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Waking up this morning I finally got to re-live that feeling you get when you're a kid, when the presents, or the family vacation was about to begin.  As a geek, the launch of a new Apple product can be just like <insert generic religious holiday here>, so today was always going to be fun with the promise of a new device revolution.

There are a lot of negatives when it comes to the launch of new hardware products and living in Australia.  The main one is that we only seem to ever get access to a small percentage, and it's normally months after the North American launch.  I guess you could look at that and say that means that we only get the successful devices. 

Having the time to analyse and access the real world use of a new device/platform is a plus that in some instances can make up for the delays in access.  But when it comes to Apple products I have to admit to a pang of jealousy after a launch.

Three am this morning, Apple and Steve Jobs launched the iPad, dispelling all the rumours and innuendo of the last few months, if not last three years.  Gdgt.com describes it as:

"The iPad is a tablet computer announced by Apple on January 27, 2010. It is 0.5-inches thick, weighs 1.5 pounds, and features a 9.7-inch IPS capacitive multitouch display. It is powered by a proprietary 1GHz processor, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and is available in 16, 32, or 64GB flash storage capacities. Additional specs include an accelerometer, compass, speaker, mic, 30-pin Apple dock connector, and 10-hour built-in battery."

Apple doesn't so much describe the iPad, as describe the missing link in personal, and mobile computing. "Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price."

But being in Oz means that we are a little way out of the "Reality distortion field", so lets take a look at the details and what they will mean in the real world.

Is this a tablet computer?

The new Apple product was supposed to be a tablet computer.  So much so was the hype that the rest of the industry was racing to get their tablet computers out first.  Microsoft was pushing Windows 7 tablet power at CES at the start of the month, probably in the hope of remaining relevant with whatever Apple was going to do.

But is this a tablet computer? Or is it a bigger iPod Touch? Or is this a new platform altogether? These are the important question that will be debated for some time to come.

I don't think that this is a tablet in the way we have been used to a tablet.  Much in the same way as the iPhone was not a smartphone as we had previously known them..  Here, with the iPad platform, we are going to have a device that will offer the tablet experience in a new way.  Just like the way the iPhone gave a new experience to the smartphone.

So yes, we can say this is just a rinse, repeat of the iPhone model, but if Apple can fix the tablet the way they fixed the smartphone, I'll be first in line.  Not that I think I have any need for this style of computing.

Is there a need for the iPad or tablet style computing?

When I think of the tablet style of computing, I think of fail.  As I guess most in the hands-on IT community do.  The Windows based tablet PC's seemed to be always a Windows PC with hardware tacked on, or vice-versa.  The touchscreen feature in laptops was really just a feature like a built-in web cam.  Nice if you had a use for it, but for most it is just a feature that is there "just in case".

The true tablet PC's with no keyboard were a real problem because the Windows OS is designed to work with a keyboard and mouse, enough said I think.  Of course I haven't played with any of the new offerings pre-empting the iPad release, but from a far, the philosophies don't seemed to have changed.

The iPad seems to be pitched at a number of emerging markets.  The launch showed how the iPad could be a Ebook reader, a News reader, a web surfing device, a portable gaming device, a music and video device, a email device, and a GPS device.  There was also the iWork Apple office suite, and of course, the Apps store.

So more than a tablet, the iPad is set to be a personal computing device, a personal media and information device, with a interface that is possibly going to change the face of the computing industry. 

Not that I'm going to go into it much here, but just think what the uses and importance of a working, secure, reliable and easy to use tablet will do for other industries.  We may be thinking about photos and twitter, but think about the iPad uses in medicine, manufacturing, government, and ordering at McDonald's when the registers are full.

What is interesting about the spec's?

I'm normally not a huge fan of specifications of devices, when it comes to Apple, mainly because they upgrade and change so often.  Also because Apple tend to support a long way out (take the iPhone OS example).  As I noted before, it looks as though the iPad will follow the iPhone model, so we will probably see OLED models, bigger memory models, and maybe a camera over the next couple of years.  So I'm more concerned with the software, but then again Apple have redefined the way of adding value to their software as well.

Should we be all that concerned about the spec's at this stage?  I'm very interested in the processor that is powering the iPad.  Apple have put a 1GHz Apple A4, their own custom chip. At this stage there is little known about this, but if the 10 hours of battery life can be believed, the A4 could be an important piece of tech going forward.

