Walt Mossberg Raves About the iPad

[blairh]

Posted this in the Kindle discussion but now I saw this thread, so I'll share my thoughts here too.....

iPad is cool in that it has created a new catagory of device people wanted, but here is my quick take on it after spending some time using one.....

Ereader - Only for short periods of time. Reading off a lit screen like that is annoying. Picks up glare from indoor lights and is unusable in sunlight outside. Has some cool features in iBooks (dictionary function, color) but cannot touch a Nook/Kindle as a serious ereader. Plus it's too heavy for holding for long periods.

Web - Very impressive, as long as you don't watch vids on sites that use Flash (I do). But if you have mulitiple tabs open they must reload when you revisit them if you go back and forth. Annoying.

Photos - Very nice organization. Probably my favorite feature.

Games - I don't really play games. Has potential, but no tactile controls is a downer regardless.

Apps - Hard to truly judge when it's a week old. See a lot of potential but I don't want to read a ******* newspaper on my iPad. I'll take a newspapers website any day (even if it has a paywall). There are some cool apps currently but nothing "killer" in my book.

Video - **** you. IPS panel great but the 4:3 aspect ratio is suckville. Plus eat me if you think I'm going to purchase or rent movies/tv via iTunes. No gracias.

Email - Nice interface but my iPhone is sufficient as it is for that. Plus I'd rather bang out an email with my thumbs vs. the BS portrait or landscape screens featured on the iPad.

Conclusion - Doesn't really do anything great but does a series of things in a small form factor, with good battery life, and that alone will enable it to have a marketplace. I personally would never want one. Bring on a widescreen tablet with a real OS and we can start talking.

 

[Jumbie]

I believe it was in this thread that we were talking about the Apple bias many of the blogs/reviewers have.

Here's a juicy quote from an article talking about things Apple should fix before OS 4.0

http://gizmodo.com/5520808/apple-ple...hone-comes-out

One of Apple's more paradoxically admirable qualities is that it doesn't give people what they ask for. When they do, well, it can look like this. And it's gross. Worse, this is just the default wallpaper. Can you imagine what people's iPhones are going to look like when they start adding their own ugly wallpapers? Wallpapers work on the iPad, because there's a ton of space. On the iPhone's smaller screen, packed with icons, it's too much. With the iPhone's simple black backdrop, Apple actually saved people from themselves.

You've gotta be ******** me.

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

I believe it was in this thread that we were talking about the Apple bias many of the blogs/reviewers have. Here's a juicy quote from an article talking about things Apple should fix before OS 4.0 http://gizmodo.com/5520808/apple-ple...hone-comes-out You've gotta be ******** me.
You hate that some people want uniformity? This is what that writer wants and there are many others like him. And for others who want customization and more, there are phones for them.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I love the underhanded insult in that quote.

I read:
iPhone owners are too stupid not to pick a background that makes the interface look cluttered and may limit usability, so Apple is awesome because they take that choice away from the end user.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Apple is awesome because they take that choice away from the end user.

Apple and His High Jobyness protects us from ourselves.
I sleep better at night knowing this.

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by haganah

You hate that some people want uniformity? This is what that writer wants and there are many others like him. And for others who want customization and more, there are phones for them.

No, I hate the dickish attitude that people are too stupid to make their own choices so we'll take that away from them. It's one thing if that's a security concern but it's completely something else when it's something as simple as a background image.

If the author thinks that people's backgrounds are too cluttered or whatever that's just too damn bad. He can stick with his plain black one and let people choose their own. There's a reason why Winterboard is such a popular app for jailbroken phones and why people pay big money to have their phones painted by that company (I forget the name at the moment).

The attitude of do it as we say or buy another phone is effing marsupialed in my mind. It's akin to wear black pants with white tube socks because that's how we want it.

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I love the underhanded insult in that quote.

I read:
iPhone owners are too stupid not to pick a background that makes the interface look cluttered and may limit usability, so Apple is awesome because they take that choice away from the end user.

Apparently some people are okay with that.

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

No, I hate the dickish attitude that people are too stupid to make their own choices so we'll take that away from them. It's one thing if that's a security concern but it's completely something else when it's something as simple as a background image. If the author thinks that people's backgrounds are too cluttered or whatever that's just too damn bad. He can stick with his plain black one and let people choose their own. There's a reason why Winterboard is such a popular app for jailbroken phones and why people pay big money to have their phones painted by that company (I forget the name at the moment). The attitude of do it as we say or buy another phone is effing marsupialed in my mind. It's akin to wear black pants with white tube socks because that's how we want it.
Your analogy fails. Because really what you're saying is that you want to wear the white tube socks with the black pants. And again, some people want uniformity. You want choices but only where it applies to you - ie someone doesn't have a right to uniformity if that makes sense. And people jailbreaking their phones and having their iphones painted are not the majority of customers. Apple has thrived on uniformity and it's understandable that some people don't want that and it's great that there are devices for them that provide just what they are looking for. One would think, or hope, that those same people would respect others wishes and leave them be but hoping ain't worth a nickle these days.

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by haganah

Your analogy fails. Because really what you're saying is that you want to wear the white tube socks with the black pants.

How is that a fail? Suppose I want to...

Again, you may think it looks stupid (just like the author of the article thinks certain backgrounds look stupid/cluttered) but I may love it. White tube socks may be how I choose to express myself.

