Yeah, I've read something similar and it makes sense. Hopefully this is just the first move in an IP deal with Google rather than Apple becoming a patent troll -- that would be very disappointing. Why they can't be more civilized about it, I'm not sure.
You could hold it with one hand and type with the other. In fact, that seems to be how you're supposed to interact with it most of the time. Sure, you wouldn't want to compose a long e-mail like that, but it should be good enough for entering keywords into a search field or typing a short message, especially with improved typing aids to reduce the number of keystrokes. If you needed to type much more than that, you could always put it on your lap in landscape mode.
Second, keeping the first point in mind, touchscreen PC's have been around for years and have always been a niche device precisely because of its form factor. They just aren't that useful except in certain circumstances. For example, they are easier to use while standing, but much more awkward while sitting at a table, and quite frankly a bit absurd while resting it in your lap.
But that has more to do with the huge size and weight of most tablets and that they run a desktop OS and require a stylus. Of course they are awkward to use, but I don't see how you can assume the same conclusion about the iPad. I think netbooks are awkward to use if you want to read, rather than type, as they need to be put down on a surface in order to be used.
I'm sure the iPad will find an audience and will sell by the truckload, but come on...are they really claiming that people won't pay for a netbook, but they will pay the same price for something with half the functionality and none of the openness, just because it's pretty?
If people don't use half that functionality, then why should they care if it's not there? And if you still can't tell the difference between usability and aesthetics, no wonder you believe the following idea:
This is as close as we will ever get to Apple admitting their cult of personality is the primary (but not only) driver of their sales, not their products.
This seems to be a common perception around here. I think it's BS. Apple wouldn't be anywhere near as successful simply by selling products based on image alone. They sell well because they actually make decent products. The whole cult aspect is much overrated.
Why would you want to type out 20 messages on a device that is clearly not designed for that sort of thing? That's like thinking a netbook is a poor experience because it doesn't run Photoshop or PC games very well. Not everyone wants to reply to 20 people when they're out and about or on the couch. They may want to leave such tasks for when they're back at the office using their main computer.
Apple may be good at UI design, but once you start setting the iPad down because it is too big to keep holding all the time, things will start to get annoying in a hurry.
Why do you think it's too big to hold for long periods of time? Is that simply speculation, or do you have some evidence to back that up?
the issue is that Apple has been known to refuse warranties due to the LCIs indicating the phone got wet
Maybe I missed that part in the article. Do you mind posting a link to such a case?
And as for your fanboism, your posting history says it all. No matter what the criticism, we find you on Slashdot parroting the official Apple line.
There's an official line? Apple are far from perfect, but I do agree with the way they do many things. Yes, I am an apologist, I guess, if only because there is so much BS spouted around here. If that's all it takes to be a "fanboi", then I guess I am. And I guess it's time for you to head off back to 4chan.
I'm afraid you're a bit behind the times. Any decent web dev these days can create flexible and scalable layouts, but that doesn't mean they don't care about doing it right and getting things to line up properly too.
Those two concepts are far from mutually exclusive. Pixel perfect means you can have flexible layouts that don't do unpredictable things because the rendering engine's calculations were off.
If that old version of Firefox happened to have particularly bad support for web standards which caused developers problems to no end, then such a decision would sound OK to me.
Perhaps you'd have a point if there were PDAs with phone functionality. But what would be the difference between them, anyway?
Being on a "supposed technological site," one would think we'd all know that the difference between a cellphone, smartphone and a PDA, is just a matter of naming conventions and not in anyway a separate hardware category anymore.
Perhaps Apple will one day weatherproof their phones, but it probably won't be until the rest of the industry starts to. It may seem easy to you, but it's still money to them.
I don't see what the big deal is. If you live in these parts and Apple complains about the LCIs, then you can prove to them that they are faulty thanks to this article. If they refuse, then it's time for a law suit, I guess. But why don't we wait until that actually happens before going on our little rants?
I'm not sure. I guess it all depends on what all the other manufactures' specs are. If Apple is way out of line compared to them, for no good reason, then perhaps this issue should be looked into.
