The Apple iPad...

ElDiabloConCaca

ElDiabloConCaca

U.S.D.A. Prime
...has just been released and I'm surprised there wasn't a thread here on it already.

Biggest plus: 3G service at $30/month without a contract. Nobody saw that one coming.
 
Hi all,

I'm currently looking around on info about the iBookStore and especially if it would allow us to share (as with iTunes) our own publications. If any of you have info on this (except the epub format), please share.

Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Olivier.
 
To be honest, I'm a little surprised by the hype in advance and I was assuming there had to be some major advances in features. Otherwise, I couldn't really understand the market for the product.

Personally speaking, if I want to have internet access in an extremely portable form, I'd use an iPhone or iPod touch. If I want more computing power but also whilst on the move, I'd use a laptop. The iPad seems bulky enough to not replace a laptop and yet not compact enough to totally replace an iPhone or iPod touch.

Steve Jobs did seem to suggest they needed to find the right niche, which was exactly my concern, but I'm still a little nonplussed by the iPad. At first glance, it looks like an enlarged iPhone/iPod touch, so, while the applications may look a little glossier, I can't quite understand why this is supposed to be the breakthrough that is being proclaimed; surely we've seen the technology before?

In my case, the iPad falls between the cracks but, for all I know, it could be exactly what others have been waiting for. That said, I'm not meaning to be too negative, I just feel like "I don't get it." I think I need to have a look at one in real life to judge for myself!
 
obeghain said:
Hi all,

I'm currently looking around on info about the iBookStore and especially if it would allow us to share (as with iTunes) our own publications. If any of you have info on this (except the epub format), please share.

Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Olivier.
Click to expand...
Sharing publications should be the least of your concerns. You can share files between your iPad and Mac or Windows PC. Publications will be in the new opensource epub format. Sharing via the iBookstore may be allowed, but it will not be necessary.

I'm looking for the new authoring apps that will allow me to create my own publications. By the time the iPad hits the market, I presume that authoring apps will be be available.
 
bbloke said:
... The iPad seems bulky enough to not replace a laptop and yet not compact enough to totally replace an iPhone or iPod touch.

... "I don't get it." ...
Click to expand...
The iPad is not intended to replace anything. If you can't get your head around this simple concept, then you will never "get" it.
 
MisterMe said:
The iPad is not intended to replace anything. If you can't get your head around this simple concept, then you will never "get" it.
Click to expand...
I see you haven't lost any of your charm.

In my view, if I have devices that already perform similar functions and which are actually more suitable for most situations, then I remain to be convinced of the need for an additional device. If Apple want to provide a new device to fit in between a laptop and an iPhone, for example, that niche should be clearly defined and exist within the market. Perhaps it does, we shall see.
 
Dear Apple/Mr. Steve Jobs,

The iPad a large iPod Touch with multi-touch gestures. I don't see any compelling features that sets it apart from iPod Touch or a laptop. Where's the built-in camera and microphone for video conversations? Where's the built-in camera for taking pictures of people? That would require 2 cameras on either side of the device. Capturing movies? Where's the microphone for voice commands and email dictation? I want a personal digital assistant, just like Apple had shown in a video many years ago what might be possible in the future! The iPhone/iPod Touch are perfectly suited for what they are currently, which is why everyone I see on NYC subways has one - small size, fits in the pocket, internet, email, movies, games in the palm of your hand. If I'm going to watch movies, do email, and internet on a portable device with a decent-sized screen, it's going to be on a laptop/tablet PC/home/office computer. Where's support for Open Office? Where's the desktop? Can I print documents at home or at the office? Can I print to PDF? I think Apple missed the mark on this one, there should be a way for stylus input so fine details can be captured, like they were with the Newton.

I work at a Biotech for treating oncology in New York City, which is owned by a large pharmaceutical company in Indiana. We're getting new laptops/tablet PCs with a choice from Hewlett Packard. The fact that I could write on the screen with a stylus is what drew me to choose the tablet PC. I can take notes, draw chemical structures and diagrams, import them into Microsoft Word/Power Point, etc... I'm sold! Apple should have released the iPad that incorporated the earlier Newton technology. The scientists at my company are losing their offices and cubicles to mobile work stations that can be occupied for up to 2 hours at a time when we relocate to the new site in Manhattan, and MOBILE is the new buzz-word. Laptops/tablet PCs for everyone, choice of Blackberry or Apple iPhone (everyone wants the iPhone), no permanent desks, no permanent desk phone, no desk drawers, no filing cabinets, no paper trail, only a locker!

