He also promoted iWorks, a suite of products similar to the Microsoft Office suite.
However, Telsyte research director Warren Chaisatien says the purpose of the device is not content creation, but rather content consumption, and this changes the target demographic.
“A netbook is a stripped down version of a laptop, is good for content consumption but also for content creation. Looking at documents, working on a spreadsheet, that sort of thing. The iPad is different, and is primarily a consumption tool. You’d use it with friends in a lounge room, showing off pictures of your latest trip, or in the kitchen, or whatever.”
“In theory the iPad can do this, there are accessories to help you. However, I think that’s the secondary usage model. The iPod and iPad are consumer-centric. Of course, these things happen over time.”
But Edwards says the company could do very well if it targets users who are looking to buy a netbook, and don’t want an over-powerful laptop.
“It’s never going to replace a large computer for use in specific or complex tasks, but then again I don’t think Apple is trying to do that. It’s not even a laptop replacement, but I think it solves the problem of portability for many people and it does have an incredibly competitive price.”
As Rupert Murdoch announced last year that News Corp would begin charging for online content, many critics and commentators questioned the move. Would consumers actually pay? How would News Corp charge – on a per-article basis, or via subscriptions? What micro-payment system could the company employ?
The iPad could help answer some of these questions.
The New York Times took to the stage at this morning’s keynote to show how its publication would look on the iPad. A dedicated app revealed how the newspaper could show off its content in full view, and even display video content within the middle of a story.
This example is worth noting because it differs from the publication’s already-released iPhone app. Clearly the publication believes there is a major difference between what the iPhone or iPod Touch can offer as smaller, portable devices, and what the iPad can provide as a larger, more powerful personal computing device.
The iPhone OS already enables in-application commerce, which would be a God-send for magazines, newspapers and yes, even Murdoch’s protected content. Reading a magazine on an iPod is good enough, but the iPad will make the experience much easier – and the audience is already there.
But the iPad isn’t just for publications. Television networks and film studios now have another distribution model in the iPad, with the larger screen obviously offering a slightly more cinematic experience.
Ever since Apple introduced films and television shows to the iTunes store, users have been eager to download content and watch it on their iPods and iPhones, with the company even using this as a main feature in its marketing campaigns.
But the iPad is a more convincing reason for entertainment providers to release content to the iTunes Store.
The portability and size are the key factors here – users won’t want to watch five movies on an iPhone screen while flying across the Pacific, but the iPad is developed for exactly this type of media consumption.
These companies already have a distribution model set up through iTunes, and now the iPad gives enough reason to release new content and gain more sales.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
