This is the future.

I’ve followed other trends that led into dead ends and I have become a late adopter for it, and I think you’re absolutely right to consider it outside of instant buy threshold. While it does so many things well, it still has serious shortcomings when compared to either the iphone or a laptop in terms of (perceived) usability. Given time, these will be remedied, and when that happens, iPad and possibly iPad-alikes will become the new way we do casual computing. It may well replace other interfaces to serious computing, as in controlling a PC with it instead of keyboard, mouse, drawing pad (Optimus eat your heart out), or even get the remote video output to compensate for it’s lack of horsepower.

This type of device will become the new window, the new human – machine interface for many things we do differently today. I can totally see it replacing laptops 80% of the time, and a phone (with 3G) another 60%. After all, if everybody interfaces this way, what’s stopping us from using twitter, IM and collaboration tools as main communication tools instead of text messages / emails and skype instead of voice calls?

Apple did it with the iPhone for the mobile internet and phone world, and they’re doing it again for casual computing. They’re revolutionising the way we think about and use technology. I can’t wait to see what the competition will bring to the table, but Apple is clearly the big dog in the house.

Thanks for the great article Mike and sorry for the rant.

In the interest of full disclosure: I have a bar-shaped non-touch mobile and a Vista Laptop. Both are made by Samsung. So there.

You mentioned Google’s Droid, that certainly is an up and comer in the mobile game. But don’t rule out Windows 7 Mobile. I am personally excited about it but unlike the average consumer, I have had fun making and playing my own games on the Zune so the familiar interface and ability to bring my zune marketplace to a single device would be awesome.

Don’t be afraid to wish Windows 7 Mobile the best of luck and success! Apple is not going to go out of business with more competition and as you already pointed out the end result will be a lower price, next generation iPhone for you. Give me my Zune Phone! (Since I am obviously not going to win an iPod or iPhone from Mikes graphics contests anytime soon!)

“When the iPhone came out, I would have paid $1000 for it. I still would, to be honest.”

Of course, with service and subsidies, you are. The iPhone has an average $2,838 total cost of ownership after two years[1].

We can throw some present value calculations in there (as we could for other-John’s claim, too), but thought I should point that out.

[1] http://www.billshrink.com/blog/iphone-versus-palm-pre-versus-android/

You’re assuming that enough software improvements, and the right kind of improvements (for Mike) will come out in a year’s time.

You’re assuming that Mike “using” the device for an additional six months – by buying it *right now* – is at all worthwhile when Mike’s already said that there’s not enough “use” in the darned thing *right now.*

Lot of assumptions there.

So by delaying your purchase, you’re not actually saving money.

You can have it for $499 now or $499 six months from now. The difference is, choosing the first option lets you use for an additional six months.

I’m also interested in the idea of a computer built specifically for consumption, as opposed to consumption AND production like everything we have now. StevenF’s article, which you link above, does a good job exploring the potentials here.

Maybe a netbook hackintosh for $250 ;-) which I did do over christmas. But as you said that is down around the electronic toy threshold.

Loads of people have asked me what I thought about iPad and I’ve been a little flippant and said… I’m not the demo… it’s for amateurs and I’m a pro. ;-) but then explain further basically what you’ve summed up here.

Maybe I will just send people this link now to save me some time. Thanks Mike!