The tech press looked like real idiots recently.
The usual Apple-watchers got wind that there was a new product in the pipeline, which is pretty much what they sit waiting for. And as is their wont, they started speculating about what the new device would be. What size is it, what hardware spec is it, et cetera, et cetera.
The speculation reached insane levels in the build-up to the day of the announcement, with everyone seemingly getting caught up in it. Some of the outlandish claims made for this new device were actually hilarious, and some were probably not even physically possible.
And then came the announcement.
For an Apple event, it was quite strange – Steve Jobs obviously has very high hopes for this new device, and my feeling is that he has a lot personally invested in this. The reason why it was strange is that usually Apple will meander around boring stuff, and then announce ‘one last thing’ right at the end. This time, Steve Jobs starts off with a hello and how well Apple have been doing in the ‘mobile devices’ market, then went straight into the announcement of the iPad.
And this is when the tech press blew a gasket.
They were expecting a ‘regular’ Apple event, and this time were taken by surprise, because this time Apple were serious. They have a new device and they think it’s a biggie. The entire event was devoted to the iPad: its initial announcement, demonstrations of its capabilities, description of its hardware and finally its price and availability.
That was the entire event. And afterwards, the tech press simply did not know what to think about this new device, described by Steve Jobs as ‘magical’.
They had been expecting something akin to a cure for death, and instead were handed something that is just a computer that is easier to use than everything else out there.
But the techies wanted more! They wanted something with SSD hard drives, card readers, as many cameras as you could shake a stick at … you name a technical feature, and you can bet that someone suggested that the iPad should have it.
After the build-up and hype, you could forgive them for feeling bitter, if it weren’t for one thing: during all the build-up, Apple never said a word about the iPad. Apple were completely silent, except to say that something was coming. That was it. The rest of it – the giant dinosaurs and flying cars (well, you know what I mean) was all made up by the press themselves.
So they heard something was coming, they speculated as to what it could possibly be, blew it all up out of all proportion, and then felt let down afterwards.
Who can they blame: Blame each other? Blame themselves? No, of course not – they blame Apple. More than that, they are now saying the iPad is a flop. Nobody will buy it. They say they don’t see a need for it.
Which to me is astonishing – the thing has not even been released yet, and they are already calling it a flop!
What’s more, they complain that it’s just like an iPhone with a bigger screen. Well excuse me, but I love my iPhone dearly and if I could think of any problems with it, one of them would be that sometimes I would love it even more if it had a bigger screen! So put me down for one, when they come to Thailand.
So why so much hating on the iPad? The press is out for its blood because it made them look like idiots. That’s the only reason I can think of.
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It’s a good point well made.
Realistic skin and a working mimsy wouldn’t have killed them though.
Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
But with better shield and lasers, and less valuable brains (eww).