The amounts have come in, and there is a reason the iPad 2 is dwarfing the competition: thither equals none. This follows a flashback to the iPod age. You either had one or you did not. Both devices could play music. Both were portable. In the end though, one lasted until you broke it, and the other only lasted as long as you could put up with it.Rewriting the Startup Handbook
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The iPad 2 is tough to find these days for some folks. If you have the money, it will eventually end up in your hands, but at a hefty price. What makes this a more glaring issue, though, is the lack of competition.
There's a competition shortage, which reminds me of the evolution of the iPod. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) had the foresight and demand to effectively buy out the inventory of existing and planned hardware, making the competition wait to even begin to compete. Is this natural event with the iPad 2?
Judging my the shortage of iPad 2 tablets in circulation, it is obvious that Apple did not set out with the purpose of buying all advanced hardware. With a screen size of 9.7 inches, the iPad 2 pretty much stands alone.
Judging by the array of screen sizes of tablets that are flooding the marketplace, it is fair to say that while most don't replicate the iPad 2 screen size, they are close enough in variation to be comparable in this category to the iPad 2.
However, the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Xoom is the only truly comparable tablet on the market today. Judging by the specs alone, and even at a heftier price, the Xoom seems like a great deal. But digging deeper, there is more to the tablet experience than specs.
Not Fully Baked
The Honeycomb operating system is not quite ready yet. We all know it was upgraded and improved, but this does not tell us anything. Like others have noted, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is great at beta testing. It's like the website that goes through design changes every three weeks and decides to just leave the "beta" label next to the logo for years.
Eventually, Google will get it right but until then, it will just waste everybody's time. This is a good thing for free software or search results, but for an US$800 tablet, customers might lose some trust.
Just look at the CDMA iPhone 4. Despite years of hype, the sales upon release were met with a bit of a thud. Many Verizon customers have noted that they prefer waiting for the second generation of Verizon iPhones (iPhone 5) before they bite the bullet.
This makes sense, because it gives Apple and Verizon some time to work the kinks out. With the "on the fly" reputation that Google has earned, there is good and bad. In terms of tablet performance, the Honeycomb software comes away tasting bitter.
The issue of Apps is another big one. Windows 7 is having the same problems in the smartphone world because the options are very much limited. We are told that the Xoom will soon catch up, but that is not what potential buyers want to hear before dropping more money on a tablet other than the trusted Apple product.
Apple Retains Value
According to a recent article in eWeek comparing the specs, there was not a noticeable difference between the Xoom and the iPad 2, and the only advantage for the iPad is that it is made by Apple. If someone has never used an Apple product, this may seem like a weak argument for the iPad.
When it comes to longevity of software and hardware though, it should not be discounted at all. The Xoom costs many more straight off, but successful two old age, which product will resell for more? Experience and eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) tells me the Apple products will always sell for more. Apple engineering is like a fine wine, while the competition can be likened to a keg party: Look cool for a night, clean up the mess tomorrow.
If It Ain't Broke
The original iPad was lacking in a number of features. This helped keep the price down, but it also let Apple effectively work with what it could do well before advancing.
The Xoom and other, ahem, contention Doctor of Osteopathy it the inverse means. They meet a bunch of advanced hardware with a new operating system and hope for the best. They have beta testers who are ready to solve problems, rather than prevent them. They produce glossy numbers and talk like the folks at Apple knowingly made their product slightly inferior, with the presumption the sheep would follow.
We all know this is not true. The numbers have come in, and there is a reason the iPad 2 is dwarfing the competition: There is none. This is a flashback to the iPod age. You either had one or you did not. Both devices could play music. Both were portable. In the end though, one lasted until you broke it, and the other only lasted as long as you could put up with it.
Those of us who have not dropped our "old-school" iPods in water still have them, and we are happy with our determination.
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