January, the first month of the new year 2010, is almost over and only just now did I decide to write an entry in this here old and neglected blog. It's too late to share my resolutions, and let's be honest, it's not really relevant.

Last Wednesday though, January 27th of the year 2010, Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's latest creation: the iPad. If I didn't know any better and somebody just told me about it instead of reading it, I would've corrected them that they would have to drop their jaw when saying iPod.

It took a major Apple event to make me get up off my ass and rant, or ramble, about it. Right.

Anyway, Apple really didn't release a new device, or didn't really highlight what they actually released. The iPad is proof-of-concept. I mean, why would you NEED a device that basically does what your iPhone or iPod Touch, or any smartphone can already do? Exactly. The practicality of it all is that you WANT one simply because it has that used fruit as a logo. It's for the fuckin' status quo.

The iPad's features aren't really groundbreaking since all of its features can be found on ANY smartphone, and then some.

Feature-wise, read on...

Surf on the web while sitting on the living room couch via WiFi? Of course, but my phone can also do that.

Play videos? Of course. But from the web? Not the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. But my phone can.

Display pictures? You bet it can. Take pictures? Err...

Read e-books? Well, that's really the point of the iPad. BUT, my phone can also do that. iBooks store? <del>Why pay for something when you can get things for free?</del> Okay.

Play music? Please.

Two-way video conferencing? Only incoming, I think. So it can prevent you from broadcasting...inappropriate...acts.

Multi-tasking? Are you kidding?

"It's a big iPhone, but it's not a big iPhone." - iLounge

It's more like a big iPod Touch. It still doesn't, and I think will never, support multitasking.

So basically, my phone can do what the iPad can. And on top of all this, I can make calls with it. Also, I don't have to look like an ass when making VOIP calls with my phone, which is pretty impossible to do on the iPad.

So, what can the iPad do that my phone can't? Work stuff. Typically something my computer already does. And be serious. Are you really going to do work stuff on that thing? Really?

That was rhetorical, by the way.

So essentially, the iPad does what your existing gadgets already do.

Say it with me: The iPad does what your existing gadgets already do.

In a setting like my house, it really isn't practical; especially if you have kids in the house. So you sit on your couch with the iPad in hand. You want to visit some website or read an e-book. Great. Then your kid comes along, sees you with the iPad, and then jumps on you. Would you be able to drop your iPad anywhere? Really? Put it down in some dusty old counter or tabletop, eventually scratching your "precious" little gadget?

It's for the affluent, those that have the extra cash in this recessed economic times. The USD 499 starting price point? Please. An iPod Touch is cheaper. With more storage.

And if you're really pinching your penny, a netbook is still far more practical than an iPad. You want to read e-books on your netbook but the screen size is too small? Most e-book reader software has a rotate feature. Use that. Then rotate the netbook 90 degrees. There's your e-book reader. A little too heavy? Why? Is an old, 300-page hardcover of any... Twilight book *shudder* light as a feather? I thought so.

So what did Apple launch?

It's the new Apple A4 chip that clocks in at 1GHz, a processor that can be compared to one of those processors powering some of the high-end smartphones. Smartphones? Oh yeah. That Apple A4 chip will soon power the next generation of the iPhone (and maybe the iPod Touch). The reason: this low power chip that competes directly with Intel, AMD, VIA, and other mobile processor manufacturers can last up to 10 hours while using all of its major features (Wifi, Bluetooth, watching videos, etc), or a whole month when on standby; which means it's just sitting there on that dusty old counter, accumulating dust and scratches.

The iPad isn't exactly another game-changer from Apple, not in the sense where "game" are played in the consumer market. It may have probably put the tablet device to a more mainstream perception, and that's simply just it.

The game Apple is trying to change is the way manufacturers innovate. When chip manufacturers are already complacent with what their making right now, innovation takes a hit. That's what Apple is aiming for with their new creation. And it's NOT the iPad, no matter how much the fanboys point it out.

And no, this is not news. I just can't believe I waited for Steve's "One More Thing" section and ended up getting nothing. So yeah, you can equate this entry to zero.

</rant>

Additional Reading:

Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard