Let me preface this by saying that I love my shiny aluminum iCrap. My laptop, even after three years, remains my favorite computer ever. My iMac screen is wonderfully amazing. I love that my wife has a MacBook Pro that I almost never have to support. My wireless network is powered by an AirPort Extreme and an Express to extend it. My first-gen AppleTV is like an iPod for my stereo. My DVR runs on a Mac Mini.
The iPad has been, from the start, something I never entirely understood. As someone who got an iPhone the day after it became available, I loved it. A similar, larger device, seemed like a weird proposition to me. I thought I'd buy one, but didn't until the second generation came out, and even then, it was mostly out of curiosity. To this day, I don't use it much.
But over time, I started to get it a little. For couch surfing, and other activities that are strictly consumption oriented, it's useful. For people who don't make their living with a computer, I can see the usefulness even more. When I look at how much my in-laws get out of their iPad, it totally makes sense.
However, when I take off my general consumer hat and put my techie hat on, the introduction of a new model with more power and a higher resolution screen, I'm a bit underwhelmed. Considering the number of people who watch only standard definition TV on their HD sets, I think the drool-worthy screen will be lost on most people. Still, the fact that this incremental upgrade has brought down Apple's online store is remarkable. Steve Jobs might be gone, but his reality distortion field lives on.
I think what disappoints me the most is that iOS just isn't evolving. They developed a user experience paradigm, and it hasn't changed much. This is particularly noticeable when I go between my Windows Phone and my iPad. It's still something that's hard to explain to people, but the task-based workflow of WP is progressive and forward thinking to me, while the icon grid just feels old fashioned. With Windows 8 adopting much of the same UX philosophy, I'm hopeful that someone can deliver awesome hardware to match the software, because I'd buy a Windows 8 tablet in a heart beat.
Still, I'm a huge fan of Apple's industrial design. I'm still hoping that the rumors about a 15" MacBook Air, with a high resolution screen, are true. That's something I'd be all over.
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