The Apple iPad

[Victor Fox]

Alright, let's try this again. The other thread was technically there for the mystery media event anyway, so let's use this thread to discuss the iPad, good and bad, and talk about people opinions on the device once it comes out in a couple months.

[Blzer]

Re: The Apple iPad

I just wanted to get my two cents in, since I literally entered that thread for the first time ten minutes ago (wanted to see why it was closed).

I see why somebody would want it for the sole use of browsing the Internet. If that's all that I wanted, I'm sure that someday down the line I wouldn't mind having something for that very reason if I felt that it was more beneficial for me. But in my honest opinion, the biggest issue with the iPad is that you kind of have to be holding onto it the entire time to have it properly angled at you, if that makes sense.

For instance, right now I'm half-laying down on my bed with my laptop in front of me, the keyboard being the base and the screen tilting up for me. If I wanted to do two-hand typing with the iPad, I would have to lay it down flat, and possibly lean above it to get a good view of it.

And then in the end, as just a personal thing, but I've never been a fan of touch screens. Oily fingerprint residue, easier to scratch with no cover, and as for typing I prefer getting a feel of what keys I'm typing rather than looking at it, if that makes sense. That's why I will probably never get an iPhone or iTouch. Maybe I'm just not ready for this new technology stuff.

The only funny thing about this that I'll say, is how people with heavy British accents will say it like "iPod", possibly confusing people. Otherwise, I see this as interesting new technology. I honestly don't think that the world is ready for this especially at the given price point and no storage media input features, but I see why some people could get a good kick out of it. I do like how Steve Jobs is always innovating and how one piece of technology leads to the innovation of another one in the future, but in the end it's just not for me.

[Miles_Yuhas]

Re: The Apple iPad

Its a phone OS on a computer. To me that is just unacceptable, no flash, no multitasking. Dell and HP are releasing tablets that run windows 7, which I think is a lot better than this.

Also the screen aspect ratio is horrible in my opinion. Its a 4:3 screen when turned sideways to watch movies and tv shows.

[Victor Fox]

Re: The Apple iPad

I feel like i would love to have this thing mounted on my wall at home, as a slick picture frame. Then, as I walk down my hallway, i can go, "What the weather gonna be like today?" Then tap the picture frame and open the Weather App.

I know, i know, just use your iPhone. But what if i'm a Sprint customer with a crappy nextel walkie-talkie phone?

I don't know. There's a market for this device, but i don't think it's as vast as the mobile phone or laptop computer market. One day, we're either gonna look back on the iPad as having gone down the dark alley of the Newton or the Cube, or we're gonna laugh at how pessimistic we all were after its gone down the golden walkway of the iPod.

[Heelfan71]

Re: The Apple iPad

I feel like i would love to have this thing mounted on my wall at home, as a slick picture frame. Then, as I walk down my hallway, i can go, "What the weather gonna be like today?" Then tap the picture frame and open the Weather App.

I know, i know, just use your iPhone. But what if i'm a Sprint customer with a crappy nextel walkie-talkie phone?

I don't know. There's a market for this device, but i don't think it's as vast as the mobile phone or laptop computer market. One day, we're either gonna look back on the iPad as having gone down the dark alley of the Newton or the Cube, or we're gonna laugh at how pessimistic we all were after its gone down the golden walkway of the iPod.

I don't know. Maybe in a few years there might be a market. I just don't think it is so awesome because Apple tells me it is. Now if they made this with OSX in it and a big HD, I would be all over it.

I would wear it around my neck like a medallion and have a big clock on the screen.

[Victor Fox]

Re: The Apple iPad

I would wear it around my neck like a medallion and have a big clock on the screen.

Phenomenal. haha. So would I.

On a more serious note, I too would be ALL OVER THIS were it running OS X. I'm a filmmaker and would absolutely love being able to run Final Cut with touch capabilities. But for that, Apple would start pricing at around a grand, which I can understand seeing as it would be more advanced than anything they have on the market right now.

