Nick Ehle

I am very excited about the coming iPad, even though the tech elite have already dismissed the new device (Gizmodo sums up this point of view pretty well). They are all missing the point.

The iPad is a new class of device entirely and is not meant to replace the laptop (or netbook) and does not need the same functionality. The iPad is going to popular with consumers that are looking for an easier way to consume their content and are looking for a simpler overall computing experience.

Most of the online audience are consumers of content. They read blogs, watch YouTube, listen to music, use Facebook and Twitter. Forrester calls them “Spectators,” and in 2008, they were 70% of the online audience. Not only do Spectators spend most of their time on the Internet consuming content, but they are also online at the same time that they are watching TV. This trend is continuing, and consumer multitasking is creating more hours in the day.

In my house, the iPad is going to replace the laptop in front of the TV or my iPhone that I use to catch up on my RSS feeds at the end of the day. It’s also going to be a great way to consume video, and I think that a future iTunes subscription plan for video is going to make the iPad sell like gangbusters. No Flash support on a device like this is one of the limitations that does disappoint me a bit, but I can already get Netflix and Hulu on my HD television.

The iPad’s size and touchscreen is also going to make new types of media possible, including the Sports Illustrated tablet format that we saw late last year. Any media company that ignores the capabilities product is going to be missing out on an exciting new form of content distribution and another digital revenue stream.