Future Shock”. Only time will tell.
But as it is now, the iPad is virtually useless.
My first computer was a Mac SE and I was a very open Apple supporter till I got tired of Steve Jobs BS. The trend of them releasing apple products with outdated memory, just so they can sell upgrades every six months is borderline criminal.
Look at the new iPad. They actually have the brass to sell the thing with 16bg of storage? Apple no longer even sells an iPod touch with anything less the 32gb!!! Even worse is they charge you $200 more for the 64gb model? I can get a 64gb CF for under $60 on the open market, I can only imagine what apple pays for them in bulk. Even 64gb on a multimedia device is near worthless.
Apple is a a total marketing rip-off that targets the masses as a “trendy”, exploits parents into buying their kids overpriced and underpowered garbage. This is the reason why I no longer buy Apple products.
Steve Job’s in fashion iPad will eventually gain some steam after the first over-hype launch during it’s launch. The A4 chip and Mac’s potential to fix hardware will start to make the iPad a monster in for the forseeable future.
Yep, I don’t see the need for it except for the fact that it says “Apple” somewhere on it. But I’m looking forward to seeing what Apple’s going to do with it. WE may not realize we need it, but Steve Jobs is good and marketing things we never realized we wanted. Usually they’re a hit, so I’ll just sit back and wait a little bit.
I want a mobile device that:
Encourages open development
Has wireless mesh capabilities
has 3G
has usb ports
has a camera
has at least 64GB SSD
supports HD widescreen
has ethernet port
costs less than US $400
it needn’t even come with software, so long as it is i386 compatible
Received iPod Touch 64GB as a gift. Well it’s ok, I never use it for music, since the audio quality isn’t enough for me and I organically hate iTunes software
I use it to read some short news at home, to check TV schedule and to run a few more apps like currency rate monitor, dictionary and similar stuff. So… had I not received it as a gift I wouldn’t have paid more than 1/4 for it… 
) And… talking about iPod, well, they will never sell me that brick for more than 50$ 
))
Although I do not have an iPad (just iPhone and iPod nano), I have to agree with Jonathan. I only have an iPhone and iPod as a gift, but normally I would not even buy them because they are beyond expensive unless you sign up for a two year plan for service you’re probably not even interested in, and pay for that $200 by paying the phone bill.
I was actually getting really upset with Apple and their, as Jonathan said, “borderline crime.” I was mad also because I have an iPhone 3G, just got it, and a month or two later, the 3GS came out. Really, unless you’re a celebrity or drug dealer and have money to blow on products that only look sleek with little functionality, then that’s your choice. I have no reason to hate Apple, except the fact that they overprice things, and discontinue cheaper items just so you can be lured into purchasing the expensive ones.
Please don’t get me wrong, people still buy from them, but I think what they do is very deceiving, but that’s their marketing technique. There’s never going to be a time where everyone in the world will decide to stop buying from Apple. They always find some way to catch people to buy.
Personally, I like the iPhone, it’s amazing, fun and useful, but at the same time, I wouldn’t spend that much on it…. including the fact that it is a phone, I wouldn’t spend that much money on any phone whether Blackberry, Palm, iPhone, etc.
Apple is not for all. Just be glad if you have the choice!
you’re absolutely right.
the ipad is useless.
the product is filling the whole that doesn’t exist.
makes no sense at all.
Yeah, all the facts are in and I can’t see any point of this new “tech”
Perhaps a 2nd or even 3rd generation will “change the face of computing” but teh fact is, as it stands it cr@p. Perhaps time (and money) would have been better spent on R&D into something a bit more useful
The iPad is a geriatric iPod. However, I believe it is the sprout of bigger things to come. Next it will have larger memory, more usable features, more like a laptop that doesn’t fold up. Then you would have something.
However Brian, they had the chance to do that in the first place. They know they have provided a sub-standard product but know that people are going to buy it regardless. They also know that when they upgrade 2.0 release or what-have-you, they will only just be bringing it up to scratch with what the industry demands as a standard, but not quite, leaving you to wonder yet again if they will fulfill your wishes/needs and wants in v3.0, but they never will. Because they don’t give a rats about the consumers wants and needs, all they care about is their ability to rake in they money hand over fist selling items they know people will queue up for days for which give them absolutely no benefit whatsoever over ANY other product on the market, other than the fact they have an apple logo on them.
