So what’s revolutionary about the iPad? It’s hardly the first tablet-based computer. It’s certainly not the first computer to leverage a touch screen. And some have argued– quite accurately, in fact– that the iPad’s user interface is hardly new; in many ways assertions that the iPad isn’t much more than an “overgrown iPod Touch” are true.

Well, it isn’t any one of these things by itself that makes the iPad revolutionary– it’s all of them combined that do. It’s the portability, combined with the usability, combined with the battery life and thousands of ready-made, easily installable applications that do. Just as the folks at Cupertino can be attributed to bringing the smartphone market from mere business use into “prime time” with the advent of the iPhone, they can be held responsible for the transformation currently occurring in the tablet market– placing devices with this form factor from a relatively small niche into the computing spotlight. With the release of the iPad, Apple has delivered a device that’s as close to the “holy grail” of computers as anything has gotten in recent years: it’s something that’s affordable, relatively versatile, and easily understandable… so much so that even a caveman could quickly learn how to use it. They’ve accomplished something that all other tablet PC makers in the past couldn’t do: they’ve made that form factor both friendly and useful for the masses. That’s why I call the iPad revolutionary– because, in many ways, it has started a revolution of sorts.

Having spent a few hours playing with an iPad, I can certainly say that it’s a nice device. Under the current operating system (which doesn’t permit users to multitask), it feels zippy. The screen is beautiful, captivating, and responsive. Some of the apps (particularly the included iWork apps) would make this a useful laptop replacement in certain scenarios– for instance, I could see myself using it as a replacement for taking notes in business meetings or giving presentations to others in a one-on-one environment. I can see it replacing pen and paper in certain scenarios too. I’d prefer to use it to pan through the meeting agenda and financials at my next homeowners association meeting (I’m on the board), or– with the addition of a “digital paper” sort of application and possible soft-point stylus– use it for taking notes in business meetings instead of bringing a pad and paper all of the time. (I’d also mention that ABC’s video steaming app and certain games– like Flight Director– are very addicting on this size screen too.)

In short, I like the iPad. (Truth be told, I really like the iPad.) It’s a great device that I’d have a number of uses for. It’s something that could replace about 60% to 70% of the things I do on a daily basis on my laptop. (While I’d never dump my trusty MacBook Pro for one, it would certainly cause me to leave the laptop at home most of the time.) I’ve seriously considered buying one, and have almost placed an order a couple times within the past few weeks. But there are a few things holding me back from joining others in the “revolution” that’s been triggered by the iPad’s release:

1. 

   No Camera

   Lack of cameras. While I don’t imagine that I’d want to walk around all of the time holding a 9 inch tablet up to take pictures, I can imagine that I’d want to have this capability some of the time. There are some really great photo editing applications out for the iPhone; I used them all the time when I carried an iPhone around with me. And the iPad I test drove had one or two such apps that were very easy and pleasant to use as well. With the iPad’s potential for photo editing and even simple video editing, I’m very disappointed that Apple chose to forego putting any type of camera into the device. Placing a high quality (8 megapixel) camera on the underside of the unit and a second front-facing camera on the top of the device would have added quite a bit of value to the product. At present, the only ways to get images onto the device for editing are to (1) transfer images to the iPad through iTunes, or possibly (2) download the image from an online source. Such wasted potential… which brings me to my second point…

2. 

   No USB

   Lack of standardized USB/Mini USB/Micro USB. With cell phone manufacturers standardizing on Micro USB connectors and people wanting to cut down on the number of chargers and connectors they have to bring everywhere, one might think that Apple would dump the iPod/iPhone/iPad proprietary connector and opt for Micro USB instead. Well, if you did you would be wrong. Despite the move toward standardizing connectors for every other device known to man, Apple has determined that its devices are worthy of still requiring separate, proprietary connectors. Aside from Cupertino’s possible desire to have a few more accessory sales from using this proprietary connector, there’s really no logical reason for them to do this.

3. 

   No Multitasking

   Lack of multitasking. Android-based phones can do it. The Palm Pre can do it. And Windows Mobile-based phones have been able to do it for quite some time. Yet Apple’s brand new device can’t. This is easily resolved with a software upgrade, and realize that it’s expected to come in the next iteration of the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad operating system, due out later this year. But as of now, this is still an issue. And while I may not care about streaming Pandora or Slacker while taking notes in a business meeting, if I’m using an iPad to take meeting notes and receive an important email I think I’d find it helpful to be able to read the message without having to save my notes and exit the note-taking application first. The same applies with the need to take notes while, say, having a PowerPoint presentation or Adobe Acrobat document open. I often meet with clients to review documents or give brief presentations; having the ability to take notes while having the document open and scrolling through it is vital.

4. 

   No Tethering

   Lack of support for Bluetooth tethering. I already have a smartphone with a data plan, and the ability to share the phone’s internet connection via Bluetooth, so there’s no need to spend the extra money for purchasing a 3G-equipped iPad (and also pay AT&T the $30/month to connect the device). I, like many others, would simply like the ability to buy a device and tether it to my phone via Bluetooth (which I already can do with other devices, like my MacBook Pro). This omission is easily corrected via a software update, but again shows where Apple’s thinking was: profits and partnering with AT&T first, customer satisfaction with a useful device second.

5. 

   No Flash Support

   Lack of Flash support. This isn’t really a deal-breaker for me, but it’s something that I’d like to see Apple do. Android will reportedly do this in release 2.2 of its operating system later this year, and I’d like to have a device that’s at least as capable as an Android phone when buying an iPad. OK, OK… to tell the truth, the real reason I’d like Flash support is simple and straight-forward… I’d love to have the ability to stream shows from Hulu to my iPad– and Flash is required to do this. (I imagine streaming old episodes of shows like Magnum PI to myself while riding the bus for 2 hours to and from work every day.)

6. Lack of interface customization. Just like the iPhone/iPod Touch, you can’t do much to personalize the iPad unless you’ve taken the time to jailbreak it first. Yes, black is classy and the included icons are cute. But there are a lot of people out there who I’m sure would love to change the default color scheme and icons. It’s not something that’s strictly required for a great device, but it helps make your iPad your iPad. Again, easily fixable with an operating system update…
7. 

   Apple's Censorship

   iPad: Forcefully rated PG. While I’m not necessarily a fan of pornography or apps that attack people or organizations, I do believe in free speech and expression. From day one I’ve disagreed with Apple’s policy of “playing thought police” for applications published in their App Store. I think it’s wrong of Apple to cut out any developer who dares to disagree with The Mighty Jobs, or who dares mention the word “android” in the app’s description. But perhaps it’s just me who believes in free speech. No, wait, I think I read about that somewhere… oh yes, it’s the First Amendment to our Constitution. And while I realize that the prohibition of restricting free speech only applies to the government in the Bill of Rights, I’d still argue that any company who feels that it’s perfectly acceptable to do so to all people as a regular business practice is just plain wrong. Admittedly, this is a relatively minor point– especially since one only needs to jailbreak their iPad to install anything at will. And while this is something I’d complain about, it’s not something that would necessarily keep me from purchasing an iPad.

Even with all of the above being true, I’m still considering an iPad purchase. It’s a nice device, and definitely fills many needs in several roles. Truth be told, if the iPad didn’t have the shortcomings I listed above (or addressed most of them) I probably would have bought one by now. But since it does have the above problems, I’ve waited– especially since I’ve read rumors about an upcoming Android-based tablet from Google, and have started hearing about other Android-based devices that are expected to hit the market in 2010. If an Android-based device comes out to rival the iPad with similar features at or below the iPad’s price point, Apple could have a real competitor on its hands.