What's the Apple iPad's Killer App?

I'm no Apple fanboy, but seeing Steve Jobs on stage in person is exciting, and it isn't just about his personal magnetism. Apple has $29 billion in the bank and Steve seems determined to spend it building really cool stuff. The iPad certainly fits that bill. Just a little slab of a display lets you play games, browse the Web, watch movies, view pictures, read eBooks, get directions, send e-mail, manage your calendar, and, well, anything else developers want to write applications to do. But after the ridiculously hyped build up and the dramatic launch event, I'm still not sure what most people will use it for. What's the iPad's killer app?

Jobs positions the iPad explicitly as the "middle thing" between a laptop and a smartphone. "More intimate than a laptop, more capable than a smartphone," was his key quote and it is a good one. The problem is, the basements of early adopters across the country are packed with products that tried to be this "middle thing." No one used them. Smartbooks haven't even arrived and no one wants one. Palm Folio anyone?

Most of us already carry a laptop and smartphone. I don't think the iPad will replace either one. I know Steve wants the iPad to slide neatly between the two, but I'm getting on a plane tomorrow and my bag is already hurting my back. I can't carry more. So, again, what is the iPad for?

Kindle Killer?
Yes, it can certainly replace the Kindle I'm carrying. Granted, the Kindle is half the weight and offers, probably, 10 times the battery life. Still, for color pages and all the added functionality, I think the Kindle gets left at home—and possibly re-gifted to a less technologically-sophisticated relative. (When is Mother's Day, again?) So yeah, the Kindle has to change or die.

Can the iPad replace my iPod? No, because I already ditched my iPod. I listen to all of my music on my Palm Pre. Besides, it isn't like you can bring the iPad to the gym. What about GPS? Again, I use my phone. Can it replace my phone? Not really. Although, the iPad does support Bluetooth and with an unlimited data plan…wait, it still uses AT&T. Never mind.

What about replacing my laptop? Honestly, I like keyboards too much, as does everyone that has used virtual one. And despite the addition of touch-enabled versions of Keynote, Numbers, and Pages, it isn't a work system. Yes, you can give presentations on the iPad, but it isn't designed to replace primary systems. So, what is left for the iPad to do? Quite a lot actually.

I think Apple getting into the ebook business is hugely disruptive, but I will address that in another column. Instead, I would say that the iPad is going to be used as a flexible, interactive window on our digital lives. In case you don't know, your "digital life" includes what you read, what you watch, what you write, what you share, who you know, where you have been, and where you are going. Remember, everything that runs on the iPhone will run on the iPad. That means every recipe finder, work-out tracker, social media updater, language translator, photo viewer, guitar-chord tuner, and finger painting app available in the App Store will work on the iPad.

So, really, there isn't a single killer app for the iPad for the same reason that there is no killer app for the personal computer or the iPhone. The iPod and the Kindle had killer apps because they were single-function devices. The iPad is a platform, and although it won't change everything, it will change a lot.

There is still a chance the iPad will be on someone's shelf 2 years from now as a $500 photo frame, but at this point, my bet is that the iPad succeeds. If not, Mother's Day is May 9th.

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