Totally useless device as it stands now. I have a super powerful top of the line laptop, a Desktop and a smartphone. As nice as this product looks it is still an outdated device and fills no void in my technology needs. Plus it is way overpriced and anything Apple makes you cannot customize. That fact alone drives me nuts… I have to have control of my own hardware.
Useless? I would rather say “useful” and the fact is demonstrated by sales!
Hm… It can’;t print (yeah, SJ says, “it will come!”), it can;t make calls and it is not even true multitasking (I dont know what the purpose of moving those icons to the task bar and calling it multi-tasking). With all these, what is the purpose of the device? The real crime is … they claim it is multi-tasking without any drain of battery power – morons.
Jane
“WE may not realize we need it, but Steve Jobs is good and marketing things we never realized we wanted…”
I sure hope that was sarcasm
…
“Useless? I would rather say “useful” and the fact is demonstrated by sales!”
Clear, the phrase, ‘There’s a sucker born ever minute!’ still holds true, which is VERY useful to Apple AND demonstrated by sales of shiny, over-priced junk
.
the fact is demonstrated by sales!
This is not a proof at all. This only proves that media brainwashing works.
Yes, u wrote a good article, but were proven wrong by about 3 million iPad users. I don’t own this wonderful gadget yet, but will soon buy one. Cannot wait for ur review about the iPad 2, when it comes out in 2011.
Haha! The new samsung galaxy tab beats the shit out of the ipad. All the fanboys saying tha ipad is revolutionary are just lying to themselves. Go suck on Steve Job’s dick!
Go buy yourself a samsung galaxy tab and see if its still around next year…goodluck
iFanboy says:
September 12, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Yes, u wrote a good article, but were proven wrong by about 3 million iPad users. I don’t own this wonderful gadget yet, but will soon buy one. Cannot wait for ur review about the iPad 2, when it comes out in 2011.
… and Britney Spears, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, etc make the best music, Avatar was the best movie of all time, CSI is the great show to grace television…
You, sir, are a fool. The amount of people using/buying something has never proven how good something is, just how many morons there are buying into it.
IPADS RULE
I have to say that I disagree with you in that the iPad is a useless device…
First off I am not an Apple user at all…well I am now. I guess I should start by telling everyone why I bought an iPad in the first place. I originally had an Amazon Kindle DX, for the purpose of reading and storing all my PDF books. It worked great and served it’s purpose; however, I soon found that it was limited, for the simple fact that I needed to do more than just read. I draw, and a lot of my PDF files are books on the subject matter…so I thought that having a device that would let me read and draw would be great. So, after doing a lot research and gathering the opinions of other artists, I bought an iPad. Yes I have a powerful PC at home with dual LCD monitors and the fantastic Intuos tablet that I do most of my drawing on…but the iPad is a portable way for me to read and draw/conceptualize ideas; and it is easy to export the picture from the iPad to my PC. So, I guess if you are an artist the iPad is not useless. I do admit that the lack of real multitasking is inconvenient at times and it is hard to transfer files to the PC and vice versa. But, all in all I have so far had a great experience with the iPad…
Daniel Porter
Geee this is so stupid and dumbfounded.
1st point:
Almost all (if not all) the big video sites are html5 now. Flash ruins battery life on any portable device like crazy. Not only this, flash makes mobile devices laggy. Further, flash games were not designed to be played on a touch screen, so even if you had flash, flash games are impractically stupid.
2nd point: iOS4.2 within 2 weeks time.
3rd point: You can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a small screen. Why waste more than double precious memory space and cpu power on a mobile device trying to output 1080p which is unnecessarily impractical…
4th point. It’s not cheap. But hey, Apple aren’t known to make cheap products. Everyone knows that
5th point. It’s useless to people who don’t need it but hey, it’s selling faster than the DVD player did… enough said
Apple products were never really known for their featueres list. Always short on features but always the most practical and the one that provides the best user experience. All those decisions made to cut key features are done with good reason.
