Second impressions of the iPad - it’s more desirable than you think

I’ve been consumed by the iPad over the past couple of days. The blogs I read talk about it. The debate rages on whether Apple have missed their mark. The majority of people I follow seem to think so. I disagree.

Here’s my new insight into the iPad:

The desire to master the PC is a compelling reason to buy an iPad. It is a compelling reason for Apple to introduce a new device category and set a new baseline for digital experience.

The iPad does not embody noticeable technological innovations. Sure there is an new Apple chip (instead of Intel) powering it but for consumers this is not a noticeable innovation. The iPad user experience can easily be imagined since the UI and interaction patterns are so similar to the iPhone. The iPhone apps work on it as well. That’s one of the things I liked about the iPad. What’s noteworthy is that the familiar iPhone UI and interaction patterns work of a different sized device, a 10inch touch screen. What’s also noteworthy is that the apps (intended for a small mobile device) are deemed relevant on a device which is likely to remain in the bag when people are mobile.

Image from TechCrunch

What’ really impressive is what Apple has set out to do with the iPad. The iPad lets people become masters of their digital content experience (at home) including digital productivity. Some people have alluded this by saying the iPad is a PC for dummies. Yes, the UI and software come from a mobile device which we know are no PC substitutes. Others would call it “simplifying” the PC experience. But I’d like to borrow Job’s phrase “it just works” to describe the philosophy which is so hard to grasp. On the iPad the range of things you need a PC for from browsing, to email, to gaming, to productivity is are all brought down to a new baseline of ease of use. Everything on the iPad works in the same way, according to the same logic, using the same gestures as on a iPod Touch or iPhone. This is innovative. It is Apple’s attempt to set a new baseline experience for PCs. This experience is intimate and immediate. It is intuitive and casual. And like all Apple products it is tightly controlled through iTunes and the formats Apple chooses to support.

Herein lies the paradigm shift. The iPad is a PC that just works. And because it just works people will feel they are the masters of their digital experience. There’s nothing more compelling than that.