Looks like Appleis running into some last-minute trouble getting content providers to provide content for the iPad. The device goes on sale next week, and Apple has already seen plenty of pre-orders—even if those pre-orders may have quickly fallen off. The deal is that Apple had wanted to offer TV subscriptions alongside the device’s launch, so that every episode of The Office and Parks and Recreation would automatically be downloaded to your iPad. That was the idea, at least.
The problem is that these companies are scared. They’re afraid of a number of things: that cutting a deal with Apple with endanger their relationships with “traditional” TV outlets such as cable companies, or that any deal will give Apple too much sway over their future decision-making process. Apple’s temporary solution, perhaps, is to lower the price of TV shows from $1.99 and $2.99 to 99 cents.
You’ll note that Apple has had zero issues getting book publishers on board, but that’s sorta “meh”: how many books per year does the average American read versus the number of hours spent watching American Idol and the like? Exactly.
Newspaper companies are also being pains-in-the-neck, but that’s partially for technical reasons. The iPad doesn’t support life-giving Adobe Flash, and digital newspapers need that for their multimedia goodness.
I don’t know, I’d be surprised if this iPad thing becomes anything more than a mere toy for people who always have to buy the latest shiny new piece of plastic.
http://www.sadtrombone.com/
I don’t know why that came into my head, but that’s all I could think of while reading this article.
I think the iPad will end up as a niche device for a specific subset of people, which is where it belongs. It’s a fantastic piece of equipment, but there is so much else out there, it just doesn’t seem like a lot of people are going to adopt, especially if content providers are dragging their feet.
iPad is not a netbook killer
If only Apple would realize that people want a versatile device where they can get their own content from their place of choice. If they included a built-in SD card reader and a USB port, it would have been much much more versatile. It also should not have any locked hardware or software, people should be able to get applications from anywhere they want. The upcoming Windows 7 devices will simply own the iPad in a huge way.
The only thing missing is a camera. SD and USB dongles easily solves your “versatility”, but the iPad is conceptually designed to sync with a full fledged computer.
W7 is a counterintuitive OS designed for teenage girls cellphones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3MSjwUrxT0
You need to watch this video…The HP Slate will bury the iPad…It has all you talked about.. including camera, SD card reader, usb port and it is windows 7 based… By the way, windows7 is the first computer operating system designed to be touch friendly.
I have a sales manager who must have worked for Apple, or worships Steve Jobs. His selling philosophy – “don’t give the customer what they want” we will tell them what they need”. Its a big laugh in the office, like the iPad is a big joke… net book killer my eye!
Shill Magnet
For the record: I will buy an iPad, AND am willing to pay for a daily copy of a newspaper and/or magazine I can download on it, and take with me in the morning. Definitely.
And you know what? I’m NOT the only one!
Apple’s problem with video content providers is that Apple has consistently over promised, and under delivered. They went out and sold themselves as being able to do for video content providers what they did for the music industry, and it turned out that they couldn’t pull the numbers (in either viewers or revenue) the video content providers were getting on their own ad-supported websites. It doesn’t help them any that after making a strong-arm push to try to convince content providers that they would be missing the boat if they didn’t get on board with Apple TV, that they then turn around and call Apple TV a hobby.
Now Apple is in the position of having to say “no really, I know you haven’t seen the kind of returns you were expecting from iTunes, with the iPod Touch, and Apple TV, but this time we promise it will really be huge.”
The iPad is doomed to be a niche device for the biggest niche of them all: ordinary people who don’t like being overwhelmed by technology.
The geeks know this and try to use FUD to smear Apple at every opportunity. Thus has it always been. God forbid that ordinary people become empowered. Who will be left to worship the geeks and their 133t 5k11z.
Yeah, I’ve heard that about every single product Apple has released for a couple decades now. Funny thing is, it would seem that there are about 6.7 billion “geeks” on the planet, and only 25-30 million “ordinary people.” Kind of makes the definition of “ordinary people” questionable, but I guess you can’t argue with it, because of course anyone who buys a product with an Apple logo on it, could never be an insanely rabid geek who obsesses over the brand of an electronic appliance. I mean, just look at how fashionably dressed all the people in the Apple store are! They must be “ordinary people” and those other 6.7 billion are the loser nerds.
Geeks have an unfortunate history of advising naive users to purchase the technology that they themselves like to use (instead of what is appropriate for the technophobe). Microsoft’s near monopoly in PCs is due in large part to geeks in IT departments forcing it companywide.
So now millions of miserable PC users dutifully replace their home computers annually when they inevitably grind to a halt.
Apple’s roaring success with the iPod and iPhone, despite the lambasting that both devices received from the geeks, proves that the detrimental influence of the “technological elite” is waning.
Consumers are wising up and realizing that Apple offers real value. Maybe the Apple product doesn’t have as many megahertz, or exotic features that the geeks value so highly, but what it does do, it does exceedingly well and without hassle. The word is getting out.
But you’ll do your best to keep the FUD coming. Oooh, the iPad doesn’t multitask! The screen isn’t 16:9! OMFG! No camera?!! The app store is run by Nazis!
Give it a rest.
Article is somewhat speculative – especially as Apple already has heaps of content on the device through existing relationships with providers in iTunes.
Of course they’re scrambling to finalise things. This device goes on sale in two weeks in the USA. The idea that Apple hasn’t delivered in video is ridiculous. Of course they’re not getting the numbers of Hulu – you know FREE ad-supported video or Youtube – totally different market.
It doesn’t take any stretch of imagination to see that this device will not be a solitary toy.
In case you hadn’t noticed, EVERY single cable US network offers iTunes TV shows including all the premium channels. There are also thousands of movies to rent or buy. While the magazines or newspapers might not have a full fledged app up and running in 2 weeks (dozens do) … there is a little called the internet and Safari which accesses ALL the worthwhile sites with content. Now, some publishers might foolishly let Adobe put up a wall to prevent CUSTOMERS from accessing their site fully, hopefully they are getting paid by Adobe and not just because their web designer was after winning an award – after all, that’s much more important than letting CUSTOMERS in. So, while there might not be 170,000 publications on Day 1, give it a few days or months … two things. The competition will be at least 2 years out or will produce the Android of pads where there’s only 500 MB for content (then 5 years on the cluelessness train like Google with CE consumers) and MEANWHILE, we’ll just have to do with the INTERNET … will CrunchGear be on that or will you be converting to 100% Flash because Adobe is paying you to wall up?
They better convince them with apples deep pocket books,that always helps.
The Padrino
http://www.thepadrino.com
I love this site. First iPad was a terrible e-reader because it didn’t use e-ink. Now Apple has book publishers lined up out the door and it’s looking like a Kindle killer, but the discussion here steers to “who reads books anyway?”
Books are a $40b/yr market in the US alone, with magazines taking in another $40b/yr. Yes, people spend more time watching TV, but it’s not like they’re watching episodes on their Linux laptops or Android tablets, they’re watching TV on their television sets. This hardly makes iPad any kind of failure, and I ask what device will be better suited to earn profits for studios producing media and TV? Flash based devices watching free low-quality Hulu episodes that don’t work across borders because of advertising aren’t going to cut it.
Man, get ready to be surprised. iPad is going to be huge. You wish it would be AppleTV. It’s going to be an iPod. I look forward to your article sympathizing with all the first-gen buyers who feel ripped off because Apple’s second iPad came out only 3 months after the first, with a camera and twice the memory for $200 less.