I voted as a PC Guy even though I have a bunch of apple stuff (iMac, a couple ipods incl. a touch). My main home computer is an HP laptop.
It looks like a great device and I’m 95% going to get one, but I want to wait at least until version 2. I think my girls would end up using it mostly. I’d need the browser parental controls for them but since I can’t have a separate account, that would make it pretty much impractical for me to use.
The WANT! part of my brain does kick up a bit of a fuss, but the parts of my brain that hate spending money and realise that I’m skint gang up to give it a wedgie.
If the Netflix instant watch app works fairly well for it, I might buy one in a few months. Between Netflix, and Air Video (an iPhone app that allows you to stream local video files over the internet using a small server component, hopefully to be released for the iPad soon), my media needs would be well taken care of.
Wife wants to watch True Blood, but I want to watch the Big Lebowski? No problem. Watching a 24 episode on TV, and can’t remember how the last season ended? No problem. And I can read along to SDMB as the episode happens, without a huge laptop perched on my knees.
The lack of Flash has me concerned, but with multi-tasking coming (at least to the iPhone update, so likely to the iPad) the benefits outweight my core issues with it.
No. I don’t see the point in something that’s too big to take with you on a daily basis but too small & limited in what it can do to compare to a laptop. It’s for those who have disposable income to spend on whatever shiny new thing comes along. There’s no real market for this.
I will not be in the market for a computer or tablet for about six months, (maybe sooner if my laptop dies as was predicted, but this thing is a Lazarus) but this is a strong consideration.
Im a pc, mostly out of low disposable income and hand me downs and I don’t own any mp3 player. Ive uploaded about half my cd collection to my laptop, but its still not how I generally play music. I’d like an ipod but never really needed one yet, and havent really joined the digital age with my photos or other media either.
I am thinking the iPad might be my solution for my next purchase. Our house has 2 laptops and a desktop for two adults and a six year old. Mostly I surf on line, and an ipad seems like something I could also bring to work (where I have computers and internet but surf control keeps me from Facebook, Flickr, photobucket, youtube and other random sites … t-shirt hell was ok, and cafepress not, until last week when they switched…) at least for my breaks on nights.
Still, that purchase will require a bit of extra cash and need…neither of which I currently have.
PC user. I’ll buy one as soon as I can afford it. I also plan to buy a Verizon iPhone as soon as those are available.
I have an iPod touch and consider it nothing short of miraculous. I read Kindle on it and also watch tv shows sometimes. It works beautifully - but that’s not to say I wouldn’t appreciate a larger screen and wider keyboard.
For me, it fills a niche. I have a 30lb. gaming desktop for at the desk. I have a phone for on the road. What I want is something that I can carry around the house. It doesn’t need to be as powerful as a laptop since it won’t be my primary device. It doesn’t need to be as small as the phone. The iPad, I can sit outside or on the porch or in bed. It’s not a primary computer but it’s more usable around the house than the iPhone. I think it’d fit right in.
Mind you, I think it -could- be a primary computer for the right person. My parents, who want to email and surf and play a few light games, would be perfectly happy with it. The iPad is an attractive, easy to use, and virtually maintenance free option. I think there’s a real audience for it.
Not only am I going to get one as soon as I can, but I’ll go out on a limb and say that this may be one of the most successful computing devices in history, and a real paradigm shift towards a new way of using computers.
Of course, it’s going to come down to the apps that are available for it, but the stuff available at launch is very encouraging.
For example, have a look at The Elements. Ooh, big deal - it’s a periodic table on the iPad. But look at the interface - look at the seamless data interchange with the internet. Look at how you can interact with it. It’s amazing.
Now multiply that by thousands of applications that will eventually be available that provide similar access to other types of data. Imagine downloading manuals for equipment that have 3-D expanded views you can rotate, and videos showing you how to do certain things. Yes, you can do this on a PC or netbook now, but it’s different having it in tablet form right in front of you when you’re working on something.
eBooks look amazing. The iPad is the only device that can play every eBook format on the market, plus all the free eBooks. I was going to buy a Kindle because I like my wife’s, but now I can use this thing - the Kindle was $250, so now I’m only looking at a $250 premium for all the other features.
The full-size touch keyboard looks like it will be plenty useful for short typing like E-mails and blog comments and such.
The Marvel iPad App is another example of something that sounds like a yawn (“Oh, so I can read comics. Who cares?”). But in fact, if you watch the video you’ll see that it has the potential to completely change the way graphic novels and comics are presented. It’s almost cinematic.
There’s an app that’s simply a physics engine for dealing cards and manipulating chess and checkers pieces - that turns your iPad into a game table you always have with you. There’s a scrabble app that uses your iPhone or iPod touch to show your rack of tiles, and all you do is flick them and they ‘land’ on the board on the iPad (using bluetooth to connect everything).
None of these are killer apps for everyone, but a lot will be a killer app for someone. If that results in huge market penetration, then major development efforts will move to the iPad, and you’ll be able to do things you simply can’t do on any other device.
