Indeed, it covers a lot of bases that other products currently do, and if you have one of those and it is performing the job perfectly then why change that?
It adds choices for someone who is looking for something to do those things. It's not redundant for everyone. I have no need for a netbook right now, but it doesn't mean it's redundant to you (or some other user).
Right now the iPad is expensive, and I expect that to come down. In a choice between the three I have also already picked - I have an iMac (and a separate Ubuntu machine) and an iPhone, but for the right price I could certainly see myself putting in the middle option, especially after using one for 2 weeks. I just don;t have the disposable income to spend on it right now, and it is a little on the expensive side already.
No, I'm arguing that looking at the things I need when I'm away from my main computer means that the Netbook is overspecced (even if it is cheaper). The form factor is wrong for me.
I emphasise that this is personal choice - for some people the netbook is going to be ideal, for others it will be something else.
When you buy something to fulfil a role, raw power and total number of features are not the sole criteria, or we'd all be using 4-core-plus desktop towers with multi terrabyte raid setups for every possible computer use. Just because the iPad is less powerful than a netbook doesn't make it worse for a task if all you need for that task is covered by the thing you buy.
My car doesn't have 500 bhp, and only seats 5 people. I could have bought a 7 seater with a bigger engine than my car for less, but it wasn't the right tool for the job - why should buying a computing device be any different?
I didn't buy the biggest fridge for my kitchen either (even though I could have if I wanted - I do have the space). It's not always about the biggest numbers.
I watch iPlayer to catch up on TV shows that the BBC shows during the week. They are not always live (in fact, I almost never watch live TV). I was using XBMC to watch iPlayer (on my TV), until the BBC added SWF verification to their streams, borking the XBMC plugin. For the two weeks I had the iPad, it made an excellent iPlayer viewer on the couch (in the room that doesn't have a TV. Hard to watch TV on a TV in a room that doesn't have one, but I'm sure I can compile on on Linux, and it just pops out of the wall, right?)
I also said the typing on an iPad was adequate - it works fine for quick text entry, but it in no way replaces a proper keyboard. I just didn't find it necessary to have a full keyboard at all times. I'm not arguing at all that the iPad has a superior text entry ability.
My iPhone tethers, out of the box. Sorry it doesn't in the US, but the US is not the world. Slide the slider to "on" and whee, tethering!
1) "Your" app is not my app. You're equating a developer concern with a user one. Why is a user going to care about your app? If they are hunting around for unapproved apps to install, why are they even on iPhone in the first place?
2) There was no two.
3) You should look at a device before you buy it. If it is lacking "retardedly simple" functionality that you want, why did you buy it? Wouldn't that be... I don't know... retarded? Did you buy an Xbox and then complain that it didn't have the ability to play PS3 games? The iPhone is not sold as a general purpose computer - it is a managed, moderated smartphone with well known limitations. Your argument is "Apple is doing it differently, they should be doing it like everyone else" which is just silly. If they don't sell a product that works for you, don't buy it - buy one that does......which brings me back to Android, and the original point, that while many Android phones are totally open, some are not and face the exact same problem as the iPhone: the need to root/jailbreak them to do things with them that the manufacturer and/or carrier wants to stop you doing.
I also think fanboi is a bit strong - I thought that moniker only applied to people who were always positive at the exclusion of all else about Apple? I think you'll find several of my posts critical of Apple, and the iPhone in particular (I do actually own one - a 3G) that is far from perfect, but works very well for me.
I really shouldn't have to prove that I have criticism for Apple just because I pointed out that some Android phones also need to be rooted too, but that seems to be how far slashdot has fallen in recent years. Even the very slightest hint of negative comments on Android immediately makes you some sort of deadly enemy who needs to be purged with fire. It's sad - it will turn this place into an echo chamber with no discourse, just a chorus of consenting groupthink; everything you decry Apple users of being.
If you need flash, then the iPhone is not for you, but it's not missing from the iOS for political reasons (in entirely, obviously there is some of that) - it's just woeful in performance terms. If you had flash on an iPhone you really wouldn't be able to do anything with it anyway. Perhaps the entire web won;t change for Apple, but it won't need to - Apple are not the only ones who want to replace Flash with a more open replacement, Apple were just the first to drop Flash from a core product and it is annoying sometimes when I run across a site that just borks on mobile Safari, but if I really need to go there I'll do it from my main machine.
It can also apply to the situation in which I used it, using a tool or device with far more than the necessary features to get a task done.