Recommendations for Apple: combine the iPad technology with Newton and please everyone. The Newton wasn't a failure, just a little ahead of its time and pricey. If I could have afforded one back then, I would have owned one. Writing with a stylus is a big deal for some people, just like me using Hewlett Packard RPN calculators. Once people get used to certain technologies and user interfaces, like writing, hand-recognition, RPN calculators, etc... they tend to choose and stay with what works best for them. Apple, give people choices with your products, not choices between choosing Apple or other vendors.

Keep up the good work Apple, I think you're on the right track, and I'll wait for stylus input and the features I mentioned before purchasing an iPad.

Sincerely,
chemistry_geek
 
Apple launches ipad .It helps in multitasking, it is a complete touch pad.Its very affordable starting with $499 only.It also like a electronics book.What else does one need. Great going apple.

Thanks
Eliza
 
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Interesting to see the different reactions for the product.

Some love it and will get one, someone thought it is going too cheap... and then the various iPad jokes. Um, perhaps they could have named the product a bit different...

I guess I would fit to the category of too nerd to get hyped up and enthusiastic about it right now... as Cult of Mac put it:

As we predicted, the iPad is Steve Jobs’ “computer for the rest of us.” It’s a natural successor to the original Mac, which introduced the GUI to PCs – and was derided by geeks as a “toy.” But look around, the GUI kinda caught on.

The iPad is not for geeks. It’s for ordinary people who want a lightweight computer and are sick of computer headaches. This is a machine you’d buy for your grandmother and not have to worry about tech-support.

Yeah, you relinquish some control — which is something PC fans have always hated about Macs — but most ordinary people are grateful not to think about file systems, software installers and virus definitions.

The iPad is the first computer for people who are completely computer illiterate — and there’s millions of them.
Click to expand...

I'd be more comfortable with my mum using that than the other computers or gadgets I've got around (even if the only thing I could see her get interested in is Skype).

At least for me, it won't replace the netbook (the only Dell I've ever enjoyed using.. light, cheap thing for mobile needs when I don't want to carry with or risk the MacBook Pro in less than safe areas); it won't replace Kindle (my other half has one - the only books I wouldn't mind reading with it are technical manuals that tend to be big, heavy, and expensive on paper or to print and carry around... if iPad had the same battery life as Kindle, yes, I would be interested... I read big books when I travel), it surely won't replace the analog books (I like leaving them around after reading them or when traveling, and seeing where they end up... DRM protected ebook files don't really bookcross).

But, when there will be one around, I'll try it. Maybe it'll be something like iPhone was - I didn't want one - I barely use the phone, and hated the only operator iPhone had in Ireland, but now I have one (my other half's old one, with a pre-pay - does just fine).
Hm... I guess there are a few applications that would work nice with it - GPS (I hate the small screens, and will definitely need a GPS as all the roads look the same), language etc learning (with handwriting recognition à la Newton would be awesome for learning to write in Japanese, Chinese or Arabic) with proper multimedia applications...
Or for developing other multimedia learning uses (schools etc), or even pet applications (aquarium app for cats..) :)
 
I firmly believe that the iPad is intended to replace a laptop in many situations as well as be a supplement to the iPod/iPhone platform.

Think about it: there is no comfortable position in which to use a laptop OTHER than having the laptop sit at a desk, and then it's just a small desktop machine. The portability of the laptop has been there -- but the usability has not.

You can't comfortably use a laptop on a couch (and anyone that claims to be able to would be under the age of 25 when your bones are still flexible and joints can be compressed for hours without soreness) in any position. If you sit with it on your lap, then you must keep your legs together to support the laptop and tilt your head downward. If you sit with it on the coffee table, then you're hunched over, extending yourself from the edge of the couch to the coffee table.

