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Apple's "iPad" Out In the Open
Reader oxide7 is one of the many to note that the heaviest speculation is mostly over (still waiting on the price, though) about Apple's anticipated new device (though there are surely plenty of questions about the device's hardware capabilities and the scope of its software and content marketplace): "At an event in San Francisco Apple released its anticipated iPad.'[It's] Way better than a laptop, way better then a phone. You can turn it any way you want. To see the whole page is phenomenal,' said Jobs." The (0.5") skinny: 1.5 lbs, multitouch, up to 64GB of flash, 9.7" screen, and a 1Ghz "Apple A4" chip (more about the A4 in Engadget's developing story). The iPad is closer in concept to an expanded iPhone (OS and all) than a miniaturized laptop, though it doesn't have quite as much connectivity as you might expect, with no 3G connection built in. (You'll have to make do with 802.11n, Bluetooth, and tethering.) Live coverage is ongoing at gdgt live, Engadget, and Gizmodo, as well as various others. Update by timothy, 19:58 GMT: Got the 3G part wrong; 3G is indeed an option. Prices run from $499 (16GB flash, WiFi but no 3G) to $829 (WiFi and 3G, 64GB flash). Should start shipping in 60 days (WiFi only), in 90 days for 3G. Surprsingly, no built-in camera.
Or just regular?
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Which means no hulu.com, espn360.com or fancast.com. Somehow Mr. Jobs is touting this as a feature.
How will that new iphone fit in my pocket? its 10" diagonally!
Isn't this just a big expensive iPod touch now?
This entire presentation seems a little disappointing. Really, it looks, acts, and feels like a giant iPod Touch. Whereas the iPhone and iPod really created a need , I don't see that this substantially innovate to make it a must-have. It doesn't seem to improve on anything so substantially that it is an obvious choice. Maybe I need to see a few more videos, but I don't see this pulling serious market share away from Kindle's targeted market segment.
So Apple is basically saying that we should stop buying MacBooks and iPhones?
What an unfortunate name. One could conceiveably think that Apple is delving into the untapped market of network-enabled feminine hygiene products... What was wrong with the oft-rumored "iSlate" moniker? Also, what's the PRICE on this thing?
"So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
How disappointing. I hoping this would be more like a Wacom tablet computer hybrid and less like a giant iphone.
Ipad?? That sounds retarded... seriously. Even the Islate is better than that
I may still get a Kindle because of this reason.
I've lost all my marbles except one & It's fun to test angular & centripetal acceleration in my skull
And Apple will sell millions of these things.
No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
A nice solid entry and a step ahead in the evolution of portable computing. Although, the usage of the keyboard perplexes me. Using a keyboard while the screen lays flat just seems awkward to me..
http://jimasks.me/if-you-could-choose-how-you-would-die-what-would-you-choose-and-why
I was looking at the iPhone the other day and I was just thinking that it would be so much better if it didn't fit into any of my pockets.
Does it run Linux? And can I play Duke Nukem Forever on it?
Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
I'm guessing they kept some of the worst features of the iphone, such as lack of flash support (mentioned above) no memory expandability, proprietary USB cable, no user replaceable battery, etc.....its all going to depend on the price...$1,000? No way. $3-400? I could see having one or 2 of those laying around the house. But I'm just not getting the same "gotta have it" feeling as when they unveiled the iphone. Oh well....at least its shiny :)
So help me god this thing better have multitasking
Phirst iPost!
Slightly lighter, smaller screen, no proper keyboard, no expandable storage, less powerfull processor, similar battery life, no support for Beowulf clustering. Did I forget anything?
You can tether it if you want. Or just download stuff to it that you want before you go. It's not really a problem.
Putting cell connectivity in this thing would be the kiss of death. Who wants to pay for ANOTHER cell contract?
To see the whole page is phenomenal
I'm not sure "phenomenal" is the right term to describe "seeing a whole page". You would think that we've never been able to see a whole page before and that Steve Jobs is personally responsible for some entirely new experience.
I guess that's what they mean by the reality distortion field.
You can turn it any way you want.
Good god, you mean I can pick the thing up and actually turn it? I'm so excited I'm about to soil myself! Will Apple innovations never cease?
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Four out of six for sure. I'm just waiting to see what the price is, and if it's usable without the usual itunes umbilical.
No WWAN. Less space than an Eee PC. Lame.
Watching the announcement live I was struck with just how absorbent the crowd was regarding iPad presentation. It's like this product has wings. I wonder how well the iPad will handle those heavy work flow days.
/. just should have taken this - http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23/1816257&tid=107 and formed it for iPad.
With
"No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."
If you need another device to make it mobile it is not really a mobile device is it? Anyhow, how do I tether it? Do I need to buy this AND a iPhone?
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Just buy a Verizon mifi and tape the fucking thing to the back, jesus christ. It's big enough.
Problem solved.
It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
You can use this as a mobile device by tethering it over Wifi to an Android or Noikia device.
Universities and colleges all have strong wifi coverage
wait for Rev. B!
Apple will sell millions.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, can we move on now?
Shares of Apple dropped 1.68 percent, or 3.46 dollars as Jobs took the stage and unveiled the new device.
btw, the 64GB version is called iPad MaXi!
Do I need to buy this AND a iPhone?
Apple thinks you are on to something there.
And you have a really low UID. I am sure you hear that a lot.
Well on top of whatever this costs, you're going to have to consider that you'll still need to have your iPhone and your iBook, so you'll need to buy an iRack to hold it all.
What was I saying just a few days ago about how we never build devices that replace previous ones, we just augment the array of what you need to have? Ah yes, here it is
Itunes for Windows, the realplayer of the late 2000's.
Seriously, to sync an ipod, I need how many running apps and services? And a new network protocol, sure, why not.
Itunes lives in a VM in my house.
Really? You mean I can carry around an iPad and a laptop?! Ooh! Where do I sign up?!?
That said, there are other ways besides carrying around a computer.
You can use this as a mobile device by tethering it over Wifi to an Android or Noikia device.
So I need a phone, which already does most of what this thing does, before I can use it on the subway?
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
That is one heckuva phone. It's nearly the size of a DynaTAC.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
My biggest problem with this is that it seems to be locked into the app store, just like the iPhone. In that sense, it does LESS than a netbook. Not saying this won't be successful, since Apple is nothing if not great at marketing consumer electronics, but what does this do for me task-wise that I can't do on a netbook? It's especially funny because, if you noticed, one of Jobs's slides touted PC software as a downside to netbooks. From where I stand, the huge open architecture of the PC is preferable to a tightly controlled store.
$799 for the top of the line version
Mobile does not mean connects to a cellular network. That association is a very recent affliction.
It's got bluetooth. It should tether with anything.
Steve Jobs is still on stage in the middle of announcing this thing. Couldn't the Slashdot article have waited until they've finished announcing all of the features?
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
For the same reason that Apple never comments on new products. Apple never said it was a mobile device. It was all the rampant speculation on the internet that said it would come with 3G and use AT&T/Verizon (varies with rumor site).
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Oh yeah. Now I remember.
Laptop? How about a phone?
IPaid to Much!
I wonder if ...
It's some form of ARM, right? When is someone going to do something cool that isn't ARM or x86?
I have both an iPhone and a MacBook and I use and love both everyday. However, I've never thought to myself, "how great would it be to have a 10-inch iPhone?" After watching the live coverage for the last hour, that's basically all this is. The OS and UI are basically the same, just upscaled and optimized in some places for the larger screen. As far as I can tell, there are none of the clever innovations that are typically present in a new Apple product. The only people that I can see this thing appealing to would be people that have a strong fascination for touch screens and people that don't feel that they can properly lounge about with a laptop (as exemplified by Steve Jobs lounging in a love seat during the presentation). I think the only obvious application would be as an ebook reader (side note: I nearly had a fit when they decided to reuse the term iBook to brand their ebooks). The presentation still isn't done so there isn't a word on price, but if it can't come within range of the Kindle and similar devices, I'd say this thing is purely novelty.
Its:
The question is will it be good enough in each of these roles that the compromises make it worthwhile?
It actually has a robust power source; it is powered almost entirely by the user's sense of self-importance.
Unless this comes in around the cost of a regular netbook (~$320 USD) then I don't really see the point.
Netbook:
Flash: Yes
Replaceable battery: Yes
Touchscreen: No (for the most part)
Real keyboard: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
Tether: Yes
Unless you have a dying need for a 10" touchscreen and the ability to blow up an iPhone application to super pixel size then I really don't see the market. You could argue it as an ebook reader, but the price points they have set in place make the Nook, Kindle, and others look a bit more appealing from the $9.99 and under book list. Overall, I give it a 9.5/10 on the "solution looking for a problem" scale.
Do I need to buy this AND a iPhone?
No, you need to buy this and a phone not locked to a network that hates tethering.
Were you going to leave your phone at home?
If this is two-hand typing, Dvorak will be great for this. There still isn't one for iPhone (just a hack if you jailbreak).
It literally looks like a giant IPhone. This is an ISlap to the IPeople.
Wireless. More space than a Nomad. Lame.
Where are the real specs? :P
Are they afraid?
iFad - 'nuff said :)
they do have 3g. just announced
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
What was wrong with the oft-rumored "iSlate" moniker?
"Ip ad" doesn't mean anything in English. "Is late" meant Duke Nukem Forever for several years.
Just this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1BUH9eXy18
All browsers' default homepage should read: Don't Panic...
Come on. For three years now, people have known that uttering the words "Five hundred ninety-nine US Dollars" during the big unveil is a kiss of death. Did you really have to go and blow it like that?
Spoke too soon. There are 3G models available.
Is it just me, or do you hate it when people say "Is it just me..."?
They are going to have 3G with this
Uhhh. it has 3G dude.
"There will be models with 3G support" according to Steve Jobs, so saying that it doesn't support 3G is just a bit, um, wrong.
Modding "-1, Troll" is not a proper response if you disagree with me. Try reason.
Eh -- looks like it might have built-in cellular, anyway. ;)
It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
Hey, there you go, for those who enjoy paying their cell company twice, there's one with 3G and accompanying data plan!
Sorry about the title...couldn't help it. Anyway, the killer for me was waiting for the page to turn. iPhone is too small, and still waiting on Kindle for my MacBook. I'm interested.
How can you claim to be making a mobile device if it does not have mobile broadband? This thing yearning for a mobile internet connection so bad. The only reason that I can think of is that Steve is waiting to deploy this on Verizon's coming LTE network.
Now it came! :)
It will be using AT&T's WCDMA/HSPA network. Good stuff!
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Apple really isn't that innovative, they are simply 6-18 months earlier shipping something. They can get away with that because they can charge a premium. So, you get a $800 iPad with OS X today, or a $300 Chrome OS pad next year.
God tell me this is a bad dream. Cool HW, but WTF are they thinking?
Notes from watching streaming event.
3G Wireless w/AT&T
$14.99 for up to 250 MB per month
$29.99 for unlimited per month
Discuss?
It has 3G on some models. $15 for 250MB / $30 unlimited. AT&T (yuck). No contract though.
Some models have 3G through AT&T, $15 / mo (250 MB) or $30 / mo (unlimited).
What exactly do they mean by this? can they recycle (nearly) all the material used to make the battery to make a new battery? how many cycles does it last?
And more importantly, since it's Apple have they managed to somehow wedge the battery in between the layers of the motherboard's PCB to enforce planned obsolescence? Does it shoot nails in your face if you attempt to open it and replace the battery yourself?
$15 for 250MB, $30 for unlimited (for some values of unlimited). Lemme guess, 10GB, with each additional GB $100 each.
No WiMAX. Same storage as an iPod. Lame.
More like an iPod Touch that won't fit in your pocket. There's no phone. I'd've been be much, much more impressed if it ran Mac OS X and not iPhone OS. That decision greatly cripples what the device can do.
I'm not impressed seeing the Facebook iPhone app running on it. I can run the full-version Facebook in Firefox on my $300 netbook. However, I suppose I can't install iFart on my netbook, but I'm sure I could find a worthwhile desktop replacement for that. At least I have that option. I'm not tied to the App store like the iPad. There's no Flash either. That means there is no Hulu on any other flash-based content streaming service.
This is an expensive netbook without software customization and without a keyboard. No thanks.
You're just impatient and didn't wait for the thing to finish. It supports 3G with AT&T... $30/month unlimited, no contract, fully unlocked. If this thing supports VOIP via 3G I could ditch my iPhone. :-/
Unfortunately, it seems MadTV has already claim to the name "iPAD" :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsjU0K8QPhs
Basic Model is $499. Wow, was not expecting that.
I mean, really though... they couldn't come up with a better name??? iPad sounds like digital Kotex...
Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
$499 according to Steve Jobs for the base model.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/live-from-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event/
Wow... nothing really excited me all that much until this price point. Now, THAT'S low! Very unexpected. I was thinking $600 at bear minimum.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
Unit is to start at $499 for 8Gb, $599 for 16Gb, or $699 for 32Gb models
3G enabled units $130 more
Data plans (with AT&T) are 250Mb/month for $14.99 (surely they mean Gb?), or unlimited for $29.99
Modding "-1, Troll" is not a proper response if you disagree with me. Try reason.
Nope.
Wi-fi versions are $499, $599, $699 for 16/32/64GB versions, respectively.
3G versions are $629, $729, $829, respectively.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
16, 32, 64 GB? There's at most $50 in actual cost difference between 64 and 16. Apple keeps doing this.
Seeing Jobs hold the "iPad" reminds of this, in both form and relative functionality: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3137570578_6d9ab29809.jpg
16GB for $499; 32Gb for $599; 64GB for $699. Add $130 for 3G; carrier will be ATT -- 250MB of data per month for $14.99 or unlimited for $29.99
::sigh:: sign me up, Scotty
education is no substitute for intelligence
as a dock accessory.
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
Nobody thought to wait until the end to state it wouldn't support 3G??? The thing does indeed support 3G on AT&T.
