Apple’s iPad will probably be at least somewhat successful, but I have my reservations about its appeal. Personally, I have no need for this e-reader/netbook hybrid, and its shortcomings are quite apparent. Even though I think that it will be a solid seller, to play devil’s advocate, I will propose five major reasons why the iPad should be a failure.

1. Needless, Yet Another Device: technology is supposed to make life more manageable, but adding yet another device to one’s gadget arsenal can complicate matters even more. Truly revolutionary products either address a strong need or combine multiple uses and simplify things: e.g. a potent and highly portable laptop can eliminate one’s need of both a netbook and a desktop, and a smartphone combines the PDA, GPS, UMPC, and PMP into one unit. “Less is more” applies to how many pieces of electronics a person should need. What the iPad does is create the need for yet another device in between a laptop and a smartphone –this is Apple’s official keynote position! I can envision only one group of people who actually need the iPad: those who require an e-reader, a netbook, and very basic multimedia handheld. For everyone else, either one of the aforementioned or a decent laptop like the $999 MacBook is simpler.

2. Software Failures: many were hoping that Apple’s tablet would run a touch optimized Snow Leopard, but the iPhone’s OS, without multitasking and Flash, powers the iPad instead. For the most part, OS 3.2 is probably a smarter choice as a tablet interface (especially since there are over 140,000 apps designed for touch), but one cannot help but suspect that Apple has chosen it over OS X also because of the iPad’s hardware weaknesses. Having a titanic collection of iPhone applications is a boon and a blight. Not all 3 billion iPhone/iTouch apps will just work perfectly with the iPad. Existing apps and games were designed to run on a 480×320 screen, so in order for the iPad’s display to be fully appreciated, many need to be re-programmed for it. Some developers will be releasing duo-versions of upcoming apps, one for the iPhone and another for the iPad. Would iPhone/iTouch owners really buy multiple versions of their favorite apps/games? They might have to.

3. Too Expensive for an e-Reader, Too Weak for a Tablet Computer: Apple’s strategy is to go after wealthier buyers by putting premium features on hardware. At $499, the iPad is too expensive for just e-reading, and it is too slow to be a true computer, but its versatility is supposed to be the saving grace; however, Apple’s insistence that the iPad is unlike anything else ignores the competition. For example, MSI has a 10″ tablet in the works for $500, using an nVidia Tegra 2 chip and running Android. Prices will start at $500 and up, and specs will be “flexible.” At CES, four other manufacturers showed off Tegra 2 tablets. The iPad is far from revolutionary. Lots of other companies have already been doing comparable R&D for sometime, and by mid-year, Android tablets will have the upper hand in specs and pricing, while e-readers will sell for less than they do now.

4. Hardware Limitations: the “Apple A4″ CPU is a rebadged (slightly reworked) ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore with integrated lower-end Mali GPU. The Cortex-A9 is equivalent to the same Snapdragon Qualcomm CPU in the Nexus One, so the “A4″ does have the horses to provide snappy and snazzy visuals for UI and simplistic 3D gaming, but as I noted above, Tegra 2 tablets like the MSI are on looming for Q2 sale, and they utilize up to 1GHz duo-core A9 chips, which will abolish the “A4.” Also, people who watch high-definition film will find that the 16Gb (much less after formatting, OS and app installation) base configuration is insufficient for storing enough content. Adding the iPad Camera Connection Kit for USB and SD-cards is an additional $29. Although the IPS screen and multi-touch are astounding, the display’s low XGA (1024×768) resolution is not so tantalizing. For an item created with multimedia in mind, one would have thought that a 16:9 or even a 16:10 aspect ratio makes more sense. Get ready to enjoy copious black bars on the iPad’s LCD that is not even showing full 720p but has to re-size and squish hi-def film. Finally, a lot of critics are baffled by the iPad’s webcam omission. Grandpa Joe who can purportedly use his iPad for everything around the house has to put down his tablet and pick up his MacBook or sit down by his iMac in order to iChat with his grandchildren living across the country. By the way, how much RAM does the iPad have anyway?

5. Fails to Live Up to Apple’s Own Standard: Jobs promulgated this during the keynote: if the iPad is not “Far better” at browsing, e-mailing, photo and video viewing, music playing, gaming, and e-reading than both the iPhone and the MacBook Pro, then it should not exist. Out of his own mouth, he has condemned the iPad. Is it really “far better” at music than a MacBook Pro when the iPad does not even have digital output and is not a portable music player like the iPhone? Is the XGA screen (without Flash support!) a “far better” web browsing experience than a full-sized notebook? Let us not even discuss HD movies and serious gaming. Not even Jobs can convince thinking people that a touchscreen without any physical keys is a flexible gaming platform. The iPhone/iPad has its niche for some games, but it is not a well-rounded gaming machine.

As an addendum to software support, Nextflix has announced that it is not interested in the iPad, and as Hulu followers know, OS 3.2 is incompatible. Neither will the iPad save traditional newspapers or print media.

>>> Top 5 Reasons Why the iPad Will Be a Hit