Are You Buying An iPad?

[TimeWinder]

@even_sven

Once again, it does not matter up and down what Apple says it should be. The only thing that matters is what people want it to be.

Nonsense. Wanting my toaster to wash dishes don’t make it so.

[Polerius]

@Fuzzy_Dunlop

I skimmed the last page of this thread then had to go back far enough to figure out what the hell people were talking about with this USB stuff because it was so bizarre. It’s pretty amazing that people can start with a technically correct salient point like “Just adding a USB interface to a device won’t make USB devices work with it”, and then contort that into “therefore, not including a USB port is a feature for users”. I can buy that Apple made a product management decision to not support external USB devices but most of the weird contortions people are going through in this thread are just stunning.

I agree with what some people at least hinted at - that a lot of people have no concept that USB devices won’t work merely because another device has a USB port on it. We get a lot of people calling asking whether our devices work on gaming consoles like playstation. They don’t ask if we have support or drivers for gaming consoles, they just want to know if they’ll work. There’s a very clear difference and with the people who ask, it’s usually obvious that if we said “no, we haven’t created drivers for Playstation so our product isn’t compatible with it and we don’t have plans to develop them” they’d be totally lost. So we say, no, and leave it at that.

But in my experience people have an intuitive if imprecise understanding that it’s the USB device that isnt capable of working with their hardware, not that their hardware is incompatible. When we first started our first products didnt work on OS X. I think vanishingly few customers understood that Apple had very clearly documented their hardware and system software and that if we wanted, we could have spent thousands of developer hours writing drivers to make our hardware work on Mac, but hadn’t done that. But they did realize we could work on Mac, but didn’t.

So the argument that Apple can’t add a USB port to the iPad because people will expect it to work with anything USB is totally absurd. When people plug in their USB device and it doesn`t work they’ll blame the device manufacturer like they always have. And those are the ignorant customers. Were it to have a USB port, most customers would adapt and realize that when they’re looking to buy a camera or a keyboard or whatever else, they need to check if it has Mac OS X support, Windows 7 support AND iPad OS 4 support. Just like we always have.

Even beyond that though the idea that you don’t include an interface merely because people will expect their devices to be compatible is just insane on the face of it. We would never have had any interface at all if that logic made any sense. If it made sense, people would have said “what about adding a parallel port to this computer we’re making here, so people can get data into and out of it?” and they’d think about it and say “woooah, people will expect all their peripherals to be compatible with it, even if there’s no device driver written. Better not add one”.

Now I can understand why Apple may have looked at the product and determined how to market it and decided not to add any interfaces for external devices. I dont really agree with it but I'd say it's a pretty rational decision. But really? We can't add a USB interface because devices dont work without drivers? That’s really fucking stupid.

For crying out loud, the thing is supposed to be magical. I’m pretty sure they could have found an elegant way to download drivers as needed if that was how they wanted to go. Obviously there wouldn’t be (m)any products out that would work with it when it debuted but that’s how it goes. You just document things well and support your developers and low and behold companies develop drivers that work with your new product!

I must say, it’s refreshing to hear a voice of sanity. Reading all the rationalizations for missing features makes me think I’m in Bizzaro land. It looks like people are using some bastard cousin of “Post hoc ergo propter hoc” : because a feature is missing from an Apple product, it must be for the good of the user.

[Magiver]

@Unintentionally_Blank

Because there was an an installation method, or more likely, a driver that beat the device to your computer via Microsoft, who spends a TON of money on driver certification.

Well as long as there’s a good reason for leaving out one of the most useful features of a computer. It’s not like they left out SD card slots or other things people have come to expect with 10 year old technology. If only there was a way for a computer to recognize a new USB device requiring a driver and search the world for it on some kind of network.

[Magiver]

@TimeWinder

Nonsense. Wanting my toaster to wash dishes don’t make it so.

Most people expect their toaster to toast bread. The fundamental principal behind a computer is that it is a machine that can be programmed by different apps to perform different functions. The ability to communicate with other devices is considered high on the list of features people look for in such a device.