And again, some people want uniformity. You want choices but only where it applies to you - ie someone doesn't have a right to uniformity if that makes sense.

I don't get it.

And people jailbreaking their phones and having their iphones painted are not the majority of customers.

I wish there were figures out there of how many devices are jailbroken. Unfortunately there aren't as far as I know. Many people don't do it because they are afraid to or don't know how. My sister, for example, would like to do it. She doesn't because she doesn't want to have to deal with updates "breaking" her phone.

It is my opinion that if it were allowed lots of people would change their background just as lots of people don't stick with the default background on their desktop.

Apple has thrived on uniformity and it's understandable that some people don't want that and it's great that there are devices for them that provide just what they are looking for. One would think, or hope, that those same people would respect others wishes and leave them be but hoping ain't worth a nickle these days.

So why doesn't the author respect others wishes and leave them be i.e. if their wish is to have a cluttered, confusing background?

 

[haganah]

You can wear your white tube socks...just do it using the Droid brand

I don't know, I guess I and others wish for uniformity in certain aspects of our lives. I'm not sure I can explain it other than saying it works and it looks nice. You may not get that and I'm cool with that. The author is writing about something he wants, because he believes it lines up with apple's philosophy (whether it does can be argued). Listen some people like restrictions in life: vegetarians, the religious, foo and his many pairs of 1 shoe, apple customers. It is what it is. It won't change. Just let it be I say. Btw, your post was about the Apple bias that writers/reviewers have and I just don't even see how you got from point A to point B - ie him wanting that in regards to wallpaper is bias? Also it can be argued that most phones have limits on them and that Apple's limits are actually much more thought out and better than say this samsung i have sitting in front of me.

Originally Posted by Jumbie

How is that a fail? Suppose I want to... Again, you may think it looks stupid (just like the author of the article thinks certain backgrounds look stupid/cluttered) but I may love it. White tube socks may be how I choose to express myself. I don't get it. I wish there were figures out there of how many devices are jailbroken. Unfortunately there aren't as far as I know. Many people don't do it because they are afraid to or don't know how. My sister, for example, would like to do it. She doesn't because she doesn't want to have to deal with updates "breaking" her phone. It is my opinion that if it were allowed lots of people would change their background just as lots of people don't stick with the default background on their desktop. So why doesn't the author respect others wishes and leave them be i.e. if their wish is to have a cluttered, confusing background?

 

[LawrenceMD]

what I hate about the apple vs others debate is that it creates arguments just for arguments sake.

but if this turns out to be a great product (which from the looks of it probably will be) then there is no denying that it will sell a ton and force the others to catch up.

but I totally get how the presentation and sheer arrogance/stupidity/douchbagginess of the way apple presents its products is very irritating, but it just causes the opposition to get into hysterics and look goofy in the process.

I've handled the ipad for a whole day yesterday and can totally see where it would fit into my needs. (a travel/commuting computer for uploading my pictures/ internet/and media center.

its like they crammed a portable dvd player/netbook/ereader/picture viewer/ into a slick interface that anyone can figure out how to use.

when i used it it kinda lost its novelty within seconds and just became something functional and productive into a one pound little interface... you know... it just worked

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by haganah

I don't know, I guess I and others wish for uniformity in certain aspects of our lives. I'm not sure I can explain it other than saying it works and it looks nice. You may not get that and I'm cool with that.

And nothing is preventing you from having that uniformity if given a choice. You can be like what's his face in The Fly where he has a cupboard full of the exact same suits so he doesn't have to choose. That's entirely your decision.

The author is writing about something he wants, because he believes it lines up with apple's philosophy (whether it does can be argued). Listen some people like restrictions in life: vegetarians, the religious, foo and his many pairs of 1 shoe, apple customers. It is what it is. It won't change. Just let it be I say.

That's fine but it obviously is changing since Apple is finally giving in and providing this feature since they know that people obviously want it.

Btw, your post was about the Apple bias that writers/reviewers have and I just don't even see how you got from point A to point B - ie him wanting that in regards to wallpaper is bias? Also it can be argued that most phones have limits on them and that Apple's limits are actually much more thought out and better than say this samsung i have sitting in front of me.

I got to that point because of the level of zealotry and Apple-apologism in his statement - "With the iPhone's simple black backdrop, Apple actually saved people from themselves". That is a ridiculous stance to take on something as simple as changing a background. Nothing you say will ever make me think otherwise.

Again, if this was something related to security that Apple is locking down e.g. you can install SSH via Safari which may give someone access to your phone since the default root password is alpine, then I can understand it. But visual customization is a whole other level of "dictatorship" and the fact that he would tout Apple as some kind of "savior" in this regard certainly shows me a level of bias that is over the top. So yeah, I don't think I made a leap to get from A to B...

 

[thekunk07]

love my ipad. a lot depends on expectations. if you're looking for a kindle on roids that does much more, you'll love it. if you think it's reinventing personal computing, you'll be sorely disappointed.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by thekunk07

love my ipad. a lot depends on expectations. if you're looking for a kindle on roids that does much more, you'll love it. if you think it's reinventing personal computing, you'll be sorely disappointed.

I think its appropriate that Will has a Kindle on roids.

 

[thekunk07]

haha, probably true.