As the hype heightened, I buckled and pre-ordered one. I have never eaten my words as quickly as the day that I met my iPad. Over the last year, it has become an indispensable part of my life, both at home and work. Competitors scrambled to come up with entrants to this revitalized, “new” tablet-computing category. Hold on, not so fast folks; Apple did the old leapfrog and introduced iPad 2. I believe that most really strong companies with a first mover hit such as the iPad, may have spent a little more time in development of the next gen. Clearly Apple appeared to be thinking several moves ahead. I wouldn’t call the iPad 2 a “forklift” upgrade, but certainly enough of an improvement to likely thwart competitors who thought they were going to chisel away at Apple’s dominant market share position.
I have had a number of people ask me why own a tablet. One point that I want to make very clear is that the iPad platform is truly open to users of all levels. It is easy to use regardless of the user’s level of sophistication. From my perspective, the iPad personalizes the technology experience to the users specific needs / wants. Email is with me, where I am, when I want it. It’s readable, easy to respond to, convenient. Web surfing for whatever piece of information I want whenever, wherever with the same general functionality as I have with my laptop is made possible with the iPad. Applications begin to round out the total experience. Whether it is stock quotes, news, publications, directions, weather, travel information, restaurants, playing games, or watching videos while I work out, I find myself relying on my iPad throughout the course of my day. Reading is another thing I do with my iPad, but I believe that Kindle owners will prefer the Kindle as a reader. That point aside, whatever my particular interest or need might be at various moments throughout the day, my iPad brings it to me. That’s why I own an iPad.
Turning back to the iPad 2, the improvements were noticeable, but my perspective is that this release was more about raining on the onslaught of competitive releases than executing the next vision of the iPad platform. The difference in size is extremely noticeable. There won’t be any photographic awards given for the side by side comparison below, but a close look, with really good eyes will show that the iPad 2 (on the left) is substantially thinner.
Size aside, the most notable improvement that I noticed is the increased speed. The new A5 dual processor is significantly quicker. I did a number of speed tests and the iPad 2 is clearly faster. Applications load faster, graphics load faster, overall performance is noticeably quicker. I haven’t yet had the chance to check out all of the new features in the OS changes offered in 4.3. I have certainly noticed the improved speed of Safari, which is a great improvement. I am adding Apple TV to my set up, because I think the concept of AirPlay is cool and I have wanted to check it out. The ITunes home sharing is the other feature in 4.3 that I think I will find myself using. I am also very excited about having the ability to use Skype, Facetime or other video chat applications now that the iPad has the front and rear facing cameras. I also really like the newly designed Apple cover. The magnetic hinge instantly snaps the cover in place. The automatic sleep / wake feature when the cover is opened and closed is also Apple cool!
There is clearly a fairly large universe of helpless geeks similar to myself that will buy the latest release because of our fanaticism. That factor aside, there likely isn’t a driving reason for original iPad owners to go out and buy the iPad 2. This release is more about building a fortress around their market share and really taking advantage of their first mover position. While Motarola’s Xoom, Samsung’s Galaxy and other emerging products are attractive; I believe there are few compelling reasons for a tablet buyer to buy those products. Is it coincidence that Apple made the iPad 2 announcement just a day or two after the Xoom launched? No, it is classic Apple. The keynote for the launch event left little doubt in my mind that the Apple team has been driven to accelerate the release of the iPad 2 ever since learning about planned entries into the market. Making the product available to ship just over a week after the introduction immediately put a blanket over any noise that Xoom might have created in the market, eliminated comparisons between the iPad and the Xoom, forcing the Xoom to compete against the iPad 2 and reaffirmed for application developers that they should continue to focus their resources on the iPad platform. In the smart phone segment, consumers have to be willing to pay the price to choose iPhone. That isn’t the case in the table segment. The iPad 2 is priced to market and from my perspective, unless you are an Apple hater, iPad is the platform of choice. It’s all about content and Apple is winning the content game by a huge margin!
Speaking of content, I am interested in how you’re using your iPad. What’s your favorite app? Post them or email them!
As I wrap this post, I would like to thank all of you that have emailed and called following my last post. I really enjoyed reconnecting with those of you that I hadn’t communicated with in a while. I continue to vet various investment, mentoring, coaching and advisory opportunities and have enjoyed being introduced to these opportunities. Please keep them coming. I am really excited that winter is almost over. I am super excited for March Madness and even more excited that golf season is just around the corner.
Until the next time – Be Well! Mike
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