[ODogg]

Re: The Apple iPad

Why do people keep saying if you're lying in bed u have to lay the ipad flat? Uhhh no u don't, you hold it like u would a magazine...one hand holds it and the other manipulates the screen. Come on fellas it doesn't have to lie flat to use, agAin you guys keep thinking of it as a traditional laptop and that is whAt makes it great is that it's not and the traditional way of thinking, like saying the device has to be layer flat, is history..

[ODogg]

Re: The Apple iPad

I want one of these just so I can get a huge belt clip and walk around with it on my waist like a huge tool..lol oh and also so I can put it up to my ear and walk around the mall talking real loud as if it's a phone just to see peoples reactions!!!

[RockinDaMike]

Re: The Apple iPad

I was in the market for a netbook and really thought this was cool until I found out all its flaws. This thing will probably sell because its "cool" but I don't see it being practical compared to a netbook.

I just purchased a toshiba netbook (11.6" with a dual core processor and 320 gb of of storage running windows 7 premium) for the same price as the lowest model ipad.

I needed something more mobile (3.5 pounds) and had a long battery life (claiming 9 hours of battery life) which comparable to the ipad which is 1.5 pounds and has a 10 hour battery life which you can't replace.

They're going to have to market it differently to not compare it to a netbook, I just don't see any advantage other than it being cool.

[Laffer]

Re: The Apple iPad

http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/192799.asp

This is the best explanation I've read, about why the Ipad doesn't suck.

The gist of it is this:

(T)he PC world has been differentiated by the cost of the hardware, which is a measure of the raw power possible. Pay more, get more power. But you have exactly the same experience on each machine, just slower or faster... Consumers recognize they don't need a pro-level machine, so they buy something cheap – but it's just a badly hobbled pro machine, not a consumer machine. It's like recognizing you don't need an SUV, but your cheapest option is an SUV body with a 1.2-liter, 4-cylinder engine. Kind of stupid.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: The Apple iPad

http://www.geekweek.com/2010/01/why-...ilsucceed.html

This article sums up my thoughts...

Why Apple's iPad will Fail or Succeed
ROB LEVIN | Jan 28 2010, 6:01 AM
In lieu of the President of the United States delivering a State of the Union address, tech-giant Apple decided to give the world something to talk about. And talk they did, about a little device called the iPad...

I'm an Apple fan. I work on an iMac at home, rock a MacBook on the road, and don't go anywhere without my iPhone. I grew up on Windows and demanded more, and I've been very happy since making the switch. But as someone whose livelihood is tied almost exclusively to publishing, I have a vested interest in this device.

Is it just a giant iPhone as some have dubbed it, or is it an evolution in computing? I've weighed some of the pros and cons and present to you, the GeekWeek faithful, a point-counterpoint review of the iPad's future.



5 Reasons the iPad will Succeed:

1) It's Apple - Just as the Grateful Dead had Deadheads and Twilight has Twihards, Apple has its share of rabid fans. They go beyond the standard first adopters of tech and will purchase anything Apple puts out. And they are legion. Apple has crafted a culture around their products, as evidenced by their "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" campaign. They appear hipper, cooler, younger, smarter, etc. It makes people feel like they're in on a secret when they get a Mac. And that's a successful campaign that has led to a lot of sales for the crew in Cupertino.

2) It's a Kindle killer - As an entertainment device, the Kindle only served a small niche market. It was a book reader for newspaper subscribers, avid readers, and travelers. But it didn't even serve the needs of Hollywood execs with their endless piles of scripts to read. And everyone and his mother wanted color. The iBooks app and slick color screen firmly put a target on the back of the Kindle that says, "The new king has just been crowned."

3) The infrastructure is already there - Apple created the best way to monetize digital music with iTunes, and then added video to it. They added Apps to the iPhone and changed the way smart phones are used. With those already in place, and in use by millions, the iPad will be seamless to adopt for anyone familiar with one or both elements. And iBooks will just be the next cog in their world media domination plans.

