iPad

[Artisan Fan]

I think this is a pretty cool device for what it is. I'm not sure how big the market is for this but I think there is some merit to the idea that people might want a Kindle but with more Apple flexibility and power and design.

 

[haganah]

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...t-impressions/ I thought this was amusing: "Phase 1 of the standard Apple new-category roll-out: months of feverish speculation and hype online, without any official indication by Apple that the product even exists. Phase 2 can begin: the bashing by the bloggers who've never even tried it: "No physical keyboard!" "No removable battery!" "Way too expensive!" "Doesn't multitask!" "No memory-card slot!" That will last until the iPad actually goes on sale in April. Then, if history is any guide, Phase 3 will begin: positive reviews, people lining up to buy the thing, and the mysterious disappearance of the basher-bloggers. " ------ As a side note: in reality, when will 4G be released in the US? Does anyone know? I hate the fact that electronics become obsolete so quickly and was hoping that if I wait until 4G comes out, anything I buy will last just a bit longer.

 

[celery]

I've never understood the fervent Apple hate. Apple has to be nearly as polarizing as politics, except in this arena, no one actually should care.

Imagine if a new blender came out and everyone had a freaking heart attack because it didn't have a frappe setting. If you aren't a fan of Apple products, or have no interest in purchasing an iPad, why do you care so much?

Are there any other companies that make products you don't buy , but you still anticipate their release just so you can cry about how horrible you feel they are?


Or maybe you are "in the closet" Apple fans, Melophobia? Thou dost protest too much.

 

[javyn]

celery, it's not just Apple fans, but computer geeks in general are rather passionate. Microsoft and Linux both have their fanboys too.

 

[holymadness]

I've got to say I was underwhelmed. It reminded me a lot of the Nexus 1 launch, which was preceded by a fair (though not equal) amount of frenzy and turned out to be just sound and fury, signifying nothing. There's no way this can legitimately be called revolutionary. It's well-executed and ties together a lot of loose threads in a single device, but it's long overdue and doesn't deliver anything that wasn't predicted 6 months ago (or clamoured for three years ago). Part of the problem is that Apple's competitors are so incompetent that even an underwhelming new product is years ahead of anything else in the market. Those who say that the iPad will be industry-changing and that Microsoft et. al. will be playing catch-up with their own iPad knock-offs for the next few years are right.

That being said, it's hard to say what the iPad does besides further the trend of reducing and simplying computing to its bare essentials until it becomes so user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing that clueless grandparents and technophobes everywhere are able to finally adopt 21st century technology. This is a virtue, but I'm not sure that it's a desirable trend for computing in general. I am all for ease of access and usability, but not at the cost of restricting myself to a very narrow range of functions. At what point do we let companies like Apple set the limits of what we use technology for?

I think it's fairly obvious that the iPad can't replace your actual computer. The reasons:
1. It doesn't multitask
2. Hardware specs not very impressive
3. No USB ports (this is either a sick joke or a transparent attempt to force people to spend money on adaptors)
4. Virtual keyboard doesn't seem very well-done according to most reviews
5. No flash (though I think this is less serious than many claim)
6. No HDMI out. Again, not critical, but I know a lot of people who playback .avis on their TV with their laptops.

So the critique that it's just a big iPhone isn't unjustified, even if that criticism downplays the extent to which the iPad improves on the iPhone with both its larger screen real estate and 10 hour battery life. Movies, web browsing and ebook reading will all be vastly better. We have to assume that gaming will become more complex and sophisticated, even if developers aren't quite sure how to build controls for the device.

What's interesting is that given this improvement, the relatively low cost of the baseline model, and the $30/mo. fee without contract for unlimited 3G, why would you need both an iPhone and an iPad? It seems very redundant and I wonder if Apple won't cannibalize its own market with its newest offering, especially since the iPad also relies on the App Store for software.

In any case, the most salient thing anyone has said in this thread is: don't be an early adopter. You will only end up getting screwed, both price- and feature-wise.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by javyn

celery, it's not just Apple fans, but computer geeks in general are rather passionate. Microsoft and Linux both have their fanboys too.
As do most brands of automobile. Especially American Automobiles.

