chemistry_geek
Registered
The Micorsoft Courier is real, the Wall Street Journal had an article earlier this week about that device and others that are/will be competing with the iPad.
The Apple iPad...
- Thread starter ElDiabloConCaca
- Start date
Where can I buy it?
How much does it cost?
chemistry_geek
Registered
It's still in development. The Wall Street Journal had a huge write-up about the Apple iPad and the competition gunning for it. Microsoft was specifically mentioned as having an independent laboratory/firm working on an iPad competitor.
The mobile market is going to get very interesting in the near future. I think that the features I mentioned previously would be excellent not only for business users, but for college students. Having both iPod Touch/iPhone multi-touch gesture input in addition to Newton handwriting technology, the personal digital assistant would help businesses and college students get a lot more accomplished and in an organized manner.
andychrist
devil's plaything
"Although early designs leaked onto blogs last year, it's unclear whether the company will introduce the gadget," the report said.
The technical name for this is vaporware.
ElDiabloConCaca
U.S.D.A. Prime
I have to agree -- while the Courier, *if* and when it comes to market, may capture the audience that the iPad failed to capture (read: the minority "power user" market), as of right now, the Courier doesn't exist except as a concept on paper.
The iPad was pulled out of Jobs' back of tricks and displayed to an audience -- it's an actual product. It would be unfair to compare something on paper to something that's real.
You can build a pretty bad-ass rocket ship... but I can always draw a better one on paper. Drawings and concepts don't count until they're real, and comparisons between real and concept products is unfair.
The iPad was pulled out of Jobs' back of tricks and displayed to an audience -- it's an actual product. It would be unfair to compare something on paper to something that's real.
You can build a pretty bad-ass rocket ship... but I can always draw a better one on paper. Drawings and concepts don't count until they're real, and comparisons between real and concept products is unfair.
Qion
Uber Nothing
Sorry, have we spoken before?
I'm still unsure whether I should get the smallest, most inexpensive WiFi-only model of the iPad or the maxxed out version with 3G. I guess it'll make sense to me to _get_ 3G, else I'll still have to log around the MacBook Air or my netbook with that USB 3G stick. But do I need 64 GB on the iPad? I'll have my _music_ on my iPhone, so I don't need that on the iPad. Some movies, maybe, but not a big selection at all times... So it'll be more about additional software, and I don't think my Pages documents will take up _that_ much space... 
I guess the 16 GB 3G model might be it.
I guess the 16 GB 3G model might be it.
andychrist
devil's plaything
Yeah Fryke the 16 GB + 3G makes sense to me too. Along with the keyboard dock and case. What I don't understand is that the USB Power Adapter is sold separately, where as on the iPad Keyboard dock page, Apple says:
Connect the dock to an electrical outlet using the iPad 10W USB Power Adapter (included with your iPad) to charge the iPad battery.
So do you have to buy a whole extra USB Power Adapter just to get the 6' cable, or is that cable included with the adapter that comes with the iPad?
Connect the dock to an electrical outlet using the iPad 10W USB Power Adapter (included with your iPad) to charge the iPad battery.
So do you have to buy a whole extra USB Power Adapter just to get the 6' cable, or is that cable included with the adapter that comes with the iPad?
The cable only comes with the Power Adapter bought separately. However: You already might have a fitting one around from a MacBook or something. You can also get one of those standard power cables that have that connector that looks like the number "8" or the letter "B". Those fit in Apple's power adapters, although they don't look as nice. But they're certainly cheaper.
I'll go with my Apple wireless keyboard, I guess, instead of the keyboard-slash-dock thing. More freedom.
I'll go with my Apple wireless keyboard, I guess, instead of the keyboard-slash-dock thing. More freedom.
Rhisiart
Registered
I think he was quoting bbloke
Ordered my iPad when the store opened the other morning. Can't wait to get it. Like anything, I think Apple will use this as a "test market" product. What do people like or hate about it. Look at the iPod, man, it has come a long ways since it's introduction. Genius is building of the already successful iPhone market place and that will just drive more developers.
Remember back in the day... the old argument still rings true today...
Q: WHY DON'T YOU USE MAC?
A: Not enough applications!
LOL - In your face Microsoft, Google.
Remember back in the day... the old argument still rings true today...
Q: WHY DON'T YOU USE MAC?
A: Not enough applications!
LOL - In your face Microsoft, Google.
ElDiabloConCaca
U.S.D.A. Prime
I think Steve's put enough thought into the iPad such that Apple is not going to position it as a "test market" product, which they've already done with the AppleTV.
While the AppleTV remains a "niche" market product, or a "test" market product, leveraged to let Apple gauge interest in many different media things: streaming vs. downloading, subscription vs. a la carte purchases, movies vs. TV shows, etc., I highly doubt that the iPad (with all the fanfare surrounding it and the hype leading up to its introduction) would be positioned as such nor thought of in the same category as the AppleTV.
I think Apple's betting pretty big on the iPad. The iPad (and iPhone and iPod touch) have a pretty big app store market backing it up, and Apple has already spent time and money developing apps specifically for the iPad form factor that integrate nicely with the desktop versions of those products (iWork, etc.). The AppleTV (admitted by Apple to be a "test" more than an actual product) didn't have any of this -- it simply hooked into the same store that was behind iTunes, and the only time and money spent on the AppleTV was, well, the AppleTV itself... no revolutionary input system, no revolutionary operating system, no revolutionary store behind it. It remains (and will remain for the forseeable future) as a "test" or perhaps a product that gauges interest in the types of content people consume, the manner in which they consume it, and the price they're willing to pay for said content.
The iPad is awesome, I'll agree with you there -- but I don't agree that it will be poised as a "test market" product. I think the market is there, the app store backing is there, and all that needs to be done now is to ship the damn thing and watch people go ga-ga over it, much like the iPod and the iPhone.
While the AppleTV remains a "niche" market product, or a "test" market product, leveraged to let Apple gauge interest in many different media things: streaming vs. downloading, subscription vs. a la carte purchases, movies vs. TV shows, etc., I highly doubt that the iPad (with all the fanfare surrounding it and the hype leading up to its introduction) would be positioned as such nor thought of in the same category as the AppleTV.
I think Apple's betting pretty big on the iPad. The iPad (and iPhone and iPod touch) have a pretty big app store market backing it up, and Apple has already spent time and money developing apps specifically for the iPad form factor that integrate nicely with the desktop versions of those products (iWork, etc.). The AppleTV (admitted by Apple to be a "test" more than an actual product) didn't have any of this -- it simply hooked into the same store that was behind iTunes, and the only time and money spent on the AppleTV was, well, the AppleTV itself... no revolutionary input system, no revolutionary operating system, no revolutionary store behind it. It remains (and will remain for the forseeable future) as a "test" or perhaps a product that gauges interest in the types of content people consume, the manner in which they consume it, and the price they're willing to pay for said content.
The iPad is awesome, I'll agree with you there -- but I don't agree that it will be poised as a "test market" product. I think the market is there, the app store backing is there, and all that needs to be done now is to ship the damn thing and watch people go ga-ga over it, much like the iPod and the iPhone.
ClemsonJeeper
Registered
Brought it on a trip to NYC this past weekend. Was great having it on the road trip. Didn't even need to worry about bringing the charger.
ClemsonJeeper
Registered
Should be interesting to see if the prices of apps come down though. Paying 10$ for the same thing on the iPad when the iPhone version is 1$ is pretty lame.
It sure depends on the app... I happily will pay 10$ for something like Pages or a really great task manager that integrates with MobileMe somehow. I might pay 10$ for a game that keeps me happy for longer periods of time. Not for novelty stuff that fades into nothingness (or the third or eighth page of apps...) after a short time. It's a market, though. I guess we'll see a price range after some time.
I'm so looking forward to playing Strategery (epic maps, of course) on my iPad. When I'll finally be able to get one, that is.
---
About the "competition" thing: I don't think this market is really defined yet. Apple seems to have defined where _they_ see the tablet form factor. Previously, we've seen "full featured" PCs in tablet form. Those have found their niche(s), but those niches are muuuuuuuuch to small to make tablets a mass market. Apple's approach is quite simple: Let's do a tablet when it makes sense. We'll add other things later, now we'll just let it do what we can let it do well. Sure: Competition adds "Flash playback" and USB host stuff. Direct printing etc. All the things the iPad seems to be lacking. But currently, these are the same arguments we've heard about "iPhone killers". Their cameras have more megapixels, they play Flash content (well, Flash "lite")... But the core stuff was done much better on the iPhone.
I'm sure that in three years, tablets will do things they currently don't. But right now, Apple has
1.) a tablet on the market (well, the US)
2.) at a very decent pricepoint compared to the competition
3.) with a very snappy-feeling operating system and
4.) an application store that's already been proven to work.
The competition consists of
1.) vapor ware,
2.) more vapor ware and
3.) devices that feel outdated next to the iPad.
