Apple iPad

[aznriptide859]

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458292/everything-yo...-the-apple-ipad

 

Price isn't bad (better than the $1k someone predicted early on), but compared to netbooks this thing can't compete. Of course, the selling point is the "tablet" and touchscreen.

 

Me thinks all the fanboys will grab this ASAP XD. Though I'm still waiting on the new iPod 4G announcement so I can hurry up and replace my 1G

[Chimpy]

The only prior Apple kit I own is a Shuffle and an old 360 alpha devkit. I want one of these things a lot! The iTouch is a genius bit of kit but the screen size put me off. This is bang on what I'd like to have.

[mattmanic]

It is definitely shiny. If I buy one high end gadget this year it'll be the Microsoft Zune phone... This strikes me as a gimmick, like the Newton, it was good but everyone got bored of it eventually, it's too big to fit in your pocket and less practical than a netbook.

 

The original iPad, for everyone who didn't know:

[Titleist]

People said the iPod was a gimmick and soon to be a flop. Those people are generally considered stupid now.

 

These look very cool. One wifi 32gb please!

[mattmanic]

People said the iPod was a gimmick and soon to be a flop. Those people are generally considered stupid now.

 

But they hadn't already tried and failed with the iPod. They tried and got it better than everyone else at the time. This will be a nice thing to own I'm sure, but I can't see where it fits in to a normal person's day. IPhone/iPod for commuting. Nice laptop Toshiba R500 ish laptop for work/sitting around at home and a desktop PC for gaming.

 

Do we have tech specs yet? I heard rumours of a HDTV decoder built in. I can't imagine Apple would put that in though although lieing in bed with a little TV in your hand would be nice. Also, what CPU does it have, how much ram, which graphics chip? I know it says "Apple A4" but Apple hasn't recently gotten into the CPU manufacturing business. I would guess either a snapdragon or possibly an ultra low end Atom. Either way it's not really going to be much more powerful than any high end phone.

[Phuncz]

Titleist says it all: Apple haters say it's useless and won't last. Apple fanboys say it's the next big thing. I'm saying it's the next big thing. Netbooks will be a thing of the past and ALL ebook readers currently on the market and in development will stop selling. Apple redefined tablets. No it's not a netbook but who likes a netbook ? Running 8-year old Windows XP it's still slow, with a little touchpad and teensy battery life.

 

I'm getting this, this is EXACTLY what I wanted. I wanted an affordable small device that allows me to go online, watch movies in bed and customize. This thing is exactly the price I wanted to pay. Steve is getting my money.

 

To the people who don't see any future in this:

The iPod revolutionized media players.

The iPhone revolutionized cell phones.

The iMac revolutionized the family computer ("all in one" devices anyone).

The iPad will revolutionize the tablet.

 

If you like it or not, it's going to happen anyway. Lots of people hated the iPhone and still it sold 8.7 MILLION times. For a phone that's so expensive, this is big.

 

IPhone/iPod for commuting. Nice laptop Toshiba R500 ish laptop for work/sitting around at home and a desktop PC for gaming.

You are profiling yourself, not everyone. Most people who have a laptop and a desktop don't use the laptop for anything except browsing, emailing and social networking. This thing allows minor tasks like that and adds a lot of functionality with the iWork package and the AppStore.

 

Do we have tech specs yet? I heard rumours of a HDTV decoder built in. I can't imagine Apple would put that in though although lieing in bed with a little TV in your hand would be nice. Also, what CPU does it have, how much ram, which graphics chip? I know it says "Apple A4" but Apple hasn't recently gotten into the CPU manufacturing business. I would guess either a snapdragon or possibly an ultra low end Atom. Either way it's not really going to be much more powerful than any high end phone.

The Apple A4 "system on a chip" IS from Apple's recently acquired P.A. Semi, a chip manufacturer. It's 1GHz and probably has 512MB judging by the fact it is way faster than the iPhone 3GS with a higher resolution screen and heavier apps. You can always look at http://www.apple.com/ipad for the other specs. BTW: why would the amount of RAM or the manufacturer of the chip matter ? If it's fast, stable and feels good, it is a good device. With 2MB RAM or 2GB RAM.

 

[Tinkerton]

apple REDEFINED TABLETS?

 

...how?

 

all i can see is a hideously oversized iphone, with a hideous processor, and a hideously huge bezel for a screen that size.

 

and a lack of physical keyboard.

 

 

iPod revolutionised media players: yeah, i'll give you that.

 

iPhone revolutionised mobile phones: Nah. Influenced a lot, but not revolutionary. not by a long shot.

iMac revolutionsed the PC: nah. work computer? yes. How many people nowadays have an 'all in one'? i dont know anybody.

 

iPad will not revolutionise the tablet. it just looks like a comedy sized iphone.

 

 

Oh, and i'll tell you one thing it wont do.

 

RIGHT CLICK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aznriptide859]

Question though - what daily use activities would be more useful with this compared to a netbook? I'm usually used to customizing aspects of my daily-used tech (iPod not so much, but it's why I have 2 PC's, one laptop one Shuttle PC), and if the iPad is using an upped iPhone OS, then I can't see me using this besides as a bigger iPod, which might be more of a hassle since it's so much bigger.