If you never really type anything, a full keyboard is just a waste. If you hardly ever use the CD drive, why have one? It's recognising a tool that fits a job - sure a netbook works fine, but I don;t need a keyboard when I'm surfing the net or watching TV from the sofa - the on screen keyboard works perfectly well for the limited typing I do in that situation. I wouldn't want to type a novel on it, or a huge document, but in that case I would be sitting at my main computer.
I rip all my CDs and Movies and access them from my network volume (which XBMC uses) so I don;t need a CD drive, although I am aware the iPad cannot mount network volumes - I am hoping that will be addressed before I buy one of my own in the distant future when I have actual disposable income to spare.
Like I said, I have no need for a miniaturised computer, and if I am going to spend money on an extension of my main computer, a netbook would be overkill.
Also, News Flash: sarcasm done improperly just makes you look like a dick. What have I done to you, other than present an opinion, politely, that you disagree with? Why start off on that foot? Do you think it is going to give me some sort of epiphany that you're suddenly so right, and that the scales will fall from my eyes and a four part harmony will sound in the background as the lighting suddenly changes tone?
Right, so you are not the target market for an iPad. I am not the target market for a netbook - there is no way *ever* I could get by with a netbook as my primary machine, which gives me a potential need (read: want/would be useful but not essential) gap for a portable extension of my main machine. That is being filled by an iPhone at the moment. Just because a netbook can be a replacement for a main box does not mean that would work for me (in exactly the same way that an iPad might not work for you - funny that, eh?)
The rural family extension of the analogy is stretching it. It was merely an indication; I'm not suggesting an iPad/tablet/iPhone/HTC Desire/XBMC box is an essential requirement, just that the parallel can be drawn. Want to send a quick email to Bob asking him to pick up some milk on the way over without having to get up because you're watching TV? The iPad (or a netbook) can do that for you, much like jumping into the Smart car and running to the store yourself instead of getting the big car out of the garage. If a family owned one car they could run to the store in it. If they owned another smaller, car they duplicate the functionality of a car and provide extra convenience though form factor. Not essential, but useful.
I do sometimes boil water in a metal kettle - my best friend has an Aga, so we make tea on it. She also has an electric kettle but hardly ever uses it; the Aga is already hot so it makes sense to boil the water that way. I also cook food in an oven, even though I own a microwave - the microwave has in no way superseded the oven, it has complemented it.
No one said it had to be - but people are challenging owners of them to qualify its use, and those are examples.
I check my emails on my iPhone, as well as my main machine, an iPad would just be another window on my IMAP box (like I said, I don;t have one, but I borrowed one for a couple of weeks).
BBC iPlayer is awesome on it, and is almost worth the cost of the base model for me - I loved that I could watch anything that had been on in the last week without getting out of bed, or while I was eating breakfast. Sure, a netbook can do that too but the form factor really worked for me (and I also use my computer as a TV, and have an XBMC box hooked up to the TV in the main room, it doesn't mean I always have to watch my TV on either of those devices. It was nice to have the option.
I think a lot of this "it's useless, [thing X] can do everything it can do!" but if you rewind even 10 years people were saying the same thing about cellphones. Why buy a cellphone when you have a perfectly good phone in your house, and can use a payphone if you are out of the house? I'm not suggesting the iPad will become that ubiquitous (if ever the form factor takes off properly it will be with a plethora of different tablets from all manner of manufacturers), but new things come along all the time that change the way we do things we have always done.
I gave a couple of examples - watching TV was one of them. Watching TV on a couch with a laptop is annoying, on an iPad it is actually pretty enjoyable - it's just a screen, so you don't have to sit and accommodate the laptop, you can just sit how you want and the form factor works much better.
Typing email/IM/text when standing up. Much easier when using an iPad. I was catching up with some emails while in the kitchen and it was much nicer than having to set a laptop/netbook down on the counter - I could just hold the iPad in one hand and use the other for typing, pot stirring/kitchen stuff etc.
Word games. It's much easier to play scrabble with my friends on an iPad than it is to use the trackpad on a netbook (unless my friends are actually over here, in which case I just use a real Scrabble board).
It works well as a computing device that you don;t have to specifically sit down/engage with. You can treat it much more like a phone - whatever you happen to be doing, you can interact with it and then put it down/set it aside because you're doing something else. With a laptop or netbook you have to have it on your lap, which limits you a little, or put it on a table which limits your movements. Portability factor is very high with the iPad, while obviously sacrificing some elements (kb/CD drive/ports etc).
So you're saying the iPad is the computer equivalent of a high performance sports car? You heard it here on/. here folks!
I chose the Smart on purpose as opposed to a sports car precisely because the iPad itself is relatively low power, limited function device. A sports car would be much more like one of those behemoth laptops with a server chip crammed into it and a battery life measured in minutes.