Hence, the iPad has a window of opportunity that's probably big enough to create the market that hasn't been defined yet. It currently hasn't got multitasking? We know it'll get iPhone OS 4 in Autumn. The Flash thing is overrated, anyway, but I'm sure while the blogosphere will continue to bitch about the lack of Flash on the iPhone OS, the market will decide it doesn't matter, just like it has for the iPhone and iPod touch so far. If Apple ends up one or two steps ahead of the competition this time next year - and I believe it will - we'll all be all too happy about a less expensive, front-face camera swingin' 2nd gen iPad (maybe with a smaller 7" sibling) coming to market - at a time when Flash's influence has gone down further.
And remember: SOME of the "lacks" can be solved in software, too. Theoretically, Apple could
- add real multitasking
- add Flash playback
- add a printing system
without much problem in iPhone OS 5 in 2011. The question is: Will they _have_ to. The original Macintosh System didn't have real multitasking for a long time. Eventually, Mac OS X solved this. (This forum was among the first larger communities to be built around that new system that FINALLY brought pre-emptive multitasking to the Mac.) _There_ Apple should've been quicker, but with the iPhone OS, I guess it's simply much more important to get things right the first time. It's not like the current iPhone models have battery-life to spare. If Apple can give us features when they're _ready_, I'm for it. I'm soooo glad they did copy&paste the right way instead of adding it in _some_ form and replacing it later with the "real" way. The whole _world_ is growing to love multitouch, but that's a _big_ paradigm shift in how we use our computing systems. Apple's in a unique position to define how these things work and how we think about them. You can say it's all just a big splash, but imnsho: Apple _is_ revolutionising the computer world for the third time, just like they say in their signature piece of their press releases:
"Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. [...] Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices."
It may be PR. But it's the way we're going to think back about the beginning of the 21st century at some point.
I'm so looking forward to playing Strategery (epic maps, of course) on my iPad. When I'll finally be able to get one, that is.
---
About the "competition" thing: I don't think this market is really defined yet. Apple seems to have defined where _they_ see the tablet form factor. Previously, we've seen "full featured" PCs in tablet form. Those have found their niche(s), but those niches are muuuuuuuuch to small to make tablets a mass market. Apple's approach is quite simple: Let's do a tablet when it makes sense. We'll add other things later, now we'll just let it do what we can let it do well. Sure: Competition adds "Flash playback" and USB host stuff. Direct printing etc. All the things the iPad seems to be lacking. But currently, these are the same arguments we've heard about "iPhone killers". Their cameras have more megapixels, they play Flash content (well, Flash "lite")... But the core stuff was done much better on the iPhone.
I'm sure that in three years, tablets will do things they currently don't. But right now, Apple has
1.) a tablet on the market (well, the US)
2.) at a very decent pricepoint compared to the competition
3.) with a very snappy-feeling operating system and
4.) an application store that's already been proven to work.
The competition consists of
1.) vapor ware,
2.) more vapor ware and
3.) devices that feel outdated next to the iPad.
Hence, the iPad has a window of opportunity that's probably big enough to create the market that hasn't been defined yet. It currently hasn't got multitasking? We know it'll get iPhone OS 4 in Autumn. The Flash thing is overrated, anyway, but I'm sure while the blogosphere will continue to bitch about the lack of Flash on the iPhone OS, the market will decide it doesn't matter, just like it has for the iPhone and iPod touch so far. If Apple ends up one or two steps ahead of the competition this time next year - and I believe it will - we'll all be all too happy about a less expensive, front-face camera swingin' 2nd gen iPad (maybe with a smaller 7" sibling) coming to market - at a time when Flash's influence has gone down further.
And remember: SOME of the "lacks" can be solved in software, too. Theoretically, Apple could
- add real multitasking
- add Flash playback
- add a printing system
without much problem in iPhone OS 5 in 2011. The question is: Will they _have_ to. The original Macintosh System didn't have real multitasking for a long time. Eventually, Mac OS X solved this. (This forum was among the first larger communities to be built around that new system that FINALLY brought pre-emptive multitasking to the Mac.) _There_ Apple should've been quicker, but with the iPhone OS, I guess it's simply much more important to get things right the first time. It's not like the current iPhone models have battery-life to spare. If Apple can give us features when they're _ready_, I'm for it. I'm soooo glad they did copy&paste the right way instead of adding it in _some_ form and replacing it later with the "real" way. The whole _world_ is growing to love multitouch, but that's a _big_ paradigm shift in how we use our computing systems. Apple's in a unique position to define how these things work and how we think about them. You can say it's all just a big splash, but imnsho: Apple _is_ revolutionising the computer world for the third time, just like they say in their signature piece of their press releases:
"Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. [...] Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices."