Spot the Apple fan boy. Pure logic and reasoning is all is needed to know the i-Pad is useless, IF you have other electronic devices. If you don’t already have a smart phone and/or laptop/desktop then maybe you could use it, but there are still way better and more cost effective options. The whole “magical” line and the ads with finger clicking just remind me how gay Apple is; they sell technology to people that don’t know any better.
I have my ipad since june ..and its one of the best purchased ive ever had… No regrets whatsoever. Turning it on and off is a breeze battery life is long. And i use it more than my laptop .. For all of you saying its useless try it first.. Just like oprah said. Its one of the best thing ever created.. TrY comparing it to the laptop when it comes to internet browsing.. And see for yourself. Its really fast and the graphics is really nice and crisp. And now that it come with the multitasking and wireless printing. It just add an icing on the cake…. Dont forget the portability and app store too.. If any of you are thinking of getting it now is the right time..to get it with ios 4.2 Im thinking of getting an iphone but the small screen doesnt get me too excited… Ive had the ipad for almost 6 months now and i dont have any problem with it
I have a friend who is a pretty big apple fanboy, and he bought an ipad some time ago. Long story short, he put it up for sale. Why? Well, at first he had his honeymoon with it. He loved it. But eventually the novelty wore out because he found it not as useful as he could have. He runs a business, and he just found himself using his iphone or imac to do everything his ipad was supposed to do. That’s just the thing. The ipad is a premature, deformed child that’s neither a laptop, a touch-screen phone, or a true tablet device. Apple could have really made something revolutionary, but they cut corners and rely on their image and fanbase to make a profit. Hopefully they will do better second time around. Speaking from facts, the ipad has done nothing to revolutionize technology in our society. Its users will go on about how amazing it is, but that’s mainly their rationalizing for shelling out $500 for it. Of course they wouldn’t think badly of it. If the ipad weren’t a giant ipod touch with extra features, and actually had some non-gimmicky use that couldn’t be found in other devices, maybe then apple will have struck technological gold.
If I ever went insane and bought an i-Pad for whatever they charge here in Australia, then realized how pointless it was, I’d probably still do my best to defend it too, to try to save face. The facts are that Apple is trying to make money so they cut useful features to save on build costs, because they know the fan boys and non tech savvy folk will still buy it because it’s “cool”. The fact you have to pay extra $$ just to get a USB port is a complete joke! (Amongst many other jokes).
Whenever I see an Apple person trying to look cool (e.g., at the airport) I just think to myself… “You sucker.”
I totally agree! However some fans actually believe not only what Steve Jobs says but they actually feel the way he tells the to feel. Its just weird to me.
These people pay extra for a freakin external usb port for god’s sake! A USB PORT!
They now hate flash because back in January flash was supposed to be dying and HTML 5 was supposed to be everywhere. (Definately not the case as of January 2011)
I have seen sites where people try to do presentations with it using Keynote & somewhere in the conversion from Powerpoint, info & slides get lost. (They excuse that)
They say you can get used to using an external cardreader when using ipads strange file system after taking photos. (Again an item that needs to be purchased separately)
They have no idea that by definition “Luxury items come with more, not less”
If I purchase a 2010 Mercedes with less features than a 2007 Toyota I would be an idiot or an ifan.
Most tablets today feature, true multi-task, video out (real video out, not just in certain programs, which is really a strange way to limit!!!?) yet ifans justify & excuse it.
Ipads are NOT compatable with ANY real productivity software & yet some companies are not only jumping on the bandwagon, but are willing to convert their whole software/network system just to work around it. (Which is just dumb)
I find it funny when I see someone in a business suit with an Ipad,
Their thoughts (& I quote from blogs) : Everybody is jealous because I have this beautiful device. When I am on a plane I see others trying to get a peek at it. When in reality some of us are thinking: What an idiot, look at him trying to be professional with his little toy. Oh my what can he do, that most smart phones can’t today, oh thats right nothing more, just a little less. Oh well at least the screen is big & if it makes him feel better about himself then its alright.
Now a true businessman knows that if he has a smartphone (Iphone/Evo etc.) already, then upgrading to a 10 inch phoneless smartpad is a step back to big PDAs. (Such backwards tech) & then there is no camera, which is one of the best features of a less expensive netbook.