Apple's iPad Megathread

[Flames0910]

first i had seen that vid, thanks fanin80. the way it sits in the lap and even while they're just holding it, it seems very natural, very relaxed. I know my laptop sometimes causes me to twist and contort myself into weird positions watching movies and such. hell, right now i'm lying on the couch with the laptop in front of me - my back hurts like hell and the position just isn't overly comfortable, but it is one my most common laptop usage positions. ergonomics aren't really something you can show with tech stats though. i would love to get my hands on one to try it out for that reason.

new device - same reason slashdot said the ipod was going to fail. it will take time for people to realize just how revolutionary this is because it fills a new mold, it satisfies a new need. it's basically a macbook air sans keyboard.

little detail: flip to show somebody else and picture flips. that's a classic apple move that really shows how much thought went into how you are going to use this.


"no wireless. less space than a nomad. lame."
"no flash, can't multitask. lame."

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by SebC

Forgot to mention, if it's "the best web surfing experience, the best email experience, the best photo and movie watching experience" why would anyone buy a MacBook or an iMac or an AppleTV? It's funny how ridiculous that statement is.

You really need to stop looking at the 10" screen and comparing it to other devices. It isn't a laptop and it isn't a desktop. It's not supposed to be.

I think it's a great household gadget. I can't even count how many times I've downloaded apps that I can see making my life easier, but then abandoned them because it was just too cramped on a 3" screen. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these things.

[Flames0910]

SebC it's not supposed to replace your laptop, iMac, AppleTV or iPod. Apple doesn't want to cannibalize their sales. That's what Steve Jobs was really saying when he was talking about product lines. It fits in between and works in conjunction with all those products, but doesn't act as a replacement.
I spend a lot of time sitting on the couch reading newspaper articles, blogs, forums, etc. For those tasks, I don't need to multitask. An iPod's screen is too small, and I don't always want to sit at my desk.

Right now I have a netbook that I take to class for taking notes and an iPod to listen to music on the go (and a blackberry pearl for phone calls, email, etc). Ideally, I would have a desktop for when I want to sit down and really do some work and a tablet for when I want to sit on the couch and relax with a book/blog/newspaper/movie. See? Different products, different functions.

Edit: + cloud solution so that all my files are accessible on all my devices = synergistic combo.
also notice that I didn't say they all had to be apple offerings. I love apple as much as the next forward thinking tech kid, but I'm not a brainwashed, mindless zombie fanboy. They can be (iphone, macbook, ipad, imac) or they could just as easily not (berry/android, netbook, ipad, imac OR windows workstation). there are, of course, benefits and drawbacks to each method and some combos will work better for different people. for example, for business I need excel and as a student i need onenote. which means I need at least one windows computer to meet my needs. but i also love the ease of use and slick interface of mac's so I can mix and match across product forms (smartphone, laptop, tablet, desktop) to get the best of every world.

[Ryan Coke]

Well, we have 2 full sized laptops, I just bought 1 netbook and am probably about to buy another. I have several ipods and i love my iphone. This thing is interesting, but it seems to be more miss than hit.

No camera for skype, are you kidding me? No flash? No multitasking? No keyboard? And even at this great price, it is still going to be close to double the price of a netbook.

I am starting to think the concept of a touch screen with a folding (and attached) keyboard, and a camera, really is the way to go.

Maybe eventually it will become something better, but as far as competing for the netbook market (if it was trying at all for that), it isn't there yet.

The iphone is successful because it integrated multiple devices into one well made unit. This creates a new genre in the middle while not replacing anything on either end.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

You're right. Your desktop PC running Adobe Flash, connected to a 61" TV, is definitely the single greatest mobile web-browsing device on the market today.

Here's the thing: they didn't qualify their "best" statement at all. Ergo, it doesn't have to be mobile. I don't at all believe that they actually believe what they actually said, but I'm still going to laugh at them for saying it and publishing it.

Also, I didn't say that my PC was the best either, I just said it's better than iPad and therefore iPad can't be the best.

Another opinion, seems reasonable to me:

Tom's Hardware: the iPad is a console

[Cliche]

COD:MW2 or GTFO

[QuadCityImages]

I'd like to see those of you saying Flash is dead uninstall it and try using the internet for a week. Guess you don't need to watch any videos that you don't have a specific app for. Android doesn't yet have Flash, and its beyond noticeable. Whenever a video is embedded in a site, if its not YouTube or a select few other formats, it doesn't work.

Now, you can make the argument that Flash is dying, but it ain't dead yet. A Flash free device is not the ultimate browsing experience because it doesn't provide the WHOLE internet. That's a pretty big dealbreaker for a $500+ device with less storage space than my Droid, minus multitasking and openness.

All that said, I can see how anyone looking at a Kindle might consider spending a bit more for the iPad. But Apple isn't marketing it as a better Kindle; they're claiming its magic!

[Devils'Advocate]

It does look more functional than the electronic clipboard of 2260.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

But Apple isn't marketing it as a better Kindle; they're claiming its magic!

"Buy our product! It's just okay, I guess." Come on, Vince claimed the slap-chop was magic.

