(Background: In the real world, I design web-based software systems, and use a powerful desktop system with multiple flat-panel displays, an ergonomic keyboard, and fast multi-core processors. But when I'm computing for pleasure, the iPad is my most-used device. It's fantastic for web surfing, catching up on e-mail, watching video, listening to music, reading books and magazines, browsing photos, tweeting, facebooking, and looking up information from Wikipedia, IMDB, or other sources.)
I've been pleasantly surprised by the capabilities my iPad has gained from the plethora of apps I've downloaded from the App Store. Every week or so I find a new app that really grabs my attention and becomes part of my regular usage.
Since I've had my iPad, I've noticed a parade of competing tablets that are trying to compete, with little or no success. From the Samsung Galaxy Tab to the RIM PlayBook to the Motorola XOOM, I've read about these competing products, but I've not seriously considered any of them. The XOOM is the first one that I thought might actually have a chance to get some traction, but now I have my doubts.
Why? The iPad 2.
In the tablet arena, I honestly don't think it's about specs, but about capability. Most users don't care about RAM, or processor cores, or screen resolution. They want to listen to music, or watch movies, or surf the web, or write a letter, or create music. For them, Apple's seamless ecosystem and vast selection of apps trumps any sort of specsmanship that Motorola or Samsung could play.
But some users focus on specs. (Witness the megapixel race in compact cameras of a couple of years ago.) And some product marketers target these folks with specs that sound great on paper, even though they may or many not actually result in a better experience for the end user.
But the iPad 2 addresses the specsmanship, too. Dual-core processor? Check. Front and rear cameras? Check. In theory, a salesman could tout one of the other tablet's specs as being superior to the iPad's... but now that advantage has gone away.
As an iPad user, I see little reason to upgrade to the iPad 2. The camera would be nice for videoconferencing, and faster is always better. But my iPad is such a superb tool as it is that these hardware improvements don't draw me in.
But if I were shopping for a new tablet, there's even less reason to consider a competitor. As I see it, here are the advantages for the different platforms:
iPad 2
- Widest range of apps
- Widest range of music
- Widest range of video
- Best design
- Best construction
- Best price
- Best support
XOOM
- Open source. That should generate a lot of apps, right?
PlayBook
- Ummm...
In short, I don't think the iPad 2 is a compelling upgrade if you've already got an iPad. But if you're considering a tablet, Apple has taken away almost every competitive advantage that the other tablets had. Before any of the competing tablets got any traction at all, Apple cut them off at the knees with the iPad 2.
Due to this situation, I'd be surprised if any competitor could crack double-digit market share in tablets by the end of the year. Time will tell if this prediction is correct.