No, he really didn't. Here's the entirety of his post:
No, it's shiny and makes me look hip and it actually helps me do useful stuff in ways I couldn't before.
Where does it say he's specifically doing new things? It says he is doing useful stuff in ways he couldn't before. They are not the same thing, although close. The question is clearly answered.
http://www.dicomwg12.org/mpg/SMART/fortwo-coup-/50-bhp-175-rear-tyres/ puts it at 60mpg combined. The wiki page mentions that the EPA's figure is for the 999cc version, which the EU rates at 60mpg combined. Even multiplying by 1.2, the US figure seems low - were they towing a boat with it, or is US gasoline mostly water? If it's down to the gasoline then it affects all cars tested in the US, so the figure can be adjusted accordingly since whatever car you buy will have to use the same fuel supply unless you run on premium gas (and is that even as good as standard EU gas?)
The one with the 3 cylinder diesel engine is even more economical, such is the benefit of putting a small engine in a lightweight chassis, it's a no brainer that it will be fuel efficient if the engine is halfway decent. As it happens, my small MPV with 5 seats and a gigantic boot gets 51 mpg (actual figures from me driving and calculating the mpg, not manufacturer figures), so for me the Smart would really just be more convenient for running to the store because of the form factor. European turbodiesel engines are not in the dark ages of engine technology like the US ones (and yes, I know, divide by 1.2 for US economy figures, my large family car still comes out ahead of a US-spec Prius).
There is a definite market for people buying Smart cars beyond "trying to look eco friendly" - the actually *are* economical and very handy if you do a lot of short range commuting and need a small, agile car that is easy to park.
You know those tasks that you can use a netbook or a laptop for, but that can sometimes be a little annoying, that's where the iPad excels. It is clearly a niche product - it does not replace a standard computer, but it fills the gap for people who want portable computing on a screen bigger than an iPhone but who don't a netbook.
I don't have one (student, lacking disposable income) but I did borrow one for a couple of weeks and I can see exactly how it would fit into my daily life if I owned one.
I liken it to owning two cars - a big family car with a huge luggage space and 7 seats, and a smaller Smart Car with only 2 seats, very limited storage space but the benefit of getting 70mpg and the ability to park perpendicular to the kerb; the ideal errand vehicle for short trips and little jobs, but no the car you would take on a 300 mile journey.
It's not that you can't do things the iPad does if you don;t own one, it just offers a different way to do them that some may find convenient. I personally don't need a miniaturised computer with a full keyboard, array of ports, CD drive etc for the times I want to quickly check my email or watch a TV show on iPlayer in my living room. A netbook can do both of those things perfectly well, but in both cases it's a little bit overkill - if I want to type a serious email or a long document I go to my main computer. If I'm watching TV, all I need is a screen.
I have an XBMC box connected to the TV which I control with my iPhone, and I know the equivalent iPad app would look lovely with all those graphics and banners on the large screen, with more room for the touch controls and information - it would be practically like being in Star Trek with a Padd or Tricorder. Essential? Not at all. Controllable with my standard Apple IR remote that came with the iMac? Of course. Better than using that remote? Definitely.
When you boil down any modern convenience you are left with "what can you do that you couldn't do before" and the only real answer is "a new choice in how to do something". You could cook food before the microwave, you could check your email before the netbook, you could make a cup of tea before the electric kettle, you could make a phone call before the cellphone.
So, yes it doesn't do as much as a netbook, but what if it doesn't need to? More choice is good and it adds a new option for those looking for extensions to their main computer.
I agree. It's something I would like to see on the iPhone under a supported checkbox that essentially says "beyond here be dragons, install third party apps at your own risk" to give users the ability to leave the managed environment if they want.
You want to do something the Phone manufacturer/carrier doesn't want you to do, on iPhone you jailbreak it, on Android you root it.
As I stated, the motivations might be different, but trying to claim that the need to root some Android phones to try and downplay the negative side of that requirement and paint the iPhone as the bad guy here is just disingenuous and only hurts your argument and makes you look like a hypocrite.
"Oh, Android is so open, you can do anything you like, install any apps you like, unlike Apple!"
"What about if you want to install custom firmware or remove some of those stock carrier apps like Sprint's NASCAR one?"
"Oh you just root the phone..."
"How is that different to jailbreaking?"
"Oh it just is. Android is open! woo!"
