What iPad Killers Need? (It's Not Flash)

I'm typing this post on an iPad with the special keyboard dock from Apple. Since I got it, I have been using it for the bulk of my needs while my Macbook relegated to smallish tasks like editing movies and doing rudimentary Web work.

Presumably, the iPad killers that was suppose to be on the market by now but are back on the drawing board were gonna do just that and nothing more. Well, the first wave failed and, now, the market eager await the second wave of potential iPad killers in the second half of 2010.

You can take this to the bank: they're going to fail to impress once the initial glitter over them is over. WebOS, Android, and perhaps ChromeOS will be put on these tablets and marketed in such a way that will make the iPad look like yesterday's tech spec for spec. That's not going to do it.

What will does an iPad competitor need in order to even compete? Trust me, it ain't Flash. The most important thing an iPad competitor needs is clicks or rather touches.

It much as Apple like to brag about its multitouch technology, it is how little touching that's involved in navigating from one place to another, one task to another that has made Apple's iDevices such a hit.

More open than the iPhone many other mobile platforms might be, there is quite a bit more touches than the iPhone. More navigating means more complexity. Complexity will drive users away.

The bulk of the consumers these days are on the move, mobile warriors even if they don't know it. Moms, teachers, students, and more folks are using mobile devices and, soon, iPads. We're busy and we carry mobile devices because we want information easily accessible.

There will be segments of the market who will like the more open environment of some of the other mobile platforms but the bulk of the users won't need it.

So little developers (OS, hardware, and app guys), ease of use and fast access to information will set up apart from the rest of the field. And if you do a good job, we might bestow upon you the title of "IPad killer".

Note: It's no Flash. Flash would be nice but I'm sure a majority of the market won't care about that. Just as important will be battery life. I'm reading a lot about Windows 7 and Android tablets coming out of China. That's great. We need variety in the market. The problem is that 3 hours of use is't going to cut it.

When the iPad came out, I had hoped to see something between 12-15 hours. To me, that's ideal.

-- Post From My iPad