Not sure about this or the market for it...
no camera, no microphone, I don't see you ditching your iphone any time soon... or at least they haven't shown either up to now
-- the cake is a lie
Sounds like a close relative of the ARM Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9: the line of ARM CPUs specifically intended to run end-user applications rather than embedded control software.
On a related topic, people who pray for the end of x86 should be careful what they wish for, because their desire brings completely closed platforms and proprietary app stores. There is one reason why you can install software on your Windows machine without a "developer key" or Microsoft's explicit approval, and that reason is backwards compatibility.
You're an immobile computer, remember?
I do.
I carry around my 17" laptop AND a 13" tablet. In meetings I use the tablet, plus I can do easy markup of a customers blueprints with them looking on and making their own notes directly to the screen, then email off a copy to them and the engineer.
I tend to steal a lot of contracts from the dweebs that only carry around a tiny light laptop.
it's all about putting productivity over whining about carrying a little more weight around.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Nope.
Wi-fi versions are $499, $599, $699 for 16/32/64GB versions, respectively.
3G versions are $629, $729, $829, respectively.
$120 for 3G? Now just.. wtf? And does it even have both then, or is it either one that you choose?
3G is for outside. Wifi is for inside use. ffs.
Almost $850 for what amounts to a Hi-res iPhone without voice service? Pass.
- Takes advantage of the huge amount of available iPhone apps, at least the ones that have sense to be run without phone.
- ePub format for ebooks. Still can be DRMd (and probably with a format that makes it incompatible with other viewers?) but at least is an open format.
- Capacitive touchscreen, what about accuracy? will matter in such device?
- The presentation seems to be more about apps than about device
For a mobile device, still takes the desktop approach of storage (of movies, apps, books,etc), instead of the cloud one. Google could get the edge over them if moves to their cloud the most used parts of that functionality with Chrome and CHromeOS in ANY computer, not just tablets (if manage to calm down people worried about privacy and ownership of that content).
Yes, at the moment the US is backwards - since you can actually tether with the iPhone in many other places, including the UK. Actually pretty handy if you already have a 3G phone, especially if it is the traditional Apple way - slide a checkbox on your phone to say "tether", click a box in the iPad to say "tether" and that's all you need (obviously pair them via bluetooth).
The 3G version has both.
$499 to $699
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
Of course it has both of them.
That Divinyls song from the 90s, "iTouch Myself"
Looks like the unfortunately named iPad application will be changing it name: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/ipad.html As of the time of writing, this was the only result searching for iPad on Apple's site.
And to add to that, It's so nice to see apple make a keyboard dock and ditch the ... mouse ? haha
Also, still no multi tasking and phone?
I guess you can use voice app but since there is no front cam (what were they thinking?!), i'm also guessing you need an external mic?
_FAIL_
The Singularity (moving, not copying) to machines won't have all these SKUs. Wait for it.
That's still ridiculous price increase for merely getting 3G. What I also would like to know if it supports fallback to gprs in case 3G isn't available, as is usually outside cities.
It does most of the phone--minus the camera. There are capacitive pens--there will be a market with such a big device now.
Here. It's not like this is GNU Hurd or something.
Not seeing it on the front page, but it's all up here.
no camera, no microphone, I don't see you ditching your iphone any time soon... or at least they haven't shown either up to now
Bluetooth headset eliminates the need for a microphone, so you could skype, I suppose.
Unlocked, MicroSIM compatible. SOLD
just... If it had come out before the iPhone it might have been something. Instead we now have a device which takes a purse to carry, or perhaps your supposed to carry it in addition to your macbook, and does what exactly? Gives me a bigger screen to read on?
This device is just large enough to not be portable enough for the majority. Its a Starbucks "cred" toy. Something to whoop out at Starbucks so you can have people fawning over you. Its expensive enough to where you can't just leave it unattended either and too large to take many places comfortably.
The keyboard demonstration was just painful.
A "size" smaller and maybe... really, how do I carry it "conveniently"
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
I know this comes as a surprise to US users, but in many countries, you get multiple SIM cards on the same contract for no or little extra money. Put one in your phone, one in your reader, one in your laptop, etc. Nice, eh?
I hope Michael Arrington and Chandra Rathakrishnan will overcome there differences, and release their beast for $200 like they said they would, else all their greed will go unrewarded. And for everyone that pre-ordered, GOOD LUCK!
... and my first thought was, damn - I wish this screen was bigger. Plus as much as I despise the iTunes store (for numerous reasons), especially loaded on a PC, accessing it over the iPod Touch directly, wasn't so bad. It will be interesting to see how this thing takes off.
What can the "crap-pad" do that cant already be done by a different device? It seems like apple made the iphone a little large or they made a tablet PC which can play iphone apps. This is not a new device at best its a product refresh..
http://www.apple.com/ipad/
--
I wasn't seeing this on the main apple page. Store hasn't been down today.
It's unlocked, which means it's unsubsidized. The 3G data plan is pretty cheap.
It's not a Nokia N900.
You need iTunes to use it.
I am tired of my gear owning me. DRM that makes it hard for me to use what I bought. Cell phone companies crippleing the hardware and then 'selling' you the features at a higher cost. Operating Systems that assume I am an idiot and don't let me get at the guts to configure it the way I WANT IT!
No thank-you. I am getting off this roller-coaster.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
Actually, turns out it comes in 3G versions as well, so you can use it directly.
and without a camera
You should have waiting until the end to comment, there's a dock (that it comes with) where you can attach some kind of external keyboard (probably supports bluetooth).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
At least isnt a piece of sheet.
I was hoping that this will be my ultimate notes-taking and doodling and design device. I own an X61 tablet with Win7 and am disappointed. Unfortunately the iPad is also disappointing. And what is with that name? iSlate would've been better.
Even without the missed humor, there are things here that spell a challenge: No cell data on the stock model (it's a $130 upgrade), no flash in the browser (most video sites require it, and some commercial sites are solely flash (yes, I hate you RainforestCafe)), horrible battery life compared to an eReader (10h vs 2 weeks).
Will it succeed? Of course. Apple will tweak it, and it will have very cool app support. People who don't own an ereader won't realize how straining it is to read a full book on a backlit screen, or conversely how much easier it is to read an eInk page. It will get flash support of some kind, I suspect. And every accessory maker and their brother will make adapters for it. Actually, that's the only reason I have an iPod - it's the only mp3 player that works well with practically any car stereo.
BTW - You can get a Kindle DX with the same size screen, so the "full page" experience ereader already exists (with free 3G, at that).
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
$499 to $899, depending on how much memory you want and whether or not you want 3G.
This ain't rocket surgery.
That's still ridiculous price increase for merely getting 3G.
I wonder what the hardware cost for the 3G stuff is? Regardless, prices are set based on what people are willing to pay. I'd wager that being able to browse the internet while loafing around in the park is worth $120 to some people. It seems a bit steep to me too, though, and I have to admit I did a bit of a double-take at the price. The main kick in the balls is that you have to pay $30 a month on top of that for the data plan...
What I also would like to know if it supports fallback to gprs in case 3G isn't available, as is usually outside cities.
Good question. It doesn't mention anything about that, so I'm assuming that its going to be useless outside of cities. Not a big deal for some people, I would guess, and that's probably why they're offering the WiFi-only versions too. That way, if your 3G coverage stinks, you don't have to pay extra for a useless feature.
This is exactly what happened when the iPod was announced: slashdot dismissed it as derivative while Apple quietly reinvented the freakin' walkman. One thing Apple generally gets right is marketing. There may be nothing technologically revolutionary to most slashdotters in the iPad but the fact is it's already shaken up the consumer world even before it was officially acknowledged as an existing product. At the Consumer electronics show in Las Vegas this year the upcoming Apple tablet was a bigger topic of excitement than any device that actually existed at the time -- Apple didn't even go to the convention and yet they managed to have a significant presence there. They have been very successful in the hype department without even spending a dime on advertising. Technological merits aside they will sell a boatload of these.
I bet AT&T is getting a cut from every 3G unit sold in exchange for the availability of a cheap, non-contract data plan. Plus, I get the wifi-only version doesn't have a sim card, so it's not just the 3G antenna being added for 130 dollars; it's also the sim card and associated hardware.
From TFA:
"So $499 for 16GB of iPad," Jobs explained. "That's our base model. 32GB is $599, 64GB is $799. 3G models cost an extra $130. $629, 729, and 829 with 3G."
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
This thing kills the MacBook Air.
On the other hand, I guess we now know Apple's premium for running an unlocked operating system. (iPad: $500, MacBook Air: $1500; you do the math)
obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
it has wireless!
I see nothing about stylus support, guess I won't be buying one then.
It would have been a perfect device with stylus support, now it's just not for me (although I do see a lot of possibilities for others).
/Mikael
Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
I think people generally refer to their iPod Nanos as iPods (not iPod Nanos). iPod Nanos aren't significantly different than other iPods. iTouch differentiates between the iPod Touch and other iPods which makes sense because it really is a different class of device--there really isn't a need to verbally differentiate between iPod 120GB and iPod Nano--it's simply your apple music player, or iPod. That's why I think most people use iTouch (and b/c iPod Touch is too many syllables to use every time you want to talk about your device).
That's more space than a Nomad!!!
The deal with AT&T is the biggest news. Holy hell that's fucking awesome.
$15 for 250MB
$30 for UNLIMITED DATA.
No contract.
I bet you just have to activate it on a iPad, then put it in any phone that will handle GSM and use VOIP for unlimited data and minutes for $30 a month.
AT&T will try and lock it but I imagine that we can get around that rather quickly. I'd consider going back to AT&T for that price.
No kidding. What a piece of crap. No front facing camera (for iChat). No internal GPS (seriously?!?!). No flash (which means no free TV via Hulu...you gotta buy it from iTunes. No phone (and I'm guessing no VoIP apps for the foreseeable future). More expensive that the highest end of Netbooks (which it is essentially one of sans a useful keyboard). I could so have gone for an Apple tablet done right. Not so in this case. HIGHLY disappointed.
The front of the thing is glass. I was enthusiastic until I realized that a 10" glass plate at the front doesnt make for a portable device thats very tough. I bet theres a very good reason they designed that sleeve for it...
Now the world has gone to bed, Darkness won't engulf my head, I can see by infra-red, How I hate the night.
1) While it's nice that it has a keyboard dock, it appears that the dock may only support the iPad in portrait mode (they placement of the connector on the long side of the iPad made it seem a bit precarious for putting in a docked mode).
2) Nothing said about mouse support. Seriously, if I'm going to be using it for any type of document creation (and they seem to think people will, as they're providing iWorks in the app store), I don't want to have to use the screen for copy and paste. Lack of mouse support would be a killer for me.
3) Main screen is nothing but icons to get into applications. With more screen real estate there should be support for widgets on the home screen (as I understand it, iPhones and iPod touches don't allow that--one must jailbreak a phone and do it manually).
I'm sure there are more, but those are some things that pop right out at me. As others have said, it really looks like the worst of both worlds. Not as portable as a smartphone, not as good at document creation as a netbook or notebook. eBooks, papers, and mags seem to be the only things to gain from this device.
Most people here don't see past their own noses... Myself, I like the iPad except for the fact that Apple decides what I can install... but that's the whole point.
The iPad is a platform, not a device.
Most people just want stuff to work, and don't want to care how. Most of the time, so do I. I don't want my stove in the kitchen to require a friggin manual to do basic cooking even if I could patch it to boil eggs 15% faster I never would be bothered. It's the same for regular people with all tech, computers included. People don't want to know the details, they just want to tap on a movie/book/app/whatever, confirm their transaction, and have it all just work.
The iPad can run iPhone apps, and the SDK is available now. App developers will be falling over each other to be first with new apps taking advantage of the larger screen.
I'm very tempted, but still skeptical I'll buy this myself. The closed platform is an issue for me. But most people couldn't care less about what they can't do on a device like this, if they just can do all they want. Freedom is great, but how many of us have truly bothered to go under the hood in our games consoles for instance? I can do all I truly need with our Wii even if I can't run SCUMMVM. Hell, I don't even have time to play all the games I've bought.
The iPad will be a great example of good enough technology. "The internet", in your lap, on this amazing looking little device. With movies, books, music and apps to boot. Joe and Jane Average are gonna think it's great.
.: Max Romantschuk
Nope.
Wi-fi versions are $499, $599, $699 for 16/32/64GB versions, respectively.
3G versions are $629, $729, $829, respectively.
$120 for 3G? Now just.. wtf? And does it even have both then, or is it either one that you choose?
3G is for outside. Wifi is for inside use. ffs.
Do you even stop 1 second between posts? You know, you could use that time to actually *gasp* read a few lines before getting into this psychotic frothing and Apple hating? 3G has both. What's your next problem? Oh right, 130$ extra. Wait, it's unlocked. But wait, you still fucking complain. If you are so unhappy, don't buy the fucking thing. And if you are hating apple that much, laugh at them when the iPad fails. But just SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Fucking douchebag.
It's definitely a different kind of market.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
It's immature, i know, but the name keeps making me think that they will announce a stylus for use with the iPad, called the iTampon.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
So we will go from having to have a particular OS on a particular architecture with a lot of DRM to having to have a particular OS on a particular architecture with all DRM? Not exactly a huge shift.
Why are so many outlets reporting no 3G? It's optional, it's using GSM micro-SIM, it's unlocked. Oy. It's all over the place at sites like this. Don't jump the gun!
yea, because we can't possibly be able to write programs for the ARM CPU. Oh wait, we can...
Of course we couldn't run linux on an ARM CPU. Oh wait, we can... Ubuntu on ARM
Oh I guess you must be mistaken.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
It was actually "way more intimate than a laptop, way better than a phone"--which makes sense.
It's a product entry, just like the original iPhone was. Now we just need tons of applications and iPad 4G and it will be a golden device.
Why would anyone get excited over 3G in this? I'd still rather pay $60 over $30 a month and get a MiFi that I can use my iPhone, iPad, netbook, Xbox, PSP and home computers with.
