Apple Tablet – Trash or Treasure

The debate over whether an Apple Tablet would be a hit, or not, is beginning to heat up and should escalate over the next 3-9 months, depending upon when it hits the market. Michael Scalisi wrote in PC World that an Apple Tablet would be a train wreck for the following reasons:

• Form Factor: tablet form factor is not good for watching video since it lies flat
• Virtual Keyboard: takes up too much screen real estate on 10″ display and sacrifices the screen protection of a physical keyboard
• OS: iPhone OS is great for a phone but has limitations on a larger device; iPhone apps are designed for the 3.5″ screen and won’t translate well to a larger device
• Wireless Broadband: bundling it with wireless broadband would make the monthly cost too high

Scalisi concludes that such a device would need a “killer twist” to succeed, which, he notes, wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen that from Apple.

On the other side of the debate is Jason Schwarz, who wrote in Seeking Alpha that Apple’s iTouch Tablet Will Become its Flagship Product, citing the following reasons:

• The Ultimate App Machine: Jobs says he’s never seen anything like the success of the Apple App Store and Schwarz says the iPhone wasn’t designed to be the ultimate app machine – it’s too small.
• Mobile High Speed Connectivity: the ability to have a non-phone device with wireless broadband wasn’t available until now. Schwarz thinks an Apple tablet with the likes of a new MiFi peronsal, portable, hotspot (with wireless contract) and an Apple tablet would be killer and a much better attempt than the current netbook “fad” and the one-dimensional Amazon Kindle.
• Free Communication: the trend is toward free communication over the internet and away from wireless carriers. Apple can deliver this with iChat and a built-in camera and mic.
• No Carrier Exclusivity: the exclusivity on the iPhone hurt Apple and this device would have flexible connectivity, including wi-fi, of course.

Ultimately, I think that Scharz is closer to the mark in thinking that an Apple Table would become Apple’s flagship product.  The core question seems to come down to weighing its beneftis as a web browsing, app and media device (all of which would significantly expand upon the iPhone) vs. its limitations of not having a physical keyboard or fully robust operating system and being too large for complete portability. The reason the benefits should far outweigh the limitations can be explained by changing usage habits. Specifically, smartphones (initally Blackberry and now the iPhone) have become such good productivity tools that, short of heavy business users, people are increasingly comfortable traveling without their laptops. An Apple Tablet would negate the need for a laptop and households would only need smartphones, an Apple Tablet, or two, and a desktop or desktop replacement laptop.

It will be fun to see the speculation and debate mount over the coming months – enjoy!

Advertisement