You can't simply ignore the fact that some carriers and manufacturers have locked up Droid as best they can to make it obtuse and less-than-trivial to modify. This is somewhat of a distortion of the original goal of a mobile OS you can do anything with, but that's the nature of open source projects sometimes - companies who you don't necessarily agree with can also use the code for their projects as long as they follow the licence rules.
As it stands, if I own certain Android phones I am in the exact same boat as an iPhone user if I come across something I want to do that the manufacturer doesn't want me to do - the need to go around their obstructions.
I have made several posts just like it in the past pointing out the downsides in Apple products, as well as the benefits - it's the nature of mass production compared to bespoke construction/design etc.
It seems that the only people who suggest Apple users think their devices are perfect are the anti-Apple crowd who preach it as "fact" without actually knowing much about actual Apple users.
Whatever motivations are behind it are irrelevant, it is *exactly* the same.
I see what you're trying to do (downplay the negatives about Android vendor lock phones and the need to root them to be able to do things with them), but in reality, both iPhone and some Android phones have this problem.
Who is the ignorant one? He asked specifically for a format supported by both Android and iOS4 - that pretty much means h.264 unless he delivers two different videos to the two platforms, and if you can get decent performance from one format that both support, why bother to make it hard for yourself? Presumably you will also want to target hardware video decoders where possible, which also lends itself to h.264.
If the ideology behind using a format other than h.264 is that strong, he shouldn't be developing for iOS 4 in the first place.
I'm not the OP, but my iPhone was free on my contract.
Also, perhaps he liked the features of the phone and they outweighed the downsides (if there were any for him), just like any other consumer decision.
Mine is great (a 3G, now out of contract), but it's by no means perfect. The anti-Apple crowd on/. seem to think that anyone who has an iPhone thinks it is a perfect device with no flaws, but the reality is that it's an excellent phone that has some issues... just like every other phone.
My personal downsides on my iPhone 3G:
* can't remove the stock apps, can only banish them to an unused screen. I understand this for the phone, sms and camera etc and other core apps, but the useless stock market app and weather apps (there are better weather apps on the store) are also not removable or hideable. The new iOS 4 update allows you to group them into one folder at least, but I have not installed that update yet.
* ToDo items don't migrate to your calendar from iCal. No ability to set up new calendars on the phone, only use ones that you have set up on iCal first.
* would like the google maps app to have an option to cache map data within 5 or 10 miles of your current location for times you are about to leave a wifi hotspot or decent 3G area (probably a google api issue rather than phone issue).
* the ringer is too quiet, even on loudest setting
* would like the ability to quickly toggle a setting that keeps the wifi connection alive when the screen locks if I want it too, eg if I am using it at home to control XBMC.
I am looking at new phones - the iPhone 4 is among them, but so are Android phones. Right now though, I am leaning towards an iPhone 4.
The apps are specific to iOS, so they could go for a 3GS if they were finding the iPhone 4 to be useless, but didn't want to part with their apps. In the same way that if I move from Windows, my windows apps don't work on my Mac (without emulation/parallels etc).
They would likely find that the 3GS does not get a signal at all in the areas where the death grip affects the iPhone 4, so swings and roundabouts.
The early days of releasing the webkit code were messy, but they got much better. I think it was 6 of one and half a dozen of the other regarding head clashes between KHTML and Webkit. They had been working on the code in house, in secret for a year before they released Safari, so they had a ton of code to release under the GPL and they didn't necessarily do it very smoothly. They did do it however, and it is now much more closely in line with their many other open source projects in terms of code availability and legibility etc.
iTunes songs from the store are normal AAC files, with no DRM or other protections. They *are* tagged with your apple ID in one of the metadata fields, but this does not affect any other player's ability to play them. I use a great deal of my iTunes music on Ubuntu, for example, with no need to do anything to the track - download it from the store, and my Ubuntu box sees it in my music folder (via network) and can play it right away, although you can also move the file via USB stick etc. It is not protected or limited in any way.
In an informal internet forum do you expect people to type "Mr Jobs" or "Apple CEO, Steven Jobs", or just "The CEO". Even if you have to declare a subject once so you can witch to pronouns, "Steve" is a succinct and accurate representation that is better than his full name.
It's this sort of desperate baiting on silly issues by Apple haters that makes them so endearing. It's almost cute, as long as someone keeps wiping the froth from their neckbeards.
That might be a decent claim if "random slashdot posters" really "don't give a crap about Apple".
I think it is clear that there are many who really do, and not in a positive way.
Of course Jobs is going to present the best case scenario and figures (without actually lying) - that is how statistics work. Everyone does it. A counter example to Apple doing it is the often repeated story about how "android is outselling iPhone" while conveniently leaving out crucial details like a small sampling window of time, and a 2 for 1 deal on droids and the upcoming release of the iPhone 4 occurring in that slot. So, while true, it really needs a disclaimer.
