Diary of a Mad Editor

So the iPad is finally here. 300000 units sold over the weekend (most of them pre-orders) and the post-release reviews are pretty much the same as the pre-release reviews. To paraphrase the President, the sky hasn’t fallen — Armageddon isn’t upon us. No, what the iPad is remains what it seemed to be: a slightly more functional iPod touch/iPhone. A device for the casual consumption of media. Video. Web Browsing. Music. And games for non-gamers. Not a device for getting real work done. And as an eBook reader, not really a device for hardcore, prolific readers. Not a salvation for publishers. Not a Amazon killer.

Who Will Buy It?

1. Apple fanboys — yes, if you love Apple products, this is a toy for you. Although, my niece, who will buy just about any new tech toy and is usually an Apple fangirl, is not interested in it. "What’s the point?" she says.

2. People who would normally buy a netbook, but don’t have much use for more powerful computer devices, who have a decent income (because the device itself runs between $500-$900, not to mention the annual cost of 3G wireless and buying Apps, iTunes, iBooks, etc.) On a side note, I had a bit of a chuckle recently watching a woman trying out the iPad — the perfect candidate for one of these devices, and she couldn’t operate the things. Epic fail trying to figure out the controls on the game she played. Also, she didn’t strike me as a big reader of books, much less eBooks and she couldn’t type on that virtual keyboard for shit (you could argue that maybe she needed a new pair of eyeglasses, but it’s much more likely, that the virtual keyboard is a poor, poor substitute for a real keyboard).

3. People who buy anything that’s new

Yes, if you’re one of those who likes keeping up with the Joneses, this device is for you. It looks cool. Lots of eye candy.

I suspect one of the problems Apple will face going forward is that Apple is now competing with itself. Apple also has to watch out for outside competition and hope that other eReaders don’t have a major drop in price anytime soon. Time will tell.