Make no mistake, the new iPad will change the face of wireless computing.
Tablets have been around since the mid 90s, but they have never caught on as a mass market product. But the iPad changes everything. Here we finally have a product that bridges the gap between PCs and smart phones.
- It has a large enough screen (10"), enabling books and newspapers to be read online, but it is still small enough to carry around.
- It can carry out all the functions of the PC such as word processing and spreadsheets. You can type via the on onscreen keyboard, but it also has the functionality of a smartphone, enabling you to download apps.
And it is the apps that change everything.
Internet use has traditionally been browser based. But with apps, you can harness the web more effectively as you are using a customised service that runs a lot faster. Many apps can also be used offline. Try using e-bay or reading your web stats on a browser, then try the same thing on an iphone app. The apps win every time.
It is apps more than anything else that have driven the success of the iphone, and it is apps that will drive the success of the iPad as well as expanding the appeal of apps to the mass market.
We have finally reached a point where the web browser (and the traditional PC) may be a thing of the past.
