Skyward Fire

The new Apple iPad is the newest addition amongst Apple’s window of products. At 0.5” thick with a 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed chip, this certainly stands out as one of the signature Apple products. But ever since the launch, it has been a victim of Apple-bashing from people who like to judge things even before trying it out, and jumping to conclusions about certain things and features. And one of the many things that got bashed up include even the nomenclature of the product. No one bitches about a letter pad sounding anything like a tampon, so what’s so intriguing about making fun of this product anyway?

The specifications of the Apple iPad are nothing exciting, true that. But it’s too early to speak considering how, like the iPhone, even this might eventually evolve into a really handy gadget. One can’t live up to everyone’s expectations these days. It has no USB port, no flash support, it can’t multi-task (expecting much from a 1GHz ARM core is a joke), it can’t make phone calls (unless you’re using VOIP over 3G), and it has no card reader. These drawbacks and upset a lot of people. But I’m sure Apple will eventually resolve at least some of these issues with firmware updates (flash support) and other hardware upgrades, like it did with the iPhone.

In a profit-driven market, it’s easy to guess what restrictions AT&T might have implemented on the deal they have with Apple for the iPad so as to make sure that people use the data bandwidth, and Apple’s App Store as much as possible. So, the iPad has been dubbed as an iPhone on steroids. It has no front camera, which I was personally expecting to see. But the fact that it weighs a little over 700 grams and marks about 10 hours battery life (actual usage statistics may come down to 6-7 hours) still makes it worth a consideration. It’s a shame it’s being compared to the iPhone, and some are comparing it to netbooks. It must be understood that this is a new product category. It’s too early to say if the iPad pleases or disappoints. Justin Williams has a nice article on why he does not want an iPad.

Considering the fact that 3G data charges in India, and here in UAE, and in a lot of countries around the world is still pretty high, the iPad will take time to pan out. Those who have been thinking of the iPad as a potential gaming machine might reconsider, since the lack of hardware keys and only multi-touch makes it kind of difficult to imagine how one would play anything on something so big while chilling out. And $500 isn’t cheap for what Apple has to offer even for a starting range. What you’re getting for that is a closed system that can’t run any standard apps or games, can’t run any standard operating systems, can’t do most of the stuff you’d want it to do, you’re forced upon some of that Apple DRM love, and if you want more, you have to pay more. Classic Apple!

Chrome OS based future products based on Dual core Atom/Dual Core Cortex A9 Nvidia Tegra2 will blow this thing away if Apple doesn’t satisfy it’s users soon, since that would be a cheaper and a more productive alternative. The Apple iPad has a very simplistic approach, and is not for a heavy user. You use a toaster to toast and you use a juicer to juice. Apple’s R&D is innovative, and thinks out of the box. But when it comes to implementing their finds on to their products, they are never in a rush to do so. They took 2 years to bring copy-paste to the iPhone, and that says a lot about how Apple thinks. No matter what, their products sell. And no matter what, people wait. So we’ll have to give it time and see how the Apple iPad actually unfurls. If not, we’ll always have HP Slate!

At the New Delhi Pragati Maidan Auto Expo 2008, history was written. There came a car that is as promising as anything has ever been. The all new Tato Nano, a venture of Tata under it’s leader Mr. Ratan Tata, was finally shown off at the Expo. And not so surprisingly, the car has been welcomed by the people all across the world. Be it the common man, or the automobile industries’ most eminent names or the global media, this conceptual venture has been gladly talked about by everyone. Although it is too early to pass on a verdict on the whole deal as of now, because the car would be launched in the market no early than September 2008, I really want to have my say.

In the words of Barack Obama, and now, Mr. Ratan Tata himself, “They said this day would never come”. In an interview put up on the Tata Group’s official website and the Auto Expo PC, Mr. Ratan Tata has made a lot of promises. But I see no reason why I shouldn’t question the authenticity of his words. There are going to be many drawbacks with this vehicle. To begin with, there is no way the car’s price is going to settle at Rs. 100,000 (approximately 2600$). The price everyone’s talking about does not include the controversial VAT and Road taxes. And with the constant rise in the prices of raw materials used in the vehicle industry, there’s no telling what heights the price would get to by September 2008. It’ll be quite enough a challenge for Mr. Ratan Tata to stick to his promise and keep the price as he’s always talked about. In a country with a population of almost 1,200,000,000, how many can really afford a 1 lac rupee car? And once bought, how many can really keep up with maintenance and the rising prices of the fuel? A vehicle can never be a one time investment, people will regularly have to shake up their pockets no matter how hard they try to avoid it.

There’s been a word around at Mr. Ratan Tata’s press conference that the vehicle is environment friendly. Are you thinking what I am thinking? A car with a price tag of Rs. 100,000 is bound to sell like hot cakes at first because of the comparatively low price than the other vehicles available in the range (the Maruti Suzuki 800). Even a general auto-rickshaw that can be seen on almost anywhere in India has a price much more than that of the Tata Nano. So can we expect the Nano to exchange places with the auto-rickshaw and other smaller commercial public transport media? Yes, why not. And this is certainly not going to make things any merrier. Tata Nano will run on petrol and/or diesel. Anything that runs on petrol or diesel is bound to harass the environment. And the more the Nanos sell, things aren’t going to get any better. In a nut shell, a huge number of Tata Nanos with improper emission systems will prove very destructive.

Now, let’s take a look at the issue regarding safety norms. With the kind of roads here in India (which ensure tremendous wear and tear) & the driving mentality of the people here, and most importantly, the number of people here, no amount of detailing is good enough to make the vehicle safe enough. As far as personal opinions are concerned, I will have to say the design looks really weak to me. The tyres are comparatively small, the ground clearance is hardly 19 centimeters (not apt enough for Indians roads), and for a price tag of Rs. 100,000, what can we really expect out of the vehicle’s outer body and the safety equipment fit inside to make your driving sessions secure? Although the low top-speed levels, the engine at the back and the smaller tyres make the vehicle terribly slow, Tata could have done a lot better than this to ensure rugged safety norms.

For a price tag of 2600$, the car doesn’t have much features to offer. It’s like two scooters joined in the middle with a metal rooftop pulled over it. To summarize, the Tata Nano is over hyped. The common man will NOT buy it. They’d rather go for a Maruti Suzuki 800 or cars priced beyond that. May be they’ll just stick to the two-wheelers they’ve been using all these years. The only scope for this car selling is the commercial transport category. This is bound to take the place of the yellow-black or the yellow green auto-rickshaws you see on the streets. But then again, with the prices of non-renewable fuels going up and even beyond, I am not hopeful enough. Even if it sells well at first, we’re bound to see some terrible traffic jams, more air pollution, and people on the streets hurling abuses at each other for exchanging some paint.

My verdict on this car .. flop-mania’s coming!

PS: Is it just me or every one has forgotten the Apple iPod nano? Shouldn’t the Tatas be worried about a lawsuit coming there way?