Laying Out The Welcome iPad

Is it possible to escape the iPad juggernaut?

Is it possible to escape the iPad juggernaut?
 
With 300,000 sold on the first day and analysts predicting Apple will sell over 7 million this year, then probably not.
 
The iPad format is not really new of course. Laptops and smart phones have sort of been morphing in this direction for a while. But the iPad's success will now make this a stampede.
 
Despite problems the iPad is experiencing with its wireless connectivity over WiFi so far, the whole tablet phenomenon is a sign of something far bigger going on in our homes.
 
And that's the market for convenient connectivity that can deliver a whole range of services in place or on the run, and preferably simultaneously.
 
Expect this format war to ramp up as the consumer electronic companies look for the must-have online device for our homes.
 
The convergence of many of the things we now want at home-fast, instant web access, digital services and applications, storage and gadget interconnectivity-will only grow.
 
Companies have already filled up smart phones with all sorts of "apps" that can control home entertainment, energy management, networking and varied appliances.
 
The iPad is barely out of its box and companies like Crestron, Control4 and Savant have announced apps that will let it manage a whole range of home automation type features.
 
Already some industry experts are suggesting the iPad could ultimately replace all those pesky remotes and touch screens, but many of the smart phones are getting close to that too.
 
It's a sign that our homes really are on the cusp of a digital, always on reality. The devices will come and go, but this new aspect to our lives is only going to get stronger.
 
Making sure we do this in as planned a way as possible, the gadgets work properly, online access is guaranteed and that the people installing these features know what they're doing is really the ultimate challenge for industry and government.
 
John Fennell
jjfennell@copperdev.com