[Magiver]

@TimeWinder

By default, hitting the space bar twice enters a period and a space (for ending sentences without having to go to the next page to get the period). On the iPad, where the period is actually on the keyboard, it’s just a holdover from the iPhone and you can turn it off in preferences if you don’t like it.

As for the apostrophe, here’s a little tip that also gets you accented letters, alternate symbols, and the like: press and hold on some keys on the keyboard, and you’ll get a little pop-up list of alternate symbols: the apostrophe is hidden under the ! key, and non-English accented versions of letters are hidden under their unaccented form. (This works on the iPhone, too). Of course, for most contractions you don’t have to type the apostrophe at all – the iPhone/iPad will put them in for you.

There should be an app that teaches this stuff. Apple speak 101. Free with the purchase of a each keyboard.

[WarmNPrickly]

I guess I don’t understand why the dock connector can’t be used as a USB interface. Isn’t that pretty much what this does?

[PopeJewish]

There are tons of tablet PCs out there that are much cheaper and basically better in every way (the upcoming Notion Ink, the Viliv, and particularly the Lenova IdeaPad) than the iPad. I see no point in owning one

[even_sven]

@TimeWinder

Nonsense. Wanting my toaster to wash dishes don’t make it so.

If everyone wants their toaster to wash dishes, then it does indeed matter. No amount of saying you want to have a “pure toaster experience” or the like will change that people think your toaster sucks because it doesn’t wash dishes.

[Magiver]

@WarmNPrickly

I guess I don’t understand why the dock connector can’t be used as a USB interface. Isn’t that pretty much what this does?

Snicker… My antique laptop has $120 worth of apple connectors built into it.

Seriously, a device that openly promotes the idea of flipping through albums of pictures doesn’t have an SD card slot or USB port to import them directly? Maybe they need a battery powered Idock for the person on the go.

[Unintentionally_Blank]

@Magiver

Most people expect their toaster to toast bread. The fundamental principal behind a computer is that it is a machine that can be programmed by different apps to perform different functions. The ability to communicate with other devices is considered high on the list of features people look for in such a device.

Hence the reason they have the largest App store for mobile devices…plus, the full development platform is available, FREE, with every Apple computer sold. Apple handles all distribution, and an individual has the possibility to make a serious amount of money without having to figure out how to market, distribute, or collect money for that app.

Granted, You just have to figure out how to get past Apple’s bi-polar split-personality review process.

There is something TO Apple’s way of doing things. You don’t sell 50 million iPhones, 85 million iPods and 450,000 iPads (in three days) if the lack of a USB port is really all that important for this device. It’s been demonstrated…frequently…that the things people whinge the most about, obviously don’t matter to the sale of these devices. Wonder why that is?

[Uzi]

@Unintentionally_Blank

Wonder why that is?

Hey, I can’t figure out the fashion industry either. It doesn’t make 6" stiletto’s any more practical or useful, but people still buy them.

[Labrador_Deceiver]

@even_sven

If everyone wants their toaster to wash dishes, then it does indeed matter. No amount of saying you want to have a “pure toaster experience” or the like will change that people think your toaster sucks because it doesn’t wash dishes.

Why do you keep using the word “everyone”? Everyone doesn’t want (or require) a USB port on their iPad, which is why they’ve already sold about a half a million of them.

It isn’t the show-stopper people here are making it out to be.

[Unintentionally_Blank]

Hush, now, they’re all just kool-aid drinkin’ fanbois.

[Mangetout]

The big problem is that Apple’s attitude looks like sour grapes - all machines have their limitations - for a long time, smartphones all seemed to lack one major feature or another - and the user was forced to compromise on something.

But the manufacturers of said smartphones, if they ever explained the lack of the feature in question, would only shrug and say “yeah, we couldn’t fit it in” or “Well, you can’t have everything for that budget”. They never (to my knowledge) said “We left that important and highly-demanded feature out on purpose, because although everyone likes it, we think it’s shit”

But that’s how Apple comes across - whether they intend it or not.

