The case against the Apple tablet

The Apple rumor mill has heated up to scalding levels of buzz concerning the notion that Apple will, sometime within the next year or so- quite possibly at June's WWDC event- announce a "tablet" device that will be larger than the iPhone and run the iPhone OS.

It's common to refer to this as either the "Apple tablet", the "iPad", or "Apple's netbook".

Most of the people who read this blog are probably already fully intimate with all of the speculation, so I won't repeat it here. If not, just spend some time on Google with the above-mentioned terms.

Much of the speculation I've seen makes sense, and I can see a case to be made that Apple is poised to attack the netbook market (or a market like it) in a way that they attacked the cell phone market: by introducing a device that doesn't play by the accepted rules, brings novel technology to the table, and does a subset of things people want to be able to do with it much better than anything else out there currently does.

The device would leverage the App store and the iTunes media store infrastructures, as well as integrate with other Macs and PCs, and possibly the Apple TV- and maybe even plug directly into widescreen TVs.

WiFi support is a no-brainer, and there would possibly be some sort of tie-in to a cell network, either AT&T or Verizon, and/or tethering to an iPhone.

Makes total sense.

But there's a case to be made against such a device. Namely, that I don't really see a practical use for something like it in the real world.

The single best feature about the iPhone is that it's always available to you. It packs all of its functionality into a device that comfortably integrates with your daily routine, right in your pocket or in your purse. This high level of availability has made it possible for people to casually and effectively integrate a ton of software and networking functionality into their regular lives, unlike any other device they use.

Anything larger than an iPhone would be impractical to provide the same level of ubiquity. Something roughly the size of Amazon's Kindle (which is more or less the form factor the rumor mill has settled on) would be simply too big to pocket, and would require that the user carry a large purse or some other type of case to carry it. It wouldn't necessarily be a huge deal, but it would demand intentionality for users to have it with them when they're out in the world- the same intentionality they'd need to bring a netbook or notebook with them.

Once you're out in the world with a case large enough to carry a portable device, you're likely bringing that device with you because you need to have a level of computing experience that's beyond what you can get from a device like the iPhone. Namely, for most people, that would be a more traditional and fully-featured web browsing and email experience. A theoretical Apple tablet would be great for browsing the web, but assuming it doesn't have a real keyboard, I can't see it providing a typing/email experience that is better enough than the iPhone to warrant taking it. Put the oppose way, I can't see a touchscreen Apple tablet providing a writing experience that's good enough to justify not bringing a real laptop or netbook along, if what you need to do is more intensive than what an iPhone alone could provide.

What about the media playback experience- could this justify the device? The rumored tablet would almost certainly provide a far better video experience than the iPod, and would be a natural gaming platform. Again, makes sense. But I'm not sure I can imagine large numbers of people carrying a device that size with them in order to get that experience out in the world. When you're at the office or at home, you wouldn't need it- you've got larger screens in both of those places. So the usage scenario would likely be for commuting, travel, and vacation. Perhaps there's enough of a market for more immersive content in a larger, non-pocketable mobile device- but I'm far from certain. And remember, to be able to use this thing out in the world, you'd need to carry it with you, as opposed to just walk out with it comfortably snug on your person.

I'd love to see an Apple device like the one people are talking about. And I have little doubt that if Apple is indeed planning to release something like it, they'll have anticipated these issues and quite likely have designed the product and its benefits in a way to obviate them.

We'll see- either way, I'm looking forward to the evolution of the iPhone platform, and I hope to be pleasantly surprised by what comes next.