IPAD what do think?

While I agree Frand that the current pricing will undoubtedly go down over time as production costs decrease, there is something to be said about first impressions on the market generated by early price points. At $499 intro (iirc), the iPad may end up turning off some of the consumers that this site in particular caters to (gamers). Why? $499 or so is very much above the perceived value of a game platform. Moreover, $499 is not the typical desired price point for an electronic/media product by younger early adopters regardless of primary usage. Even if prices decrease over time, the early intro price may turn some of those very consumers off entirely (I call this the "rich man's product" effect).

Compared to netbooks...probably.

Compared to a Wii...not likely. Then again, very different markets. Wii has a more limited appeal from a usage standpoint (being "simply" a game console) than iPad, but it also has less competition overall (vs. 360 and PS3) whereas iPad will go against other touchpad offerings from other manufacturers as well as similar products like netbooks and even Apple's own iPhone/touch platform. Wii also has a dedicated and directed consumer market. I don't think even Apple knows which consumer will buy into iPad, but I have a feeling it will be an older consumer market far less interested in gaming than most here seem to think.

Also, in terms of the gamer market in particular, remember that Wii falls right square into the younger strata of the "core" gamer market. iPad, through the intro price alone, will most likely not hit this market. People forget just how important the iPod touch is to the overall app store market, but in particular the games because iPod touch's consumer base hits that "core" gamer age group (teens to early twenties) even more directly than iPhone does, and a lot of that has to do with price point.

Then we get into the issue of usability. Does iPad "fit" into more living rooms? Really? Is it most useful to use what is clearly meant to be a more portable device primarily at home rather than "on the road"? And how about that "on the road" usability? Is it more convenient to most users to carry around an iPad with them vs. the much more mobile iPhone/touch platform, which does, at this point in time, most of the same things as iPad (and here I will state that I understand a great deal many things change with the change in screen size, but will also state that the mobility of iPhone/touch is part of the selling point, and iPad loses that as much as it gains other things)?

Compared to iPhone/touch, again, it's not likely that iPad will outsell that platform. Part of the very allure of iPhone/touch is the small size, which is something that the "bigger screen" crowd seems to ignore. Yes, iPad has a bigger screen - but does that make it more attractive or less attractive to the general consumer?

IMHO, from all the factors that I've listed as well as others, the iPad will most probably be bought by an older consumer market, one less interested in gaming and much more interested in e-books, magazine subscriptions, and creative/productive applications (and movies/tv show downloads). The games will not be a big driver of the device as they have come to be for the iPhone/touch platform. Will there be great gaming to be had? Sure. But all in all I don't see the support a year or two from now reaching iPhone/touch levels proper.

And the first year or two really "sets" what kind of market you'll have as it "sets" what type of support you'll get.

Some will point to the iPhone's first year, but, really, IMHO the platform as a whole didn't "come together" until the release of iPod touch and the opening of the App Store. iPad doesn't have that initial hesitancy. It has it's own section of the store. It will have it's own apps. It will have a "set" product identity sooner than iPhone did prior to the release of the touch and the App Store. And, from what I can see, that "set" identity will appeal more to older consumers who won't buy that many games, and so game support, exclusive game support, won't really be there in a massive iPhone/touch way a year or two from now.

And I don't expect it to be a "small" niche product. It will be a highly successful niche. But compared to iPhone/touch it will be niche. It just won't reach that level of overall success.

 

one thing i was wondering. Do u think once u played games on the ipad that it would spoil going back to playing games on the iphone? Once u play a bigger HD game on iPad it might be hard to go back to playing it on the small screen again. Almost as if u bought a beautiful 50 inch HD TV. It would be hard to back and watch on a little 20 inch screen again. Just wudnt be the same. Just curious what others thought about this or do u think it wont matter?

 

@SJ99 good points

 

Do you realize how little it costs Apple to make these?

 

Personally, I'm not all that interested in getting one for now.

I like my iPhone because it's small and I always carry it with me. No matter if I'm at home or in line at the store, I can easily check my email, listen to music, catch up on Twitter, or even play a quick game. The iPad is too big to be a primary portable device for me.

On the flip side, the iPad isn't something I'm interested in using as a laptop alternative. It is a bit too small, only has a virtual keyboard and is running iPhone OS. The OS, aside from the limitations Apple forces on us, is great for a smartphone or other portable device, but not as a full functioning laptop alternative. I'd much rather have a laptop with Windows or Mac OS X.

Regarding games, I love the iPhone games I play, but I also fell into this genre by chance. I initially got an iPhone because I wanted a smartphone, not because I wanted to game on it. Gaming is just a great feature of the device. At this point, if I was going to drop $500-600 on gaming devices, I'd pick up a PSP and DS as I already own the three home consoles. There is nothing on the iPad gaming wise worth that price.

Based on that, I just don't see a purpose for it at this point. It is too big to be a suitable portable replacement, but at the same time an iPhone OS device isn't what I want for a laptop alternative. iDevice gaming is not at the point where I am willing to invest in the platform just for gaming.

Maybe things will change after a year or two. I know there are some great developers out there and Apple hardware always sees great improvement, so we will see.

 

My opinion: The ipad is going to be huge, unlike the tablet attempts before it. Web surfing will be better than on a laptop or desktop. I have a few laptops, and I don't find it comfortable to use one of those small, built in touch pads or an external mouse off the arm rest of a chair. Photos, music, painting, reading books, comics, email and even some business apps will be amazing on it. Whoops - this is gaming site, so to get on topic:

I love my iPod Touch and will continuously use it for its portability, but there's no denying that games on the iPad are going to be amazing. Yes, initially we'll see big daddy versions of many of the current games, but eventually, exclusives will be sprouting ups as well. Games on phone/touch are becoming more and more incredible, but there are times when I thought if only the screen was large because (insert game here) is awesome. I don't want to play certain games where my thumbs are covering half the screen, and sometimes text is just too damn small. Plus, there will be tons of entertainment to get started with, using the currently owned touch/phone apps. We have the option to use these in 2X mode to fill the screen, so some games will certainly not be as sharp, while others will not make a difference. Still, just to have old games compatible is pretty cool. Look at the huge-ass library!

Think about the possibilities - if many developers were able to pull off miracles with the current size, imagine what will be done on the large screen. RTS, RPG & board games are going to be amazing. We already know the tons of puzzles games will be right at home. We may start seeing monster games like Mass Effect (I said LIKE not the actual game as it's a 360 exclusive), and I'm betting companies like Blizzard are going to be buying up units for 'research'. Someone mentioned driving and FPS wouldn't be as good on the pad as their smaller counterparts but I think it will turn out to be the opposite. I'm betting many two player games will be popping up, now that you can have competition on opposite sides of the tablet. Remember the old sit down arcade games?

What I find ridiculous are the so called "hard core gamers" from some console dominated forums that are knocking the ipad to hell... but not realizing, REAL gamers are open to all types of gaming and ideas, not just Call of Duty or Halo. Not all of us are 18, and have the time to get involved with 50 hour sessions, and learning ten dozen button combination from control pads that have no iconic representation. I'm really looking forward to the launch, and seeing how well it does in the market. I think Apple has another hit on their hands (no pun intended).