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This topic comprises 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Topic: Are you gonna get an iPad?
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 02-02-2010 10:33 AM
I don't see getting one myself, mostly because I already have an iPhone and because of the cost, but I can see its merits. I think it is suffering from the backlash of people that were expecting so much that no device could have fulfilled everyone's realistic expectations, much less their unrealistic ones.
People looking for a laptop have different needs than what this device addresses. People using netbooks as little laptops for running multiple programs at once, firing up anything more advanced than a web browser, a photo viewer, ebook reader, or media player are also not the target audience, in my opinion.
I think the target application is the segment of people that are looking for an easy way to check E-mail, read some web pages and do simple lookups of weather conditions, etc., and maybe even read a book or a news publication.
Amazon should be very concerned that the iPad does not kill the Kindle. I've never seen a Kindle in person (I've never seen one being used by anyone), but I've read that the e-ink makes reading very easy. While this may be true (don't know for sure, because I've never actually seen one in person), the color screen, media capability, and other features of the iPad may outweigh that quality advantage.
I have found the iPhone to be very handy for being able to check E-Mail, do a quick lookup of something, etc (besides its phone functions of course). The iPad introduces a larger screen, but retains the simple functionality and access to all those apps available to iPhones and iPod Touches.
My parents had their laptop crash back in November, and while they were waiting to replace it, they had an iPod Touch and the EeePC that I lent them to get them through. While the iPod Touch worked fine for quick checks of E-Mail, it's still difficult to read newspaper articles and do any in-depth web browsing. The EeePC has a larger screen, but the keyboard is still quite small and the screen resolution was too small for many web sites that seem to think that fixed-width designs are a good thing.
I see something like the iPad being a good device for those sorts of functions. My dad's not a big fan of computers, but I could see him getting used to the touchscreen interface of the iPad. He doesn't need to run Photoshop, he doesn't need or want to have lots of things running, or anything else complex.
If it's easy to use, and it works, it will be a success for a segment of the population.
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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008
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posted 02-03-2010 09:11 AM
I thought this would be relevant.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358684,00.asp
quote:
Apple's iPad—what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again. Actually, those are the lyrics to the song "War," but they also apply to the iPad, methinks. I'll tell you why.
First off, it's really just a gigantic iPod touch. It's good for all of the things you can already do on the touch, like listen to music, look at pictures, and run a few, weird iPhone apps. The flashlight app should be really entertaining on the iPad, right?
According to various apologists, this tablet is the perfect device for watching movies and reading books, magazines, and newspapers. You know, the kind of stuff that other tablets have been doing all along.
I was hoping that some new paradigm would arise, so this device doesn't become yet another flop (albeit a pretty flop). But it's not much prettier, and I cannot see it escaping the tablet computer dead zone any time soon. It's a black hole that was created 20 years ago with machines like the Momenta. It was reignited by Bill Gates some years back, when he predicted that these things would rule the roost by 2003, or some such thing.
Everyone thought that Apple's entry would be able to turn around this nearly non-existent space. After all, the company revolutionized the MP3 player and smartphone markets, so why not the tablet?
The fact is the space was created long before the invention of the smartphone and MP3 player. The idea can be traced back to Alan Kay's Dynabook concept in the 1970s. Unlike other duds, the tablet computer has been tried over and over again. And let us not forget that Apple itself tried it before with the ill-fated Newton. Let's face it, the idea just isn't flying. The most successful pad thus far is actually the brain-dead Kindle. But it's not a tablet computer—it's an e-book reader.
What did we all expect Steve Jobs to deliver with the iPad? It seems like everyone had their own idea for the device. And now everyone has their own gripe about the thing, including the lack of a camera, the inability to multitask, and the absence of a stylus for drawing and note taking. It seems like not even Steve Jobs could make everyone want a tablet. I can take or leave the thing. If it were $95, I'd buy one. That's not going to happen.
So, what happens now? Well, first people are going to wait and see if the thing sells at all. They will analyze and re-analyze the market, attempting to understand what went right or wrong. If things trend toward wrong, then we'll all have to suffer through endless articles with titles like "Has Steve Jobs Lost His Touch" and "Can Apple Innovate Anymore?" Then the agony begins, as Apple is subject to extreme scrutiny. To avoid this whole scene, I would like to see the iPad become a maxi success.
But I'm doubting this outcome.
The question now is, "what can be done to fix the iPad?" I'm jumping the gun here to make a few suggestions. Here goes:
1. Put a camera and a real phone on the thing. It would be a great teleconferencing machine.
2. Make it multi-task. Cripes, why is this so hard?
3. Add a stylus so people can draw and take notes on the thing. This is actually the strength of tablets. Why was this ignored?
4. Make it cheaper (yeah, right).
5. Give it a handle. Why not?
6. Do something magical. What? I don't know…
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Galen Murphy-Fahlgren
Master Film Handler
Posts: 405
From: Canton, MI, USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 02-03-2010 09:58 AM
Yeah, the banner on Apple's website says:
"Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price."
I actually happen to mostly agree with this statement. Let's examine why:
"Our most advanced technology"
Nothing to disagree with here, as Apple's most advanced piece of technology arguably is the touch screen, which was invented decades ago, although Apple's is pretty nice.
"Magical and revolutionary device"
Well, to an idiot or someone from before the second half of the twentieth century, it certainly would look like magic. As far as revolutionary, it may in fact revolutionize the popular concept of Apple as something other than a regular old big tech firm that makes commodity electronics.
"Unbelievable price"
I really can't believe someone would pay $500 for an oversized iPod when you can get yourself an actually decent mobile laptop computer for that.
I guess I don't understand the market this is trying to compete in. It seems like a mobile device, because it doesn't have a real OS, but it is way too big. If it wanted to be a tablet, it should have a tablet OS, which shouldn't be a problem, since I thought Apple was supposed to be good at software. If it wanted to be an ebook reader, it should be billed as such. Even then, why should I buy this over a Kindle, at twice the price?
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