The iPad is the PC of the future

In the wake of yesterday's iPad announcement I wanted to bring some history to bare. When the iPhone was released the experts spoke, "the iPhone will not substantially alter the fundamental structure and challenges of the mobile industry" Charles Golvin, Forrester Research January 11, 2007. The iPhone was not a viable Enterprise device. It seems funny now, but many didn't see it's difference.

At the time I'd commented, "The iPhone UI brings the dream of the interface in the Minority Report from 2002 to life where Tom Cruise pointed, pushed and dragged information around a massive screen. An environment has been created that allows you to flick, pinch and drag your way through massive amount of information. The way this resonates to me is that it's fundamentally more human in nature. ...Suffice it to say, the iPhones interface has gotten so many layers of interface paradigm out of the way and simply allow you to touch your information, which is fantastic."

With that backdrop it's funny to see Mr. Golvin say, “I think this will appeal to the Apple acolytes, but this is essentially just a really big iPod Touch”. The iPad is the PC of the future, period. When we look at how technology is used in our homes, this modality exactly what we really need. How many of us like sitting at desks more then couches? How many like power cables? We clearly see the slippery slope with the death of the desktop PC. The only unit showing growth in that category is the iMac with it's heavy entertainment leanings, and media hub functionality. Everything else is about mobility, it's about freedom. In the past we needed to make large compromises for this freedom with slow connections, crappy UI's or limited functionality. This dilemma is over.

The iPad is not "just a really big iPod", it is the most personal of computers we've ever seen. Between the UI advancements of the iPhone, the developer community that's surged under it, and it's form factor, the iPad will change commuting in our homes and in our workplaces for the next decade.

It's said and posted, and I hope history will not leave this wrong for someone to rub my nose in ;)