iPad Launch Day

Today is the Apple iPad launch day. I thought I would write a few words about this much-raved-about product. Personally, I still don’t see why and how this tablet should be so revolutionary. Maybe it is the user experience that makes the difference. Or perhaps it is the magic of Apple’s marketing. All the initial reviews pouring out now are saying lots of wonderful things about the iPad (though I’m sure Apple chose carefully where to send the early iPads). I know, it looks nice, but I just don’t know how I am going to be using it. Maybe, I’m not the kind of user that the iPad is designed for.

It’s really amazing that sales of the iPad in 2010 alone is already estimated at 7.1 million, according to iSuppli. That sounds like too big a number, but other estimates are just as impressive: Needham estimates 2 million for 2010, 120,000 for first day, 240,000 pre-orders in first two weeks, etc. So, no matter how you look at it, the iPad is already winning big. Much bigger than the Google Nexus One, for example. Oh okay, wrong product category. Much bigger than the JooJoo, which mustered just 90 pre-orders as at 22 February 2010. Good luck to the JooJoo.

I will just wait and see how long the excitement holds out. It is really more like an oversized phone than a slimmed down notebook. I haven’t seen a really good “use case” for the iPad.

At any rate, for Singapore buyers, the iPad is not yet available here. Just keep waiting.