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5 reasons why i won’t be buying an ipad

by Phil Barrett

The Jesus tablet has been revealed and the product hasn’t lived up to its hype.  I’m intrigued by the device, but it’s not really a great mobile device – nor is it a great netbook. In fact, it’s not really even a tablet as we’ve defined them.

It’s essentially a large ipod – or a Kindle on steroids.

Here are 5 reasons why i won’t be buying the first version:

  1. Poor resolution – 1024 resolution is a major disappointment. You can’t watch full high definition video.
  2. No Camera – most laptops now come with a camera for things like skype calls and making raw videos. 80% of all new mobile devices also come with a camera…. So not including one with the ipad was odd and a major miss. You also can’t access external content from outdoor media and printed magazines that are increasingly coming with 2d (or QR) codes and AR codes. No camera also limits potential gaming applications.
  3. No GPS – along with no camera, having no GPS means you can’t use the device for navigation or for any of your geo-social media apps – like foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp. The future of digital media is going to be location driven – so why make the ultimate media device already irrelevant? Now I have to carry around my mobile phone and the tablet. No GPS also means Apps such as Layar that leverages augmented reality to add data to your view will also be restricted to your mobile device. Outside of layer, how useful is google maps without GPS on a mobile device?
  4. No flash support – so many websites that you’ll now be able to enjoy on a larger screen will have lots of broken buttons. I know that flash is dead (or dying), but many sites including the new york times integrate flash elements to enhance the browsing experience. I’m sure site designed for the mobile web (even the iphone mobile web) will look great – but on a screen that stretches nearly 10 inches, I’d want the full web experience.
  5. No expandable storage or USB port – so that means I’ll need to carry my netbook or laptop in addition to my iphone along with the ipad. That’s too many devices for even me to carry around

Don’t get me wrong – the device looks beautiful and the user experience will be typically amazing as Apple always puts a premium on it; however, it fails as a true tablet device and even at its attractive price point, I will wait at least until the second generation of the device to appear (likely next year) before I consider picking one up – or at least paying for one out of my own pocket :)

  • In regards to my flash is dying comment - that goes to the fact that today's sites / digital strategies are more about syndication - creating content and experiences that travel across channels vs. sticky old "flash" sites that do not travel well. Flash is not good for SEO and it does not work on mobile (yet).

    Creating flash movies that play on YouTube is different - because they will transcode the video for you to play on mobile and other platforms in non-flash formats.

    Steve - you're probably right, i may have to buy one but i promise it will be for research purposes only. I definitely won't enjoy it admit that i like until the 2nd or 3rd generation :)
  • Come on Phil! We might have to play for one on the golf course this summer. You won't last a year without one once I show you it :).

    All fair points my friend, but I think there is something else coming down the pipe from Mr. Apple. I do not think you are the target audience for this device either. There will be lots of Applelove for this one from less tech savvy users.
  • "I know that flash is dead (or dying)..." Huh? What do you know that the rest of us don't know, Phil? Have you seen statistics that support this? That's not a sarcastic jab. As someone who produces videos for my blog and uploads them to YouTube, I'm genuinely interested.
  • Thank you for all the great posts from last year! I look forward to reading your blog, because they are always full of information that I can put to use. Thank you again, and God bless you in 2010.
  • Couldn't agree with you more, and I don't get the form factor. It's not something I can see myself lugging around.

    But, I am also thinking of it this way, too:
    first generation iPad = first generation iPhone

    In other words, I may not get it now, but I also recognize that Apple is looking forward to where things will be in 2-3 years time. The possibilities for such a device are both intriguing and exciting (think education, retail and hospitality).

    I expect them to fix the issues you (and others) mention, as well as drop in a few easter eggs along the way that no one expected.
  • sj_walker
    I agree 100% along with the ridiculous name - remember the ipad skit they did on madtv years ago? You'd think they would forecast negative reactions and I'm sure apple doesn't have any restrictions with a thing I like to call "consumer research". I'm disappointed to say the least :(
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