Why doesn't this have wireless syncing? Don't tell me they can't do it, the AppleTV does it easily. Why does this still use that crappy dock connector, which also requires me to display the device in portrait mode on a dock? Why doesn't it instead use the magnetic charger like the Macbook Air? Can it use Airtunes speakers? Where are the speakers located? What is the screen resolution?
How is it Apple spent an hour and a half and told us nothing important about the product?
According to Apple's tech specs this thing requires OS X 10.5.8 to sync to a Mac, but WinXP is okay for a PC.
What the hey? I've got an older Mac that syncs fine with my iPod nano; can anyone explain why Apple would alienate all their own OS X 10.4 users?
Please do not compare this to a netbook, this doesn't do half as much as my netbook can and has nothing in it that makes it more attractive than the iPhone I already have.
I like that Jobs took a shot at Netbooks, but then failed to deliver a product that is better.
what's the over/under on days until you drop it and it explodes into pieces
...is to see iFixit's teardown if the iPad...
Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
You can buy the version that includes 3G if you want. $120 more.
http://dilbert.com/2010-12-13
It's unlocked, which means it's unsubsidized. The 3G data plan is pretty cheap.
I live in Europe so I dont need to worry about that anyway - I buy devices and mobile contracts differently.
And yes the 3G data plan is pretty cheap, 9e/month for 1mbit unlimited.
Because most users aren't geeks. My parents/wife/grandmother/friends/baristas/local-coffee-shop-attenders could care less about a closed or open OS. They want something that is simple to use, does what they want to do, is portable, and gives them easy access to facebook, music, movies and now books.
Apple isn't marketing to the geeks, they are marketing to the masses. Similarly the iPhone and iPod Touch have the same closed OS and Android has the open OS. Which one is selling better with non-geeks?
This thing would have been far more appealing to me if it ran a customized version of OSX, in essence making it a more portable alternative to a laptop. Instead we get a glorified iPod touch chained, as are those devices, to the app store. While a tablet PC is very appealing to me I can get a netbook, which offers more functionality, for less money.
And I'm convinced neither the iPod nor this thing supports Flash for the simple reason that it would undermine the app store. As it stands this thing is pretty disappointing. I was looking forward to a proper tablet PC. Way better than a laptop or phone he says when for me it's got the worst of both. It's too big to carry around like an iPhone and doesn't have nearly the functionality of a laptop, at least not without being nickel and dimed for that functionality.
No, there are "base" models with _no_ 3G adapter built in and then there are the "3G" versions which are a carbon copy of all the base models but with a 3G adapter built in at a $130 higher tag. Basically, there are 6 versions of the iPad.
The amount of superlatives they used this time in the keynote was phenomenal.
Not all models are 3G enabled. If you watched the presentation you would have noted that the 3G versions are $130 more expensive than the non-3G versions.
One interesting possibility, particularly if you think you'll have more than one iPad, iPhone, etc in your household might be to just get a Mifi(Myfi?) type device - you know, one of those Wifi-to-3G gateway devices some of the cell companies are trying to sell. It might not be cheaper for a single iPad (the number I saw listed for the 3G versions of the iPad was +$130 more than the 'base' iPad price). But if you have 2 or 3 of the iPads, Mifi seems like a better way to go?
Oh right, 130$ extra. Wait, it's unlocked.
And what does this have to do anything? Any device I buy is unlocked.
As an IT worker that sounds like the most horrible place on Earth.
I lol'd while reading Jobs talking about how awesome it is to look at something on a rotated screen on a laptop, because I was reading it on a rotated screen on my year old laptop, and I have been doing generally that for the last ten years on my various other laptops.
All the same, Apple fans will be sure Steve invented this, just like they're sure he invented multitouch, standardized motion control, et cetera.
StoneCypher is Full of BS
Let's see. Web browsing, sure though lacking Flash is an issue. Lot of Flash sites these days. Not saying it is a good thing, but it is what it is. Book reading, not so much. For one, the battery life is fairly short compared to most readers. With a Kindle or a Nook, you are talking weeks of battery life, not hours. LCDs also aren't as nice as eink (or real paper) for long periods of reading. Plus you aren't going to get good outdoor performance. You need a reflective screen for that, there's no way you can crank the brightness enough on an emissive screen and keep the battery life useful.
Watching movies? Maybe, but of course Flash is how one watches movies online that is right out. There's also the question of how you get non-online movies to it, doesn't appear to have USB or SD card the like so you have to transfer everything wirelessly from your desktop and then save them on the small internal memory.
So it's some kind of fancy vibrator?
"So $499 for 16GB of iPad," Jobs explained. "That's our base model. 32GB is $599, 64GB is $799"
The fucking price goes from mediocre $499 to an insane $799 for an extra 48GB of space?
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
Lots of info here: http://www.apple.com/ipad
Long live the BSD license
Wonder if the guy who wrote this will be upset.
One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
Instead of thinking of it as big, expensive iPod touch, think of it as a smaller, cheaper MacBook.
Off the top of my head:
No GPS on WiFi unit (only A-GPS on 3G unit).
No camera.
Still no flash on the new processor that "screams".
And to add speculation:
I'd wager that AT&T's data plan for it will forbid any VOIP from going through the "unlimited" data plan.
"If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet"
...was a bigger iPod Touch.
I stick by my earlier statement that the name makes it sound like digital Kotex. However, it mus be noted that Steve Jobs may have his first Edsel on his hands.
Seriously, the ASUS Eee PC T91MT gives you more of a computer for a bit less than the cost of this iPad (I chuckle every time I read or type that). REAL applications, REAL OS (not a "gadget" os), REAL everything! It's a tablet and a netbook at once. Approx $450 gets you 32GB SSD, 1GB RAM, and Win 7 all in a small package with a proven processor underneath it all.
$50 more get's you less drive space, an unknown amount of RAM, and a gadget OS running on what appears to be a 2010 version of the Cyrix MediaGX processor.
Steve needs to take some time off and rethink this one.
Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
Yeah, and it will only cost an extra $30/month compared to the built-in 3G!
Get Flava Flav to put an iPad around his neck for a week and tell everyone it's his new custom iPhone.
I can't believe Apple has married another mobile device to AT&T, which immediately renders the 3G model useless for me. I was expecting to hear an announcement about Apple on Verizon for both iPhone and iPad. Instead it sounds like it is more of the same, at some point AT&T's lack of adequate coverage is going to hurt Apple's image.
I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
Microsoft might be wary of the embarrassment that having the app rejected by Apple would cause
If this were really happening, what would you think?
Well... As soon as I saw this, I said "must have now" and then I saw "No Flash". Apple is essentially crippling the internet to protect their media position. Sorry Steve, I have an iPhone and I have come to terms with lack of flash on it. However, for a device that's intended to compete with a netbook and be a portable computing platform, this just won't cut it. Give us 6 months and we'll be seeing iPad clones in droves anyway. Devices that won't sacrifice functionality in order to protect their media distribution channel. It's really sad, because I was ready to swap this with my iPhone and get a bare bones cheap phone for calls. Every time the lack of flash on iphone and now ipad is brought up, the debate revolves largely around video, and to a lesser degree around gaming. Unfortunately, you're missing the bigger picture. It's not the big media sites, it's the little unexpected things, like when I go to a restaurant website to place a takeout order and the whole menu is only available as a flash app. it happens frequently. The flash issue for me is about these little interface apps that, without flash, are unusable; not some big honkin, cpu gobbling media site. Sure, the designers should have a non flash version, but with 98% of internet connected pc's having flash installed, well you can see why they don't bother.
I don't see the market, but that is just me.
I'll try anything once. Twice if it tastes good
The iPad sounds like a place an iBachelor would live. He might even try bring his iDates back to his iPad...
The 32GB iPad costs enough that one could buy two of the latest model Creative Zen Fi-2s.
The A4 processor. Sounds like a sheet of paper!
Yeah, and for next iteration, the will just fold it in the middle: half as big, but 2 cores now, same power and still the golden ratio! Ingenious!
Cons:
- No Flash
- No WebCam
- No Microphone
- No Multi-Tasking
- No HD Video (1024x768)
- No Front facing speakers
Pros:
- Great for watching Porn
- Will greatly enhance the experience of taking a dump
- Bright Screen, good viewing angle
- 140k apps already
- Seems very very fast and responsive
- Thin and light
- Unlike Kindle, no night light required
- Price (of base model)
- Battery life
As an IT worker that sounds like the most horrible place on Earth.
Way to keep up the Nerdly stereotypes! But the fact is that the whole future of networked computing is based on designed information, and that's where the liberal arts impacts the future of the web etc.: good design through aesthetics and smart human interfaces. Plus gud grammer and proofreeding.
The raw feature list is less important than the presentation abilities... as they pertain to joe user.
"Magical", though, that's just the Reality Distortion Field in full fail mode.
Damn those pesky terrorists
What, is this along the lines of, "I was going to drive over to my girlfriend's house, but I lost my khakis?
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
Don't get me wrong, it might be very cool to see another design enter the market place (*if* it was superior to the existing alternatives), but I suspect Apple wanted to get a product shipped, and starting from scratch to create a whole new CPU design would have added years and many millions of dollars to the cost of designing the unit, wouldn't it? For what benefit? I suppose with years of R&D, Apple could develop a new architecture that had better performance/power consumption than an ARM, but ARM is really pretty good for performance/power (better than anything x86 based).
It's like, you use x86 if you want to run Windows and/or want the top performance, but don't really care about power consumption/battery life. For any applications where you want a useable level of performance but very lower power consumption, you use ARM. Well, I *suppose* they could have gone back to PowerPC, or maybe MIPS; is MIPS still alive? Seems like MIPS had been trailing ARM in the performance/power consumption curve, but at the *very* low end where you want cheap and lower power, but don't need much performance, MIPS was king?
Might have been interesting to see a PowerPC iPad - use Intel for the high-end Mac workstations and Macbook Pro laptops, and use PowerPC for the iPad, but I think part of the reason to go with ARM for the iPad was to maintain maximum compatibility with the iPhone/iPod Touch.
It has a built-in microphone, although it wasn't mentioned in the keynote
Check it out.
Edith Keeler Must Die
Collaboration seems like a sweet-spot for larger tablet devices, and although the iPad seems on the small side for this purpose the hardware is slick for the price. Tablet/laptop hybrids are insanely expensive.
Here's hoping that the iPad results in cheap 13"-15" hybrid-alternatives, this would be ideal for collaborative UI design and modeling software with a team.
For the time being, good old-fashioned paper & whiteboards will do though.
This sig is intentionally left blank
It is truly just a big ass iPod Touch and just as closed up as an iPod so no flash, no Java, no choice. Just lots of pretty colours for guys in turtle neck sweaters.
Nope.
Wi-fi versions are $499, $599, $699 for 16/32/64GB versions, respectively.
3G versions are $629, $729, $829, respectively.
$120 for 3G? Now just.. wtf? And does it even have both then, or is it either one that you choose?
3G is for outside. Wifi is for inside use. ffs.
3G + GPS
I don't think it's going to be another iphone, the market for tablets is not as big as that for smart-phones. But, I don't think it will be an apple-tv either.
It effectively kills the "electronic photo-book" market. People are paying 70-150 for those things, that is now gone. I like the leather-ish case which turns it into a keyboard type stand and into a photo-frame/tv stand, that seems like it will win some minds.
One wild-card in all of this is that it is the PERFECT computer to give your mom since it's got very simple icon entry into apps, and not too many complicated menus you have to sift through. That might just lift it into another category of sales. For people who use computer apps for different and varied tasks (say photoshop, or full-fledged spreadsheet use) this is never going to be enough. But for mom or grandma to keep photos rolling on her mantle so her friends can see them, to e-mail the kids, watch a few movies, maybe play some games, this may well be ideal.
My take is that this is not really designed for slashdot readers, it's yet another device to expand the market for apple computers to another type of user by offering a simple interface and the most frequently used features. I suspect they'll succeed, especially since the entry-price is reasonable.
-- Equity lord of the Trill Consortium
Flash was a nice vector animation format that turned into a backdoor for everything JAVA Applets were not and the pain and poor integration of all the video plug-ins. Sure, the others helped make the need but Flash turned into a bloated security hole, browser crasher, and privacy problem.
HTML 5 and SVG will help to fix this.
Video shouldn't require a messy container kludge to run or a virtual machine. Have you ever noticed how much CPU flash kills trying to playback video that should hardly phase the system?
Why support Flash just for its lame video support? The real reason we use it is because everybody has the plug in already and we can save bandwidth by hosting video elsewhere for free while creating a larger exposure to the net... (you tube, the 2nd largest search engine.)
Youtube is going to html5 + h.264- the rest will follow; flash served its good, it can die soon.
Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
In this case that ARM 1GHZ chip is about half the speed of the currently shipping N450 Atom. Sure it consumes a tenth of the power but is half the processing power worth half the electricity for twice the cost? ARM is supposed to be cheaper than Intel, not more expensive.
I may still get a Kindle because of this reason.
...and that's probably a good choice if all you ever want to do with it is read black and white ebooks page-by-page - because current e-ink screens may be beautifully clear but they have refresh times measured in seconds, making them unusable for most other purposes.
Yes, there are better technologies in the pipeline. I'm sure Apple is watching them carefully - but you can't use last month's new screen technology in a product that's going into production this month.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
Well apparently it's an SoC, but they are likely using external IP for different areas of the chip. So some of it is cool. One thing--wasn't the problem with G5 it being too hot? Don't see why they would go back to that for something portable.
Don't know about MIPS--might still be hanging around in embedded industrial.
But MIPS, PowerPC, ARM will all give you nicer stack traces than x86--is that too much to ask? I'd be fine with MacBooks inheriting this A4.
And it is over hyped. First by every blogger out there, then by Apple.
There is NOTHING new here, and much that has been left out.
Apple has run out of ideas, and have taken to eating their young. This thing will kill off the iPod Touch sales in a heart beat, especially the low end wifi version.
