There are things about the semiconductor industry that I adore. It moves fast. It constantly surprises. It inspires lasting love and deep hatred. Change is the only constant in this industry. Lots of companies do any one of the above well, but only one company embodies all these attributes, and thus gets a lot of attention: Apple. Honestly, I have never seen a company so bent on making it’s own products obsolete as quickly as possible.

Being an enthusiast of technology, I get great satisfaction from playing with new computing devices. I also get great satisfaction out of getting new functionality out of old computers and gadgets. Which is why I am completely torn about being yet another blog writing about the iPad.

The thing about the iPad is it’s simplicity. This inspires love from those tired of fighting with their computers. It also inspires hate from those that like to customize every aspect of their UI to the point where it is unrecognizable to most users. I used to be a customizer. There is something fulfilling about being the only user able to use a specific computer. I can see why PC users would hate not seeing the file system, knowing where files are, and customizing every aspect of the experience.

The iPad, while similar to the iPod Touch/iPhone, is still a huge departure from the general use PCs we have been used to. It is a clean break from the Mouse/Keyboard UI we have been using since the mid-80s. It’s about time. It is absolutely the future of computing, and will be as widely copied and stolen from as the Mac UI by Microsoft and the iPhone has been by other smartphone makers.

I love the disruption and change that every Apple product seems to prod industries into. Make no mistake, tablets have been around for close to 10 years. Their problem is they tried to cram a mouse/keyboard UI into something that is mobile and unsuited for that paradigm. Hence even netbooks (really crappy small laptops) have gained in popularity when it should have been more mobile and useable computing devices.

What bugs me is that there are truly innovative companies capable of pulling of an iPad. HP, Microsoft, Sony, any one of the mobile phone companies. This should have been done years ago, but nobody had the balls to develop something new, to ask their users to embrace change and learn. To be loved and hated for bringing needed change to stagnant industries. I love that Apple does that. Success or failure, they are trying to create change.

I won’t be in line to buy one, just like I wasn’t in line to buy an iPhone. I have not pre-ordered, and won’t for a while. I have enough technology and gadgets in the house, and we are sophisticated enough users that another computer is just not needed with 2 Macs in the house. I still think it is the future, though, and that my son may never have to ever use a keyboard or mouse. Just like I have never had to use punch cards, or kids today have never had to use floppy disks. Change comes, and I look forward to changing with it. That is why I love following technology, and even more why I really like Apple.

It’s all about change.