4) Apple is creating its own market - The speculation about Apple's tablet was that it would revolutionize the ailing publishing industry. The revolution may not quite be here, but it's brewing. We can see it on the horizon, and rather than waiting for it to take shape and reacting, Apple is charging out of the gate. Because it's the first to market, the iPad doesn't necessarily need to be the best. It needs to set the tone and then innovate while everyone is still reacting. And from the looks of things (as well as the above reasons), that seems to be happening.

5) It's here - Unlike the vaporware Courier from Microsoft, the iPad exists. Regardless of anything it's missing, and perceived flaws, or "I wish they had just..." features, it's real. We've seen it. You can buy it in 60 days. It's the real deal. Everything else is just catching up and hoping to draft off Apple's ideas.



5 Reasons the iPad will Fail:

1) The Name - Speculation was rampant about what the mythical tablet would be called. Smart money was on the iSlate, while others hoped for iTab(let) or a reboot of the iBook label. When Steve Jobs announced the iPad, there was collective head scratching, followed by a flood of feminine hygiene product jokes. I won't stoop to that, but I will point out the obvious branding blunder. If the idea is that it's like a digital pad of paper... why can't we write on it?

It's one letter off from the iPod. Not only is that confusing, especially when you're talking about the product ("No, the big one. Yeah, the Pad."), but also because it doesn't set itself apart as anything new. Apple's goal is to create a new market between smart phone and notebook computer. This doesn't give the iPad a distinct brand identity, which is one of the crucial components of creating a new product category. As I type this entry, I'm even having a hard time remembering the name. Never a good sign.

And speaking of branding, why does every new video introducing technology feature some developer with a soothing European accent telling us how great everything is? Apple is not immune. I half expect Hans Gruber to show up in a video and tell me how awesome it is to fall off a building.

2) Too many missing features - I was a little shocked to see the UI based on the iPhone/iPod Touch. I assumed they'd borrow the same gestures and the like, but I assumed more of a tweener operating system somewhere between the ease of use of the iPhone and the multi-tasking and processing power of OSX. That means you can't load your fully-featured programs on here and use them with virtual inputs; you're stuck with iPhone apps (which luckily will run natively on the iPad with no modification, but can also be tweaked specifically for the iPad). At its size I don't know why anyone would want a camera built into this, but I've seen some people griping over the omission already. The ability to video conference would be appreciated for people who use this on the go. And while you're on the go, there's no GPS. A lot of artists were salivating over the idea of getting an Apple tablet in lieu of a Cintiq from Wacom, but the lack of stylus input means that dream is but a dream deferred for now. It also means you can't draw wherever you want or take notes and digitally archive them with ease. As my friend Max pointed out, even the Newton had a stylus...

For casual users, the lack of Adobe Flash support is troubling. Apple and Adobe still haven't settled their differences (there is also no flash support on the iPhone), which means a lot of websites are severely handicapped, and content sites like Hulu are totally out. As this is largely an entertainment device, this is a huge blow.

Bigger still, and one of the reasons it falls squarely in the entertainment peripheral category, is the lack of multi-tasking. As I write this on my iMac, I have seven tabs open in my web browser, my notes for this article in MacJournal, and the Hawks-Spurs game streaming via my SlingBox. And there's another browser hiding behind that clutter. People multi-task. It's that simple. Our computers have adapted to let us do that. But our smart phones (I'm not looking at you, Palm Pre, you're golden) have not, and the iPad is firmly rooted in the DNA of smart phones. We do multiple things, be it listening to music while we work, or running back and forth between notes and email and web browsing. The inability to do this, especially on a device where screen real estate is not an issue, is crazy.