[Pastiche]

I really have to laugh at the claims that this is better than a netbook. I have an EEE 1000HE and there is no way this thing is better for my needs at least. On my netbook I have a real OS, I can install whatever software I like, can tweak it, can run econometric models, etc. This is once again typical Apple of having alot more flash (except my eee does have flash) than substance.

What gets me is the pompous attitude of Steve Jobs saying netbooks suck and then proceeds to unveil a netbook that uses only propietary Apple crap, has no USB ports, a crappy on screen keyboard, and 64 gigs of HD space for more than double what I paid for my netbook.

Brutal.

[silentsim]

if only this worked as a home theater universal remote as well....if an app for that gets built...heads up logitech harmony!

[photon]

Some more interesting thoughts:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/20...ipad-reax.ars/

Also with the GPS, I wonder if it will have real GPS and maps stored on the device? Or will it be like the iPhone, with assisted GPS with a 3G connection and maps streamed down. That'd be a big downside of the wifi-only version.

[photon]

No iBooks for non-US customers at launch. Really need to know if we can put our own books on it.

http://gizmodo.com/5458585/ipad-coul...ries-at-launch

[FanIn80]

I find these "not a real OS" claims to be pretty funny. Can someone tell me one jealousy-inducing thing that they can do with their netbook OS, that I can't do with my iPhone OS?

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Can someone tell me one jealousy-inducing thing that they can do with their netbook OS, that I can't do with my iPhone OS?

Install a program not approved by the manufacturer?

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by photon

No iBooks for non-US customers at launch. Really need to know if we can put our own books on it.

http://gizmodo.com/5458585/ipad-coul...ries-at-launch

It takes 30 seconds to set up a free US iTunes account. Also the book reader uses the open-book standard ePub format, and has a section of the disk partitioned as a storage drive. This storage drive is accessible by any 3rd party app, and shows up in your compute as regular old thumb drive.

I can't see them using ePub and not letting you read your own books. It would be like an iPod not letting you play your own MP3s.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

Install a program not approved by the manufacturer?

I said jealousy-inducing, not bug, security-hole and crash inducing.

I used to jail-break my phone all the time, just so I could install "other" apps. Most of them were complete garbage, and caused me more headaches with crashing and creating loopholes and everything else bad they do. The few apps I did like were just eventually built into the OS anyway.

The only time an app doesn't get approved these days, is if it is buggy, creates a security concern, or tries to mimic a native device function. Why would I even want to install those anyway? He'll, even VOiP over 3G has been enabled now.

Oh wait a minute... Unless, when you say "a program not approved by the manufacturer," you really mean to say, "a program I can download illegally and use without paying for it."

If that's the case, then you got me. The iPhone OS is much better at making sure people aren't allowed to steal, than a regular old netbook is. What's really ironic, though, is I probably have access to 80,000 legally free apps in the app store, and not one of them carries any risk of maliciousness at all. I'll take that over the constant threat of viruses in Shareware World any day.

[Pastiche]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

I find these "not a real OS" claims to be pretty funny. Can someone tell me one jealousy-inducing thing that they can do with their netbook OS, that I can't do with my iPhone OS?

Use industry standard software suites? Use firefox with adblock? Use the cloud? Use SSL? Write commands, macros and batches? VoIP? Use software that YOU want to use not what Apple wants me to? Listen to music without using iTunes? Watch movies without using Quicktime? Watch movies in different formats? Integrate seamlessly with open sourced home server software? Use open source media servers like Subsonic and Twonky?

Oh and my netbook gets 9-10 hours of battery life too.

[FanIn80]

Ha. Awesome. None of these things have anything to do with the OS, but I'll bite...

- iWork can open, edit, save and create word/excel/powerpoint documents, and it's coming to the iPhone OS when the iPad launches.
- You can block ads in Safari.
- I don't know the specific cloud you're refering to, but the iPhone supports cloud computing.
- Why wouldn't the iPhone support SSL? What a weird thing to suggest. Of course it supports SSL. Hell, I even have a terminal app that allows command-line SSL connections. You need a knew info source, man.
- I can VOiP on my iPhone already, thanks. Even VOiP over 3G has been enabled now.
- I can already use any app I want to. I have 140,000 to choose from. The only stipulation is that they have to not have any bugs or security holes.
- There are hundreds of non-iTunes, music-playing apps in the App Store. A lot of then are free, too.
- Whats wrong with QuickTime on the iPhone? It's nothing like the PC version. I'm confused by what options you think your video player needs that you can't do on the iPhone. The multiple formats thing is valid, but it's not exactly rocket surgery to convert a video to one of the iPhone formats.
- The iPhone has plenty of apps that allow you to integrate with home media servers. Of course, you can't stream to the media server from your phone, but if your seriously looking to stream directly from your phone, then you should be up for some kind of award or something.

Methinks you should actually get an iPhone. You'd be quite shocked at how different it is than what you imagine it to be.

[GrrlGoalie33]

I see this as the potentially perfect device for my wife. She's not a heavy computer user. Mostly it's email and web, and occasionally a movie. To be able to have the 9.7" screen, it be only .5" thick and 1lb, this is the perfect device for her sitting on the couch.

Oh, and when expense report time comes...there is Numbers for the iPad.