Maybe some small businesses like to scam people when it comes to hardware warranties, but when you're a big as Apple, you tend to take things a but more seriously. I'm sure LCIs cause more problems and make it harder for the consumer, but that's not the same as intentionally scamming people.
Most manufactures don't weatherproof their phones, so I don't see what this has to do with being a "fanboi". Those that do make weatherproof devices usually consider them specialty items. It would be nice if all phones were weatherproofed, but it costs money. So unless there is a high enough demand for it, it probably won't happen.
Sorry, but Flash would never be a proper substitute for a good native app. Apple knows this. They already encourage people to make web apps if they don't like the App Store. Their reasons for not liking Flash are more likely to do with poor performance, reliability, and Flash being someone else's proprietary technology.
I'm glade about their decision, because the web would be a much better place if people restricted their use of Flash.
Do you have any idea how many un-updated Flash apps are out there? I think you're missing the point. Or perhaps you're volunteering to hunt down all these sites and convince the owners to let you fix them?
I guess you could get a special case made. I don't see why people are so outraged at Apple over the operating conditions. Do you really expect Apple to make the iPhone sealed from the environment just for the minority of people who have probably already adapted to the problems of living in such a climate? How do you cope with other electronic devices? Any other normal phone will have similar problems.
I think you have it backwards. They don't put LCIs in to scam people. They put LCIs in to stop people scamming them. And until someone is refused by Apple for a replacement because of a false reading, I fail to see what the big deal is. In your case, it looks like the manufacturer is in the wrong. That sucks, but that doesn't mean all companies behave the same.
We didn't have an unlimited number of nukes floating around to risk dicking around with demonstrations on a society which culturally did not consider surrender to be a viable option.
Where is the evidence that at the time the decision was made, they had enough evidence to know that the Japanese wouldn't surrender?
You can all it dicking around. I call it having ethical obligations.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, I've read something similar and it makes sense. Hopefully this is just the first move in an IP deal with Google rather than Apple becoming a patent troll -- that would be very disappointing. Why they can't be more civilized about it, I'm not sure.
You could hold it with one hand and type with the other. In fact, that seems to be how you're supposed to interact with it most of the time. Sure, you wouldn't want to compose a long e-mail like that, but it should be good enough for entering keywords into a search field or typing a short message, especially with improved typing aids to reduce the number of keystrokes. If you needed to type much more than that, you could always put it on your lap in landscape mode.
Second, keeping the first point in mind, touchscreen PC's have been around for years and have always been a niche device precisely because of its form factor. They just aren't that useful except in certain circumstances. For example, they are easier to use while standing, but much more awkward while sitting at a table, and quite frankly a bit absurd while resting it in your lap.
But that has more to do with the huge size and weight of most tablets and that they run a desktop OS and require a stylus. Of course they are awkward to use, but I don't see how you can assume the same conclusion about the iPad. I think netbooks are awkward to use if you want to read, rather than type, as they need to be put down on a surface in order to be used.
I'm sure the iPad will find an audience and will sell by the truckload, but come on...are they really claiming that people won't pay for a netbook, but they will pay the same price for something with half the functionality and none of the openness, just because it's pretty?
If people don't use half that functionality, then why should they care if it's not there? And if you still can't tell the difference between usability and aesthetics, no wonder you believe the following idea:
This is as close as we will ever get to Apple admitting their cult of personality is the primary (but not only) driver of their sales, not their products.
This seems to be a common perception around here. I think it's BS. Apple wouldn't be anywhere near as successful simply by selling products based on image alone. They sell well because they actually make decent products. The whole cult aspect is much overrated.
The Newton was a product of the John Sculley era. I don't see how you can make a reasonable comparison.
Why would you want to type out 20 messages on a device that is clearly not designed for that sort of thing? That's like thinking a netbook is a poor experience because it doesn't run Photoshop or PC games very well. Not everyone wants to reply to 20 people when they're out and about or on the couch. They may want to leave such tasks for when they're back at the office using their main computer.
Besides, you can get a keyboard for the iPad.
Apple may be good at UI design, but once you start setting the iPad down because it is too big to keep holding all the time, things will start to get annoying in a hurry.
Why do you think it's too big to hold for long periods of time? Is that simply speculation, or do you have some evidence to back that up?
