Let’s be honest; there were two thoughts we all had at the end of the iPad unveiling:
- “I can’t get over how much it sounds like a feminine hygiene product!” and
- “It’s really just a big iPod Touch…”
I can’t help you with the first thought, but let’s talk about the second.
Is the iPad really just a big iPod Touch?
Yes. But that’s really not a bad thing like many people are making it out to be. The iPhone and iPod Touch have been phenomenally successful, with hundreds of thousands of applications in dozens of genres that will run on the new iPad as soon as it’s shipped. Find me another platform that has launched with that kind of support and momentum.
Also, the iPad isn’t priced that much higher than either of its ancestors, and is comparable in cost with netbooks and competing e-readers. What’s that? The iPad only costs about as much as a device that only lets me read books? That’s right! And you can do all of these other great things on your iPad:
- Play games
- Surf the web
- Listen to music
- Watch movies
- Write documents and presentations
- Just about anything else* that can be done on a netbook, laptop, or desktop computer
*For a list of things the iPad doesn’t do very well, see this article on CNET.
For those of you who are more visual, here’s a very telling infographic comparing the iPad to six other e-readers. Maybe that will sway you a bit. What do you say? Take this quick poll: