To iPhone Or To iPad, That Is The Question.

Not that long ago, mobile phones were introduced into our lifestyle. The hand helds were quite large, and were often referred to as bricks. I remember owning one, and feeling quite safe walking alone at night, knowing I had this lethal weapon in my hand. The manufacturers were constantly making the phones smaller and smaller, till they were so tiny, that a flap had to be attached just so the microphone would reach our mouth.

But as the digital age set in and our requirements became more complex, the role of the mobile phone grew. Smart phones hit the market. Now we could carry with us our schedules, address book, calculator, note pads, send and receive faxes, which developed to emails, and play games. The trend reversed. Now importance was placed on the size of the screen. It needed to be bigger and better, so as to serve these new roles.  The initial smart phones were not very efficient, but we had to settle for what was available.

When Apple first released the iPhone, it was a revolution. At last there was a product that could surf the web well. The screen was responsive and intuitive. There was an almost endless choice of apps. The first iPhone lacked many of the latest features, but it overcame the problems that haunted the smart phones of the day.

Alongside the growth of the smart phone, there was also the growth of the laptop computer. Sure, it was great to be able to surf the net on your phone, but its companion was the laptop, where we would store our photos and do the real web surfing, and where we could read and write our emails with ease. This combination seemed to accommodate most people.

But then Apple came out with the iPad. At first, some people were amused. Jokes were made. It was even labelled an iPhone on steroids. Was there a market for this? Did the niche exist? Will Apple have to introduce the iPants? (courtesy of PC World)

There are many ways we have been using our phones and laptops, and some of these methods can now be more comfortable. As with many new products, sometimes it takes a while for us to realize the benefits. To clarify, the iPad was never created to be better than the laptop. It was created to be cheaper. But it has also created a niche that sits somewhere between the laptop and the smart phone.

Lounging on the sofa may not have been the ideal place to surf the net. When in the passenger seat of a car, your lap may not have been the most comfortable place to plonk your laptop. Those things can get hot. However, with the iPad, these are a breeze.  You would not use your iPad to do your office administrative work, but to view your photos, watch movies and surf the net, it is ideal. The ability to zoom in web pages can make surfing more enjoyable than on a laptop. And the built in e reader, as well as the huge range of ebooks that can be purchased, can provide countless hours of reading pleasure on the big, clear screen. Also, the games created for the iPad look just amazing.

The iPad could never replace the smart phone, for obvious reasons.  If you were to attach a strap to its back for holding on to, and you walked around holding the iPad to your head while talking into it, well that would be just plain silly.

The iPhone has many uses, and it performs them well. The laptop has most capabilities of a full desktop computer, and you can take it with you. But when a laptop is too cumbersome, and the iPhone is just a little too small, that’s where the iPad shines. It has created its own niche, and has made that niche very desirable. Now Steve, about those iPants…