 

[celery]

Oh, I absolutely understand why computer geeks get all riled up. It's the same for every other sub-cluture, but the Apple vs other is pretty mainstream. My gf's family is big on Apple hate, but they can't even install their own printer, most co-workers I've had in the past have also had a strange sense of attachment to one or the other, despite the fact that they can barely use Outlook.

And I mostly doubt that everyone in this thread is a computer geek (I know some are, and some work directly with design/programming/networking), but I do love hearing people fight over something which truly has no impact on their life at all.

Want another great example? I know you don't I'll give it to you anyway. My mother loves macs, but as a realtor she has to access windows only applications. I told her to just buy a cheap laptop with windows on it, as that's all she needs it for. Instead, she bought a macbook pro and I had to put VMware Fusion and windows XP on it and show her how to use it. She is barely computer literate. Yet she has this misguided love for something that does the exact same thing another thing does.

I no comprende.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by javyn

celery, it's not just Apple fans, but computer geeks in general are rather passionate. Microsoft and Linux both have their fanboys too.

Maybe in the world of the Xbox. I can't think of a single die-hard Windows fanatic. I mean, I don't like the Apple OS because I feel like I am being patronized when I use it, but if something else came out that ran better than windows and handled all my utilities, programs and games, I'd switch in a heartbeat.

I don't know that Windows has fanbois on the same level as Apple and Linux.

I think the Apple hate simply comes, like any franchise hate, from a combination of media saturation and smug messaging. Think the Yankees in the 90's-2000's, the Patriots in the last 5-6 years, or something more targeted like Wes Anderson movies or American Apparel. They just come across in a way that you either love or you love to hate.

 

[LawrenceMD]

its just the douchery of some apple users that elicit this.

especially when Jobs makes barbs about windows that only prompt equally inane responses. its a bit of a cold war. conflict is good because we get more options and can be humored by the rants.

Originally Posted by celery

I've never understood the fervent Apple hate. Apple has to be nearly as polarizing as politics, except in this arena, no one actually should care.

Imagine if a new blender came out and everyone had a freaking heart attack because it didn't have a frappe setting. If you aren't a fan of Apple products, or have no interest in purchasing an iPad, why do you care so much?

Are there any other companies that make products you don't buy , but you still anticipate their release just so you can cry about how horrible you feel they are?


Or maybe you are "in the closet" Apple fans, Melophobia? Thou dost protest too much.

 

[Szeph el raton]

Originally Posted by celery

I've never understood the fervent Apple hate. Apple has to be nearly as polarizing as politics, except in this arena, no one actually should care.

Imagine if a new blender came out and everyone had a freaking heart attack because it didn't have a frappe setting. If you aren't a fan of Apple products, or have no interest in purchasing an iPad, why do you care so much?

Are there any other companies that make products you don't buy , but you still anticipate their release just so you can cry about how horrible you feel they are?


Or maybe you are "in the closet" Apple fans, Melophobia? Thou dost protest too much.

Someone bought a new Nokia phone: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new Sony Ericsson: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new HTC: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new iPhone: "OMG, my new iPhone... it has all these apps... and look, it can surf teh interwebz... and omg... blabla"

The Apple fanboys are so ******* passionate that they annoy the crap out of me. I'm a Microsoft friendly guy (Linux is good too but for me it's just too troublesome for everyday use), I studied something IT-related at university and I loath the new "user friendliness" of Windows 7 (the startmenu is a joke, the file explorer is a joke, ...) but I'd never start to persuade people to think that Microsoft is the only company in the world that knows what they're doing. I mean seriously, those things are gadgets and not a religion. Most people in my environment change their computer (~3 years), notebook (~3 years) and mobile phone (~ 1-2 years) very often so why get hung up with only one supplier?

