Now, sure, if...
For home users, iPad is 2nd dog. You just said it yourself and you said so earlier, iOS updates brings more and more features, and you need them to make the iPad functional. If you can't update it, or if you have to pay to do so (does Apple even offer this service at the Genius bar ?) then it's not quite a functional replacement now is it ?
Yes and no. I know someone who is a limited computer user who never uses software update on her Mac because she doesn't know if she should. She has a tech person come to her house on a regular basis (probably once a month, unless she has specific problems) and this person takes care of things like running the updates. So, for someone like her, your argument would be that because she can't/won't update her computer with OS X updates, her computer isn't quite functional? That's baloney.
If a computer, whether it is a Windows box, a MacBook Pro or an iPad, does what it needs to do, then it is functional. No updates
needed. Sure, updates are desirable, but they aren't needed.
Since iOS 4.2 added printing capability, which was the one gaping hole in the iPad's functionality, it has moved into a space where a particular narrow band of people
could use it as a computer replacement. Is the replacement perfect? Of course not. Is it right for most people? Absolutely not. Will it likely get better as time goes on? More than likely.
That is my point. Nothing more, nothing less.
(P.S. I don't know what an Apple store would say about updating an iPad for you, if they would charge for it, etc., but I do know that my local Apple Authorized Retailer would almost certainly do this, and they may or may not charge for the service. The equivalent of the Genius Bar that they have there is exceptionally friendly to their customers and they work hard to fix issues at their counter without needing to check a unit in for official - i.e. paid for - service.)
Just be truthful here, the iPad is not meant as a replacement for a computer from Apple as is, and is pretty limited in that function. BTW, execs at my office aren't very computer savvy, but they all need more than an iPad for things like VPN/Security software/authentication. The iPad's browser doesn't support many of the authentication schemes we use on a daily basis, nor would any of our web app works on it. A lot of the stuff execs need to use (macro heavy excel sheets for expense reports, time sheet approval, etc..) don't work on numbers on an iPad.
Most business are like that btw, unless you're talking some very small company. In which case, there's probably no dedicated on-site IT guy, but the whole thing is outsourced. Good luck getting your iPad to your IT guy each week at reasonable costs.
Now, I'm not talking about most execs or most companies. I've known a lot of execs, and I know a lot of them are heavy computer users. Hey, I knew an exec that liked to check what the engineers were doing on a regular basis. He pulled up their designs in SolidWorks frequently. You want to talk about something that the iPad can't do, now there's something the iPad can't do. However, I have also known execs who barely seem to know where the on switch is for their computer. These are the guys that refused to get a computer until they couldn't avoid it any longer. And then they really only used their computers for email, some web browsing and writing an occasional letter. And, no these were not very small companies, and, yes, they had dedicated IT staff.
Again, since iOS 4.2 the iPad has moved into a space where a particular narrow band of people, including
some execs,
could use it as a computer replacement. Is the replacement perfect? Of course not. Is it right for most people or most execs? Absolutely not. Will it likely get better as time goes on? More than likely.
Once again, that is my point. Nothing more, nothing less.
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One last comment. Really, I'm not disagreeing with you, when it comes to the vast majority of people. For them, yes, the iPad is, as you put it, second dog. I recognize that, and you're right about that. No argument. However, under iOS 3.2, it really couldn't be a computer replacement for
anyone. With the advent of iOS 4.2, it now exists in a state where it could, in principle, function as a computer replacement for a select few. Maybe by the time iOS 5 or iOS 6 come out, more of the final issues will be addressed such that it will be able to function as a computer replacement for just about anyone who doesn't need the power of a full computer. For that, I guess we'll have to wait and see what those updates bring us.
