Why iPad Content Apps Might MISS A Key Demographic

Let’s face it – the iPad is the talk of the town whether you’re in the Domaining world, the finance world, or the gaming world. Making it to the one-million sales mark before the iPhone was just the beginning of how the iPad is going to change the game. Sure – there are some nay-sayers in the crowd but the majority agree – the iPad is a success…at what, is another question.

Steve Jobs referenced Netbooks in his keynote speech and made fun of the fact that people are now buying SLOWER computers simply because they are smaller and more portable. He touts the fact that the iPad is not only super-portable but also lightening-fast.

Of course the iPhone never would have taken-off without the same special sauce that has helped to make the iPad a success in such a short period of time – the APPS! That’s right – app-mania has struck and anyone with an iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad knows – it’s all about the apps. Apple has revolutionized the way we interact with computers (which is really what both the iPhone and iPad are!) by creating an app framework that makes it easy for developers to create stunning-looking, easy-to-use, applications.

Gone are the days of complex install processes, downloading and installing an app actually happen in the same step and involve clicking a single button – of course you’re not really clicking but instead touching a single button.

Now comes the million-dollar question for Domainers – will apps threaten the domain name industry?

While there are people lined-up on both sides of the fence it does seem that your average Domainer is not the least bit frightened of the iPad/iPhone encroaching on their turf. I’ve heard a number of arguments in both directions but was inspired by an interesting post I read on AVC, one of my all-time favorite blogs. The title of the article is – I Prefer Safari To Content Apps On The iPad.

After finishing this article I had one of those – ah ha moments – you know the feeling when it all comes together. What Fred is describing in this article is a common issue for most savvy Internet users – if you’re used to using a browser to access your content – apps probably won’t cut it. That’s right – the demographic of savvy Internet users, people who have been using the web, everyday, for a LONG time will probably miss the power-user features a browser offers and thus the iPad might not change their habits all that much.

To me this represents just one of the many reasons why the iPad and content apps in general will have little-to-no impact on domains. In fact – I see devices like the iPhone and iPad turning novice Internet users into daily surfers adding even more people to the searching, typing, and clicking community. The question is – how will the next-generation of computer-users interact with the Internet? For a child born today, what kind of computer are they going to use when they’re ten and how is it going to access online content?

There’s no denying that how we interact with the web and online content WILL change over time, and the iPad does represent a step forward. That being said, there’s a key demographic out there – savvy Internet users – and if you’re reading this post you’re probably in it, and you’ll most-likely agree that nothing beats a browser!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton