Thread: What does Apple need to do to make the ipad a success?

This is to be a continuation of the dated thread on what will Apple announce on the 27th?

Let me start by saying, based on all the blogs on the subject, it likely boils down to:

1. Flash support
2. Camera for skype video ( as opposed to a high res device to be a good digital still or video camcorder.) In otherwords, it doesn't need to be a high quality camera.
3. True multitasking.

4. And most important, Apple needs to hype the heck out of it in a massive ad campaign.

I think it success more depends on iTunes. If they are successful in a subscription model for newspapers, magazines, books, etc, they could have a nice reader.

Flash and multitasking are going to be needed for a great success. There is just too much web content that does not work without flash.

A camera would have made it a great phone. It might really have made video phones common. Video skype on a tablet would make it much more used.

Steve is pretty anti Flash right now. I think if Flash makes it to the iPad (and iPhone) Adobe is going to have to work pretty hard to get it in shape for his approval. I hope they can work it out.

I agree that it needs multitasking and a camera.

Can't wait to get one!!

I don't think flash will ever make it to the iPad. Jobs burned the bridges.
Apple must be really desperate to backpedal on this. The rest will happen, sooner or later.

Diogen.

All it needs is an Apple on the back of it and it will convert enough ipod/iphone users to pick one up and be called a success. They'll start adding some of those other features in the next iterations so they can charge people for another and/or a software update like they've been doing with ipods for a couple years now.

The ipad is a sexy gadget, but I am not sure we'll ever own one, it's trying to make a new platform (really just extending the itouch platform to tablet PCs) rather than replace netbooks/tablet PCs. Outside of the initial Apple faithful, I think it's going to need a lot of help and probably a couple of rounds of price cuts.

Related, my wife went to update my ipod touch for the first time since she started using it earlier this year because itunes prompted her to do so. When it asked her to pay $5, she put it in a drawer and reloaded all of her songs back onto her Creative Zen.

I haven't put my hands on one.

I'm not completely familiar with one.

Yet, I'm tempted to say, from what little I know, that success would involve burning butter and bowing to the east.

Except, as meStevo has pointed out, it has the word "Apple" on it, and that "almost" guarantees success.

Never mind the Newton.

I'm sure there's already tons of Apple fanboy's planning to buy one the day they become available to buy just cause it's made by Apple.
They'll tell 2 geeks they can't live without one , they'll tell 2 geeks, and so on, and so on, and so on.

It will be a success as Apple does put things like this out with the right infrastructure behind it. ie; the 140K+ apps already there, plus the new ones that will be there the day it ships. And if it follows the path the iPhone/iPod Touch has, it will be selling to a hell of a lot more than Apple fanbois.

You are of course, free to disagree. We'll see pretty soon now.

Flash and multitasking are glaring in their absense. I'd also say a usb port would make this more appealing by adding a level of versatility that is currently lacking.

I am intrigued by the eBook store. As a current Kindle owner, I hope the competition will drive the price down and open up the market to more consumers. I'm not convinced that an LCD screen is the best viewing option out there. Eye strain with my Kindle is a non-issue, but I imagine this will be like being in front of any other computer monitor.

Bottom line, I was expecting more than what was unveiled. If later iterations contain improvements, I'll give them a look. In it's current form, it's a clear pass for me.