Before the year ends, I would like to take time to write about what I think the Gadget of the Year for 2011 is. Here are my guidelines for coming up with this year’s top gadget:
- It should be officially available in our local market this year. No gray market stuff.
- It’s something that a lot of people can really use.
- Being innovative is not really a requirement but it’s a plus
- It should make an impact in its field, not really in terms of market share but on how people adapt to it and companies react to it”¦ an influencer if you will.
Now you might have ideas out there but essentially, I think only a few gadgets would fit my guideline. So allow me to present to you”¦ Pinoy Tech Blog’s Gadget of the Year for 2011.
(Drumroll”¦.)
It’s none other than the Apple iPad 2.
Before you say. “œWhat a boring choice””¦ or “œIt’s just the slimmer version of the iPad 1″”¦ or “œIt’s so last year”, allow me to point out a couple of key things about the Apple iPad 2.
Still the top tablet
Yes the tablet is not new, and it doesn’t deviate much from the original iPad but right now, it’s safe to say that the iPad is still the top tablet in the market. That’s what made the iPad 2 special.
- When the original iPad was launched last year, nobody could beat it. More than a year has passed, a lot of tab.win2.cn/g9
- lets has surfaced”¦ a lot from Android actually plus RIM’s own PlayBook and the defunct HP TouchPad. However, iPad is still the hottest selling tablet out there so that made the iPad 2 impressive, it provided a successfu2.cn/g9
- l continuity to Apple’s tablet device despite not having the bells and whistles of other tablets.
It shaped how consumers think
Allow me to explain. Before, it’s just laptops and desktops. When the first iPad came, a lot of people still think that it’s too specialized, too gimmicky. Now on its second year, when tablets are really coming out, people now tend to think that it’s an important gadget in their life and would choose between owning a laptop and a tablet (something I would want to talk about in future posts).
The iPad shaped the tablet industry and consequently how consumers think about tablets. I often get asked, “œWhat tablet device should I get?”, even though they don’t own a laptop or PC yet. People now think that a tablet is all they need and they would skip on purchasing a laptop or a netbook. I think because of the iPad, people aspire to have their own tablet.
Hmm”¦ I just realized that we also chose iPad as our top gadget of 2010 even when all it’s capable of are just speculations at that time. It turned out to be true looking back in 2011. The iPad is a sure hit!
To share something based on experience, I was hanging out at Digital Hub at Virra Mall and in just 30 minutes I saw them sold 4 iPad 2’s. In a flight going back from Sabah, I saw at least three old folks within my area whipping out their iPad’s during the flight to play Bejeweled or Luxor or one of those oldies’ games.
Even at this point in time, we can’t see how the iPad 2 will slow down. In fact, it will be an exciting 2012 for the iPad if the rumors about its next iteration are true.
