kenny herman's day off

My immediate reaction to the Apple Tablet conference; (click below)

Pros:

• Price point ($499 for the base tablet + $130 for 3G connectivity)
• $29.99 for unlimited 3G data w/o a contract
• Existing iPhone application integration
• Physically: light (1.5lbs) and sleek (a half inch thick)
• Intuitive user interface

Cons:

• Boring, unoriginal name.  Was hoping for a new product line / image; very much liked the name “Slice”.
• AT&T service has been awful on my iPhone.  Was hoping praying for some form of Verizon partnership.
• A webcam would’ve been nice- even if it were just on the higher end or premium models.  I’m a big fan of Skype and Google Video Chat.
• Most importantly: I still can’t wrap my head around why, today, a consumer would purchase this device?

Overall:

In short, I probably won’t buy one.

I’m sure the iPad is going to be a great product, and I’m sure that it’ll sell well - but as of now, I just can’t figure out what to do with it?  It’s not a portable media player.  With an iPhone for portable music, multiple large HDTV screens in my apartment to watch professional quality video (TV/movies), and a laptop which docks into dual 24” monitors to consume online video content as well as websites/text,  I can’t justify purchasing a device that marginalizes all of the positive qualities I seek in each individual media experience.

The iPad’s significance revolves around the introduction of text (books, magazines, newspaper) to their iTunes marketplace.  This is a huge opportunity for Apple to tap into an additional stream of microtransactional revenue- however, I think they may have missed the early adopter boat.  Those who’ve already purchased the Kindle or Sony Reader most likely already own a laptop and web enabled smartphone,  thus have little motivation to spend an additional $5-800 on a product that will most likely be updated and/or replaced by Apple within 12 months.

This product, in the short term, is really only handy for the tech-geek business traveler  looking to upgrade from an older secondary personal laptop, doesn’t own an eReader, is actively looking to consume text/video while on the road, and has a fair amount of discretionary income.

Long term for Apple?  Huge win when the application development and media catch up.  Today, for the consumer?  No reason to camp out at the 57th street Apple Store.  Again.