 

You know what I would buy in an instant? A 7-9" tablet version of the Nokia N900. The phone itself still makes me drool XD.

 

EDIT: Just read this bold claim from Jobs:

 

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458349/apple-ipad-ju...ssinate-laptops

 

Wowzers. Reconsidering my previous statement - if cloud computing takes off as is predicted, maybe in 10 years everyone will be carrying around one of these. Then again, knowing me, I like my data/stuff localized XD.

[Chimpy]

iPhone revolutionised mobile phones: Nah. Influenced a lot, but not revolutionary. not by a long shot.

 

I'd say it's pretty revolutionary. It's certainly changed the perception of what a mobile phone can do in terms of palm-top computing.

 

The iPad thought process for me is a bit like this. I like a small phone that sits in a pocket. The iPhone was too chunky and the screen too small to really justify buying it to watch movies/interweb on the move. The iPad is much better and the sort of thing that'd travel about with me. For me it's what I want from an everyday carry computer perspective and it looks hawt.

 

Also N900 into a tablet would be ace!

[aznriptide859]

^That's the thing - if this is to be a daily computing thing, I'd personally need it to be able to handle documents and such (taking notes, as I'm a college student) well and efficiently, as well as being able to sync it quickly with my home computer

 

Speaking of sync, for something this big, Apple really needs a new sync program, right? They really don't expect iTunes to sync with this thing 0_0?

[Chimpy]

SDK and emulator are go!

[Tinkerton]

Nokia 3310 was revolutionary. EVERYBODY had one of those. iirc (dont quote me on this) the iPhone wasnt even the first full touchscreen mobile. it steered the way towards 'apps' and the like, but thats hardly reolutionary either. i remember downloading new java games etc for my old 3450 (or whatever it was)

[Chimpy]

^That's the thing - if this is to be a daily computing thing, I'd personally need it to be able to handle documents and such (taking notes, as I'm a college student) well and efficiently, as well as being able to sync it quickly with my home computer

 

I have three computers at work to do that on.

 

Interweb, video, audio, reading docs, light e-mail and pub based surfing FTW.

[mattmanic]

why would the amount of RAM or the manufacturer of the chip matter ? If it's fast, stable and feels good, it is a good device. With 2MB RAM or 2GB RAM.

 

A 1ghz Core 2 solo would be a massive amount of power for something that size. The processor is has will most likely be pretty underpowered. A 1.6ghz Atom can't do flash games how's this gunna cope with day to day web browsing?

 

Also, looking at the dimensions and the overall shape, it looks like it'll be a nasty thing to have to hold for more than a few minutes and if you put it on a table you'll have to hunch over it to see screen properly. Plus if you press on the far side of the screen while it's on a table it'll just rock about because it has a curved back.

 

 

 

Oh, and i'll tell you one thing it wont do.

 

RIGHT CLICK!

 

 

 

Amen to that, brother!

 

 

Another quick lol:

 

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)

 

So if it's a bit hot or cold out, you've voided your warranty.

 

Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

 

If it's really cold you can't even have it switched off and if it's hot you can't leave it in your car...

[Titleist]

Here's the thing, I'm an interaction designer, so looking at how people actually work with technology is my job. It's like shooting a shotgun, you don't aim where the clay is, you aim for where it's going to be.

 

What excites me most is not the gadgets of this device, it's how we'll work with it. I'm not a laptop owner, I don't need another computer. But this will allow me to surf the web, email, organize photos, update our company internal blogs, chat, etc for 600 dollars.

 

Here's the killer app, it's the gillette model. The money isn't in the razor, it's the razor blades. I think this will make ebooks a fantastically simple and exciting thing. Not only that, and HERE IS THE BIG THING, this is NOT the death of print, this is the REBIRTH. This will bring a new sense of interest in to something that has been completely destroyed by the web...TYPOGRAPHY. The best webpage isn't even a comparison to a poorly laid out print page. I'm absolutely excited this could make novels and newspapers exciting to a generation that has grown up thinking that these mediums were dying.

 

Again, color me frothing, but I'm excited.

 

A 1ghz Core 2 solo would be a massive amount of power for something that size. The processor is has will most likely be pretty underpowered. A 1.6ghz Atom can't do flash games how's this gunna cope with day to day web browsing?

 

Also, looking at the dimensions and the overall shape, it looks like it'll be a nasty thing to have to hold for more than a few minutes and if you put it on a table you'll have to hunch over it to see screen properly. Plus if you press on the far side of the screen while it's on a table it'll just rock about because it has a curved back.

 

Nice job judging a machine you've never held. Apple has some of the BEST industrial designers in the world. And has been working on this for years. Hold off passing blind judgements before you've tried it.

 

Also do you really think apple would launch this thing with a weak processor? Again, from what I've heard from folks AT apple is that the thing feels friggin FAST!