I think they’ll eventually be just as common as the iPhone/iPod touch. That means tens of millions sold, and a huge market for applications.
Why doesn’t it have a camera? That seems obvious - if you want people to use these on a bus or a train, in school, in meetings, or in other public spaces, the existence of a camera could be a liability. Schools are already banning cell phones that have cameras. When I was at my daughter’s music recital, I tried recording the whole thing with a digital flip cam, and I got so many dirty looks from people I had to shut it down other than when my daughter was performing. No one wants their mistakes to become the next Youtube viral video. So leaving the camera off should increase acceptance of the device in public places.
I agree with this 100%. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a version of the Macbook with Iphone OS & App store in a few years.
But I wanted to say - for the Flash thing, I think that will soon become a non-issue. Either Adobe will find a way to work out their difference and make Flash support happen or Teh Web will shift to different formats which work on the iPad. I think the device’s gravitational pull will be strong enough to shift things one way or another.
Meh. Apple generally does not impress me at all. Sure, they have a nice user interface, but they are pricey as hell. I do not have an iPod, iTouch, iMac, iAnything. My MP3 player is a $57 cheap Chinese knock off which 16GB of memory and plays music and videos. What else do I honestly need?
iPad? Halfway between a real computer and a iTouch? No thanks. Cute user interface isn’t enough incentive to spend $500 - $800 for this product. Rather have a nice netbook. Maybe 2 or 3 generations might change things, but right now, a definite ‘no interest’ item.
I think this bears repeating. Just because a device doesn’t do anything for you, doesn’t mean it won’t be wildly successful. That comes across a LOT where the iPad is discussed.
Case in point: I have a friend that works for a music streaming company. Before he’d mentioned it, I’d never even HEARD of them. They’re WILDLY successful. They cater to teenagers with dumbphones (think Motorola Razr). They allow you to listen to your music on your phone, without storing it there, and allow you to share your music with your friends. (http://www.nutsie.com/ )
Since I haven’t been a teenager for, oh, 25 years, if I’d dismissed the company as not having a useful product, I’d miss the fact that it’s not FOR me. And the people it’s for, throw a LOT of money their way.
I said I don’t know, I might later.
I’m the opposite of an early adopter. I need to wait till a technology is really mature and ubiquitous, and till I really need it, before I buy into it. And that’s despite that fact that I work in IT!
For example I still don’t have an iPod (or any mp3 player).
An iTouch -is- a real computer. It’s just not a desktop or laptop. Ditto for the iPad. It has different uses, fits better in different environments - but it’s still a computer.
A very limited, non-multitasking, do only what Apple wants it to do computer, yes. But then again, so is every single phone, MP3 player and a lot of other consumer devices out there. Your point a bit pedantic. I am comparing the iPad to an iTouch (fancy MP3/MP4 player) on one hand and a full personal computer (such as a Mac or PC) on the other hand. (BTW: I am a computer programmer and have worked with all kinds of different computers from mainframes to embedded systems.)
For me, this device, falling in the middle between an iTouch and a full Personal Computer is not very compelling as a buy. Especially not for the price. I am a cheap bastard and always have been. I think Apple is very overpriced. They have great marketing, a decent product and probably one of the better user interfaces out there. If you are willing to spend the money, Apple products will probably make you happy. I’m not willing to spend the money, that’s all. And I really have no use for a tablet computer. Typing on a touch screen drives me insane. I can type better on a Blackberry. And I do need to be able to type.
So, not impressed and doubt that I ever will be. But, you never know – maybe the next version will him some killer feature that I’ve got to have. I don’t deny the possibility. But, I ain’t seeing it yet. Some people are going to love it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how many people that is to find out if it is a successful product. Earlier tablets flopped, so… we’ll see.
If that is truly the case, then why is it so hard to see that multitasking isn’t the be all, end all, feature for a device that’s really just acting as a viewport to data stored somewhere else.
This is not a speed demon. It is not a swiss army, do everything, wide open device. The things that do EVERYTHING…compromise. They give up real-estate, they give up responsiveness, they give up ease of use.
Anyone that’s jailbraked (jailbroken?) an iPhone will see it’s just a Un*x. It’s fully implemented multitasking in a myriad of ways. Apple keeps the VAST majority of third part apps from multitasking because it can negatively impact the responsiveness of the device. That’s pretty sage behavior, based on my experience with the Newton, Palm, Windows CE, and Windows Mobile environments.
While I’ve hacked the iPhone, it’s never stayed that way more than three or four days. I always go back because when it’s wide open, it acts like all the other wide open devices I’ve owned. Not quite right, not quite solid.
Rather than ‘It doesn’t multitask’ as a negative…WHAT is it that you normally want multitasking for? What are you missing? Email still arrives…the browser is still where you left it when you go back…the Calendar still remembers where you left off.
You want a WIMP* interface? You want a stuck process making your battery last 2 hours instead of 10? You’ll wanna look elsewhere.
My officemates with Android talk to me about reformatting their SD cards for improved swap utilization. Man, they’re from an entirely different planet.
