iPad, You Mad.

I will be one of the first to admit I was very skeptical of the iPad. From what I could gather, it seemed like a big iPhone. Cool, I guess, but what's really the point? Many people shared the same sentiment since it's announcement at the end of January this year. Before it had even come out, there were parodies released, and many jokes made at the expense of Steve Job's new brain baby. Despite all of this, there still seemed to be an enormous amount of people withholding judgment, anxiously awaiting it's arrival, just so they could see it first for themselves.

I don't know about you, but I have never seen a company drum up interest for a product like Apple now does. It constantly astonishes me that a consumer device draws this kind of news attention. Especially, when no one can figure out what the point of it is.

Then it dawned on me what Apple is doing. Think about the iPod, it is the most popular portable mp3 player in history. Why is this? MP3 players existed before the iPod, and sure it's nice to use, but how did it get so popular so fast? Why is the iPhone so popular?

iTunes. Think about it. What was the problem with digital music players? It was intimidating for anyone but the younger generations to use them. The issue of where and how to get music on these devices was a big one. Especially, if you weren't very technologically inclined. iTunes provided the user a friendly, easy, and legal way to procure digital music. And you could copy the CDs you already own to it rather easily as well. Plus, the iPod is a fantastic device to operate. You bring those two factors together, and you most certainly will have a winner.

So why is the iPhone so popular then? One, it combines your favorite digital companion with a phone. Two, iTunes plays a key role in the functioning of this device as well. If you have bought music from the iTunes store, it can only be played on an Apple device (iPod, iPhone, iPad) or the iTunes music player. This means you have a vested interest in any device that lets you use music you payed for. Why buy something non-Apple? It just doesn't make any sense, you won't be able to use the music you bought on anything else anyway.

This brings me to the App Store. A place, within iTunes, where you can purchase applications specifically intended for the iPhone and iPod touch (and now th iPad). And the best part is, anyone can make an App, and sell it in the App Store. For all to see. Everything you'd want to do on a touch screen device of that size, you could now do with the iPhone and the App Store. There have already been over One Billion Apps downloaded via the App Store, and still counting. This has attracted millions of people, billions of dollars, and more permanent members than ever to iTunes. And the Apps, just like iTunes music, are proprietary. Meaning, if you want to continue to use the App you payed money for, you must use an Apple product. Starting to get the picture?

This brings me to the iPad, the final piece in the puzzle. This baby combines the music playing ability of the iPod, the ability to do everything the iPhone can (but better), and it also doubles as an eReader. This means that books and print media can now be purchased through iTunes, just like music and Apps. Oh, and did I mention you can download movies and TV shows off iTunes, and watch them on any of the three devices. Of course, you can't play them on anything but Apple products, but who cares. Chances are you've already got one anyway.

This is why Apple is genius. This is why everyone cares about the iPad so much. iTunes has made accessing digital media super easy. Anyone can download music, any kind of application (from games to productivity), and now books newspapers, and magazines can be had there too. BUT, only if you use their devices.

Oh, and for the record, the iPad is sick. I want one. I think it will be useful for school. Plus, it's a joy to use, and I've already bought a ton of great Apps for my iPhone ;)