Palin did it with the polar bear population figures, claiming they had doubled. Great, but they were tiny to start with, and it's not evidence that the environment has recovered enough for you to drill for oil up there with no regard for the ecosystem.
The UK government did it with the smoking ban - passive smoking increases your risk of lung cancer by 20%, but the chance of a non-smoker getting it in the first place is so small, that the literal value odds only increased by a tiny amount.
Anyone with a strong bias about a particular product or organisation is going to distort the truth for their own ends, and slashdot is a long, long way wide of a dispassionate observer of Apple (in both directions from neutral).
They were damned either way with this press conference - there is obviously a problem (perhaps several problems, including the software stuff), and not saying anything would raise calls of them just ignoring it (regardless of what they were doing behind the scenes). Apple has been bitten by that one before by keeping silent until it was ready with a fix for a broken product. If they come out and hold a press conference then they are in the situation they are now, with people pouring over every word looking for something to use against them. It is a total no brainer that Steve would present the stats in as positive a light as possible, and there were some he could not release at all (due to AT&T's policies).
In the meantime they will presumably fix the phone's design flaw.
That doesn't change that fact that reasonable, non-flaming discourse like a reply to "Apple does xxxx" with a reply that says "No, in fact [citation provided], Apple does yyyy" earns you troll moderation or a flamebait mod purely because it is positive of Apple.
Replace "Apple" with Google, MS, Sony, Toyota, climate change, Al Gore, Sarah Palin, Obama, McCain, Bush...
It covers a wide range, but is accentuated by "hot" topics - right now that is Apple, and it has become particularly bad since the first speculation of the iPhone (1st gen) surfaced, and has been getting worse.
Slashdot Mirror
Indeed, it covers a lot of bases that other products currently do, and if you have one of those and it is performing the job perfectly then why change that?
It adds choices for someone who is looking for something to do those things. It's not redundant for everyone. I have no need for a netbook right now, but it doesn't mean it's redundant to you (or some other user).
Right now the iPad is expensive, and I expect that to come down. In a choice between the three I have also already picked - I have an iMac (and a separate Ubuntu machine) and an iPhone, but for the right price I could certainly see myself putting in the middle option, especially after using one for 2 weeks. I just don;t have the disposable income to spend on it right now, and it is a little on the expensive side already.
No, I'm arguing that looking at the things I need when I'm away from my main computer means that the Netbook is overspecced (even if it is cheaper). The form factor is wrong for me.
I emphasise that this is personal choice - for some people the netbook is going to be ideal, for others it will be something else.
When you buy something to fulfil a role, raw power and total number of features are not the sole criteria, or we'd all be using 4-core-plus desktop towers with multi terrabyte raid setups for every possible computer use. Just because the iPad is less powerful than a netbook doesn't make it worse for a task if all you need for that task is covered by the thing you buy.
My car doesn't have 500 bhp, and only seats 5 people. I could have bought a 7 seater with a bigger engine than my car for less, but it wasn't the right tool for the job - why should buying a computing device be any different?
I didn't buy the biggest fridge for my kitchen either (even though I could have if I wanted - I do have the space). It's not always about the biggest numbers.
I watch iPlayer to catch up on TV shows that the BBC shows during the week. They are not always live (in fact, I almost never watch live TV). I was using XBMC to watch iPlayer (on my TV), until the BBC added SWF verification to their streams, borking the XBMC plugin. For the two weeks I had the iPad, it made an excellent iPlayer viewer on the couch (in the room that doesn't have a TV. Hard to watch TV on a TV in a room that doesn't have one, but I'm sure I can compile on on Linux, and it just pops out of the wall, right?)
I also said the typing on an iPad was adequate - it works fine for quick text entry, but it in no way replaces a proper keyboard. I just didn't find it necessary to have a full keyboard at all times. I'm not arguing at all that the iPad has a superior text entry ability.
My iPhone tethers, out of the box. Sorry it doesn't in the US, but the US is not the world. Slide the slider to "on" and whee, tethering!
1) "Your" app is not my app. You're equating a developer concern with a user one. Why is a user going to care about your app? If they are hunting around for unapproved apps to install, why are they even on iPhone in the first place?
2) There was no two.