Perhaps you don't realise just how many people don't need or want a "real system" for every computer related task.
How often do you run your netbook at 1600x1200? I'd rather bring my laptop if I needed to drive a display that big. How good is the performance?
Just how many people are going to want to run Photoshop on a netbook?
the issue is that Apple has been known to refuse warranties due to the LCIs indicating the phone got wet
Maybe I missed that part in the article. Do you mind posting a link to such a case?
And as for your fanboism, your posting history says it all. No matter what the criticism, we find you on Slashdot parroting the official Apple line.
There's an official line? Apple are far from perfect, but I do agree with the way they do many things. Yes, I am an apologist, I guess, if only because there is so much BS spouted around here. If that's all it takes to be a "fanboi", then I guess I am. And I guess it's time for you to head off back to 4chan.
I'm afraid you're a bit behind the times. Any decent web dev these days can create flexible and scalable layouts, but that doesn't mean they don't care about doing it right and getting things to line up properly too.
Those two concepts are far from mutually exclusive. Pixel perfect means you can have flexible layouts that don't do unpredictable things because the rendering engine's calculations were off.
If that old version of Firefox happened to have particularly bad support for web standards which caused developers problems to no end, then such a decision would sound OK to me.
Yes, you are a fanboi. You'd eat shit and exclaim how wonderful it tastes if Jobs told you to.
Sorry, but this just shows that you're a troll or an idiot.
Name one major brand that weatherproofs all their phones and you might have a point.
Perhaps you'd have a point if there were PDAs with phone functionality. But what would be the difference between them, anyway?
Being on a "supposed technological site," one would think we'd all know that the difference between a cellphone, smartphone and a PDA, is just a matter of naming conventions and not in anyway a separate hardware category anymore.
Perhaps Apple will one day weatherproof their phones, but it probably won't be until the rest of the industry starts to. It may seem easy to you, but it's still money to them.
I don't see what the big deal is. If you live in these parts and Apple complains about the LCIs, then you can prove to them that they are faulty thanks to this article. If they refuse, then it's time for a law suit, I guess. But why don't we wait until that actually happens before going on our little rants?
I'm not sure. I guess it all depends on what all the other manufactures' specs are. If Apple is way out of line compared to them, for no good reason, then perhaps this issue should be looked into.
Maybe some small businesses like to scam people when it comes to hardware warranties, but when you're a big as Apple, you tend to take things a but more seriously. I'm sure LCIs cause more problems and make it harder for the consumer, but that's not the same as intentionally scamming people.
Most manufactures don't weatherproof their phones, so I don't see what this has to do with being a "fanboi". Those that do make weatherproof devices usually consider them specialty items. It would be nice if all phones were weatherproofed, but it costs money. So unless there is a high enough demand for it, it probably won't happen.
Sorry, but Flash would never be a proper substitute for a good native app. Apple knows this. They already encourage people to make web apps if they don't like the App Store. Their reasons for not liking Flash are more likely to do with poor performance, reliability, and Flash being someone else's proprietary technology.
I'm glade about their decision, because the web would be a much better place if people restricted their use of Flash.
Do you have any idea how many un-updated Flash apps are out there? I think you're missing the point. Or perhaps you're volunteering to hunt down all these sites and convince the owners to let you fix them?
I guess you could get a special case made. I don't see why people are so outraged at Apple over the operating conditions. Do you really expect Apple to make the iPhone sealed from the environment just for the minority of people who have probably already adapted to the problems of living in such a climate? How do you cope with other electronic devices? Any other normal phone will have similar problems.
I think you have it backwards. They don't put LCIs in to scam people. They put LCIs in to stop people scamming them. And until someone is refused by Apple for a replacement because of a false reading, I fail to see what the big deal is. In your case, it looks like the manufacturer is in the wrong. That sucks, but that doesn't mean all companies behave the same.
We didn't have an unlimited number of nukes floating around to risk dicking around with demonstrations on a society which culturally did not consider surrender to be a viable option.
Where is the evidence that at the time the decision was made, they had enough evidence to know that the Japanese wouldn't surrender?
You can all it dicking around. I call it having ethical obligations.