Apple’s iPad will be a winner

Then near state of euphoria that surrounded the launch of Apple’s iPad has seemingly died away so now it’s time for the creator of OS X to start selling. There are many nay sayers out there jumping up and down, screaming that there’s no place for a slate with plenty of commentators saying “…it just doesn’t work for me”. But do we care? More to the matter, does Apple care? In a word, no!

Currently, anything i-related (read iPod, iPhone, iwhatever) sells like crazy. Apple has built up levels of consumer loyalty that has the likes of Microsoft and Google drooling green envy but it’s not just about loyalty; for most Mac fans it’s about being cool and having that aura of exclusiveness.

At $499 upwards, the iPad is probably not the cheapest option on the market especially when you consider the relatively low specs on the base model: 16GB SSD and no 3G (feels naked). And we’ve no doubt that some other manufacturers will be building far cheaper, higher spec alternatives in order to grab some of the new slate-related fever doing the rounds (how long will it be before Asus joins the bandwagon?). But none of them will provide any serious competion to Apple’s offering.

Sure, some ‘industry experts’ say there’s no life in the iPad, DOA, etc, etc. But this is Apple that we’re talking about; comeback kid of the tech industry and if anyone can invent a new niche in an already saturated market it’s Steve Jobs and co.

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