3) It's not a business device - While I appreciate the effort to add iWork on there (something you cannot do on the iPhone), it's not quite what I have in mind for business use. Multi-tasking is also key component of this, but it goes beyond that as well. This is a tweener. It does most of what our phones do, and not a whole lot of what our laptops and desktop computers do. Business people (and I use that term broadly) need the ability to do their work on the go, and in the most efficient and intuitive way possible. The previously mentioned Courier seems designed to fit this market. It seems reverse engineered from actual workflow study to fit how you work, not conform you to their standard. I know it's not even in production, but the ideas are in the right place. The iPad, to truly take hold, needs to become a necessity. It needs to offer access to something or the ability to do something that no other device can do. And it's not there yet.

4) Memory issues - At its size, we shouldn't even be talking double digit memory. The fact that this starts at 16gb is laughable. And the max is 64gb. Really? The largest iPod Classic holds 120gb of music. And people can easily fill that up. This is meant to house apps, books, and video. Maybe I'm missing something, but the idea of not being able to have all of my content there is troubling.

I'm also hoping for some kind of network/data tethering announcement soon. One of my biggest gripes with the iPhone is that I can't stream music from the other iTunes enabled computers on my network. Given the relatively small hard drive and the need for space with video content involved, I'm hoping I can download stuff on the iMac and link to it when I'm on the couch or in bed.

5) It's not a game changer (yet) - The iPad is too much of a tweener device. It can't decide what it wants to be, and ends up limited. Its goal is to create a new class of computing, but it comes up short. We already have all the other devices. We need this to do something those don't do. I can read things and watch video already. Newspapers, books, and magazines may all look better here, but they're not quite on the level where they become must-haves in digital form just yet (a future we've already seen from Esquire in and previewed by Sports Illustrated in a mock-up video). Not to mention iPad actually has a lower pixel density than the iPhone, so it's bigger but lower quality. How much better it all looks is debatable at this point.

Where is the killer app? Checking out Steve Jobs marveling at each new app shown for the iPad, I couldn't help but think the same thought over and over again. Is this it? No app truly pushed the device into new forays. It's all a logical extension of what we already have, what we've already seen, and what we already do without spending money on a new device.

In order to succeed, the iPad needs to change the game. It needs to be so innovative that it becomes the norm. Apple showed they could do this with the iPod. They repeated the formula with the iPhone. I'm just not getting that same vibe here. They're playing it safe, rushing what appears to be a very pretty prototype to market in order to be the innovators rather than being the swinging dick juggernaut we all know them to be and telling people the game done changed.

At the end of the day, no matter how many flaws we can find with the iPad, I believe it's going to be a success. It's going to pioneer this third category of mobile computing even if it's not the strongest effort. In the longterm, it might even revive the faltering publishing industry, and nothing makes me happier than that. But it's not quite what it should be. Yet. The right team is in place. The right people are thinking ahead. And until the device steps up to the level it needs to reach, the biggest winners in the game are going to be the content creators who figure out the best way to carve out their innovative niche in a world where Big Publishing is not necessarily the best way to break in or sustain a career. The future is always bright for innovators.

This is the first shot in a very long battle, and Apple is going to make a lot of money in the process. Just be aware of what you want your device to do before you get wowed by how pretty it all is.

I'm waiting for iPad 2.0, whose name will hopefully be 'The Slate.'

[Blzer]

Re: The Apple iPad

Why do people keep saying if you're lying in bed u have to lay the ipad flat? Uhhh no u don't, you hold it like u would a magazine...one hand holds it and the other manipulates the screen. Come on fellas it doesn't have to lie flat to use, agAin you guys keep thinking of it as a traditional laptop and that is whAt makes it great is that it's not and the traditional way of thinking, like saying the device has to be layer flat, is history..

I said to type you would have to lay it flat. I also said that it's quite a bit of work for me to be holding it up. That's probably why I don't read magazines ever.

[eDotd]

Re: The Apple iPad

I just don't see any advantage other than it being cool.

My thoughts in a nutshell.

[Admiral50]

Re: The Apple iPad

I think it's cool for what it can do, but when you think about what it can't, it is way too expensive.

It really needed to be half the price. Ah well.

[Heelfan71]

Re: The Apple iPad

Interesting: http://www.cultofmac.com/adobe-there...-revenue/28564