iS iPad an iWash ?

You could call it jealousy or plain refusal to acknowledge what Apple defines mobile technology to be. But I have come to admire, yet distance myself from the giant strides Apple has created in the vast technological space. No doubt, the iPod revolutionized what a mobile mp3 player should be. I have always admired the user friendliness of the iPod. But the key aspect about any Apple product is reliability. If you purchase an Apple product, you can place a safe bet that what they claim to work will work flawlessly and seamlessly.

On a personal level, I have always wished to own the not so well known brands. But which eventually still are very highly regarded in their own niche segments. Be it the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ7 (Panasonic Lumix cameras have now created a strong name, but not when I bought it in December 2006) digital camera, or the Cowon D2 mp3 player. The list of features these products give you are unbelievable. It’s just that, Apple's products are professionally done, and extremely reliable. While the Cowon D2 player for example, needs the user to be motivated and eager enough to explore and unearth the true value. And believe me you, it’s one helluva player.

Apple's announcements are so widely anticipated, that the latest one on their tablet pc, took the sheen off the CES event in Las Vegas last month. Google maybe slowly inching up to Apple in the mobile telephony segment, but the iPhone certainly has a cult following, with rapidly growing success. Expectedly, the announcement by Apple on January 27th last week in San Francisco was hyped up. Steve Jobs, who has epitomized the Apple class of products, unveiled the iPad to an audience wanting to be mesmerized. Without going into further details of the iPad, I have my doubts about the future for this segment of products.

Embarrassingly for the iPad, the name itself has been questioned for being eerily similar to what women might claim as being a technological advancement for guarding their biological cycle. To be fair to Jobs and his Apple colleagues, there could have been no sinful thought of offending the Eves of the planet. After all, where will all the Adams go if they possess an iPad and their Eves turn them down for being offensively tech savvy ?Surely, this can't be a deterrent to the sale of the iPads.

The other pertinent question that comes to mind, is the segment which the iPad wishes to target. Admittedly and expectedly, iPad has once again shown why Apple products are so sought after with their sleek finish. But, it seems like a confused business thought to embrace mobile computing with laptop computing. Surely, neither are women going to purchase the iPad inadvertently for their biological purpose, nor are there going to be individuals carrying an iPhone in one pocket, and the iPad in another. Unless, the iPhone is going to fade away due to the iPad.

I wouldn't want to hold the iPad to my ears for taking a call while I am walking! So, what is it? A phone? Or a MacBook ? Or an Apple Netbook ? Or is Apple trying to bluff the consumer into buying an iPhone AND an iPad? This is what leads me to believe the confusion around such an important technological advancement. If mobile computing is the way forward, then one might as well have a fully fledged laptop with calling facilities. Oh wait, Steve Jobs also claims and garners attention to the claim of the iPad being an ebook reader. So what happens of the Kindles at Amazon? Honestly, the Kindle will continue to enjoy its success, simply because, the Kindle is a not-so-confused e-reader as the iPad is.

Now, my only thought as to the naming of this confused device as iPad has to be because Jobs wanted it to remind people of a writing pad kind of mobile, light weight device. And what Apple has been doing with its mobile products, is prefixing an "i" before them. Thus came about the iPods,  iPhones, iTunes and so on. So for Apple, "i" epitomizes mobility of a device, and fittingly enough prefixed "i" to give birth to the iPad. Its a different matter that the iPad will take more time to sink in as a recognized segment in mobile technology. As the ongoing poll results beside suggest, that probably will be a wait much longer than anticipated by Apple. Note : This is a snapshot from the poll currently run on CNET as on today. Go ahead and cast your vote here.