Thread: iPad 2
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AirKuhl AirKuhl is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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I think the iPad 2 is very interesting, but not for the reasons Apple does.

When the iPad was launched, it truly was a revolutionary product. Tablets have been around for 10 years and have sucked. Then Apple figures it out and promptly makes $10 Billion on the thing, despite all the self-proclaimed techie authorities decrying it as a huge, expensive iPod Touch, or an iPhone that can't make calls or fit in your pocket.

Apple caught the entire industry flat footed, had at least a one year head start, leveraged and expanded a massive eco-system designed to keep you in the Apple family, and more R&D $$$ than everyone else put together.

Now a year has gone by. And suddenly, the iPad 2 (which is definitely cool and way better than the original iPad in every possible way) is probably still the most polished and complete tablet out there, but barely. The Xoom, Galaxy Tab 10.1, G-Slate, Notion Ink Adam and a few others are almost as good and even better in some ways. Apple's insurmountable advantage has evaporated in just 12 months.

IMO, we're going to see an army of crappy Android products over the next 2 years. But then most of them will drop out, leaving a few really good designs from companies that "get it". The Google OS's will keep getting better, the Android Market will become easy to use and ubiquitous, there will be room for premium specialization like Tegra Zone for high-end systems.

In other words, the Tablet/Superphone market will become the PC market. 20% shiny, easy to use, well designed toys from Apple, 20% high end techie-friendly performance systems, and 60% mainstream low-price appliances for the people that buy their technology at Costco.
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