Nope, I didn’t pre-order the iPad yesterday. However, it’s highly likely we’ll purchase Apple’s netbook in the near future. Especially given the intense spousal pressure — my role as CTO of the Zatz household has been challenged. Yet I see no reason to float Apple loan without having even touched the device… and without addressing several open issues. Computerworld put together a list of 15 iPad mysteries, some now answered, but they failed to address my three biggies. Keeping in mind this will be a shared device.
1. Multiple User Accounts?
Will the iPad offer multiple user accounts? Melissa’s got her email, Facebook, and wallpaper; I’ve got mine. So it’d be nice if the iPad OS could accommodate us with global user accounts.
2. App Sharing?
Will we be able to share apps? Between devices. And between users (assuming multiple user accounts). We’ve got two iPhones, obviously hosting a number of apps, many pay. Is there a mechanism to duplicate or move them onto the iPad… without redownloading and repurchasing?
3. Network backups?
To position the iPad as something more robust than a supersized iPhone, and given a launch app like iWork and the camera kit, I’d think Apple needs to offer some sort of backup and sync mechanism. So will we have to periodically tether the iPad to a computer to backup apps and app data, as we do with the iPhone? Or will Time Capsule and MobileMe options be made available?
Unfortunately, I fear the answer to each question will come up negatory. Making this more a list of iPad shortcomings and iPad 4.0 OS feature requests. And I have one non-iPad bonus question: Will the keyboard dock also work with an iPhone? Technically, I see no reason why it wouldn’t. But from a business perspective, the lines between iPhone and iPad are already too blurry – so I could see them drawing this line in the sand.