Even if you manage to find an acceptable position in which to use your laptop away from a desk-like surface, you're still stuck with a screen that is positioned both perpendicular to the keyboard and very close to the keyboard -- in other words, you have to basically look at your hands to use the machine. If you position the laptop ergonomically for your hands, then your head and neck suffer. If positioned ergonomically for head and neck, the hands and wrists suffer.

So, even though certain people can get past that, you're still stuck with a fragile piece of equipment that must be babied. The screen hinge is arguably the most fragile part of the laptop's structure, and, when in an open position, is extremely susceptible to being banged around and getting caught on stuff. The laptop, in other words, when open and in a "usable" state, is extremely unwieldy. It forms an odd shape that is neither portable nor easily moved.

There is no ideal way to actually use a laptop, other than in a desktop fashion.

The iPad solves this, and hence, I have dubbed it "The laptop for couch potatoes." It has no hinge and no fold-out or open-up parts, therefore it solves the unwieldy aspect of notebooks. While the "keyboard" is still situated close to the screen (well, it is the screen), you don't use it as you would a normal keyboard, and keyboard input as a whole has been reduced greatly with multi-touch gestures. It is lightweight and wouldn't strain the muscles of a 4-year-old when used for lengths of time. You still have to interact with your hands, but you're interacting in a much more natural way, and you can position the device relative to your hands, instead of positioning your hands to conform to the device.

This device also either supplements or can be used to completely replace a lot of multi-media products that have been shoehorned into vehicles in the last few years (portable DVD players/screens in the car to placate children, radios, CD players, etc.).

I sense a hit... not iPod-level nor even iPhone-level hit, but still a strong product (much stronger than the AppleTV).

I truly believe that Apple is going to have a decent hit with the lazy couch potatoes across the country and potentially the world. Oh, what I wouldn't have given when I was in college to be able to carry around something like this to watch a movie on between classes, or to just whip out and start word processing instead of pulling out a laptop, finding a table and waking it from sleep.
 
I have to say that I see the iPad as a harbinger. Could it be that, at least on the consumer side, this could mean the beginning of the end for the Macintosh platform? This is what Jobs has always wanted since the first Macintosh, especially when it's designed "for the rest of us". I'm not too keen on the totalitarian nature of this device, but I can see where Apple wants to take personal computing in the years to come.
 
I don't like the way these tablet devices use up screen space with an on screen keyboard.

Perhaps it would have been better if it had a keyboard that could be folded over the screen to protect it?

I was looking for a device to replace my Palm TX that has had repeated touch screen failures. I need to produce construction sketches and send them to people as a record of what amendments were agreed. The iPad is not it :(
 
sgould,
why not? I'm still on the fence about this device, but your description of needs sounds perfect for the iPad. You are touring a site with a client. You of course have a jpg, or pdf, or heaven forbid powerpoint blueprint/layout of the project. The client wants changes...a wall knocked out here, a window there. You pull out your trusty iPad which you keep in a beautiful leather "flip" case. You draw the changes directly on the plans, save, and email to the client as he watches you...jaw dropped.
 
I haven't seen a sketching program on the iPad. I really would like one that works with something more precise than a finger. The Palm stylus was good enough.

I'll have to take more notice of the apps that are available.....
 
I'm buying one for each family member. :) LOL. Seriously. I think I would get as much out of it as my 5 and 7 year olds. :) And who wants to share?

Just think... RemoteTap, VNC access to your other systems, SSH access to remote servers, this is perfect for me, allowing me to be more mobile and do more than what the iPhone gives me on so little screen space. Nevermind books, etc.
 
I'm still not sure how it would work for me. I waited until it came out to see, but I think I'll give it a miss and buy an iPhone this week. I need a new phone soon as my company phone (21 years - never paid for a call!! :) ) will be going back when I retire from full time employment in the summer.

Choice was between an iPhone, a Palm Pre or an iPad.

Maybe I'll learn the apps on the iPhone first ;)
 
It's simply beautiful. However, for me it is a 'desirable' as opposed to be a 'must have'.

I suppose if it was a choice between an iPhone or an iPad, I'd got for the latter and simply get a cheap pay-as-you-go phone.

I find small screens a pain, and if I was going to pay out money which should be saved for my children's university education then I'd go for the iPad.

Of course living in rural Wales means scarce mobile broadband coverage, which reduces the usefulness of many of iPad's features.
 
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