[aznriptide859]

I'm really curious about battery life. 10 hrs usage plus a whole month standby? That's pretty hard to believe. Maybe the entire backside is a battery XD?

 

Agreed, Titleist - as some people on Gizmodo said, it's a glorified eBook/ePrint reader, albeit the best one on the market now.

[maverick343432]

A giant Ipod touch with a bigger screen more memory and a beefier processor?

I'm buying one.

Plus it will look good next to my Imac

[aznriptide859]

For those who want complete coverage, Gizmodo has been going crazy with the iPad:

 

http://gizmodo.com/tag/appleipad/

 

Though after reading this:

 

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that...-about-the-ipad

 

I will have to agree on a few fronts:

 

1. No Flash support. Apple BETTER fix this in the near future.

2. No multitasking - something that's been bugging my iPod usage for a long time. Since the iPad is so much larger/has more computing power than the iPhone/iPod, it should be able to handle it, right? Apple could have learned something from Android, hell even Maemo.

3. Not really a huge turnoff, but the fact you'll have to use adapters (http://i.gizmodo.com/5458376/apple-ipads-myriad-optional-dongles-usb-sd-ac-bbq) for different input devices is a bit annoying.

 

Regarding the keyboard input accessory - nice try Apple. Bluetooth keyboard FTW XD.

[WeirdoTransvestite]

It's nice, and it's pretty, but I was hoping for something with a full OS that I could use as a normal mac computer. The lack of flash is really insane with the battery life they boast. It wouldn't make the iPad unusable. I think I'll stick with my jailbroken touch for at least a generation or two.

[Titleist]

I will have to agree on a few fronts:

 

1. No Flash support. Apple BETTER fix this in the near future.

2. No multitasking - something that's been bugging my iPod usage for a long time. Since the iPad is so much larger/has more computing power than the iPhone/iPod, it should be able to handle it, right? Apple could have learned something from Android, hell even Maemo.

3. Not really a huge turnoff, but the fact you'll have to use adapters (http://i.gizmodo.com/5458376/apple-ipads-myriad-optional-dongles-usb-sd-ac-bbq) for different input devices is a bit annoying.

 

1. Flash isn't a web standard and adobe has been unable to create a version of flash for the iphone that is functional and NOT a resource hog. Adobe has not been able to accomplish that yet.

 

2. Actually it does background multitasking, but the apps are all now starting to catch up to implement it.

 

3. Meh. People seem to be freaking out because they got their long fabled unicorn and it's tail was too short or too long. This device can't do everything. But what it does it does exceptionally well.

[aznriptide859]

1. So it's a fault on Adobe, not Apple's? Seeing how so many websites use it, it might seem a downer that it's not supported for such a tablet.

2. I'm guessing that's in the form of Push notifications? It's alright I guess.

 

Seems the tablet wars are starting soon - Microsoft's Courier and a few others (I think an Android tablet is coming out soon too) are probably competitors to the iPad.

[Titleist]

Microsoft hasn't been a competitor to apple's ipod or iphone. Ever.

 

And yes it IS adobe's fault. WMV is used on some websites, lets all freak out the iPad and iPhone don't support WMV. Again, Adobe has been tasked with making flash work without being a memory hog, and they haven't been able to do it. Apple has clearly said, "make flash not suck on our mobile devices and we'll talk." Yes, Flash IS on phones, but it quickly turns to ###### when you hit sites that are poorly built.

 

Again I think it's a fantastic machine, and apple's executions always live up to their concepts. I can't wait to try one out. However again tablets are much like previous MP3 players, they work, but their execution is inellegant and shoddy. This looks polished and designed for actual human beings. We're all going to benefit from this device just in the same way the iPhone and iPod forced other companies to step up their game.

[aznriptide859]

^Makes sense.

 

For those who think the name is ridiculous:

 

http://twitter.com/search?q=iTampon%20OR%20%23iTampon

 

There's a Twitter feed dedicated to iPad jokes lol.

 

http://jezebel.com/5458338/that-time-of-th...ated-ipad-jokes

 

Also, an older MadTV skit XD.

 

 

Steve Jobs has set himself up for jokes for years lol.

[amateurstuntman]

To me the war was won 5 years ago.

 

The only thing this does better than my toughbook is "be light" and I don't care about that because I'm massive.

I've got 3G, I've got an 8 hour battery life (actual 8 hours, not claimed 8 hours) which will get better when I upgrade to an SSD, I've got WiFi and I've got a touch screen.

 

And, on top of the i pad, I also have true GPS which can run memory map, proper OS with firefox browser, flash and connectivity without break out cables.

 

Because I got it second hand it was cheaper than an i pad.

 

And, to top it all off I can hammer nails in with the thing and use it in the rain.

 

Frankly the i pad would have to come with a free moon to tempt me away from my toughbook.

 

Looks shiny though but not tough enough.

[Titleist]

But here's the logic problem. You can't make a device that is EVERYTHING to every one. Guess what, my iPad won't wash my clothes, bummer, the iPad must be awful. You have to look at what this was designed to do, not replace a laptop, but fill a gap that hasn't been filled well.