Earlier this year, Apple released news that it will unveil the iPad – its tablet computer – sometime next month. Technology enthusiasts around the globe received this news with great applause. Most in the industry expect to see great things from Apple’s iPad, because Apple has thus far been the leader in taking new technologies and devices to levels of mass appeal. However, despite the warm reception that the iPad received, there has been some concern among those identifying themselves as realists. Interestingly, this concern has not been about the iPad itself, but about the 3G network that is set to provide for the iPad.
AT&T is the sole service provider that Apple has contracted with in the U.S. to carry the iPad. To many, this is surprising because, as the sole carrier for the iPhone, AT&T has received complaint after complaint. This is particularly true in the bigger cities where iPhones can be found in abundance, such as San Francisco and New York. In these congested and populous areas, AT&T has become notorious for dropping calls, failed calls, and general service problems.
The problems with AT&T’s 3G network were really not much of a surprise to industry specialists. Apple’s iPhones sold at tremendous rates last year, and nobody was really prepared for the large influx of demand that the network received. But even as AT&T hurries to remedy the issues already present with the high demand placed on its network by the iPhone, the iPad is set to hit the market and add further strain to the already problematic network.
Many believe that the iPad will sell just as quickly as the iPhone. In the first year, some expect that Apple will sell upwards of five million iPads. The question is: Will AT&T have the ability to handle the strain put on its 3G network by the combination of iPhones and iPads?
Two models of the iPad will hit the market next month. One of these models will come equipped with 3G capacities. This means that a great number of the iPads will rely on AT&Ts service to perform functions such as surf the Web, check email and play streaming television and movies. Those who do not intend to purchase the new iPad may mistakenly believe that this will not affect them. However, these individuals are quite wrong in this assumption.
The thing about overusing a 3G network is that it impacts everybody who relies on the network. So the additional strain that the iPads will place on AT&T’s 3G network will affect every other consumer on that network, whether or not they have an iPad. This will inevitably create some problems at first, but in the long run, it seems like it just might provide the incentive for providers to take their capacities up a notch.
We seem to have reached a point where certain technology leaders are moving too fast for others in the industry to keep up. And while this can be easily viewed as a problem in the short run, it can also be seen as predictive of others in technology eventually matching Apple’s ingenuity and development.