3) You should look at a device before you buy it. If it is lacking "retardedly simple" functionality that you want, why did you buy it? Wouldn't that be... I don't know... retarded? Did you buy an Xbox and then complain that it didn't have the ability to play PS3 games? The iPhone is not sold as a general purpose computer - it is a managed, moderated smartphone with well known limitations. Your argument is "Apple is doing it differently, they should be doing it like everyone else" which is just silly. If they don't sell a product that works for you, don't buy it - buy one that does... ...which brings me back to Android, and the original point, that while many Android phones are totally open, some are not and face the exact same problem as the iPhone: the need to root/jailbreak them to do things with them that the manufacturer and/or carrier wants to stop you doing.
I also think fanboi is a bit strong - I thought that moniker only applied to people who were always positive at the exclusion of all else about Apple? I think you'll find several of my posts critical of Apple, and the iPhone in particular (I do actually own one - a 3G) that is far from perfect, but works very well for me.
I really shouldn't have to prove that I have criticism for Apple just because I pointed out that some Android phones also need to be rooted too, but that seems to be how far slashdot has fallen in recent years. Even the very slightest hint of negative comments on Android immediately makes you some sort of deadly enemy who needs to be purged with fire. It's sad - it will turn this place into an echo chamber with no discourse, just a chorus of consenting groupthink; everything you decry Apple users of being.
If you need flash, then the iPhone is not for you, but it's not missing from the iOS for political reasons (in entirely, obviously there is some of that) - it's just woeful in performance terms. If you had flash on an iPhone you really wouldn't be able to do anything with it anyway. Perhaps the entire web won;t change for Apple, but it won't need to - Apple are not the only ones who want to replace Flash with a more open replacement, Apple were just the first to drop Flash from a core product and it is annoying sometimes when I run across a site that just borks on mobile Safari, but if I really need to go there I'll do it from my main machine.
It can also apply to the situation in which I used it, using a tool or device with far more than the necessary features to get a task done.
If you never really type anything, a full keyboard is just a waste. If you hardly ever use the CD drive, why have one? It's recognising a tool that fits a job - sure a netbook works fine, but I don;t need a keyboard when I'm surfing the net or watching TV from the sofa - the on screen keyboard works perfectly well for the limited typing I do in that situation. I wouldn't want to type a novel on it, or a huge document, but in that case I would be sitting at my main computer.
I rip all my CDs and Movies and access them from my network volume (which XBMC uses) so I don;t need a CD drive, although I am aware the iPad cannot mount network volumes - I am hoping that will be addressed before I buy one of my own in the distant future when I have actual disposable income to spare.
Like I said, I have no need for a miniaturised computer, and if I am going to spend money on an extension of my main computer, a netbook would be overkill.
Also, News Flash: sarcasm done improperly just makes you look like a dick. What have I done to you, other than present an opinion, politely, that you disagree with? Why start off on that foot? Do you think it is going to give me some sort of epiphany that you're suddenly so right, and that the scales will fall from my eyes and a four part harmony will sound in the background as the lighting suddenly changes tone?
Right, so you are not the target market for an iPad. I am not the target market for a netbook - there is no way *ever* I could get by with a netbook as my primary machine, which gives me a potential need (read: want/would be useful but not essential) gap for a portable extension of my main machine. That is being filled by an iPhone at the moment. Just because a netbook can be a replacement for a main box does not mean that would work for me (in exactly the same way that an iPad might not work for you - funny that, eh?)
The rural family extension of the analogy is stretching it. It was merely an indication; I'm not suggesting an iPad/tablet/iPhone/HTC Desire/XBMC box is an essential requirement, just that the parallel can be drawn. Want to send a quick email to Bob asking him to pick up some milk on the way over without having to get up because you're watching TV? The iPad (or a netbook) can do that for you, much like jumping into the Smart car and running to the store yourself instead of getting the big car out of the garage. If a family owned one car they could run to the store in it. If they owned another smaller, car they duplicate the functionality of a car and provide extra convenience though form factor. Not essential, but useful.
I do sometimes boil water in a metal kettle - my best friend has an Aga, so we make tea on it. She also has an electric kettle but hardly ever uses it; the Aga is already hot so it makes sense to boil the water that way. I also cook food in an oven, even though I own a microwave - the microwave has in no way superseded the oven, it has complemented it.
Then the iPad is not for you; good for you.
No one said it had to be - but people are challenging owners of them to qualify its use, and those are examples.
I check my emails on my iPhone, as well as my main machine, an iPad would just be another window on my IMAP box (like I said, I don;t have one, but I borrowed one for a couple of weeks).
BBC iPlayer is awesome on it, and is almost worth the cost of the base model for me - I loved that I could watch anything that had been on in the last week without getting out of bed, or while I was eating breakfast. Sure, a netbook can do that too but the form factor really worked for me (and I also use my computer as a TV, and have an XBMC box hooked up to the TV in the main room, it doesn't mean I always have to watch my TV on either of those devices. It was nice to have the option.
