If you want to do another round of the Mac vs. PC thing, go start a thread in GD.
If you want to talk about the iPad, do so here. If you can stay on topic, I’ll leave this open; if not, I’ll close it.
This is a reminder that we can discuss computers without being nasty. Please stop posting ‘observations’ of this sort.
Ellen Cherry
MPSIMS Moderator
There is a big market in aviation if it will accept an XM satellite connection either through the docking port or blue-tooth.
I wanted to think I’d seen something for private pilots, but all my google-fu is coming up with is testing aids to pass certification. The 3g iPad has GPS which might be helpful, if you wink and overlook it’s ‘not cleared for Civil Aviation use’ status.
I have no clue how well it would work with 3g turned on in a small aircraft. I thought one of the issues with 3G use wasn’t interference with the airplane, but the radio associating itself with too many Cell Towers. There ARE applications (Navigon) that have all their maps loaded on the device, I dunno why you couldn’t do the same with maps a la Jeppsen Sanderson…which leads me to: http://jeppdirect.jeppesen.com/legal/charts/ifr_jepptc.jsp
The built in GPS makes it a no-brainer moving map display because of it’s size. But if they can link it to XM satellite weather then overlaying that on a moving map display would create a stampede of pilots. Aside from the graphics-focused chipset it’s the perfect size for kneeboarding. Currently this is an expensive proposition for pilots. What is considered a luxury toy in the computer world would become a bargain utility item in an airplane.
Hm, sorry about the double-modding, all. :o
Carry on.
Two excellent points in this discussion. I never saw an iPad as a full service computer in function or in concept, either, but as someone said, a personal portal appliance. Pitched heavily as useful to access online media, e-mail and social nets, it’s closer to a steroidized iTouch/iPhone than to a “lite” MacBook.
BUT people will wonder about what more could they get, if they have to buy multiple units for everyone in the family. Soon you’re talking real money.
(While we’re at it: saving for inclusion in future editions things such as a standard USB port, conference cam, removable memory card, etc. that these days even my coffeepot seems to have, looks cheap).
As it stands, I find that for my needs and interests an iPad just doesn’t do it and I let it go at that. If I need something more than what I can get from my iPhone, my next step up is a netbook, and were I a Mac user it would be a Mac Air.
Though I would greatly prefer Flash sites to be accessible from iOS devices, because it is so widely used for many popular pages, I must disclose that Flash, or rather, Flash* abuse*, has been a sticking point of my Web-browsing experience for years. I particularly grew to despise front/home/splash pages rendered entirely in Flash with no obvious way to get past it to the content. Back when I did not have hi-speed, “Would it have killed you to include a &^%$# opt-out-of-Flash-I’m-on-dialup button, you bloody geek?” would cross my mind several times a week.
Especially considering the higher storage models are downright expensive. (We bought a 16Gb 3G model, $529 as a refurb…which was roughly what we paid for the Wife’s last laptop.)
With the addition of a keyboard (which I already had) and Pages, I could see this being an ideal light-use machine, in fact, that’s what she has in mind as she’s a higher ranking official in a Society that requires quite a bit of group speaking. The idea was that it’d make a great tool for that.
Still, 2 grand for the Blank family portable infrastructure is a bit much…I still don’t exactly count it as the same thing as a single-use mp3 player.
Bzzzzt. I do not see Mac users coming into this thread to threadshit. The OP has a problem with Windows. It’s only the OP that has a problem, and not even one mention of Mac takes place.
You come in to a Mac thread to threadshit, you are a fanboy.
That was me?!? I take it back! I don’t really hate Windows, I was just frustrated at getting stuck when I was trying to leave work early. Depending on the day, I might have said “reason umptillion why I hate Oracle” or “reason umptillion why I hate Solaris” or “reason umptillion why I hate Macintosh OS X”. I’ll try to be more ecumenical in my software bashing threads. :o
Sorry, didn’t mean to pick on you particularly. Your post just stuck out - someone claims there aren’t unprovoked attacks on Windows and that very day there’s a post complaining about Windows. There’s now even a post suggesting you get a Mac. I have no problem with any of that. It’s just clear proof that a particular claim by another poster was false.
So in you book this,
Is every bit as insulting as this.
Okay then…
pssst. Look upthread, we’ve moved away from slamming people’s choices in Religion, back to iPad related stuff.
You’re more than happy to continue this in Great Debates.
Those of you that wish to continue the debate, wander over here and add your wisdom:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13308834#post13308834