What is it with Apple? I'm not going to second guess them again.
This past winter I spent some time working the Christmas season for
a big box store. Yes, we sold lots of iPads, but the biggest seller was
tablets of all sorts. They were the item to buy this past
Christmas.
This market would not be in existence if Apple had not released the
iPad.
So how is my first
generation iPad doing? Just fine, thank you. I still use it for
cruising the Web, watching Netflix and videos I have in my iTunes
Library, and playing Free Cell.
It has replaced my laptop when I go on a day trip, and when I go on
vacation, it is the mobile device I bring. I haven't used it as much
with my camera as I thought I would, but that's maybe because I just
haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately.
Even though iPads are dominating the tablet market - and who are we
mere mortals to question the gods - the drawbacks of the iPad are well
known. And the competitors of the iPod have addressed some of these
drawbacks, like USB support, connectivity without that darned dongle,
and support for an SD Card for something other than photos.
But - and this is my but - I don't see another tablet
manufacturer doing anything more than trying to make another iPad. Why
not take a clean sheet of paper approach? When customers asked me to
explain the difference between a tablet and an entry level computer,
the first thing I mentioned was that a computer had a keyboard. Despite
Apple's belief that the electronic keyboard would satisfy iPad users, I
think that it shorts academic and business users.
You really need a keyboard to do any lengthy typing. Business users
need to write memos and reports; students need to type essays and term
papers. Yes, Apple did not really intend the iPad to take the place of
a laptop, but remember, this is a blank piece of paper exercise. If you
can provide a physical keyboard, your portable device is set to
dominate the education and business markets.
How to accomplish
this? I hate my cellphone, but it has a sliding keyboard that is
designed for texting. Why not use a slider to add a keyboard to a
tablet? It's not ideal, and it's not in the Apple clean design
handbook, but it could move tablets into markets that the iPad and its
imitators are not in and retain that touch screen and size. When you
are done typing, the keyboard slides back under the screen. No separate
keyboard to put away or remember to take with you.
This industry has always been driven by Apple innovation, and
rightly so. But the burden of innovation lies on others. So I urge the
other tablet makers to stop making iPad clones, look forward, and make
the next big thing. You have to swing for the fences.
Maybe my idea is silly or impractical. But why not dream of what
could be? Of course, I'd also put in a USB port, an SD Card reader, and
a replaceable battery. After all, it's my blue sky pipe dream.
