iPad is really good at doing what it's designed to do, and really bad otherwise. It's not a satisfy all device, as we've seen in the response to it so far.
These devices do exactly what the iPad does, only with a much smaller screen, far fewer networking options, and (if rumors are to be believed) slower performance.
These numbers are trying to tell us something. Perhaps we should listen?
A lot of tech nerds don't understand just how unnecessarily complex computers are today. Watch a 60 year old try and use a PC for the first time and you'll realise how non-intuitive the modern desktop OS is today.
The iPhone OS moves away from antiquated input devices (mice and keyboards with cursor keys and function buttons) and towards a touch interface that is simple and intuitive.
The other benefit is the sandboxed limited nature of the native apps. The average user is tired of having to do a clean wipe of their computer every couple of years because the software they've installed has slowed down the OS. I think that in the future, apps won't be allowed to make changes to the underlying OS. If you want to do something complicated, you'll need offload your app to the cloud.
I watched both of my non-techie parents use my iPhone two years ago when I brought my family home for Xmas and by new years day they both had shiny new iPhones. They hardly ever used the computers I set up for them and would routinely update/replace whenever I returned over two decades but they dived right into the iPhone. My mom had a 3GS before I did.
The learning curve was not as steep and the rewards for learning the device were more direct and obvious. Anyone can eventually learn to use a computer running Linux, OS X, or Windows if they really have to, but there is a big difference between needing to learn how to use something and getting past that initial hump so quickly that you don't even notice it.
I'm sure Steve wasn't an idiot. He definitely designed this product for a specific type of user and it's probably really good at doing that. I just don't know what that is. But I'm certain he didn't slap on a bunch of random features that didn't go well together.
I've seen plenty of smart people make dumb decisions. It's about time he made a dumb one. Kind of like the phrase "We're due for another volcano eruption," I'm not trying to say it's about time we see him as an idiot
If a smart person makes a dumb decision it was probably an impulsive one. If Steve Jobs is smart, the chances of him making a decision on something this big, this monumental would be unlikely. Plus, look at his track record. Even less likely now.