I think a lot of this "it's useless, [thing X] can do everything it can do!" but if you rewind even 10 years people were saying the same thing about cellphones. Why buy a cellphone when you have a perfectly good phone in your house, and can use a payphone if you are out of the house? I'm not suggesting the iPad will become that ubiquitous (if ever the form factor takes off properly it will be with a plethora of different tablets from all manner of manufacturers), but new things come along all the time that change the way we do things we have always done.
I gave a couple of examples - watching TV was one of them. Watching TV on a couch with a laptop is annoying, on an iPad it is actually pretty enjoyable - it's just a screen, so you don't have to sit and accommodate the laptop, you can just sit how you want and the form factor works much better.
Typing email/IM/text when standing up. Much easier when using an iPad. I was catching up with some emails while in the kitchen and it was much nicer than having to set a laptop/netbook down on the counter - I could just hold the iPad in one hand and use the other for typing, pot stirring/kitchen stuff etc.
Word games. It's much easier to play scrabble with my friends on an iPad than it is to use the trackpad on a netbook (unless my friends are actually over here, in which case I just use a real Scrabble board).
It works well as a computing device that you don;t have to specifically sit down/engage with. You can treat it much more like a phone - whatever you happen to be doing, you can interact with it and then put it down/set it aside because you're doing something else. With a laptop or netbook you have to have it on your lap, which limits you a little, or put it on a table which limits your movements. Portability factor is very high with the iPad, while obviously sacrificing some elements (kb/CD drive/ports etc).
So you're saying the iPad is the computer equivalent of a high performance sports car? You heard it here on /. here folks!
I chose the Smart on purpose as opposed to a sports car precisely because the iPad itself is relatively low power, limited function device. A sports car would be much more like one of those behemoth laptops with a server chip crammed into it and a battery life measured in minutes.
No, he really didn't. Here's the entirety of his post:
No, it's shiny and makes me look hip and it actually helps me do useful stuff in ways I couldn't before.
Where does it say he's specifically doing new things? It says he is doing useful stuff in ways he couldn't before. They are not the same thing, although close. The question is clearly answered.
What did I misspell, or are you equating typo with misspelling? I hit ; a lot when I mean to hit ' but that's down to muscle memory (new keyboard).
If it's my British English, then that's not a spelling error, it's a case of the world being a little bigger than the borders of the USA.
If I have misspelled a word, then shit happens. I'm not perfect and if it's all you can counter my argument with, woe is you.
Either way, you are correct, most cars do not have a spell check feature.
http://www.dicomwg12.org/mpg/SMART/fortwo-coup-/50-bhp-175-rear-tyres/ puts it at 60mpg combined. The wiki page mentions that the EPA's figure is for the 999cc version, which the EU rates at 60mpg combined. Even multiplying by 1.2, the US figure seems low - were they towing a boat with it, or is US gasoline mostly water? If it's down to the gasoline then it affects all cars tested in the US, so the figure can be adjusted accordingly since whatever car you buy will have to use the same fuel supply unless you run on premium gas (and is that even as good as standard EU gas?)
The one with the 3 cylinder diesel engine is even more economical, such is the benefit of putting a small engine in a lightweight chassis, it's a no brainer that it will be fuel efficient if the engine is halfway decent. As it happens, my small MPV with 5 seats and a gigantic boot gets 51 mpg (actual figures from me driving and calculating the mpg, not manufacturer figures), so for me the Smart would really just be more convenient for running to the store because of the form factor. European turbodiesel engines are not in the dark ages of engine technology like the US ones (and yes, I know, divide by 1.2 for US economy figures, my large family car still comes out ahead of a US-spec Prius).
There is a definite market for people buying Smart cars beyond "trying to look eco friendly" - the actually *are* economical and very handy if you do a lot of short range commuting and need a small, agile car that is easy to park.
You know those tasks that you can use a netbook or a laptop for, but that can sometimes be a little annoying, that's where the iPad excels. It is clearly a niche product - it does not replace a standard computer, but it fills the gap for people who want portable computing on a screen bigger than an iPhone but who don't a netbook.
I don't have one (student, lacking disposable income) but I did borrow one for a couple of weeks and I can see exactly how it would fit into my daily life if I owned one.
I liken it to owning two cars - a big family car with a huge luggage space and 7 seats, and a smaller Smart Car with only 2 seats, very limited storage space but the benefit of getting 70mpg and the ability to park perpendicular to the kerb; the ideal errand vehicle for short trips and little jobs, but no the car you would take on a 300 mile journey.
