As the news breaks that Amazon is going to be offering an eBook reader that they hope can compete with the iPad, one is bound to ask what the features of such a device might be.
The Kindle and other eBook readers are awkward, clunky, and less versatile compared to the iPad. The only things that they offer that make them at all desirable are the following: price, size, electronic ink and battery longevity.
So what could Amazon offer that could compete with the iPad – and what could Apple offer that could blow it out of the water? In essence, something like an “iPad Nano.”
No, not this bit of humor that circulated before the iPad was released:
but something in between the iPhone and the iPad, something that could fit in a jacket pocket, but would offer the same apps (and perhaps even the ability to make phone calls?) as the iPad and iPod Touch, so that it would offer the one thing that is currently the only major drawback of the iPad: the possibility of simply sticking it in your pocket and having it with you even when you don’t want to carry a bag.
The alternatives, of course, are for Apple to offer a new line of iPad-compatible clothing, or work to accomplish a fashion shift that gets men (and not just hipster men) comfortable carrying “murses.”
But none of the above options will allow Apple to take over the tech world completely. Here are the things that are still missing:
The iPad Mega/Macro/Supersized: Whatever you call it, imagine a device that is essentially an iPad but either 4 or 16 times larger, and can be mounted on your wall. A touchscreen TV that you can pull down from its wall mount to use for art, board games, and other purposes. Add a wireless keyboard and/or wi-fi interaction with smaller Apple devices, and Apple takes over the flat-screen TV market, no contest.
The iPad Demi: If Apple develops a device which can be folded in half and tucked in your pocket, but open flat and not have an unseemly line visible down the middle, it would be phenomenal, and a smaller-sized version could wipe away the desirability of competing eBook readers, while a larger-sized version would allow one to have a large-sized tablet (for projects, knock-hockey games, reading newspapers, etc.) that can also serve as a laptop in folded position.
The name of the game used to be making devices smaller. I think that Apple already offers devices that are as small as anyone needs them to be while still being useful. The challenge is to give devices that are affordable, can be conveniently carried, and do everything that other devices do and more. I could readily see variations on the iPad that render not only other eBook readers, but also laptops, TVs and telephones obsolete. I think the future of technology is versatility and comprehensivity rather than miniaturization.
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