There has been rumours for some time about Apple buying up and working with chip manufacturers, and I guess this shows us why.  It shows that Apples vision for the iPad, and possibly computing, is strong.  They feel that they have the pulse of the market, or can obtain the pulse, and that their ecosystem is big enough to keep the market. This may sound like a bad thing, but hey, if everything works, is straightforward and easy to use, what more do you need?

Why not OSX?

In many discussions I have had on or around the coming of the iPad, remembering that I don't really want a tablet, all revolved around the need for the device to have a full OS.  A OSX (Apple desktop OS) rather than the iPhone OS.  I kind of felt that the tablet should replace the netbook/laptop in the scheme of things.  I didn't really see much of a point to a larger iPod Touch, mainly because of how locked down the system is.

I thought, and until I get to play with a iPad still do think, that for a tablet to work it would need to have the depth and flexibility of a laptop.  I love my iPhone but I don't need my phone to have depth or flexibility, I need my phone to work and have a interface that makes that happen. The fact that the iPhone does offer a lot of that depth and flexibility is a bonus.

Apple made the case for the platform chosen in the launch, with the slide pointing out that "Over 75 million people know how to use iPad" with a picture of the iPod Touch and the iPhone.  If you have had the experience of introducing the iPhone to friends or family and had them lock-on to the interface and start doing things on the device almost instantly, then you know why Apple probably went this way with the iPad.  My 3 year old daughter loves picking it up and showing everyone photos and videos, and she isn't using a mouse yet.

My problem will be with how files work on the device.  Can you just move files around like documents so that working on them isn't a problem? Will I be able to use Google Docs? Will there be syncing with other services like Dropbox, and then the ability to work on those files?  Where is iLife?

Do I get an App Store with that?

I write a bit about the importance of the ecosystem in the modern technology landscape, and really, Apple are the masters of the ecosystem.  Probably another reason to run with the iPhone OS on the iPad was the existing App store and the ecosystem of user and developers.  Add to that the new iBookstore for the iPad, Apple is going to create a space where the content creators can all play nice and make some money.

The model is a win-win for the content creators as they can have access to a locked down market place, with users ready to pay for their content.  The users will start to get the access and convenience they have been wanting, and I'm sure the price will be reasonable.

If you look at iTunes now with music, movies, and TV if you're a iPod or iPhone user, there is little reason to go anywhere else.  For goodness sake, they have "Yes Minister" and "Miami Vice" ready to download.

The Australian angle

So what does the iPad mean to Aussies?  If you're a fanboy/girl there will be rejoicing.  Apple are sticking with a formula that has worked, and thus one that will work here.  Even though, as of this writing, there is no release dates for Australia, the fact that there is a WiFi only version means that there is no problems with carriers to be worked out.  The fact that there is a 3G version coming means that it is compatible with the major carriers here, so there won't be any reason we can't have one.

The WiFi only model will be fine if you're not looking to take it far from home or work, but outside of that, we Aussies may be in trouble.  Although some of the major metro areas are a little better, WiFi coverage is still not good enough to make the WiFi only version a useful cloud computing device.  So we may be waiting for the already cautious Telco's here in Australia to come up with some reasonable data plans for the 3G version.

As for the ecosystem, we already have most of it in iTunes, and Apple just needs to roll it out in software updates.  But here is where things can come to a screeching halt, the book and newspaper content.  Publishers really suck at getting things worked out when it comes to access to content and different countries.  If you use services like Audible.com you may have come across not being able to access a book because the service doesn't have the rights to sell it in your country.

My fear is that Apple, being the perfectionists they are, will delay the roll-out to other countries until they have all the local publishers on-board. 

Am I getting one?

I am in the market for a netbook/laptop, and have been eyeing off the 13 inch MacBook.  So at this stage in the game, who can say, many of the folk at the launch like the device and say that once you play with it, you see the point of it.  Over the last couple of days my wife has been talking about the rumours, and how she could see a use for a decent eBook reader.  So I guess that once we can get our hands on one it might be a yes.

I could see us having one for the house for newspapers and browsing and books.  But until we can get it, and see the local pricing will be, the jury is still out.

Jason Remnant

...if it ain't Broken, pick a silly name and change the playing field again.