(*=Windows Icons Menu Pointer for those not familiar with the acronym)
I really want one, but my budget doesn’t. And before I buy an iPad, I need to upgrade some other home computing things. (I need a home server, but a netflix app would really alleviate that “need”.)
I am eager to see how the iPad does in the Real World. Since I have a wonky internet connection, most things an iPad is good at are not in the cards for me. (How can I get a movie into the fool thing with slow internet?)
I will adopt a wait and see attitude.
By plugging it into your computer and putting it there.
No. Nothing personal but you’ve got it all wrong.
The iPad is not “between an an iTouch & a full computer”. It’s precisely an iTouch - just bigger.
The iTouch is not a “Fancy MP3 player”. LOL - I actually never listen to music on mine because I hate listening to music over headphones. But I use it every day, as a PDA, a game device, a web browser, a Wiki portal, email, writing. It’s always with me and and it’s always on.
The only thing a “full computer” laptop or desktop can do that the iTouch can’t is play Triple-A PC games which need a mouse. That’s it. You’re badly underestimating what an iTouch can do.
It doesn’t matter that you’ve worked on mainframes. We’re not talking about mainframes. You haven’t worked on an iTouch, apparently.
It’s true that it’s not as powerful as my desktop. Very few computers are. That doesn’t make them not-computers. The iTouch/iPad - is a computer. It’s a new paradigm of computing.
It’s true that iPad/ITouch is limited in what software is available compared to an open platform like Android. That’s different than saying the platform is limited in what it can -do-. It can do everything - there’s an app for everything. It just doesn’t have as many pieces of software to do it on.
That’s a flaw for people who are comfortable with PC’s or people like myself who enjoys the wild-west pc shareware and indie games. I get why it wouldn’t be enough for you, Doctor. As I said - I personally want it specifically as an auxiliary device.
But I’ve come to realize - most people aren’t like me. Most people don’t want to download 30 programs so they can pick the best. Most people don’t care. Multitasking? Non-computer people don’t multitask. They want one email, or one browser and so on. One place for photos. One place for video. And they want it to work immediately with no fussy installs or security concerns. They want no fussy options. They want it all set up and ready to go. And they want it to look pretty.
The iPad does all that. Beautifully.
PS: I get that some people will always prefer a keyboard/mouse to the touch keyboard. I think that’s a valid personal choice. But that doesn’t mean touch keyboards aren’t computers.
Nope. I’m mad at Jobs for not including Flash. I don’t think one company should have the right to determine what the web can or cannot be. Furthermore, I don’t like the idea of letting a company control what I can and can’t do with MY device.
I loved where they were going with the Mac, with the ability to run recompiled Linux programs and Windows programs. I hated that having the OS required me having their hardware, but I was willing to overlook that.
I liked the pre-touch iPods. I loved that it just worked, and, yet, I was able to put Linux on it and do whatever the hell I wanted with it.
The iPod touch has always seemed to me like a step backwards. It’s not an MP3 player, and it’s not a Phone. I can go get an iPhone or a cheap knock off MP3 player and do better.
I’ve been watching the iPad longer than most people, as, when I saw touchscreens, I knew I wanted one. When I heard Apple might make one, I was thrilled. When I found it ran the limited OS, I was baffled. When I learned it wouldn’t have the one technology on the web I use all the flipping time, I decided it was trash.
And I know it will become popular, and that’s part of why I hate it. I hate it when inferior crap becomes popular, because that means that the people who want more lose out.
Well, this is why we have choice. For you, an iPad makes sense and I’m betting you are going to really enjoy having one. If a big iTouch is what is going to get you all the features that you need in a portable computing device, I’m sure not going to tell you not to get one.
But you are right, my requirements are simply different as there are some things I am going to want to be able to do with a mobile computer that an iPad is simply not going to allow me to do.
Now, if the iPad had an option to “jailbreak” it (not the illegal way, but actually built in for power users), then I might have a little more interest. But then again, I might not. Depends what I can do with it that would be superior to what I can do with a laptop or netbook.
From what I see, what Apple has going for it is the user interface. They are actually starting to get it in terms of making a user interface that is usable. WIMP type interface is annoying. CLI (Command Line Interface) is seen as arcane and impossible to learn (not really the case, but appears that way). Apple and multi-touch are changing the way people can use the computer. However, there are limitations to the technology and we still have to use the right tool for the job. Obviously, I am not going to do coding on an iPad or try to type a long document. An iPad is not designed for that. Yet, that is a requirement I have on a portable computing device. Otherwise, I might as well have my $57 Chinese MP3 player as the other features of an iPad simply are not valuable enough to justify the cost, for me.
Other people will have different requirements.
But what will get my interest is when Apple figures out how to take the best of the iPad type interface and make that work with a more “traditional” PC interface. That would be something which could be game changing. So, we will see where it all goes.
I think the true test is where we are at in about 6 months. If this becomes the hot item that everyone must have, then I think the whole computing industry will start to shift. If it becomes another niche device, then we will still be where we are today – some people will like it and some won’t.
In any case, should be interesting. Enjoy your iPad, Merneith. 