[Labrador_Deceiver]

@Mangetout

The big problem is that Apple’s attitude looks like sour grapes -

Sour grapes? Almost all of their new product launches are wildly successful. Why would there be any sour grapes?

[scr4]

@Labrador_Deceiver

Sour grapes? Almost all of their new product launches are wildly successful. Why would there be any sour grapes?

True. Their attitude looks more like arrogant bullies than sour grapes.

[Magiver]

@Unintentionally_Blank

Hence the reason they have the largest App store for mobile devices…plus, the full development platform is available, FREE, with every Apple computer sold. Apple handles all distribution, and an individual has the possibility to make a serious amount of money without having to figure out how to market, distribute, or collect money for that app.

Granted, You just have to figure out how to get past Apple’s bi-polar split-personality review process.

There is something TO Apple’s way of doing things. You don’t sell 50 million iPhones, 85 million iPods and 450,000 iPads (in three days) if the lack of a USB port is really all that important for this device. It’s been demonstrated…frequently…that the things people whinge the most about, obviously don’t matter to the sale of these devices. Wonder why that is?

I agree with you totally. Apples entire market strategy is to invent a new toy that is visually cool and will act as a gateway to their electronic retail store where music and apps are sold. The Ipod was an acknowledgment that they were never going to dominate in the computer arena.

However, in today’s marketplace it is possible to reverse engineer a concept and make a better version of it in a short time period. The droid is a perfect example. It’s tough to make a product that can’t be reproduced.

I didn’t buy an iphone but I could see it’s potential. An Ipad, is a step backwards. It just made small laptops look that much more desirable. Why would I want to HOLD a device that does less work than a laptop when I could have a laptop of a similar size sit in my lap. the idea of buying a case so I can tilt the screen comfortably, or a USB adapter/SD card reader or a keyboard as extra’s doesn’t make any sense. And when it’s all said and done it’s not even capable of multi-tasking. It’s an oversized Iphone that is not as portable.

[Labrador_Deceiver]

@scr4

True. Their attitude looks more like arrogant bullies than sour grapes.

No, I’d say that’s just as nonsensical.

[Polerius]

@Unintentionally_Blank

There is something TO Apple’s way of doing things. You don’t sell 50 million iPhones, 85 million iPods and 450,000 iPads (in three days) if the lack of a USB port is really all that important for this device. It’s been demonstrated…frequently…that the things people whinge the most about, obviously don’t matter to the sale of these devices. Wonder why that is?

Does it occur to you that maybe Apple succeeds wildly despite the missing features, because of its amazing UI, which can be found nowhere else, and that maybe they would have sold double the number of devices if they had included the missing features?

As this thread shows, 1/3 of men would date Jenny McCarthy despite considering her being batshit crazy. Does that mean people don’t care about their partners being batshit crazy? No, it means that when someone is as gorgeous as Jenny McCarthy, it will trump many men’s desire not to date batshit crazy person.

So, it seems to me that mentioning all the millions of devices that Apple has sold does not necessarily show that the missing features are unimportant. It may also mean that, given that people get the very best user experience any mobile device can deliver, they will overlook some features that they do find important. And if the devices had had the missing features, they could have been even more successful than they have been so far (one example is 3G. I believe the first-gen iPhone sold well, but when they added 3G, that model really took off.)

[WarmNPrickly]

@Magiver

Snicker… My antique laptop has $120 worth of apple connectors built into it.

Seriously, a device that openly promotes the idea of flipping through albums of pictures doesn’t have an SD card slot or USB port to import them directly? Maybe they need a battery powered Idock for the person on the go.

It is true that the one and only complaint I have about Apple products is their constant switching of connectors. OTOH, it is a small price to pay for software that doesn’t have constant conflicts, compatibility issues, error messages and viruses. Now I know that you Windows fanboys that are so emotionally invested in proving that your system is better will argue that this is not true, but you can’t argue with the consistent experience I have personally had with Windows machines.

I think it is quite bizaar that people would prefer that system, but I certainly don’t have the need to “snicker”. The fact is, Apple makes better software. They are more focused on how a device will be used and making that experience fluid. When Mac users say that their computers just work, it’s because it’s true.