by News Editor
L. Sutherland
L. Sutherland
The Mac hype reached a crescendo yesterday as digital visionary Steve Jobs unveiled the latest runner in Apple's stable - the iPad. The new tech gadget racing for our affections is a lot like the rumours suggested it would be; a tablet type design - half an inch thick - and resembling a giant iPhone. And, unsurprisingly, it has been greeted with a mixed reception.
This is unlikely to dent the confidence of Apple's co-founder and CEO Jobs though, who announced the iPad as a "revolutionary product". According to the Financial Times, Jobs explained the multiple uses the device offers, including e-mail and internet browsing as well as the anticipated e-book and video capacities.
He qualified these functions by adding: "If there's going to be a third category it has to be better at these tasks, otherwise it has no reason for being." And here he's hit the nail on the head - these functions are all available elsewhere, and the only way the iPad can compete with them is to offer a smoother and far superior interactive experience. Luckily for the Apple brand, this is one of the things it is best known for - but will it be enough to see people parting with cold hard cash?
The iPod and later the iPhone were game changers, but it seems less likely that the iPad will be achieve the same effect. But seeing as Mr Jobs revealed that Apple's total revenues from mobile gear - including its iPod and iPhone lines - were now greater than Nokia's, and that he now considers the company a mobile one, it's clear the direction the brand is taking. News that the company has enjoyed a 50 per cent profit increase and the leak it was in talks with mobile companies prior to the event only cement this likelihood. Apple is also in discussion to try to secure bundles from film and TV studios, although none had been confirmed at the time of the expo.
The iPad makes sense in an evolutionary capacity, filling the missing gap in a technological cycle. Whether it will fill a missing gap in people's lives is another question.