It may be PR. But it's the way we're going to think back about the beginning of the 21st century at some point.
nixgeek
Mac of the SubGenius! :-)
I finally got a chance to play with the iPad thanks to a coworker who got one as an early Mother's Day present. I didn't get to play too much with it, but I wanted to see how it felt. To me, it felt no different than using my iPhone. I launced a few of the apps and they do look nice. She had deleted a bunch of apps, but I used the notepad application to test out the on-screen keyboard. Touch typing is definitely possible in landscape mode, but it's not the most optimal IMO. Since I have to hit the character key as I do in the iPhone, it slows me down a bit. But general touch-typing is not too bad...I could get used to it.
I also remember someone saying that it was heavier than it looked, but I didn't find it to be heavy at all. Pretty much the weight I expected it to be.
Overall, testing it out confirmed that this is not a device for me. My netbook and my iPhone pretty much cover my needs for portability.
I also remember someone saying that it was heavier than it looked, but I didn't find it to be heavy at all. Pretty much the weight I expected it to be.
Overall, testing it out confirmed that this is not a device for me. My netbook and my iPhone pretty much cover my needs for portability.
ElDiabloConCaca
U.S.D.A. Prime
All I can say is that if you don't like the iPad, then something must be wrong with you.
I had thought more highly of you in the past than I do now after reading that.
Hehe... In all seriousness, these are two reactions that I expected. I love my iPad -- it's like the device I never knew you needed. I no longer have to lug a laptop bag to work, and I don't have to charge it in the middle of the day. It does everything I need it to in a much more portable package.
Still, I understand the non-need that others think it is. It's not for everyone -- almost everyone, but not everyone. It doesn't have a real keyboard, so typing on it is not going to be exactly the same... But then again, expecting it to would be more than a tad oblivious (for lack of a better term). Kind of like expecting a 3D movie to be exactly like real life.
Lack of a true, accessible filesystem may be an issue for some, too. I liken this to posts of frustration from PC to Mac switchers that find little differences that they must adjust their habits and muscle memory to match.
Nixgeek: given a free iPad, would the utility of such a device be of more value to you then? Would the iPad be able to fill a need somewhere? I guess what I'm asking is whether you find the device itself lacking in utility, or whether it's justifying the cost of the iPad that is your barrier of entry.
I had thought more highly of you in the past than I do now after reading that.
Hehe... In all seriousness, these are two reactions that I expected. I love my iPad -- it's like the device I never knew you needed. I no longer have to lug a laptop bag to work, and I don't have to charge it in the middle of the day. It does everything I need it to in a much more portable package.
Still, I understand the non-need that others think it is. It's not for everyone -- almost everyone, but not everyone. It doesn't have a real keyboard, so typing on it is not going to be exactly the same... But then again, expecting it to would be more than a tad oblivious (for lack of a better term). Kind of like expecting a 3D movie to be exactly like real life.
Lack of a true, accessible filesystem may be an issue for some, too. I liken this to posts of frustration from PC to Mac switchers that find little differences that they must adjust their habits and muscle memory to match.
Nixgeek: given a free iPad, would the utility of such a device be of more value to you then? Would the iPad be able to fill a need somewhere? I guess what I'm asking is whether you find the device itself lacking in utility, or whether it's justifying the cost of the iPad that is your barrier of entry.
nixgeek
Mac of the SubGenius! :-)
LOL!
My issues with the iPad (as well as the iPhone and iPod touch) are more philosophical, but I wanted to approach the device with an open mind. From a practical sense, it seemed to already duplicate a lot of what I had now, so the wow factor just wasn't there for me. Again, I had limited use of the iPad so I only played around with what was there. Given the opportunity to install applications that I would find useful (like some music-creation apps for example), I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more.
The touch-screen keyboard was a lot better than I expected, especially for touch typing. However, there were times it slowed me down when I needed non-alphanumeric characters. I'm sure that with time this would change, bu for now, I would say that touch typing is doable, but not optimal.
If I were given a free iPad, I would probably feel the way I do about my iPhone. Full disclosure: I didn't really want an iPhone, but I did not have a choice since I couldn't leave AT&T at the time and, in reality, nothing available on AT&T was nearly comparable with the iPhone. However, I became familiar with it and had apps on it that I found useful. I still honestly do feel a bit "cramped" when using it. Flexibility is very important to me in gadgets just as they are in computers and in the gadgets department I feel that Apple could still do more. Maybe this will change when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 as well as the rumored 4th-gen iPhone.
Now, would I sell it? No. It could definitely be something to use for the family for trips and such, just like a portable DVD player (especially with the NetFlix app) or my kids' DS systems are. But for me personally, I'm good with what I have now.