The most often used description of the Apple iPad before the device was launched was not “tablet”. It was being considered as an oversized iPod Touch or a new kind of netbook.
Of course, it comes as to no surprise that with the actual launch of the iPad, it is being compared to net books. So where does this place the Apple tablet? And more importantly, what will happen to our netbooks now that a new web browsing gadget has appeared?
The first thing heavy netbook users will realize when using the iPad is that despite the tag of “netbook” these mini laptops are more than just for browsing the web. Net books are basically very portable computers that allow users to perform some rudimentary desktop work.
The iPad is a glorified reader. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it actually creates the need for the iPad. The best way to describe this would be to imagine a world where we had computers before we had television. The concept of a device dedicated simply for watching videos may seem un-needed as we would have been used to watching shows through online streaming. But there is, in fact, a need for a device dedicated to watching video programs.
The iPad is a device dedicated to browsing the web and reading eBooks.
Back to the netbook topic; net books are not primarily for browsing the web. These handle small scale graphic editing and standard desktop publishing work. In many ways, the netbook is still a computing machine that provides far more functionality that the iPad’s iWork function.
Thus, there is a need for both the iPad and the net book. These two devices can never be substituted for the other.
For a more in-depth comparison of the Apple iPad and the average netbook, go to San Francisco Chronicle.
Tags: Apple, Apple-iPad, AppleiPhone