Altan Khendup

One of the most talked about side discussions I have had with many executives, colleagues and friends has been the Apple iPad. Most people I have spoken with agree that overall their expectations were sorely let down. They had very high hopes of Apple coming out with a real game changer.

In my opinion Apple has introduced more an evolutionary device based on a more revolutionary and very quiet success - the Apple iPod Touch. As a recent item illustrates the iPod Touch has been doing fairly well. Almost as well as the Apple iPhone. Some have commented that it is a market of one product with no real competitors nor going after any existing device currently in the market. Interestingly, in spite of many questions about it the iPod Touch has quite the following.

It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to see how the iPad concept could be a success based on the iPod touch. There are some questionable items missing such as a camera among many other items which could be more of a negative than a positive. However it is entirely possible that the same consumers that liked the iPod Touch may in fact really like the iPad as well. Heck even some iPhone users may move over. 

It is also possible that maybe the iPad is just a big Kindle competitor and Apple wants a slice of that pie as well.

Yet one could see a lot of really good potential in a device that has a good display, long battery life, somewhat portable, in settings such as hospitals, schools, manufacturing, chemicals, etc. If it had a camera, throw in augmented reality applications to overlay real time information for such things as a patient condition or damaged shipping box and the iPad could in a generation or two be far more useful than anything Apple has made to date.

In the end I see a lot of potential in the iPad even if I personally think there are a lot of shortcomings in the current generation that leave me wanting. It is the promise of the future that makes this device more appealing. After all, the iPhone had taken 2 generations to get what was called "an absolute necessity" of cut-and-paste. That was 2 years of consumers supposedly "not accepting" the iPhone because of that and many other flaws. However iPhone did quite well. I expect the iPad will too.