Marketcircle CEO weighs in on iPad

Alykhan Jetha (AJ), CEO and founder of Marketcircle, is in a unique position when it comes to observing and commenting on Apple's new iPad device. As we've previously highlighted here on Techvibes, AJ's company has been making apps for Apple devices for quite some time.  And not just any type of apps. Award-winning ones at that.  So it came to no surprise to us when he offered to share some thoughts via email with us.

Here are seven points he shared with us (AJ's quotes are in bold) as well as some of our thoughts about them:

1. This is a new category of product. It is not a smartphone or a bigger smartphone. It is not a laptop or a netbook. It is a new thing. As such, many people are mystified as to what they would do with it - just as mystified as they where when they first saw a personal computer.  With the iMac and iPod, Apple did not create a new product. What they did was create a new paradigm for the product line. Consider the iPad Apple's answer to the tablet. Yes, it's a tablet, but with Apple's innovation and foresight, it will end up being so much more than that.
2. New and interesting software and applications will come out of this.  Not only are applications from the iPhone available to use on the iPad, but companies are being encouraged to develop new apps for the iPad via Apple's SDK program.
3. It may be a better business device than a consumer device. We'll see what else Apple adds to it on the consumer side.  We see the iPad as both.  While the iPad has features that are adaptable to the business world, Apple's reputation as a leading manufacturer of cool consumer devices precedes the iPad.
4. It will be huge for education and certain verticals (think Medical).  The iWork application features a suite of tools and we're excited to see how users adapt to them.
   
5. The fact that Apple is designing its own silicon is huge!
6. Surprised to see that it runs iPhone OS 3.2. I would have expected OS 4. It may explain the lack of multi-tasking.  Don't be surprised to see an updated version of the iPad before the year is out.
7. The success of the product will depend on the software and I think they have a good start. 
   

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the iPad. Feel free to leave a comment below.