It might server for Grandma who can't quite figure out that laptop thingie you gave her last year with all those buttons and stuff. The only time she uses that is when you call her up and ask her if she got your email last week.
Its a huge disappointment if you ask me, but this time next year they can add a front facing cam, a mic and maybe Grandma can talk to the grand kids over it.
Wait till next year.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
That's pretty rude, Bill_the_Engineer. I'm not sure anyone on this site is unaware that compilers and Linux distributions exist for ARM-based platforms. However, you have given me an opportunity to re-iterate the point I was making.
The point is that when a non x86 based system is designed, built and sold, there is a break with backwards compatibility at the binary level. This is both good and bad. Good, because it provides an opportunity to get rid of legacy cruft, no longer required by modern applications. Bad, because it provides an opportunity to lock the system down with DRM. Users do not expect that their old applications will continue to work on the new platform because there is no backward compatibility: the new platform is not a PC.
The obvious example is the iPhone, but I'm not going to bash Apple on apple.slashdot.org when I can pick on Microsoft. So, consider the XBox 360. It's not a PC. This is a good thing, because it makes the hardware cheaper and the software more efficient. However, it is also a bad thing, because no compatibility with Windows and DOS applications is expected by the users. "Not being a PC" gives Microsoft the opportunity to control the admission of applications to the platform, through XBox Live and the approval process for games sold on disc. The price of getting rid of the legacy cruft of the PC is that you also lose one legacy feature that really really matters: the lack of DRM.
Sometimes legacy compatibility is a very good thing. Microsoft may want to Tivoise the PC platform, but they can't do it. It would break too many old applications. We may complain that AMD64 CPUs "needlessly" support the 8086 real mode just in case someone still wants to boot DOS and run Wordstar, but the very fact that you can boot DOS means that you can boot anything. It's not a flaw but a feature of immeasurable value.
You're an immobile computer, remember?
I wonder what the hardware cost for the 3G stuff is? Regardless, prices are set based on what people are willing to pay. I'd wager that being able to browse the internet while loafing around in the park is worth $120 to some people. It seems a bit steep to me too, though, and I have to admit I did a bit of a double-take at the price. The main kick in the balls is that you have to pay $30 a month on top of that for the data plan...
Really? $30 a month is a kick in the balls for data? You may or may not like the iPad, but $30 for unlimited data without the 5GB data cap is pretty damn competitive compared to those USB 3G sticks the carriers typically sell for $80 a month.
I seem to remember that the TV networks already sell copies of episodes of their series through iTunes Store. But that doesn't match the advertiser-supported model of Hulu. Or has Apple recently introduced streaming video to iTunes?
no camera, no microphone, I don't see you ditching your iphone any time soon... or at least they haven't shown either up to now
Bluetooth headset eliminates the need for a microphone, so you could skype, I suppose.
This site continues to show, like the parent you responded to how come they never see the storm behind Apple that is a Cash Cow. 3rd party opportunities for customization is high.
No, Jobs won't allow his new baby to stutter, and multi-tasking is just asking for a less brilliant user experience. 1GHz on an ARM is going to be necessarily limited in horsepower, and dividing that between several apps is going to lead to poor input response. Besides, he doesn't want to hear you complaining that your 10 hour iPad only lasts for 2 hours because you left your folding-at-home app running in the background. :-)
I'm kind of amazed it doesn't have a gps. Google maps is going to suck.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Let's see. Web browsing, sure though lacking Flash is an issue. Lot of Flash sites these days. Not saying it is a good thing, but it is what it is. Book reading, not so much. For one, the battery life is fairly short compared to most readers. With a Kindle or a Nook, you are talking weeks of battery life, not hours. LCDs also aren't as nice as eink (or real paper) for long periods of reading. Plus you aren't going to get good outdoor performance. You need a reflective screen for that, there's no way you can crank the brightness enough on an emissive screen and keep the battery life useful.
Watching movies? Maybe, but of course Flash is how one watches movies online that is right out. There's also the question of how you get non-online movies to it, doesn't appear to have USB or SD card the like so you have to transfer everything wirelessly from your desktop and then save them on the small internal memory.
I dunno, but I would find one of these things to be extremely useful for reading indoors/at night when plugged to an outlet. I have a ton of reading/listening media, PDFs and powerpoint doc$s that *I must read* as part of my work and current studies, and which I can't use on my kindle.
Having one of these would be extremely useful, but I won't buy since I've already invested on my kindle. Perhaps next year when the prices drop. I'm sure there will be better versions of this device, but using an *obsolete* one (obsolete by then) would be fine for me.
There are uses for this thing, and obviously there are usage patterns for which you'll be better served with a netbook or a full-blown laptop. There is no such thing as a homogeneous customer base when it comes to electronic devices.
Overpriced for you. Products are not over-priced if they sell well, which apple products appear to do.
$120 + $30/month is a kick in the balls. Well, actually, you're correct that its hyperbole on my part. I was comparing it to my iPhone (yes, an Apple product!) which I got for $200 ($30 a month for the data), but as some other posters pointed out, there's no contract and its unlocked. Taking that into consideration makes it seem a *lot* fairer.
Still, no Flash is going to be a deal-killer for me personally, I think. At first, I was thinking about getting one of these for my wife, but no Flash support means she can't watch Japanese TV over the internet while loafing on the couch.
Look, I'll openly admit that I'm an Apple fanboy. I like my MBP, I like my iPhone.
But do we really fucking need a 'rumor round up' post, followed 4 hours later with a post about the rumored product, BEFORE they even fucking tell you about it?
What are we going to do tomorrow? Have a round up of who got the rumors wrong or right, and a 'why the ipad will fail' discussion for the anti-apple fanboys?
Timothy-
When you're in such a hurry to post a story that you can't wait 15 minutes to get the actual details, then you need to see a doctor. I like to get the latest info quick, but pretty much everyone would rather get it correct 15 minutes later, rather than have to come back later to get the actual facts because you were in such a big hurry to get the Frost Piss.
News for Nerd.
Not: Speculation for the idiots with no patients.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Does it work without a backlight in direct sunlight too?
Version 2.0 !
I remember similair comments when Nintendo announced the Wii.
Remember how that went?
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
Really? $30 a month is a kick in the balls for data?
Yes, it is. I pay $15 a month for unlimited data from AT&T. Of course, I have an unlocked Nokia E51 (i.e. it's a dumb phone that is mainly a modem for my notebook).
This site continues to show, like the parent you responded to how come they never see the storm behind Apple that is a Cash Cow. 3rd party opportunities for customization is high.
What I've figured out after checking out the actual tech specs on Apple's site is that it won't do HD video - even 720p. The panel is 1024x768. They got the vertical resolution fine, but it's 20% too narrow to be 720p widescreen, which even YouTube and Hulu do now. What a missed opportunity! If they had made it 720p capable and added a microSD slot, I might've actually bought an Apple product. *shrug* No third-party is going to make it show more pixels than it has available.
I am still very impressed by the quality of the display (an LED-backlit *IPS* panel?!), and the price, however.
Yes. Steve wanted to make his very own N800 tablet.
Didn't realise there was a 64Gb iPhone...
Can't Adobe write part of the decoder in OpenCL so that it runs on the GPU?
I own a lot of Apple products and I must say I was very disappointed in this presentation. Two major problems with the iPad will probably keep me from buying one.
1. LED backlit screen. This seems strange given the existence of PixelQi and mirasol type LCD displays. Not being able to read this outside really makes it useless as an ebook reader. Oh, and also the 10 hours of reading time is simply pathetic for an eReader.
2. No camera? What happened? This is very disappointing.
I must admit I have, in the past, thought it would be cool to have a large version of my iPhone to view movies in bed or browse the web before going to sleep, but honestly it is not worth the $500 price tag without the 2 features above.
I think I'll just stick with my iPhone, thanks. "Nice-to-haves" do not make product demand.
As an IT worker that sounds like the most horrible place on Earth.
Are you in China hanging out on the corner of the WoW sweatshop and the red light district? Would you like to? Outsourcing gives our company the cost control we need with the benefits you deserve!
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
I am curious to see how multi-touch gaming evolves. On the iPhone game controls are confined to a small area due to the size. I imagine there will be some pretty clever gaming innovation once developers apply their imagination to the multi-touch real estate.
The Kindle has a free unlimited data plan with no contract, a screen that's much easier on the eyes than backlit LCD, a much longer battery life, and it run Linux.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
I completely agree with you. This whole thing just asks for "fail". The whole thing is completely unintuitive, has the same closed approach as iPhone and doesn't have any technical or usability options one would think would be good. Missing a pen too.
And no, I do not want to buy every single software from an App Store that I would like to use. I want there to be freeware and shareware programmers, and I WANT TO DEVELOP SOFTWARE MYSELF. Even Microsoft's tablets are more open than this. Give me choice.
I won't be buying this. Ridiculous prices to pay even more for the software. It's funny to see what will come out of this. This will most likely be a slap on Apple's face and they will fall back to earth from their cloud castles.
I love my iPhone, but this serves no purpose that I can imagine.
Does it have a phone? If not, how can it be way better than an iPhone? And by no counts will I consider this thing better than a laptop.
Just make sure to get the iPants! http://www.jokesy.com/images/who-wears-the-trousers.jpg
Pluses:
Sounds like a close relative of the ARM Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9 Says who? You're probably right, but why can't it be a PPC CPU - which was PA Semi's expertise before they got bought by Apple (low power, high performance PPC CPUs). Seems that OSX and derivatives are pretty portable. Does anyone actually know what the iCPU's instruction set is? Which graphics core that they're using? Any other particulars?
After reading the comments here and on Engadget, it just confirms that your average techie doesn't know a great new product when he sees it. So many people seem to be complaining that it doesn't have some certain deal-breaking hardware feature, yet they haven't even noticed the most important innovation: The software. The greatest part of this device simply flies over the head of so many people here because they have no understanding about what makes a computer great to use.
iWill iGnite iPhone iN iRk iNduced iNside iPad
I wonder if you could run a skype ap over wifi? Just saw this: http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/iphone/ I assume it would work on speaker. Bluetooth headset option?
people are already unimpressed w/ the ipad's purported battery life. battery life is king when it comes to portable devices. as unfortunate as it is, the ARM processor was probably a good tradeoff.
You know, a lot of the UI features of the iPad don't look that revolutionary. Looks almost like a variant of Moblin to me. How hard would it be to create a Linux desktop manager that duplicates the functionality of the iPad? Shoot, it wouldn't even be that hard to go several features better (multi-tasking, daylight-readable screen, video camera, etc.)
It's great that Apple has put their vision out there, but it looks like when all is said and done, they're betting on their media tie-ins to keep their dominant hipster status. The special sauce doesn't seem to be in the software or the hardware of the iPad.
So, while Apple is busy trying to wrangle exclusive deals with Big Content, other smartbook vendors and the FOSS community can be busy analyzing the design choices of the iPad, and dreaming up an even better vision.
"We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
eInk is way more readable, and requires charging far less often.
I personally find a crisp display more readable than the Kindle, as the greyish e-Ink screen is a bit low contrast for my tastes.
As for battery life, I think the standby time (one month for the tablet) is actually more important. You can leave it around and pick it up later, and charge it every so often. I don't see the charging requirements being that offputting when it can do so much more than a Kindle in the same form factor and roughly the same weight?
It has a harder time replacing laptops, although not that much harder...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
For a mobile device to ignore cloud storage is not a bug, it is a feature. Sure, syncing local storage with the cloud is useful. But any mobile device of mine had better have useful data locally.
For example, GPS mapping applications. Those that rely on the cloud for data are useless anywhere off the data network. That is a lot of places. If you're lost somewhere in the Colorado mountains you may get GPS but cellular data service is laughably unlikely.
Books and music. It is incredibly annoying to press 'next page' and nothing happens because you've walked into a movie theater or are driving through a tunnel with no data service. It would be equally annoying to have the music stop because of that.
I'm going with: Apple is basically saying that they do not need to introduce a netbook, that a pad is a better fit for this market.
:-)
I'm not 100% sold on that idea but with iPhone apps supplemented by desktop apps like the iWorks apps that Apple demo'd I'd say the idea is plausible for many users. Anyone else carry around an iPhone/iPod at home to check email and do lightweight browsing, too lazy to visit the computer?
--
Perpenso Calc for iPhone and iPod touch, scientific and bill/tip calculator, fractions, complex numbers, RPN
All of what you said would be true, if this were actually a full function computer. However, this is just an oversized iPod Touch.
I'm afraid this is going to fail, hard. And I'm usually an Apple fanboi. Sadly, not this time...
After watching the live song and dance associated with the device, I ask myself, "Why in the world do I need this?" There is nothing compelling to the ipad. I think this will fail as most tablets have failed before.
Who would buy this? It's garbage.
...and that's probably a good choice if all you ever want to do with it is read black and white ebooks page-by-page.
The iPad's size means it's not going to replace my phone. Since my phone can duplicate some, if not most, of the functionality of the iPad those extra features don't add as much value for me.
It comes down to two basic needs. The need for a larger screen for text media and the need for a larger screen for visual media. For me, the former wins out and my phone's capability suffices for the other needs ( mostly communication, natch ).
I've lost all my marbles except one & It's fun to test angular & centripetal acceleration in my skull
It's an excellent device for me.
It will do 80% of what I usually carry my 4(?) yo MacBook-Pro and my eBook-Reader for.
I will be able to leave both at the hotel or at home and do most of the stuff on the iPad / the customers machines and if I really need the power I can still Remote Desktop to one of my company's machines.
iPod - "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame."
I'm sorry, how does its popularity negate criticisms of its functionality? Or are you saying that any criticisms of PCs, Windows and Internet Explorer are also ludicrous, because of their popularity?
The only one of your statements that makes any claims of sales is the one for the Ipod Mini (and a rather straw man claim - you only need one buyer to disprove it, but that's not saying very much).
