# Apple's iPad in all its glory- Would you buy one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679 "2010-01-21T18:38:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/41 "2010-01-27T21:19:09Z")
I don’t need it and I don’t want it. It’s too expensive and doesn’t do what I need it to do. If the price came down and some functions were added, I’d consider it. But as it stands now, no. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/42 "2010-01-27T21:20:01Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > That doesn’t baffle me. I don’t need this device to do that, just like I could care less that my iPhone doesn’t. But you’re not creating spreadsheets or typing documents on your iPhone; on a machine which is unreservedly held out to be much more, is it really a good decision to not allow, say, web browsing while typing a report? I personally think it’s a dealbreaker. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/43 "2010-01-27T21:21:09Z")
I’m not too impressed as well, but I think that’s partly because of the way I’m looking at it, which is as a competitor for a netbook. We have a Windows 7 netbook that was under $400, and I don’t think I’d trade that straight up for an iPad. However, I think Apple’s idea here is the DS/PSP model, rather than the computer model. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/44 "2010-01-27T21:30:51Z")
Another die-hard Apple fan, but I’m disappointed as well. No front-facing camera? It needs a chat client, and video-chat capabilities for me to even consider it. This seems like something that would be useful for on-the-couch, in the family room, casual type computing/browsing. More about connecting, socializing, games and reading… not really about getting work done. But ehh. Seems like the missed out on some important features to make it worth the cost and the idea behind it. I already have an iPhone 3GS, so there’s no real need here for me. And, I just got a Kindle for xmas. If they include a camera for iChat, a chat app, Flash support, and maybe a couple other things for the same cost next year, I might consider one. For now, I think I’ll just upgrade my old white MacBook to the fantastic aluminum unibody one. ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/45 "2010-01-27T21:35:11Z")
I think the announcement was pretty much guaranteed to be a disappointment, expectation was way to high after the iphone. To be honest the decisive thing is going to be how well they manage the ibook store thing. One of the reasons that the app store has done so well is that they have managed to keep app prices down to a sensible level. A lot of previous ebook stuff has been stymied by greedy publishers trying to charge way too much for digital copies. Apple might just have the clout to persuade publishers that they can get a lot more sales with a much lower price point, if they can pull that off, then this thing will be huge. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/46 "2010-01-27T21:40:37Z")
I don’t get why everyone is so hung up on Flash support – it’s an annoying technology that makes browsers unstable and the only time I see it used anymore is on tacky restaurant web sites (seriously, high-end restaurants are obsessed with all-Flash Web sites) and ads. I don’t need either of those things. (I also don’t need my computer’s fans to crap out from spinning at maximum RPMs whenever an intense Flash app is running) Even YouTube is moving away from Flash – they just launched an HTML5 beta that’s pretty impressive. (And YouTube is supported on the iPad much like it is on the iPhone.) But, damn, that thing needs a front-facing camera. That’s all it would need to make me buy it – it would become the most awesome Skype/videoconferencing machine ever. Maybe someone will introduce a dock with a camera, but I have a feeling Apple would stop that from happening. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/47 "2010-01-27T21:41:43Z")
iPad. Terrible name. How about iTablet? Either way it’s gonna do great, it’s not $1000 like I figured it would be. Also the $30 per month 3G plan is pretty reasonable, I’d use the free WiFi option unless I was using it for business. I’m sorta dissapointed it doesn’t run OSX, then it really would be a replacement for general-purpose notebook computers. But I guess they want something more tightly controlled for the app store and iBooks, and I think the learning curve for iPhone OS or whatever it’s called is much lower. I wouldn’t buy one right now because I just got a 64GB iTouch for Christmas, but in the future I could see it. And I’m a PC guy. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/48 "2010-01-27T21:44:35Z")
I hate the name, and I wish it had a forward facing camera. Other than that, I think it’s absolutely brilliant. I can see about 80% of my “computing” being a better experience on the iPad than on an iPhone or laptop. And this will absolutely kill netbooks and Kindles. Lack of flash support is a problem, and I hope Apple leans on sites that use it heavily to switch to a nonproprietary format that doesn’t suck. Because as long as Flash doesn’t work, and as long as Apple can’t fix it (which they can’t, because Adobe controls it), it’s not going to be on the device. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/49 "2010-01-27T21:47:40Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > But you’re not creating spreadsheets or typing documents on your iPhone; on a machine which is unreservedly held out to be much more, is it really a good decision to not allow, say, web browsing while typing a report? I personally think it’s a dealbreaker. No one truly does both of those things at the same time. At some point, they switch back and forth. The exact same way I switch from Safari to Mail on my iPhone. At this point (first gen), I don’t see the necessity of it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/50 "2010-01-27T21:47:59Z")
Oh man, don’t even get me started. $499 for a 16GB iPad plus an extra $130 for 3G in a few weeks? It “features” the iPhone OS, which means no multitasking. Tablets should have a full OS on there. MS makes a tablet version of their main OS, why can’t Apple? No connectivity whatsoever, so I can’t plug USB devices in or even expand the memory myself. To get anything on there, you have to sync it with a computer anyway. Yeah, it’s pretty, but that’s about it. I love that picture of the iPad mounted on the [rickety] keyboard dock. Uhh…think I’ve seen a better solution than that. It’s called a laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/51 "2010-01-27T21:56:31Z")
[Obligatory Onion article.](http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/frantic_steve_jobs_stays_up) Sounds about right. In six months, or less, everyone in the world will have the same thing for half the price - but without the Apple logo in it. The whole point of a tablet is that it is supposed to be inexpensive, not $200 bucks more than the laptop I just bought my daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/52 "2010-01-27T21:58:21Z")
