I’m not really sure what you mean by your last sentence. Do you think people in this threat don`t realize Apple decided to lock down the hardware? We already realize it. Our point it, and this goes to your suggestion, we’ve decided we don’t like that.
To your earlier point in the paragraph - everything you’ve said is true of any device be it a smart phone or a full computer. Any time you give 3rd parties the potential to work with your hardware you give up control and risk it harming the user experience. As a matter of fact, we once released a product for OS X using a reference design driver we bought from the chipset designer used in the product we were selling. The poor drivers caused delays and unresponsiveness and ate up a lot of memory. The drivers were awful and we wound up re-writing them from scratch. Of course the same thing could happen to the iPad if it were opened up to external hardware.
The thing is, that’s also true of software and they’ve set up their app store with strict approval processes to avoid problems. There’s no reason they couldn’t have put a USB port on and very selectively approved 3rd party hardware devices. It’s not like it’s an inherently awful decision to not do that, anyway. I would like one with a USB port, but my only real strenuous objection is to the people in this thread acting like it’s insane to even ask for it. What I really disagree with are the people insisting that technical realities that face any kind of device and are easily but carefully taken into care of are somehow unique to the iPad and also insurmountable.
I’m not sure who you were actually responding to in your post but I do agree it’s a new niche they’re defining and excluding a USB interface isn`t inherently awful and audaciously bad. I just wanted to go on record and insist it’s a product marketing decision and not a technical hurdle that could not have been surmounted.
funny I don’t have those problems either
what are you guys bringing up this tired trope for again? We ain’t in the Windows Me era. Win 7 is about as stable and rock solid an OS can be.Fact is people seem to make excuses for Apple. Look up thread where someone suggested using ziplock bags (apple branded no doubt) to solve a problem with the Ipad.
The Ipad is a very cool adult toy, but that’s all it is. I’m sure some cool non-toy uses will come out also, just like someone will make those super detailed drawings on etch a sketches, but that won’t be the norm.
As an aside does anyone get the feeling this just appeals to 20-30 somethings. My niece is 12 and she and her friends think the Ipad is “stupid”. “I already have and Iphone why would I carry that big ass dumb thing”. She could be biased. She already has a tablet computer running windows 7, but her friends don’t and they feel the same way.
OK. Why not tell that to someone who hasn’t had a program running on Windows 7 lock up constantly. It’ll be a tired trope when it is no longer true. As of now, Windows 7 is still crapware prone to crashes.
Oh I know, the software that runs our brand new IR was not written by Microsoft, so Microsoft can’t be blamed except that it’s this amatuer programing psychology of the Windows environment that causes these poorly written interfaces to exist. People on Windows machines want to flip dongles and tweek their system to the point of conflict. The biggest criticism of the iPod is the fact that you can’t drag and drop into the player itself. Never mind that you can drag and drop into iTunes with no problem, they want to be controlling stuff at the lowest level possible. They think that the control they exercise makes them computer geniuses, when in reality, they are amateurs. So they write crappy stuff that crashes and blame the user for not knowing how to use it properly.
So, why don’t you run that software that crashes Windows on your Apple? I mean if Apple is so good, just use it instead of Windows and you wouldn’t have these problems, right?
It is too difficult for these amateurs to learn to program for a Macintosh. They would be forced to consider actual users who just want to take an IR spectrum.
Soooo, my takeaway from all this is some people want and can use an iPad despite its limitations and others don’t want an iPad because of its limitations. How about we all agree that it isn’t an all-for-one device?
Not having any problems with my laptop beyond mandatory use of a virus program. It’s a small price I don’t have to pay because my computer costs less that a mac.
With the Ipad there is an immediate need to spend money on: a case so you can use it on a table, a keyboard so you can type using all the normal symbols, and an adapter so you can upload pictures. It still doesn’t make it a useful computer, it just makes it usable.