You are also committing a blatant fallacy: just because one product of theirs is popular (the Ipod) doesn't mean future ones will be. Tell me, do you think that Windows phones and tablets will become dominant, based on the past overwhelming success of Windows?
We could equally point out the Mac, the Iphone, or indeed specific models such as the Air (remember that? Thought not), and conclude that the Ipad will likely also sell okay for Apple to make money, but only to a niche market.
anyone see a spec for the panel they're using in this thing? type/resolution/depth/response etc...
A republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
My thoughts exactly. The advantage of the Ipod is that it's small - making portable devices bigger? That's what people call a "brick". Yet it lacks the advantages of similar sized devices, most notably netbooks (proper keyboard, open and full computer OS).
This may sell okay to some Apple fans, but the hype over this is absurdly ridiculous and disproprtionate. I only hope it will return to normal coverage (as happened with the Air - funny how we never heard about that again, after netbooks appeared on the scene). Or I fear it may turn out like the Iphone - free advertising in the media, including daily Ipad stories (or more), even if it turns out to be one of the lesser seller tablets, compared to tablets that never get any coverage at all.
It should more aptly be named: iLisa 2010.
640YB ought to be enough for anybody.
But Apple wanted an ebook reader, and that's what they made.
An ebook reader they made, with pros and cons vs the rest of the ebook world:
Pros:
Color - self explanatory
Backlight - for night reading. Other ebook readers get to clip on old-fashioned booklights.
Access to three different ebook stores - in addition to the rebranded iBook, B&N and Amazon maintain iPhone reader apps, which obviously carry over, for price compaison and greater selection.
Cons:
Backlight - for hurty eyes after 6 hours of reading straight- reading takes a lot more focus than movie watching, and the backlight will strain your eyes after too long.
Multitasking - You know how sleep doctors will tell you not to work in bed, because you don't want to build an association between bed and working, lest it trigger insomnia? I have this problem with my iPhone, and my computer. I constantly flit from app to app, or window to window, doing a dozen different things, and that makes it hard to focus on just one thing when using it. The flip side is the Kindle, where the only thing is does well is reading, and there is no opportunity for another window or app to distract me. Just like beds are for sleeping, Kindles are for focused reading.
Battery - eInk readers are good for ~40 hours of constant use, which puts the total battery life at about two weeks (assuming ~3/day of reading). The iPad looks like it will need a charge every day to every other day, much like the iPhone.
And, of course, there's the iPhone/iPod Touch. The main advantage the iPhone has over the Kindle as a reader is the size- the Kindle goes with me almost everywhere, in my purse. The iPhone goes with me absolutely everywhere, no exceptions, in my pocket. The iPad negates this completely. And the other things I do with my iPhone: logging calories, logging purchases, making calls, GPS navigation, and taking pictures, are all better served by a pocket-sized, with-me-everywhere device.
So, the iPad's killer app is not ebooks. That doesn't mean that there won't be one. I imagine it will be a wild success in the niche markets that TabletPCs are used for... mainly since Apple gives excellent UI tools to their developers. One of the problems is that TabletPCs just use regular PC interfaces. iPad developers will have to make their apps with touch input in mind, rather than blindly assuming a mouse or trackpad.
So, it's got wireless and I don't even know if they make Nomads anymore. But: no handwriting input, no web cam. Lame.
Also Flash and Silverlight are good attack vectors
FUD, sir. (whatever that means)
:-D
;)
GP and GGP have it right. Apple's core business model and bottom line is in hardware and software/media sold exclusively through the routes that they (very tightly) control. Flash or Silverlight on these devices subverts that system, and as such, putting either on any is a very unwise business decision.
I'm going to go check their stock price now... and probably wish I owned some
Cheers though
Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
Why not indeed. The PPC architecture is very nice, and at one time there were some pretty cool SoCs from PA Semi. I assume ARM only because of the name and number scheme and because of the iPhone's CPU.
You're an immobile computer, remember?
Apple uses glass in all their iPod, iPhone, MacBook and iMac devices. They switched in response to complaints about the iPod nano scratching, and the way those complaints translated into concerns about the iPhone when the originally announced specs included a plastic screen. Since then Apple has switched their entire line-up to glass, and routinely cites the use of glass in their environmental credentials. Given how widespread their use of the material in applications similar to this is, I doubt it is much of a concern.
I hope this forces Amazon to drop Kindle DX to $299 and include an SD card slot. Fact is, with this device out there, Kindle DX is overpriced as hell.
ipod ram needs high speed and reliability; look up the price of the good sandisk 32gb sd card; more than 200$
Yeah, before you get too excited, you might like to remember that "unlimited" simply means "we're not going to tell you what the limit is until you hit it".
Comments of a guy who copied everything else in the industry
But the iPad is unlocked out of the gate -- no contract and no provider lock-in. Whether or not AT&T gets a cut, these data plans create interesting competitive price pressure.
The only downside is that you have to take your five hundred dollar handheld computer into a restaurant where you eat greasy things with your fingers...
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Steve Jobs says this is better than a phone. My immediate question is, well, does it make phone calls? Um, no. So I still need to keep my phone around with me, right? So now I have to pay $100/month instead of $70/month for mobile connectivity...
Currently hooked on AMP
....yawn.....
Backward%20compatibility%20is%20over-rated
Sarah? Sarah Palin, is that you? :-)
Seriously though, EVERY profession thinks outsiders are fools. Cops call civilians "sheeple," plumbers and mechanics think people who don't turn a wrench all day are suckers, doctors routinely think of themselves as God Almightier.
If you're not a computer geek and don't like Unix, then why are you hanging out on a forum called "/."?
He put his boots up on the table and made a face. "The sig," he smirked. "You can waste your life in search of the sig."
Here in Finland we have unlimited 3G data for 10 euro per month, and it doesn't exactly feel fucking awesome. Actually that is the lowest speed of 384/384 kbps, and for 30 a month you can get a few megs of downstream, though good luck getting the maximum in practice.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
It does not multitask. Enough said.
You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
Because they're all geeks. I used to be one, as a young CS student back in the late '80s. But now I'm a busy academic in another field and have a different perspective.
Geeks want to know what you CAN do with a device, i.e. feature set (official or unofficial, the more esoteric and broad the better).
The more possible things you CAN do, the cooler it is, especially if it squeezes more an more things it CAN do into a smaller and smaller space and does them faster and faster.
Non-geeks aren't starting with "need a gadget" and then asking "which gadget does most things?"
Non-geeks start with a limited set of needs (i.e. mobile browsing, eBook reading, etc.) and ask "which gadget does this ONE thing I'm interested in BEST, and with the SMALLEST learning curve and dependency set?"
So it's almost a guarantee that anything /. finds cool will flop massively in the mass market, and anything /. finds appallingly overpriced|oversimple|lacking-in-features-compared-to-x|fornoobsonly will be massively successful.
I know I had an iPod. Loved it. I still remember the infamous (+5, Insightful) comment when iPod was announced that ended with "Lame."
Same with the iPhone. It is the best phone I've ever had, bar none. People here bitch about it all the time; you'd think it was crap. But having owned a bunch of phones on a bunch of carriers, I wouldn't trade my iPhone for anything.
I don't really need an iPad so I'm not too tempted by it, but I'm fairly sure that it's going to do VERY WELL out there, and will appeal directly to a large variety of people who aren't tempted in the least by XP Tablet on a convertible or on UMPC.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
As a non-coder who writes and teaches for a living, I would be VERY tempted to get rid of my laptop and use my iPhone as my main (only?) computing device if only it had a USB port or bluetooth keyboard + mouse connectivity.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
Dateline: Wed Jan 27th 2010, San Francisco: 10:00am
Not since their release of the iWaterboard "enhanced interrogation"
playset (tm) has so much excitement been generated over a new Apple
product. The new iShackle (tm), demonstrated by Steve Jobs on an
anti-DRM protester on stage at a packed San Francisco event this
morning, takes customer lock-in to a new level. "With the new iShackle
(tm), content companies will literally OWN their customers", said Jobs
in front of an ecstatic audience. "No more pesky choice, no more
confusing options, just pure, simple, buy this or ELSE corporate power". As
expected, fans were completely delighted with the new Apple product.
"I can't wait to buy the new iShackle (tm) and take it home and put it
on !" said one excited member of the crowd. "Steve says I never have
to take it off or think about other products EVER AGAIN !"
Not everyone was pleased with the announcement however. A Microsoft
spokesperson said, "We've had the Microsoft zOBEY software for 2 years
now, this isn't a new concept. Apple once again copies the market
leader." Sales of the Microsoft alternative have been poor however,
except for Microsoft employees, who have had use of the software
mandated in their employment contracts since Steve Ballmer announced
the product at a marketing event in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2007.
I'm half-joking and half-serious here, but man-bags are on the rise.
It's not a man-bag, a man-purse, or a murse. It is a satchel. Get it right!
*adjusts satchel*
Reply to That ||
So when a guy/gal from Texas calls for tech support on their device how do you tell if they have a problem with their iPad or their iPod?! *just starts mashing dialpad*
Makes you wonder if they got the name from Star Trek's data pad.
What I mean by full function computer is one with a real operating system, not a crippled version of an existing operating system. If it ran OS X and allowed installation of any application, then yeah, it would be full function.
Honestly I don't think it's reasonable to expect Apple to release a tablet with a full function OS like they have for their desktops due to the interface, but it still kind of sucks (for now). We'll see if the iPad App developers can pick up the ball and make some applications that make the iPad worth having beyond reading, writing and movie watching.
From America's Finest News source
This thing is very flat, and it's possible it could very easily get lost in my cluttered apartment. It has on odd name that could be hard to spell, with a capital later that is placed in an unorthodox location. It has somewhat sharp edges which could present a danger to very clumsy people. Also, it's utility is going to be limited for people who are blind, deaf and also have no fingers or toes. Additionally, it won't work very well for people living underwater. In places that are very hot, like Venus, or the Sun, its durability is questionable and its battery life would be compromised. It could present a choking hazard to very large people or hungry bears. A palette full of them could easily crush someone. It would probably explode in a microwave oven. Honestly, I have to wonder what Steve Jobs was thinking when he designed this! No thanks, Steve, what are you, trying to kill me?
There's an app for that.
The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...
I think Steve's presentation said it all - not only was the on-screen keyboard too cumbersome for him to even type a small email message, but he lacked his usual cocky showmanship - he reminded me more of Balmer or someone - try to make a hard pitch for little things that weren't that impressive. You can tell when someone is trying to feign excitement. I would say I was "let down" - I envisioned a "bigger iPhone", but was hoping to be wowed by some new, unexpected ingenious new Apple thing. It kind of reminded me of the "eMate"....
Subject says it all.
I used in my first trip to Japan my Macbook and Google maps to find my way around Tokyo an Kyoto; I would love to have something like this at the time, the iPad is small enough to fit inside a women's bag or a coat pouch, and very light. This coupled with a car kit will be an amazing GPS device.
Mexico: 100% conservative's America now!
You nailed it. It's kinda silly some people can't see that as obvious. The Touch is really an iPod in name only (and lack of comm features).
You can be sure that the solid state drive in the ipad isn't just a USB stick - it would wear out too soon as those cheap USB sticks are made from Multi level cells and typically there is a 10000 write cycle lifetime per cell. It is very likely that the ssd is a full blown drive of the single level cell type...with a 1000000 write life per cell
Nice toy.
Is the OS a preview of Marble, what with all the dark task bars and so?
Dennis Onstenk
10 hours runtime on a charge.
No spinning hard drive or fans, and only 64gig memory max.
There would seem to be a lot of room in a device this big to pack in lots of battery. But no.
Ten hours is pretty respectable, I'd rather more storage. Then again with a larger display and tablet, I'd love to get one 17" or bigger, more storage and battery can be put into it. One with something like the Wacom Cintiq 21UX would be kickass bad.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Cos I can't see any other use for it, unless you're a fanboi...
http://slashdot.org/~GuyFawkes/journal
Cult leader Steve Jobs has announced the iPad, a "revolutionary" advance in stylish personal hygiene with elegant design.
The iPad has a 9.7in full-colour touchpad and wings. According to the box, you can watch movies, surf the internet, listen to music, view photos, read electronic books and go horseback riding, swimming, cycling, mountain-climbing and roller-skating. It also comes with iWork, which lets you do interesting and productive things at the office in between screaming at everyone for being such annoying and thoughtless idiots.
Apple has also launched an app store for the iPad which will allow users to purchase chocolate, whisky and heavy objects for when some fucker crosses you, dares look at you funny or is the sort of clueless arsehole who thinks the explanation of how pissed off you are at his behaviour is always PMT. Look, even if it might be, that's not the point.
For those who find pads too bulky, a special fluffy version of the iPod Shuffle is available, on a string.
Microsoft, who have attempted to sell increasingly bulky folded bath towels for the past decade, were not available for comment. Linux users and the Free Software Foundation were still pushing mooncups, but no-one paid them any attention.
"In conclusion," said Mr Jobs, "please, please don't kill me, darling. I love you more than anyone, honestly. Uhm ... flowers?"
http://rocknerd.co.uk
CUPERTINO, Calif. - January 26th - Just one day before its much speculated debut of the new tablet product, Apple announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire iRobot, a Bedford, MA based company that specilizes in home robots known as Roomba/Scooba.
"iRobot is a very cool company. Just imagine what can be done when two very cool companies come together." Said Tim Cook, Apple's COO. He said the company's name, iRobot, was also a reason why Apple wanted to acquire it. Tim went on to say that Apple is planning to integrate iRobot's software so that users can monitor and control their Roombas from Mac or iPhone through Bluetooth. "It will be revolutionary on how people clean their homes. It will be fun. And you no longer need the physical virtual walls. They will be obsolete. You will be able to see the map of your house and tell your robot exactly how you want it to clean. You will be able to place a virtual wall by just clicking your mouse or tapping your screen."
