No, this isn’t the start of another iPad joke.
The answer is both Google Wave and the ipad are misunderstood hyped products.
Wave, which is mostly a collaboration tool, is being used as a chat platform. Wave is not about chatting. Chatting is part of the process, but the real story is the real-time functionality that the technology brings to the table. This technology my be applied toward multiple uses in the future as the program comes out of beta and new applications are introduced.
Setting aside the brouhaha over the name choice, the iPad has been hailed and criticized as the new slim portable computer. It’s not. It’s a portable entertainment system. It’s the next step beyond Amazon’s Kindle book reader.
Another thing they both have in common is that they will not be the final solution to the problems they aim to solve. Both will benefit from further growth and seasoning. This is just the beginning. In the future, Wave and the iPad may be replaced by better versions made by creative companies.
Not everyone needs a collaboration tool and not everyone needs an entertainment platform. I will concede that both Wave and the iPad need work, but it is foolish to criticize them for what they are not. It is more important to recognize the technology and what they will become.
Rosh
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Tags: Add new tag, apple, Communication, Companies, google, google wave, Real-time computing, technology, Wiki
Thanks for explaining things Rosh. Common misunderstanding always leads to a whirlwind of twitter mess. These two tools combined would be great too for photogs. I think I want an iPad…I will watch how it goes this year and see about it for next year.
Re: Google Wave, you forget that Google themselves hyped it as the future of all online communication. In other words, they wanted people to use it as an IM replacement (read: chatting tool) as well as for collaboration. They toned that down very quickly though, when the bulk of Wave users were greatly underwhelmed – myself included.
As for the iPad, that is a completely different scenario. In this case, Apple were quiet about their upcoming product (as always), and the hype, people’s expectations and following misunderstandings come mainly from the rumor mill having run rampant for months. But yes. The iPad is just a large iPod Touch.
I must concede, the hype by the companies was added by my editor. My statement was they were hyped. Point taken on the ipad. – think I will adjust that statement.
As for Wave. It is still early and I have hope, but they need to show some progress soon.
I still stand by my statement that it is not about the products, but the technology.
Rosh
I totally agree that it’s all about the technology, and both Wave and iPad (though in different ways) are indicators of what’s to come, and that is exciting even without the hype.
Amen, Rosh. Indeed, both Wave and the iPad represent technological innovations. And in both cases, perhaps the most significant aspects of those innovations are:
1) Each creates a new market.
2) In addition to meeting previously unmet demand, each also has, BY DESIGN, created (or at least fostered the creation of) expectations that are not yet met, to which you’ve alluded. What brand manager or product manager wouldn’t want to launch a company/product/technology — and product category — about which the market is so enthusiatically sharing, discussing, debating, refining and priorotizing it’s dreams, wishes, wants, and newly realized needs?!
I have no doubt the new markets Wave and the iPad have created will ensure the fulfillment of the promises of these technologies. As always, it will be interesting to influence and see WHO ultimately pulls it off.
You make a good point Rosh. I think a lot of the ipad’s bad wrap stems from unrealistic expectations. The ipad shouldn’t be thought of as the second coming of the laptop but rather a completely new animal. If I had to predict the future, I think with more and more homes having wi-fi may really benifit from having future generations of the ipad. it could become the “new tv” in terms of household electronic. just my guess though