Apple Should Cut The Cord, But Do So Carefully

Few would argue that the iPad 2 is an amazing iDevice. Better still, what it does on the inside is extraordinary, and in most respects, light-years ahead of any would-be competitor. However, iDevices in general have one mounting strike against them: each relies on a computer to perform key tasks. On this point, Apple needs to eventually cut the cord if it truly wants a “post-PC” society, which Steve Jobs touted recently. However, it must do so in a way that isn't disrupting, even if that means it offers an incremental approach. Last week, John Gruber examined this issue and offered a number of solutions, which should be discussed here too. First, as Gruber explains, “the iPad 2 epitomized how Apple seems to be a generation ahead of its competitors on the device side — both hardware and software — but a generation behind on the cloud side.” No truer words have ever been said. The iPhone/iPod touch and iPad are so popular because Apple was so successful in getting them to market before competitors. However, most competitors are beginning to offer smart phones and tablets tied to some sort of cloud system. For example, other than RIM's upcoming Playbook, most iPad competitor rely very little on a connection to a Mac or PC to work. Naturally, on this point, Apple has fallen behind. What About That Connection? The current line of iDevices rely on a computer connection for a number of reasons. First, each are nothing without first connecting to a Mac or PC, which “activates” the iDevice. Connections are also required when upgrading from one iDevice to another, as well as to backup and restore data. Finally, each time Apple releases an iOS update, a connection to a computer is also necessary. Therefore, in order to pull the plug, Apple needs to figure out how to eliminate each of these four requirements, and instead achieve them through a cloud system. According to Gruber, Apple should look first to its Apple TV product for a solution. Unlike with iDevices, the Apple TV is activated automatically without the need of a computer. In addition, software updates are, again, accomplished without being connected to another device. However, an Apple TV is different than its iDevice cousins. First, it doesn’t store content. Therefore, when an update is performed, it isn’t necessary to backup information like you do when an iDevice is updated. Second, without an intermediary like a Mac or PC, how would you transfer data from one iDevice to another? For example, from an iPad 1 to iPad 2? An Incremental Cloud Solution While many will argue the solution to all of these issues is a cloud system, Gruber isn’t so sure. He believes that Apple will eventually figure out a way to let a cloud system accomplish all of the tasks currently provided by a computer. However, they will come incrementally. Gruber states:

So I’m thinking the iPad and iPhone won’t drop their connection to iTunes running on a PC in one fell swoop. It’ll be incremental, with new-device activation and software updates coming next. At that point, you’ll be able to use them without owning a PC. If you want to sync large libraries of music and video, you’ll still need a PC running iTunes, but if you have a large music/video library in the first place, you must have a PC already, so that’s not really a problem.

This sounds about right and is almost certainly the way Apple is heading. While the cloud concept itself sounds cool, an incremental approach will probably be the best way to accomplish this without a significant number of problems. Being able to activate an iDevice 'in the cloud' and without a computer should be easy enough. In addition, being able to sync music, movies and/or apps in the cloud should also be relatively straightforward. After all, Amazon.com has already accomplished this task with its cloud service. The final two points, iOS updates and backing up and restoring, could be more difficult. As good as Wi-Fi connections have become, they can still be quite slow when large amounts of data are involved. On these points, Apple should be careful and take their time. What do you think? Do you agree with Gruber's incremental approach? Let us know by leaving your comments below.

Related articles