But that's not all. Apple is also planning to improve the product itself. "One thing I always hear people complain about Roomba is that it cannot get under furniture with very low opennings. We will fix that. We will introduce a new Roomba as thin as a Mac Air. It will be the thinnest vacuum in the world." Said Tim. He dodged the question where this thin vacuum would store the dust.
Apple is also planning to change the existing brand names of Roomba and Scooba. "We will rebrand those names to make them more like Apple. We will call them 'iSuck' and 'iWet'." He told us those names were hand-picked by Steve Jobs himself.
Other features include:
* The robot will be running OS X
* The iSuck will be available in two capacities. $699.99 for a smaller capacity (cleans 3 rooms) and $799.99 for a bigger capacity (cleans 4 rooms).
* Apple will sell a soft cover for the robot for $29.99.
* The battery of the robot is not replaceable.
* The robot will not have any hard buttons other than the Home button in the middle.
Apple's acquisition of iRobot marks a historical moment that Apple is entering the small home appliance market. What's next? An Apple microwave that can play mp3? Or an Apple coffee maker that can download the latest recipes from iTunes? Only time can tell, but the news has stired tremendous excitement in the Apple community.
Personally, what I wanted to see was an ultra-thin hybrid. The same sort of instant-on and always-available you get with the iphone and touch coupled with the larger screen, bigger battery, more ram, and a keyboard.
But that's exactly what this is. The keyboard is virtual for when you need to do something simple, or you can use a bluetooth keyboard for something more complex. The Apple keyboard is super thin also, or there are compact mobile bluetooth keyboards that will probably work as well.
This is very different than any current laptop or tablet, because it's cutting down to the essence of what you are doing with a computer and getting rid of a lot of baggage. It has word processing and layout applications, and really tons of other interesting applications will end up being developed for the iPad as well.
It is actually JUST useful enough to replace a laptop for many people.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Yes - they have free wifi.
It's official. Most of you are morons.
I'm hoping there will be some way to rig up the sim on my phone to use a contractless $30/month data plan.
A) you can use just about any "MicroSim".
B) The cheapest data plan is $15/month, not $30 (250MB max/month)
C) The most expensive plan is $30/month, "unlimited"
D) Both plans have no contract term.
So basically it already comes out of the box meeting the criteria you set, only you can go even cheaper (if most of the time you are on WiFi 250MB is plenty of bandwidth)
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I rather have Apple kill Flash.
If you're going to wish for something unrealistic and beyond their power, at least shoot for world peace.
Okay, so there are three possible visions of the future Web:
1. The AdobeWeb, where every page is just an empty shell around an embedded SWF. There is some risk that this may happen.
2. The SilverWeb, where every page is just an empty shell around an embedded Silverlight object. With ActiveX barely treading water, this is Microsoft's forlorn hope.
3. The iPhone Web, where every page is HTML+JavaScript and scales nicely to small screen sizes.
Personally, I like option 3 the best. And only Apple (and possibly Google, eventually) are backing this horse.
I don't understand how apple gets away with charging so much for so little HD space. But I dare say this will be a success - its getting to the point where apple can take a turd and convince people its a revolutionary product.
Control is an illusion, order our comforting lie. From chaos, through chaos, into chaos we fly
It costs more than a Nomad, too. Lame ;)
Why didn't they just call it the iPhone DX?
see the big screen size, and expect to browse the web just like they do on their laptop.
Big screen? While I like the price, to me the screen is too small. I'd rather keep my 17" MBP and get a 12" Cintiq 12WX.
And they're going to be disappointed...
I am now, not at Apple or Adobe but at web developers. Too often I come across a webpage that tells me I need to update my Flash player to the latest version. I have 10,0,42,34 which is the latest version.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Apple are masters at PR. they had the world media reporting on the fact that they intended to announce a new future product. That is sheer class
Unlike the product. I use a Nokia phone as I took a decision a while ago that i would never buy a mobile phone which had no memory card slot - as the ability to remove the memory card from a dead handset can be a godsend in case of hardware damage. Also the upgradeability is a benefit, if my 16gb MicroSD card is too small in a few yeards I can probably get 32gb for it.
iPhone sheep should have done the same. failing to stick to your requirements ends with vendor lockin.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
$130 is the standard price for just about any 3G add on to a netbook/laptop (at least that's what Dell charges, and I think that may be only with a plan purchase). $4/GB for a reliable SSD seems to be about retail, about $3/GB at discount, Dell charges $5.10/GB for an SSD in their laptops. This is closer to $6.75/GB. Not really a huge premium over another integrator, given that this is a "hot" product.
You should be. indeed, be modded down as troll. I'm about the last person you'd find defending Apple, but the pricing really isn't far off from what should be expected. Feel free to argue about how annoying it is that you can't add the memory yourself, or change he battery, or that they didn't bother to include 3G/GPS out of the box. You could say they did, and for less than the rumored $999. They just offered a cheap, stripped down version like Dell does. You know, for the metrosexuals who are out of a job right now.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Wow, I'm a bit disappointed :) Yes, with the iPad a bit, but more so with the idea that this is Slashdot and barely anyone has thrown a spotlight on the Apple A4. This is an ARM, high performance, low power CPU with integrated graphics, and more importantly the first piece of processing silicon coming out of Cupertino. Regardless of how much i like the Intel Atom, i think this will be a viable competitor on the ARM front. Too bad it is under lock and key with the iPhone OS :p
I'm really tired of the "iPad" being called a "tablet". . . .A tablet is something you can write or draw on*, NOT
something you awkwardly type and fingerpaint on.
*(with a stylus Mr. Jobs!)
Cue 2010. Remember how everyone said it was much easier to develop applications for the iPhone OS rather than Android because all iPhones had the same 320x480 screen resolution? Now Apple launches iPad, with more screen resolution, and they have two backwards compatibility modes. One where apps run as a tiny rectangle in the middle of the device, another where everything is upscaled, maintaining the same application resolution.
Uniform hardware specs are so much better. Right?
Apple could own 100% of the "mobile browsing market" and the result would be the same.
It will be interesting to see how much more congested AT&T broadband gets when these babies get switched on.
http://www.pidjin.net/2010/01/25/iwish/ I wish that would have happened at the Apple event... :)))
And the 3G version includes GPS
- Tjp
I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!
And also on the minus side, won't this thing rock, in a bad way?
The iPhone isn't stable when rested on a table, due to the curved back and thin edges. From the photos it looks like the iPad will be unstable too.
I'm not sure I understand, it took them 25 years to "invent" this and it doesn't even have a good spot to grip it like the original did?
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
People who want to use a lot of Flash sites and read books outdoors who don't get in to a place where they can charge their device once a day.
So... flash-loving backpackers and forest rangers?
Tweet, tweet.
The deal with AT&T is the biggest news. Holy hell that's fucking awesome.
...I'd consider going back to AT&T for that price.
Are you, by chance, from some Bizarro world where AT&T has a robust network capable of providing satisfactory speeds to hundreds of thousands of new bandwidth-gobbling internet tablets? If so, has the Year of Linux on the Desktop happened there?
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
There is a theme to some of the comments which I wish to rebut. Essentially the theme is that Apple products really are not that good and they sell well only because Apple does such good marketing. The implied assumption here is that if you buy Apple's products, such as the iPod, you are just a sucker fooled by Apple's marketing campaign. Since I have bought Apple products because I thought they were the best products available for my needs, I see these statements as declaring that I am also a sucker and lacking in any real tech smarts. Essentially I feel like I am being called an idiot.
I remember when this debate was between Linux and PCs, and the Linux crowd was trying to argue that nobody should need to run Microsoft software to do their jobs or get things done. This was at time when you could not get Linux to legally read a DVD or use algorithms to do reasonable font rendering. Of course, these limitations were because of licensing issues, some of the most useful software productivity features were protected by commercial licenses or patents. The Linux advocates would argue that I should not be running such software in the first place because it was not "open" software. But that is a different argument. I have far more sympathy for the argument that running Linux is a superior moral choice. But arguing that Linux was a better OS for getting my job done was nonsense.
I am going to come at my argument in a backwards way. Instead of touting features of the iPad, I am going to describe artfully chosen limitations. The biggest limitation is that a developer cannot develop an application that can run as a persistent multi-threaded process. Any application that is not being used at any current moment is torn down and a new one instantiated. This is even more limited than the old Windows 3.x OS with its event driven model for task switching (for those you who don't remember -- Windows 3.x had only one running thread and all applications shared memory). Another limitation is that applications cannot use a shared file system or use shared libraries. You cannot build an application out of other applications or write applications whose purpose is to interact with other applications in useful ways. A user cannot even freely write code for their own application, build it, and run it.
For anybody who likes to tinker with their computers (I consider myself somewhat in that breed, I do programming for a living), this seems almost mind boggling stupid. But there is a method to this madness.
So what do you get back for these choices.
1. A very stable device that does not need to worry about applications doing semi-permanent bad things to your computer requiring a reboot. It is not stable just because applications have a hard time doing bad things, but the basic logic of behavior is so simple that you can "audit" and control it in a way that you cannot control a standard modern OS. This eliminates tangled logic scenarios that come up when you have interactions between device drivers, OS interrupts, glitches in hardware, and complicated applications. Also, it is far easier to write protections against hostile software, especially if you control the distribution of all software for your device.
I think many in the Slashdot crowd underestimate the importance of stability in a portable device. I reboot computers all the time because of glitches of various sorts. It is true that the OS is rarely to blame, it might be the device driver for my mouse, or a disk glitch, a misbehaving network router, or a bad application but generally such issues are fatal. And because of the complexity of the OS, the OS really has no chance at diagnosing the true cause of the problem.
That is not something I will tolerate in a lightweight portable device used for limited but useful activities. I have heard rumors that Android phones, once you start trying to run some of the same application that make the iPhone popular, have far more problems with various issues, such as unwanted battery run down for processes that
"Minuses:"
Add to that not widescreen. And no multitasking maybe.
Apple is claiming 720p support (under TV and Video) with the display's resolution is only 1024x768.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
720p is widescreen, so I have no clue how Apple is claiming this. I guess upscaling is the new lie.
What bullshit is this. People are going to lap this up, and this device sucks.
Yes, it'll sell, but like the iphone and the ipod, there will be people who think what they have is just so cool, and the knowledgeable few looking on will be wondering what idiot bought the trendy device when other, more available options are out there.
In any case, thanks Apple for the info. After the long wait from the build up and fail last September, I can get a Vaio and Nokia for $70 more than you device and not be bothered with this lockdown.
Doesn't really matter the iPad is an iKaboom, it just wont work. All the sales, marketing and forum hype (could apple trolls be considered maggots) are not gonna get that platform moving.
At consumer electronic shows about 30 tablets are expected. MS showed one by HP. So if tablets fail it's not just Apple that loses. I'd love one myself, but not Apple's current iPad, the screen is too small for me. I've been thinking of getting a Wacom Bamboo for now.
Sticking an i in something doesn't make it more saleable, the tablet has always had the one big problem, drop factor, it is to large to be effectively hand held, a keyboard is the quickest input device and the tablet has always been this only for pose platform.
Almost all portable devices have that problem. Years ago I brought my laptop with me when I went somewhere and after I got out of the car I slipped on ice. When I got in I took my laptop out and though it only dropped about 2 feet the LCD was cracked. Hoping but not expecting it to be covered I called tech support but they said they didn't cover cracked LCDs. The person suggested I call my car insurance and when I asked how much it would cost to repair the person just said between $200 and $1200, nothing more precise. $1200? That's half what I paid for it.
And I only had it 3 months.
For now I guess a Bamboo will have to do.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
The Kindle has a free unlimited data plan with no contract, a screen that's much easier on the eyes than backlit LCD, a much longer battery life, and it run Linux.
Yeah, but videos look like crap on it.
As a college student, the iPad interests me in being a replacement for regular paper notebooks. I'd like to be able to take notes, via a real or virtual keyboard, as well as use a stylus for when I need to take non text notes, ideally on the same 'page'. Being able to browse the web during or between classes in order to get reference documents would be very nice. It is kinda of a pain on my phone, given its size. Add in 3G, and the iPad seems like it would fill the role well enough. I wish it had more storage space, and memory card slots however. So many people are saying this iPad is a flop in the making and that there are other alternatives. I see people say how great their tablet is, but so few people name them. So what other options are out there, in the $500-$700 range. I saw some very nice machines for $1500 but I just do not want to spend that much. Suggestions?
For instance, the list of files that you could put onto your iPod Touch via the USB cable was kinda minimal. No "office" documents to speak of, no spreadsheets, no wordprocessor files, no html files, no PDF files. Sure, you could install "apps for that", but they'd have to get their source document files from the internet, because Apple's gatekeeper sync application would block those file types from being loaded onto the device's internal storage via USB, even if you had an app that could display them. The bluetooth was crippled so you couldn't get your files on by bluetooth, and there wasn't a card slot to get them on that way. So if you wanted to transfer a draft PDF brochure or itinerary onto your iPT, you normally had to do it by loading it onto an internet server and downloading it into the iPT off the net. Or by the back door using Google Docs or Zoho or some other "cloudish" software.
Apple basically went out of their way to make sure that there was no way for the user to have a free choice of what they loaded onto the iPT, short of jailbreaking it. You couldn't even use the Apple bluetooth keyboard with it, because that'd have undercut their laptop sales, so the sorts of peripheral choices you had with the Palm Pilot in the 1990s (remember those cute pocket-size folding keyboards?) were "verboten" for the iPhone.
With the new iPad, things aren't quite so bad. Apple now graciously gives you permission to load your MSOffice files onto the device, along with PDFs. Not OpenOffice files, though, or any other unrecognised file types. You will apparently be allowed to use an external keyboard with it, which is an advance, but that keyboard will probably have to be made by Apple. And hopefully they'll have sorted some of the limitations of the iPT that stopped it being any good as a PDA unless you were synching over wifi to an internet server. Maybe give it a native "ToDo" manager, the native ability to create contact list categories, stuff like that.