I like the "my mother" example because it's the same for me. She doesn't even know how to power a notebook on but "that little computer with the Apple on it looks nice, you think I should get one?". For me Apple has the connotation of being a computer for people who have no clue about the topic and want it rather for design/image than use (let's be serious, only a fraction of the people who have one use it for graphic or music editing).

Already sorry to all the people who think I want to put them down, I don't mean it in a bad way. When iPhone 4G comes out, chances are I'll pick it up if it's any good.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by Szeph el ratón

Someone bought a new Nokia phone: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new Sony Ericsson: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new HTC: "Look, my new phone. Nice eh?"
Someone bought a new iPhone: "OMG, my new iPhone... it has all these apps... and look, it can surf teh interwebz... and omg... blabla"

The Apple fanboys are so ******* passionate that they annoy the crap out of me. I'm a Microsoft friendly guy (Linux is good too but for me it's just too troublesome for everyday use), I studied something IT-related at university and I loath the new "user friendliness" of Windows 7 (the startmenu is a joke, the file explorer is a joke, ...) but I'd never start to persuade people to think that Microsoft is the only company in the world that knows what they're doing. I mean seriously, those things are gadgets and not a religion. Most people in my environment change their computer (~3 years), notebook (~3 years) and mobile phone (~ 1-2 years) very often so why get hung up with only one supplier?

I like the "my mother" example because it's the same for me. She doesn't even know how to power a notebook on but "that little computer with the Apple on it looks nice, you think I should get one?". For me Apple has the connotation of being a computer for people who have no clue about the topic and want it rather for design/image than use (let's be serious, only a fraction of the people who have one use it for graphic or music editing).

Already sorry to all the people who think I want to put them down, I don't mean it in a bad way. When iPhone 4G comes out, chances are I'll pick it up if it's any good.

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by holymadness

So the critique that it's just a big iPhone isn't unjustified, even if that criticism downplays the extent to which the iPad improves on the iPhone with both its larger screen real estate and 10 hour battery life. ... What's interesting is that given this improvement, the relatively low cost of the baseline model, and the $30/mo. fee without contract for unlimited 3G, why would you need both an iPhone and an iPad? It seems very redundant and I wonder if Apple won't cannibalize its own market with its newest offering, especially since the iPad also relies on the App Store for software.
I don't entirely understand the complaint that it's a "big iphone/ipod touch." Don't most people love their iphones? I think you might be right about it cannibalizing the iphone. I can see in the future just carrying a bare-bones phone and one of these.

 

[dv3]

Originally Posted by chorse123

I think you might be right about it cannibalizing the iphone. I can see in the future just carrying a bare-bones phone and one of these.
In many ways I agree. You can nearly always carry around the iPad, which most wouldn't do with a laptop or netbook. It won't take up much room at all in a purse or bag.

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by chorse123

I don't entirely understand the complaint that it's a "big iphone/ipod touch." Don't most people love their iphones? I think you might be right about it cannibalizing the iphone. I can see in the future just carrying a bare-bones phone and one of these.
WTF is a bare bones phone? Find me one. I'm not even kidding about that. I spent a good amount of time looking for a bare bones phone on Verizon for my father. He doesn't check email or play music...just wants a phone. It was not so easy finding one. And the one that I found, he still complains feels too cheap and is low quality. I don't know where phones that were just phones went, but they are long gone even though many of us still want them.

 

[ratboycom]

Originally Posted by dv3

In many ways I agree. You can nearly always carry around the iPad, which most wouldn't do with a laptop or netbook. It won't take up much room at all in a purse or bag.

wtf Netbook and the iPad are nearly identical in size and weight except for thickness. most modern netbooks are pretty effin slim compared to the first gen ones and most regular notebooks. The point of the iPhone and other Smart phones was that you can basically do most of you basic computing needs on it and its very portable. The iPad being nothing more than a slightly faster and larger iPhone (running the same os and all) seems pointless in comparison. Its all the function and basic web surfing of the iPhone in a much larger and cumbersome package. PLUS you get to carry around all kinds of dongles, WOOPEEE!
Also $130 more to use 3G, weak.