“They said there was no market for a product that is between a smartphone and a laptop but is neither.”
I am probably the millionth person to ask this, but what is this market?
I’m not trying to be a wiseguy, but am curious about the reasons for having an iPad, considering the existence of laptops and iPhones.
Complete, go anywhere connectivity in a larger but very handy form factor. Very simple, almost brain-dead intuitive to use for the marginally computer literate, but extended via a large universe of apps, miniature applications, for a wide variety of surprising uses that have genuine utility, in both consumer and business realms. GPS built in, music player, laptop replacement ... the only thing it’s not is a cell phone, and there are those who use them for even that. It’s the ultimate portable platform with a screen large enough to be truly useful.
I have an iPhone and three Mac desktops but no lap top or iPad.
As best as I can determine, the big market is for business uses for those who work a lot out of the office. Unlike most laptops that preceded the iPad, it can access the internet and do more that just send and receive emails etc. And there is the GPS aspect of it although it certainly did not pioneer that nor is it alone in the market.
However, as bad as I hate to play into the naysayer’s hands, it is just cool and people like to play with it. All the swiping and turning and other operational tricks one does to use it makes it cool. It is small enough to make it a large iPod and it has iPhoto, etc. Oh yeah, a two way camera. There are lots of things you can do with it whether for work, play, or personal.
In my opinion, it's the "lightweight portable" market. People who want/need a computer with them wherever they go, butwho don't need it to be a full-powered or -featured machine, preferring battery life and ease of use instead.
I think Apple succeeded where others failed in the tablet market because they didn't try to make a "desktop replacement" but focused on the things that mobile users are really after -- they are generally content consumers, not content creators.
Technology also helps. The iPad's graphics are stunning, all the more so when you consider its battery life. Apple's general push toward the "cloud" model means you can get by with less "stuff" stored on the machine, so flash memory replaces platter drives, making it lighter, quieter, more reliable, and using less power. Network technology has advanced that accessing content over wireless or 3G is good enough so that you really don't need a whole lot stored on the device.
Now, personally, I have an iPhone and see little need for an iPad for myself (though I can imagine a lot of practical uses for people in other fields, and, of course, it would be a neat toy if I could afford it). My next computer purchase is probably going to be a MacBook Air because I am a content creator while traveling, more so than I am a consumer.