But basically, yes, it's a big iPod Touch with a few less limitations. Still gated for most data types, but now allowed to transfer at least //some// ebook formats under iTunes control (although AFAIK we're still waiting to see if it'll support ==all== common eBook formats, or just the ones that Apple will be selling via their shop). It still only seems to have one button, though (sigh. Apple.)
Personally, I think the iPad is still much too restrictive, and I'm planning on waiting for an ASUS EeePad instead.
I want to be able to store any files I want, I want proper working bluetooth and peripherals, I want to be able to run any class of software I choose. I'd quite like the option of installing Ubuntu if the bundled OS doesn't suit me, and I'd like an SD card to allow me to quickly shunt files between machines, and probably also USB, so I could use it with a cheap external keyboard or peripherals like scanners and TV tuners. Basically I'd like a full-blown slate-format version of a netbook, something that'd let me edit and reorganise files on the device itself, rather than just being a dumb satellite device like the iPT, that relies on a parent device to do all its file organisation for it. ... five buttons like the Palm organisers, or a scroll wheel or up-down buttons - something that'd let me jump straight to a few major applications and functions, and maybe page through files without having to use the touchscreen. Some people would also want an inbuilt webcam, for use with Skype.
IMO, the device doesn't have to be dirt-cheap, but it has to be flexible, and for me, the Apple device just doesn't have the flexibility that I'd want if I was going to b
Ideally, some sort of additional front-panel or edge-mounted navigation hardware would be useful, with a raised "feel" (unlike the Apple's single recessed "home" button)
Eric Baird
I'm sure Apple would be willing to work with studios to make sure their content is protected if it meant they could get free (ad-supported) streaming to the iPad and Apple TV.
While Apple developed and uses Fairplay DRM Steve Jobs also wrote that open letter asking media businesses to publish music without DRM.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
How is it not horribly expensive? I know each person has a different version of expensive, but ~$450-850 for something that doesn't do all that much seems expensive to me. The Touchbook and Lenovo Ideapad seem like much better solutions.
|plastic....or gasoline?|
For instance, you know that fun app that lets users exchange business cards by bumping fists? AFAIK, that's not actually a bluetooth app. To get it to work, the "bump" software company has had to set up an internet server that people can subscribe to in advance, the bump application sends a bump signal over the internet to the server when the accelerometer yelps, and the server works out which pair of worldwide devices are bumping at the same time, so that it can take the business card data from the two subscribers and zap it back to the other (over their net connection?).
They had to jump through hoops to make it //look// like a bluetooth or IR transfer, but AFAIK, it's all internet (someone correct me if I've got this wrong).
If //this// device is the same, then (apart from the possibility of now allowing an Apple bluetooth keyboard) we'd seem to be just talking about wifi and the 3G option as data connectivity options.
Eric Baird
I'm really not a big fan of Apple's PC products. But if the Android ARM slates don't top this on features and ship in time for Christmas I'm afraid I'll be buying four of these.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Whoa these guys will be loving these new tablets. Replacement screens for an iphone are expensive enough, the cost to replace the glass on a broken 9.7" screen is going to be huge!
It's got bluetooth. It should tether with anything.
Any chance of bluetooth tethering to my Nokia? Oh wait, the Nokia fits my pocket, does multitasking, Flash, has camera, GPS, a real keyboard, notification, Skype, and allows "competing" software (e.g. firefox) to be installed. Oh and it runs Linux. :-)
This is the year of Linux on the lap.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
If you want to develop apps yourself (99.9% of users won't) you can do so on a mac with the included xcode software and a nominal license fee.
I see it as being an epic win for corporate users who travel a lot and are finding that the smartphone they've been tethered to for the past few yeas is good for their email, etc while on the move, but not quite big enough to be productive.
That is a niche that will love this device.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
Apple are masters of making stuff pleasant to use for the average Joe. On paper the iphone is pretty average. In reality, the touchscreen is awesome, the apps are pretty good and it "just works". The storage space is plenty for what I think is the target market - people who want a portable media device for plane trips that they can actually do work on. Laptops are too big to use on planes.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
The iPad is going to be a major win for these people. Its going to be the difference between losing 6 days of work for a trip to one of our remote sites, vs being able to spend at least SOME of that time number crunching in an excel equivalent.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23/1816257&tid=107
A quick perusing shows many highly-modded comments extolling the iPod, and no comments supporting your claims.
Ditto for the iPod Mini.
There's an iPad SDK just for you: http://www.apple.com/ipad/sdk/
only if it's not pressurized unlike every commercial airplane out there.
No mountain climbing though....
True but the spec page specifically states "9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology". Cut and paste, there is no mention of LCD. On the other hand it does say it's an IPS which is an LCD technology. I wonder if it's the old IPS, H-IPS, or S-IPS.
I've been looking for an IPS panel monitor myself and have been thinking I'll get the HP HP LP2475w which is a 24" with an H-IPS panel.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
with an LED backlight .
Yea, my mistake. I didn't see "LCD" and missed "IPS". As I told the person who's reply is above yours I wonder if it's an older IPS, H-IPS, or an S-IPS.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Oh, all those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq were terrorists? And Bush didn't do his part in killing the economy? Didn't the recession start when he was president? And didn't he give out Billions of taxpayer dollars to those businesses who caused the problems?
And don't get the idea I support Obama, I didn't and don't.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
In the end I don't think this will be real popular, and it will be the lack of Flash that makes it unpopular- and no HTML5 is not the answer...
I am not saying that Flash or Silverlight is superior to HTML5 in any way. Flash in particular is proprietary junk. Flash versions for not popular systems (PowerPC, Linux, etc) are usually terrible, and playback of Flash requires WAY more CPU use than it should- on an Atom Netbook fullscreen Flash plays poorly in OSX. I bet Flash on one of these iPads would be super terrible on the 1GHz CPU- Steve Jobs probably considers keeping Flash out of the app store a quality control measure.
With that said the appeal of the Netbook market (which Jobs very blatantly backwards admitted is the competitors to the iPad) was that consumers could get REAL computers for cheap prices at a low size. A Netbook is supposed to be more than a gloried Pocket PC- it is a secondary system when you need more power than an Smartphone can provide. And one of the real barriers that separate a Smartphone and a laptop in 2010 is the ability to use "real" Flash. Even if all of sites switch over to HTML5 in the next year (a very optimistic goal considering that fact that IE use is so high), is it a guarantee that the iPad can play back the content well? Review will soon tell us, and then we will know if this first gen iPad has a promising future or not...
Honestly the form factor for the iPad is perfect- anyone with a brain could figure that the natural progression for Netbooks was for them to ditch the keyboards for touchscreens. Any decent SciFi since the original Star Trek has shown us how important tablet PCs will be in the future.
But the current iPad misses that mark by a great deal because it is not a full featured computer. Is is a bigger Smartphone, with all the limitations of that market.
Until an iPad can do everything a laptop can for say a college student (lacking Flash kills that- my college age sister couldn't go a day without her Hulu) or a business executive (lacking real Microsoft Office kills that for when you REALLY need Office) that what you are really looking at is a EXPENSIVE secondary "toy" for a large part of the market that currently buys laptops. Which is basically the market Netbooks have now (I will admit for serious work they are a toy), but the difference is that a Netbook costs as much as a game console, while a iPad costs as much as a REAL 15inch Windows laptop.
I can guess what Apple is thinking- that there is enough apps in the App Store to do everything that most "real" people do with computers. If someone wants a real computer for something specific then they are advanced enough to shell out the thousand bucks for a real Mac laptop. But I get the feeling that the iPad is purposefully neutered with a kiddie slope OS to ensure that it does not dig into the Mac Book market. Can't wait to see if people can Hackintosh the thing like was done to the AppleTV.
For these reason I am very disappointed in the iPad. The likelihood is that I am wrong and it might have a bright future- as it is it could revolutionize the Medical Industry. And if Apple cuts a deal with Adobe and Microsoft down the line (or HTML5 adoption increases at a brisk pace) then maybe later versions of the device will change everyone's lives and change how we think about computers. But today, as it is today, it is the most underwhelming release of a new Apple product since the AppleTV came out...
And for that I blame the fact that it was maybe one of the worst kept secrets in Apple's recent history, and for that reason a hype machine began that makes it so that even an incredible life-changing device fails to live up to expectations set for it (aka the PS3 effect)....
Open Source Sushi
If you're going to spout speculative unsupported bullshit, at least have the guts to login under your username.
I am a programmer. Outside of work, it is mostly personal or Open Source (I have to work on Windoze at work). I think $99 is too much money. I wanted to download the SDK and give it a spin to see how hard it would be to port some apps. I'm not sure I will ever do any apps, I just want to evaluate. I think a thirty day trial or something would be appropriate for a new piece of hardware. Maybe they only want paid apps?
Pluses:
Not free
1.5lb is light? I don't concur. And the exterior design is bad. It would be fine for a small device like a phone. This is a slab and Apple has made no effort to make it easy to hold. That weight will take its toll within 10 minutes of usage. It will be an ergonomics disaster.
I disagree. See the opportunity cost over time. And if I wanted wifi at $500, I could buy a full featured laptop instead and do *whatever* I want with it, not just what Apple says I can.
I kept hearing the same thing in different words. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money. Give me your money.
This thing will kill off the iPod Touch sales in a heart beat, especially the low end wifi version.
Great comment. I agree.
There's no "lock in" because you're paying more than full price. And there's no phone service. Sounds like you're pathetically attached to Apple.
I was hoping for a bigger screen, to match the comic book format. It would have been a nice comics reader. Without USB and with a smaller screen, well... dunno...
My lady has a macbook air. She thinks it's great. Light, etc.
I, however, have a 17" macbook pro. I think it's great. Powerful, etc.
We both take 'em everywhere we go out of town, and we're both happy. I'd say the market delivered for both of us. There is no one size fits all. On the other hand, some people think that anything that doesn't fit their preconceptions is no good, and those people, I am very comfortable saying, are wrong.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Camera photo import connectivity kit looks hideously clunky. But maybe they know something about camera manufacturers going wireless?
No video camera is bad. Apple must have been incapable of cutting a deal with anyone for good lenses etc. I'd pay a lot if there was a high-end HD quality video camera built in.
Definitely I'd love to use this to read books. But not have to buy from Apple. I want it open.
Problem with using this for business: Can't sign your name or draw diagrams. Could have been smarter and made it possible to use this to lead presentations or draw on a video whiteboard. You could even pass it around a conference table to draw things that people on the other end of a video conference could see. No stylus...
So they are aiming at the "I have a Mac and now want one for the kitchen that I can take to the living room and read books on".
Maybe should wait until they make the next version?
Also I would consider buying two to stay in close touch with someone, if it could do all the time iChat and drawing with stylus.
Unfortunately it still seems to be a luxury item. I do want to buy an eBook reader, but am not sure it will be Apple's iTablet. It looks nice but... Maybe I'll wait and see if something better with an e-Ink display comes out cheaper. 10 hours for an eBook reader isn't good. It really would be good though as a control for a living room speaker system. Or maybe as a TV controller interface.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, y'all, collectively, are not the target audience for this thing. That said, we should be celebrating, rather than bitching. Here's why.
Raise your hands, please: those who've installed LogMeIn on their mothers' computers.
LogMeIn is a crutch, and you know it. You know damn well why you installed it, too. It's so you can support her when shit breaks every couple months, or when she can't figure something out.
The nice thing about the iPhone OS is that it's tight. My mom had never used a cell phone in her life, and figured out how to make a call with my iPhone in seconds. The OS is like an appliance, reliability-wise. The target audience is users, not the nerd herd, and the interface reflects that. It's basically a $500 ticket to never having to support Mother again (or really any user that "just needs the basics").
If you really think it's just a big iPhone, look at the iPad interface video (from about 1:00 - 3:00). It was the first time I actually was like, holy shit, it looks like one of those futuristic computers out of a Hollywood movie; except it actually makes logical sense, yet retains teh bling. Unlike every other OS, multitouch is "baked in" to the iPhone OS, and you can really see the level of refinement in that video. All that shit that Microsoft wishes it could do with multitouch, this thing actually does.
No, it doesn't have multitasking or an OLED display or a webcam or a fucking JTAG header; those people can vote with their ducats and get an HP Slate. Have fun troubleshooting your wireless network in Windows 7 or GNOME using your fingertips. Ugh.
Wrists killing you? Not in 2 weeks. Learn Dvorak.
Actually, what made the Amiga great was that they couldn't hard code everything. Moving to harddisk was easy. I never got one, but I had extra memory and loaded two floppy to RAM to cut down on disk changes (Monkey Island II: 22 disks). What made it easy was that all drives had to be accessed by name, so you just had to have another possibly virtual disk with the same name as the floppy.
Minuses:
Pluses:
So the price is bad, but it's good?
According to various things I’ve read on the Web this morning, it is not ARM. It’s developed by PA Semi, now wholly owned by Apple, and previously a second source for PowerPC processors. So, you have an operating system which runs nicely on an ARM, which is nicely low powered and would run your new device just fine. What possible reason would you have for porting to a new processor architecture? My guess: because ARM is not 64 bit, and I'm guessing this is.
Of course, the iPad does not need 64 bit. Which means, the new processor core was not designed to the iPad. Which means, the next generation Apple desktops will use A64 chips (probably quad or eight core). But, given that this thing consumes roughly the same amount of electricity as an ARM and delivers at least as many MIPS per watt (possibly more), it’s heat output per MIP is going to be way less than Intel. Which means Apple are aiming at the server farm market, where disposing of waste heat is a big issue.
You heard it here first.
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
..a website where the unfullfilled hopes and prognosis regarding the Apple tablet are collected ? I want to post that link, when rumors about an iCar, an iHouse, or an iWife come up :-)
No camera: why would you want a rear-facing camera on a device this size? The ergonomics are totally wrong. A front-facing camera for video chat might be more sensible - but then the iPhone doesn't have that either, so its no great surprise, and the ergonomics are still less than perfect. (Personally, I think video conferncing is evil anyway).
