[NTLK] OT: Mossberg gives thumbs up to iPad

[Ryan]

Microsoft has flat out failed in the tablet PC market.  Everything they have done in that space has failed to take root with consumers.  Therefore, I wouldn't be too concerned if I were you about what they are doing with what still is an imaginary product: the courier.

Like I said, I wouldn't say no to a camera, but you won't see people walking around taking pictures and video with a giant pancake that is the iPad when they can do it with much smaller devices like a digital camera or a smartphone.

Thank you,

Ryan

 
On Friday, April 02, 2010, at 03:40PM, "James Fraser" <wheresthatistanbul-newtontalk at yahoo.com> wrote:
>Hello,
>
>--- On Fri, 4/2/10, Ryan <newtontalk at me.com> wrote:
>
>> The point about shakey video relates to video conferencing on things like > Skype.  But also, most people would not use the iPad as a
>> camera to take pictures of things, or a video recorder to
>> record video. It's the wrong form factor.
>
>> So looking at this, a camera does not appear to be a good fit for the 
>> iPad, except those times when it's docked for video conferencing. It's a
>> better fit on the iPhone or their laptops and desktops. This is why 
>> criticisms of no camera are sort of moot for me. I wouldn't say no to a 
>> camera, but it's clear the platform is not very compatible with
>> a one.
>
>
>Microsoft doesn't seem to share that same view, as (apparently) a 3-megapixel digital camera with 4x zoom has been integrated into the prototype for the Microsoft Courier.
>
>Granted, the Courier has not hit the market yet, but I mention it because it may be that Microsoft perceives a demand for a camera-equipped handheld computing device whereas Apple does not.
>
>As far as the iPad being the wrong form factor for a camera, I'm not convinced there is any way to know this until Apple decides to incorporate a camera into it (if they ever do).  Consumers seem to have a funny way of using (or expecting to use) products in ways that the manufacturer never foresaw (our Green Friend being an excellent example of this phenomena). 
>
>Perhaps I'm demonstrating my own short-sightedness here, but I never would have guessed that cameras would eventually be incorporated into cell phones (of all things) a decade ago when I got my first phone.  Alas, the commercial advent of camera phones was still a good two years off, (2002) so apparently there *was* a demand for such functionality, even if I didn't seen it myself at the time.
>
>We'll see if Apple has guessed right on this one or not.  I have to wonder if the Microsoft Courier will benefit from the iPad going to market first and showing what ideas do/don't work (à la the Newton and Palm) or if Apple will dominate the market simply by being the first to make their device available. [muses thoughtfully]
>
>
>Best,
>
>James Fraser
>
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