The iPad Offers A Glimpse Of The Future

I was one of those people initially disappointed by the iPad announcement.

But in retrospect this was because of my expectations. I wanted a device that could replace a laptop. Apple unveiled a new category. The iPad may not have met my old expectations but it has created a slew of new ones. I have reversed my original disappointment because while in the kitchen I saw the future of the iPad.

But first, in how many science fictions shows and movies has there been a computing interface on the wall that served as an electronic "gatekeeper"? The iPad is that Sci-Fi device - here with us today.

Because in the kitchen I needed to reference my recipe files that I have stored online. An iPad could have done this. While I was cooking I needed to make notes of pantry items we were low on. An iPad could have done this. While I was waiting for the food to cook I wanted to chat with my sister. At some point, an iPad will offer this hands-free video chat ability.

Then it hit me. An iPad could serve as an unlimited cookbook archive, my grocery list making machine, and my mood music as I cooked.

And if the iPad gets voice commands and a web cam then it will be a device I will buy to serve in the kitchen, by the treadmill, and in my backpack. All the third places where I have needed something more than an iPhone and less than a MacBook.

Because when I think about it, a lot of my friends have both a television and a laptop in their kitchens. But to me, the iPad is a more compelling device than that solution. And then I started to think more about the iPad's potential market which is any place where there are magazines, televisions, and even dumb computing terminals.

Examples include:
-fitness clubs
-salons and any place with a waiting room
-medical offices (used by both the doctors and the waiting patients)

Furthermore, what could be really huge is if Apple could get manufacturers to add docks to their equipment. Imagine if exercise manufacturers added an iPad cradle to treadmills and exercise bikes? If kitchen appliance makers embedded an iPad dock in a refrigerator? If libraries replaced all of their card catalog replacement desktop computers with energy efficient iPads? Etc.

The iPad will be huge and will have the same acceptance trajectory as the iPod. Slow until people started to "get it".

P.S. Hey Apple, why not call it the new iBook instead of the iPad? That sounds much better even though I understand you can't use the name of an old product if you're trying to create a new category.