No USB ports/VGA/need camera adaptor - I'd modify that whinge and say no USB ports or SD on the dock accessory. While the device is undocked, it should be wireless - but the dock should include the full works. I'll give them a bit of slack on VGA because there are are so many other video connection standards punters might want.
No Ethernet: So what? This is the sort of device that wireless was made for (again, maybe on the dock).
No Adobe Flash: Why is Adobe Flash evil until Apple leave it off?
more expensive than a $399 netbook: You were expecting cheap from Apple? However: tattoo on your forehead this is not a netboook. Or rather, its closer to the original EEE PC concept, before that morphed into entry level laptops. Its a web/email/media player/casual gaming appliance. If you want a small, cheap laptop PC, don't buy this.
Also remember: one of the characteristics of Apple is that they don't pack their products with legacy compatability or features that "some people might want".
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
The whole thing is completely unintuitive, has the same closed approach as iPhone and doesn't have any technical or usability options one would think would be good. Missing a pen too.
And no, I do not want to buy every single software from an App Store that I would like to use. I want there to be freeware and shareware programmers, and I WANT TO DEVELOP SOFTWARE MYSELF.
Like, what appears to be, the vast majority on slashdot you are missing the point.
The point is its not for you. Its not designed to address the requirement you list above. However, that doesn't mean that its fail. More likely it means that you are close minded.
I hate to rain on people's parade but technology is no longer exclusively for geeks. The Internet has made technology a part of most people's lives. Most people don't need your requirements. What they want is access to the Internet. Even then, they don't want the whole internet. They would be happy with the Web, Email and some sort of IM.
At the moment these people have PCs and they cause them no ends of issues. They get viruses, because they don't want to become enough of an expert to know how to avoid them. They get problems and have to call someone out to connect them back onto the Internet. They have 4 or 5 toolbars running in their browser. They don't know how they got there, and don't know how to get rid of them. They don't understand URLs and type them into Google. These are the people that the iPad is going to address.
Yes it has some limitations, no Flash means some sites won't render, but the majority of standards compliant sites will work. So what the iPad is doing is providing Internet access in a clean, protected, form for people that don't care about how things work, just that they do. If you are too rigid in your mindset to see this please, please, find another area to work in.
You may think me a tired, old, cynic. I'd have to disagree about the tired bit.
The point is that when a non x86 based system is designed, built and sold, there is a break with backwards compatibility at the binary level.
So, consider the XBox 360.
Of course, the Xbox is an x86 based system. But don't let that get in the way of your reasoning.
Did PA design their cores, or license them?
Now this will become an interesting legal fight.
Fujitsu iPAD (scroll down)
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/retailing/technology/hardware/?navid=608#
The device looks like a prime candidate for sidetalking, at least to me.
I don't think this thing will be a hit with business users as you simply wont get proper office support for editing documents. Secondly I think it would still be a bit awkward for use on a plane - you would have to prop it up on a tray table to be able to use it sensibly. A tablet running Windows 7 would of course be more suitable for business users, given that you have FULL office functionality (even openoffice if your company has made the switch). And can multitask between apps, drag this in, drop that there etc. I think the iPad fits into the toy/gadget category.
I think the people who know nothing about technology are exactly the same people who will return it because Youtube doesn't work for them or the flash e-card they got sent won't open. Or their friends can listed to streaming music while they go on the internet but they can't etc. Besides, how will they get online with this - in most cases they would have had to have set up a Wifi router - no doubt requiring the use of a REAL COMPUTER in the process. I think this thing will sell well but not to the lowest rung of society - rather to the technically able masses who simply love everything that Apple produces and have more money than sense.
You would have to carry your iPhone AND your iPad around with you.
I would feel like such a dong bag if I got both out at the same time and sat site by side. The irony of the whole 'free thinking' strapline would make me feel nauseas.
So download the SDK and develop software yourself! Oh, and don't complain about the $99 devloper program fee-- It's quite a bit cheaper than a copy of Visual Studio and comes w/ all the tools you need. Plus, if the iPhone is any sign of what software on the iPad will be like (and it should be given they share an app framework and it can run iPhone apps) 70+% of apps will be free.
It's an article from The Onion- Don't give the poster too much credit.
Sheets of paper come in all different sizes.
International paper sizes (A6, A5, A4) are actually closer to widescreen format. Paperback books are generally closer to widescreen format. Also consider that this is as much for browsing and watching films (I would hope) and you can see that 4:3 isn't a great choice.
Of course, because it is Apple it is great though, and LCD is now way better than e-ink for long reading sessions.
And not a WIndows 7 tablet? Really? Try throwing multitasking at it. Try natively editing those documents you were talking about. Try opening several word documents and a few spreadsheets at the same time. The iPad isn't powerful even by netbook standards and is seriously crippled by comparison for (serious) business use. Perhaps what they really want to do is look cool in front of the stewardess, impress a few business buddies with the iBoobies app and then settle down to a movie marathon. I certainly wouldn't allow my staff to put such a toy/gadget through expenses.
Despite what every pundit and slashdot anti-apple (or even pro apple) people say. It will sell. It will sell in crazy numbers.
It does not matter that it does not have flash, USB, ethernet, etc.
It will sell.
Why? Because of Apple's reputation among consumers.
And those sites that use flash or silverlight or java will make their site iPad compatible if they want those customers.
Brian, don't you know why Flash isn't included? Which tablet user would go buy stuff from iTMS or make Apple "partner" money with Youtube app if a complete browser (with flash) exists? Also check http://g.ho.st/ , with Flash and advanced HTML, it is even possible to run a virtual machine. What would happen to "app store" locks that time?
I know Gnash, sadly it is not "there" yet, if Adobe had little brain, they would support it and even adopt it. Of course, they are Adobe and they don't have the slightest clue about a full Flash 10 open source player means especially in eyes of industry.
I have Kindle using Macophile voracious reader friend. He seems to think the iPad is no threat to the Kindle as the former will have a much shorter battery life. Not the kind of thing that someone who wants to read on the couch for hours at time will prefer.
I was hoping during this event that there would be other announcements during the Apple event. I read reports of Apple stopping AT&T's exclusivity of the iPhone and adding Verizon (and maybe T-Mobile) to the fold. Well, I realized that it would take away too much from the iPad to announce something like that during the even that's supposed to feature Apple's landmark device. There's one sign that makes me think that the exclusive with AT&T will go away. During the presentation Steve Jobs himself exclaimed a "breakthrough deal with AT&T" This makes me wonder if Apple approached AT&T and stated "hey AT&T we are going to end your exclusive access to the iPhone just because its good business for us. But to show our appreciation, we want to give your first-negotiation rights with the iPad" That's what makes me think the iPhone will be going to other carriers in the US. Also, if the exclusivity deal ends in June, why would Apple announce it in January? Makes more sense to wait till its closer. That way people on Verizon aren't foaming at the mouth. Anyways, I'm sorry if this has already been said, i Just didn't feel like reading through 876543 comments on this topic.
Apparently you've missed the netbook craze, then. I've seen complete computer novices go out and buy those, and be completely fine with 10'' screens, since they're running familiar Windows XP.
And I've never seen a website tell me to update my version of Flash, unless you're running an entire version behind. :P
It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
Visual Studio is free for students.
That thing needs some sort of protective cover for the screen... how about a hinged lid? :-)
Oh yeah, and while you're at it stick a keyboard inside the lid, then you'd really have something!
Be faithful to your obsessions. Identify them and be faithful to them, let them guide you like a sleepwalker. JG Ballard
This could have been a great skype video phone with a built-in camera on the front.
Haven't seen much about that. A quick search finds some add-ons, but I'm not sure if those would work with the physical keyboards.
This http://www.androlib.com/android.application.jp-jig-fukuno-dvorak-jAwp.aspx link seems to have some sort of Dvorak on Android program.
... 'cause that's what it looks like to me. Low power CPU with integrated audio and video... But the MediaGX, which was used in the Casio Cassiopea Fiva tablet PC, was introduced in 1997 so this Apple A4 , conceptually, is a bit less than new.
Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
...so use your iPad to stream your video from your media server as H264.
Why would I get one? For half the price I can get a 12" Wacom tablet. I don't have a media server either, besides my laptop what I have is a Linux tower PC I may setup as a file and webserver for photography.
Folks, this isn't a laptop replacement or a phone replacement.
Agreed, it has a crippled OS and can't make phone calls.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
I don't see any discussion here about actually writing on the iPad, nor did I see any mention of it in the WWDC presentation. Since the screen is capacitive, is there any possibility that it can be used as a decent notepad?
Honestly, considering the fact that "old school" tablets tout native pen support as a HUGE feature, I would be pretty disappointed if the iPad doesn't support it. However, Apple has the tendency to add significant features later in the product's lifecycle, so it might be a more viable purchase after a few updates. I'm also sure that there will be hackers out there who will be able to get OS X on it somehow, though I'm even more sure that Apple engineers thoroughly accounted for (and attempted to remove) that possibility.
I, for one, also think that the iPad will steamroll the netbook/eBook market in the months/years to come. If previous history is an indicator of anything, this will become THE device in about a year or two. Especially if people can write on it; imagine being able to actually UNDERLINE and write stuff in eBooks!
Not at all. Actually if all you want is something small and portable to surf the web, a netbook makes more since than an iPad. All it adds is a tablet, but it uses a crippled OS. Actually after he saw a netbook in Target my brother-in-law asked me what I thought of it, he said he thought about getting one. But I hadn't seen one there so I couldn't say. I did tell him they were fine for causal web surfing and editing simple documents. Now I don't know if he got the one Target had but my sister now carries one around.
I've seen complete computer novices go out and buy those, and be completely fine with 10'' screens
I want something I can use for photography as well as development, a 10" screen does not cut it. Actually many photographers say the minimum size of monitor for editing photos is 21". Photo.net has a number of threads on monitors in it's forums, in some people ask what size monitor they should use, in some people say they use 27", 30", or bigger monitors that cost above US$2000. I want one 24" and am thinking of getting a 24" HP LP2475w, which costs about $600. It has an H-IPS panel, is wide gamut, and has been gotten good reviews from photographers. I'd then use my MBP's LCD to hold the panels and toolbars. That is when using my laptop. When using my desktop, er tower, PC I can use my 21" monitor, an old CRT, for them.
And I've never seen a website tell me to update my version of Flash, unless you're running an entire version behind. :P
I posted the Flash player version, 10,0,42,34, which is the latest. I even copied and pasted it from the Adobe test page I linked to.
Google has many more results for need to upgrade flash player.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
Why would setting up a wireless router require a computer? Plug it in, connect to linksys.
You obviously haven't met many execs. What CEO isn't trying to look cool in front of the stewardess? Upgrading to the latest and greatest Blackberry is so out of style.
I don't doubt that some routers allow you to set it up via wireless connection - most still require an initial ethernet connection for this though.
Apple users said the same thing when Apple switched from the Apple II series (MOS 6502) to the Macintosh (Motorola 68000 ). They repeated their argument when Apple switched from the Motorola 68000 series CPU to the PowerPC CPU. They said it yet again when Apple switched from the PowerPC CPU to the Intel CPU.
Apple users weren't the only ones. Commodore 64 and Atari 400/800 users said the same thing when they had to leave their dying MOS 6502 CPU based system, and switch to the Amiga (Motorola 68000 series), Atari ST (Motorola 68000 series), or the multiple IBM PC clones (Intel x86).
My point being that switching CPU architectures are a sign of a industry/market evolving to take advantage of any advances in the newest designs. Or in the case of Apple's last transition, the market realities of Intel dominance. The legacy software argument are what CPU manufacturers use to cling to their customers who don't see any advantage from changing from what they currently have.
The main reason that Intel dominates in the small computer market is because they formed an alliance with Microsoft. Intel is safe as long as Microsoft developed most of its products for the x86 platform. Microsoft also recognized that if they did leave the Intel platform, they would lose their incredible advantage since they pretty much shut out most of their competitors in the Intel arena. I'll hazard a guess that Microsoft wouldn't be able to repeat some of their tactics to capture a new market, and they know this. This is probably why Microsoft is worried about the industry's move to appliances and "cloud" computing.
Anyway, when it comes to other CPUs, there are general purpose boards available for most any processor out there. You can find these by googling for 'ARM', 'PPC', etc.
You are blaming a CPU architecture for the actions of a hardware manufacturer. The hardware manufacturer can lock-down any platform at the ROM/Bootstrap level.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
1. The XBox 360, the subject of my post, is not an x86-based system.
2. The XBox is x86-based, but not a PC, as the system architecture is quite different.
3. I have absolutely no idea what point you are trying to make.
You're an immobile computer, remember?
Thankyou for replying. What you say does make sense and is correct but I still think you are missing the point I'm trying to make.
I do not blame any CPU architecture for anything. Rather I say that maintaining direct hardware compatibility with an old, established architecture prevents a lock-down, since such a lock-down would break older software. In this sense, backwards compatibility is highly desirable.
A transition to a new, incompatible architecture provides a possibility for lock-down. Especially if the old applications can now only be run in an emulation environment, as in PPC code on x86, or M68K code on PPC.
I am glad that Microsoft does not have much control of emerging platforms. Competition is good. What is not good is the new platforms often have something worse than Windows: software ecosystems that are heavily locked down - app stores, central approval of applications, royalties. This would not be possible if the new platforms were PC compatible, because PC compatible means "able to load your old applications".
You're an immobile computer, remember?
Yeah, I basically agree with you, especially with this bit. The thing is not so much x86 compatibility but PC compatibility. If the new system is PC compatible, then that's a good thing, because the compatibility requirement strongly limits the possibility for lock-down. That's what I'm getting at.
You're an immobile computer, remember?
Here is an article that talks about some amazing possibilities for the iPad. I for one think that this is a great thing and if it is used and marketed properly it can mean huge strides toward green living and environmental friendliness for everyone. Read the article here http://hubpages.com/hub/Daily-E-Newspapers-and-E-Magazines-for-Apple-iPad-or-eBook-Readers