We’ve been having a whole email session at work about the product, but more than the product, the name. One person just sent this link to some [great commentary on the name](http://www.geekgirlsguide.com/blog/2010/01/27/144/ipad_leakage): > [@](#): > > So, let’s be clear: is the name iPad going to prevent me from buying this product? No. But it does tell me that it’s unlikely that any women were involved in the naming of this product. (My other favorite example of a product name I’m pretty sure no women weighed in on: the Ford Probe.) > > Tellingly, Apple’s promotional video for the iPad contains not. one. woman. It features interviews with the men who developed it, and action shots of male hand models using it. I don’t know, maybe it was hard to find women willing to star in a film called iPad. (I can’t imagine why.) > > So, here’s the deal: I’m not offended. I just think it’s interesting that Apple picked a loaded (for women) term for their new product, and it’s strange that they couldn’t be bothered to show even ONE woman using it. And yet, we (and our wallets) will be crucial to its success. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/53 "2010-01-27T22:01:11Z")
I don’t want to predict this will be a flop, only to have something like “nobody will need more than 640k” attached to my permanent record. But I have to say I don’t get it. Who would buy this over a cheaper netbook that has more functionality? It sure feels like the market would be so niche that it couldn’t be a bestseller. Adding in the terrible “iPad” name, it is hard to imagine this being incredibly successful. I personally have no interest. Unlike the iPod, iTouch or iPhone which seem compelling but I passed on due to price, this is in no way compelling. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/54 "2010-01-27T22:01:49Z")
> [@SpartanDC](#): > > I don’t get why everyone is so hung up on Flash support – it’s an annoying technology that makes browsers unstable and the only time I see it used anymore is on tacky restaurant web sites (seriously, high-end restaurants are obsessed with all-Flash Web sites) and ads. I don’t need either of those things. (I also don’t need my computer’s fans to crap out from spinning at maximum RPMs whenever an intense Flash app is running) > > Even YouTube is moving away from Flash – they just launched an HTML5 beta that’s pretty impressive. (And YouTube is supported on the iPad much like it is on the iPhone.) > > But, damn, that thing needs a front-facing camera. That’s all it would need to make me buy it – it would become the most awesome Skype/videoconferencing machine ever. Maybe someone will introduce a dock with a camera, but I have a feeling Apple would stop that from happening. Because most people actually use the multimedia features available on the web, and most of that is in the form of Flash. It is a crappy technology that has way too high system requirements, but it’s pretty much become a standard for online animation, videos, games, and even quite a few interactive applications. BTW, the reason Apple doesn’t have Flash is because Adobe doesn’t want to give it to them. The two companies had a falling quite a while ago. Even the new Flash for mobile devices doesn’t have an iPod/iPhone version. As for the lack of software features on the iPad—it will likely be jailbroken pretty quickly. For all the lip service Apple gives against doing that, I think even they realize that it’s one of the reasons people actually buy their products over freer competitors. ETA: The one advantage this thing has over a netbook is that it has a touchscreen. I was actually looking forward to this feature until I learned it was using the iPhone OS. Still, I think most of the things they did to it were to try and keep costs down. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/55 "2010-01-27T22:03:34Z")
> [@SpartanDC](#): > > I don’t get why everyone is so hung up on Flash support – it’s an annoying technology that makes browsers unstable and the only time I see it used anymore is on tacky restaurant web sites… YouTube video is actually Flash, and many other websites use it in a less visible way. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/56 "2010-01-27T22:03:45Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > No one truly does both of those things at the same time. At some point, they switch back and forth. The exact same way I switch from Safari to Mail on my iPhone. At this point (first gen), I don’t see the necessity of it. Quite true, I misspoke; I meant web use and not web browsing. I often stream radio from the Internet while working in productivity apps, and as I understand it, you wouldn’t be able to do anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/57 "2010-01-27T22:07:54Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > YouTube video is actually Flash, and many other websites use it in a less visible way. The iPhone/iPod/iPad triumvirate do support YouTube, taking one of the huge disadvantages to not supporting flash out of the picture. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/58 "2010-01-27T22:08:11Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Tablets should have a full OS on there. MS makes a tablet version of their main OS, why can’t Apple? No connectivity whatsoever, so I can’t plug USB devices in or even expand the memory myself. To get anything on there, you have to sync it with a computer anyway. My initial reaction was something similar. But going with my DS comment from before, pretend that instead of Apple, it was Nintendo who just announced this as the successor to the DS. Or maybe better, Sony to the PSP. Most of the objections would go away. Nobody complains that the DS can’t multitask. I was hoping for a tablet computer, and they made a console instead. That just means I don’t really want one, not that it’s a bad product. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/59 "2010-01-27T22:08:18Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > YouTube video is actually Flash, and many other websites use it in a less visible way. See my point about YouTube moving away from Flash. I hope someone kills off Flash. It’s just becoming increasingly unnecessary. If it’s Apple, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679/60 "2010-01-27T22:09:19Z")
I totally don’t see the point. Why would I want a laptop with no keyboard that I have to either hold up to watch or stick in some kind of stand? And that doesn’t let me multitask? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apples-ipad-in-all-its-glory-would-you-buy-one/526679.md?page=4)