Marco Arment (marco.org), the guy behind Instapaper, has put into words what many of us have been thinking for months.
I think Apple didn’t know any better than we did, a year ago, whether the iPad was going to end up as a productivity device in practice. They probably thought, like we did, that it would replace laptops a lot more often.
When the iPad was launched a year ago it was often billed as a laptop replacement. As I have discovered since, this is not so. As a productivity tool the iPad falls behind a lightweight computer such as the MacBook Air. What it does superbly, though, is present media, whether it be books or movies, in a unique format. And last week’s announcement the new iMovie and Garage Band show how Apple is moving the goal again. It is a “post-PC” device but not a PC replacement. It is also the first example of a new genre that will transform our perception of media consumption.
I sold my original iPad six months ago because I found the Air to be much more of a productivity device. Now I’m back in the market for an iPad 2 because I realise that it has to be used for its strengths.
Marco concludes:
Apple is now adapting to the market’s actual use by retreating somewhat from office productivity and pushing strongly into new territory — casual media creation — to see if that gets a stronger uptake in practice. I think it will be a lot more interesting than office productivity, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in iOS to make it practical (especially regarding file transfers with computers).”