“Crystal’s Soapbox,” published each Thursday, is a column by conservative Texas mom Crystal Arcand who loves to rant about issues that relate to her kids….and yours.
Yesterday was a huge day in technology. Steve Jobs held an event to introduce a breakthrough in portable computing – a tablet computer that eliminates opening a computer and even a keyboard. Rumors abounded that it would be called the iTablet or the iSlate. Jobs introduced it as the iPad (insert giggly jokes here).
The iPad has been touted as perfect for students, what with its half-inch profile and light weight, as well as a full iWorks suite. Unfortunately, the iPad misses the studious perfection it was striving for by leaving out some key features. The most glaring is print capabilities. Consumers have set high expectations for Apple’s latest feat, including solar-charging capabilities, a front-facing camera, 4G wireless connectivity, and a battery life of more than six hours. The price isn’t as high as many speculated, but the required monthly data plan and the 3G connection as a $130 extra might well nix this purchase for many. So let’s see: printing, solar charging, camera and 4G, 6+ battery. That would come out to “Oops, oops, oops, oops, and check.”
I think perhaps 16-year-old Patrick Scoble has described the problems with the iPad (besides the name) from the perspective of the tech-savvy student quite well: “It is a fail.” Why? It doesn’t replace a teen’s phone, nor does it replace a laptop. It is a bridge product, with features of both, but not enough to fully replace either. Students wouldn’t have just two gadgets anymore – they’d have three to keep up with. The millstone on the neck of this “Honey, I Blew Up the iTouch” is exactly that. Says the young Mr. Scoble, “I can’t fit it in my pocket.”
Parents, save the $500-800. If your kid has a phone and a laptop, he’s already got everything he needs. If he doesn’t have a laptop – get a netbook – you can get one for a little over half the price of the iOops.