Magiver and if you use Microsoft security essentials it very unobtrusive. I dropped Avast even though I have a license for it. I hear they wanted to include it in Windows 7 but did not because of antitrust issues.
I think the biggest gripe is that Apple has always made a premium product at a premium price. They invested in a new chip that optimizes visual data on a shoe-string budget. The owner gets less computer but it’s tuned for graphics. The operative word for computer users is LESS. The operative word for image-based web surfing is FUN. It’s a fun toy that’s expensive to use and requires add-ons to mimic a real computer. The decision scale for this device looks like this: (FUN…|…USEFUL). What do you want most of on the scale.
I’ll certainly agree that it isn’t. That doesn’t leave me clearer on what it is, unfortunately - its limitations mean it falls short not only of being an all-for one device, but also it falls short of being properly useful within the scope of its purported range of purposes.
-Checking e-mail (but not so much responding because typing is a bit cumbersome)
-Checking weather
-Listening to music in my car
-Looking up things on Google or Wikipedia. This is pretty frequent
-Games
The iPad is a bit bulkier but if I didn’t mind carrying it around with me I could see similar usage.
I think you missed two categories of people. There are four:
[ol]
[li]some people don’t want an iPad because they think anything Apple produces is expensive crap made for faux hipsters. They won’t even look at the device on its merits.[/li][li]some people don’t want an iPad because of its limitations[/li][li]some people want and can use an iPad despite its limitations[/li][li]some people want the device because they see no limitations. Any “limitations” as perceived by the less enlightened are in fact features. And they know that this is true because the device is the embodiment of perfection, distilled into a handheld device.[/li][/ol]
I’m closer to category 3 myself.
I was with ya til you got to 4… Nobody claimed perfection, they just stated that some of the limitations are tactical ones.
Anyone that’s seen the teardowns knows there’s plenty of space to throw USB, Firewire, satphone, whatever in there…Further, it can be demonstrated that Apple has the ability to cram whatever functionality they care into damnear any space they wish. They’ve also demonstrated they they can be real pricks when something runs counter to their view of the world (nee Flash). They’ve demonstrated that they’re out and out Obsessive-Compulsive Assholes.
But they make a good product. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you. But to presuppose that it’s not for you, therefore it’s missing ‘Valuable capabilities that EVERYBODY wants!’ is needlessly narcissistic.
Hey that’s great for you. I won’t snicker at what I consider to be a poor choice. I’ve never not had problems with Windows. Maybe one day, they will produce a product I like. Until then, I make enough money that Macintosh is really the best choice. I’m sorry you are poor.
I will buy a case of course. Can you explain why the future PC knockoffs wont need a case? I will have no need of a keyboard or a dock. I have no need of USB connections. I don’t plan to use it as a computer. I wouldn’t want a device that is so clunky. That is what I have a computer for.
I got to play with one today for the first time. First impressions were that is 1) heavier than I expected; and 2) really, really fast. It makes my iPhone 3G seem like something out of the 386 era.
I did a little web surfing and played some Plants vs Zombies. It’s a great device, and it’s amazing how much difference having the bigger screen makes over surfing/playing games on an iPhone.
I also played with some netbooks in the same price range. There’s no comparison. The netbooks all feel like what they are: slow, shitty miniature laptops. Of all the things I imagine myself using an iPad for, all would be much, much worse on a netbook.
A “slate” device (tablet without a keyboard) needs a case to protect the display. Most Windows tablets are convertibles, which you can close and throw in your backpack without a case. Similarly the Microsoft Courier is a hinged dual-screen device, so the screen isn’t exposed. (Admittedly, the Courier hasn’t been officially announced so its design may change, or it may never get produced.)
You’d be surprised. The tempered glass used on iPhones, Touches, and Pads really doesn’t need protecting. Now, lean something on it and it’ll break like anything else, but both iPhones I’ve owned are pretty good, considering they haven’t had ANY protection.
It’ll be a tired trope when it is no longer true. As of now, Windows 7 is still crapware prone to crashes.