It's not that you can't do things the iPad does if you don;t own one, it just offers a different way to do them that some may find convenient. I personally don't need a miniaturised computer with a full keyboard, array of ports, CD drive etc for the times I want to quickly check my email or watch a TV show on iPlayer in my living room. A netbook can do both of those things perfectly well, but in both cases it's a little bit overkill - if I want to type a serious email or a long document I go to my main computer. If I'm watching TV, all I need is a screen.
I have an XBMC box connected to the TV which I control with my iPhone, and I know the equivalent iPad app would look lovely with all those graphics and banners on the large screen, with more room for the touch controls and information - it would be practically like being in Star Trek with a Padd or Tricorder. Essential? Not at all. Controllable with my standard Apple IR remote that came with the iMac? Of course. Better than using that remote? Definitely.
When you boil down any modern convenience you are left with "what can you do that you couldn't do before" and the only real answer is "a new choice in how to do something". You could cook food before the microwave, you could check your email before the netbook, you could make a cup of tea before the electric kettle, you could make a phone call before the cellphone.
So, yes it doesn't do as much as a netbook, but what if it doesn't need to? More choice is good and it adds a new option for those looking for extensions to their main computer.
I agree. It's something I would like to see on the iPhone under a supported checkbox that essentially says "beyond here be dragons, install third party apps at your own risk" to give users the ability to leave the managed environment if they want.
You want to do something the Phone manufacturer/carrier doesn't want you to do, on iPhone you jailbreak it, on Android you root it.
As I stated, the motivations might be different, but trying to claim that the need to root some Android phones to try and downplay the negative side of that requirement and paint the iPhone as the bad guy here is just disingenuous and only hurts your argument and makes you look like a hypocrite.
"Oh, Android is so open, you can do anything you like, install any apps you like, unlike Apple!"
"What about if you want to install custom firmware or remove some of those stock carrier apps like Sprint's NASCAR one?"
"Oh you just root the phone..."
"How is that different to jailbreaking?"
"Oh it just is. Android is open! woo!"
You can't simply ignore the fact that some carriers and manufacturers have locked up Droid as best they can to make it obtuse and less-than-trivial to modify. This is somewhat of a distortion of the original goal of a mobile OS you can do anything with, but that's the nature of open source projects sometimes - companies who you don't necessarily agree with can also use the code for their projects as long as they follow the licence rules.
As it stands, if I own certain Android phones I am in the exact same boat as an iPhone user if I come across something I want to do that the manufacturer doesn't want me to do - the need to go around their obstructions.
I am an Apple fan, and this is a post I made yesterday:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1731258&cid=33023312
I have made several posts just like it in the past pointing out the downsides in Apple products, as well as the benefits - it's the nature of mass production compared to bespoke construction/design etc.
It seems that the only people who suggest Apple users think their devices are perfect are the anti-Apple crowd who preach it as "fact" without actually knowing much about actual Apple users.
No, it is *exactly* the same thing.
Whatever motivations are behind it are irrelevant, it is *exactly* the same.
I see what you're trying to do (downplay the negatives about Android vendor lock phones and the need to root them to be able to do things with them), but in reality, both iPhone and some Android phones have this problem.
Who is the ignorant one? He asked specifically for a format supported by both Android and iOS4 - that pretty much means h.264 unless he delivers two different videos to the two platforms, and if you can get decent performance from one format that both support, why bother to make it hard for yourself? Presumably you will also want to target hardware video decoders where possible, which also lends itself to h.264.
If the ideology behind using a format other than h.264 is that strong, he shouldn't be developing for iOS 4 in the first place.
I'm not the OP, but my iPhone was free on my contract.
Also, perhaps he liked the features of the phone and they outweighed the downsides (if there were any for him), just like any other consumer decision.
Mine is great (a 3G, now out of contract), but it's by no means perfect. The anti-Apple crowd on /. seem to think that anyone who has an iPhone thinks it is a perfect device with no flaws, but the reality is that it's an excellent phone that has some issues... just like every other phone.
My personal downsides on my iPhone 3G:
* can't remove the stock apps, can only banish them to an unused screen. I understand this for the phone, sms and camera etc and other core apps, but the useless stock market app and weather apps (there are better weather apps on the store) are also not removable or hideable. The new iOS 4 update allows you to group them into one folder at least, but I have not installed that update yet.
* ToDo items don't migrate to your calendar from iCal. No ability to set up new calendars on the phone, only use ones that you have set up on iCal first.
* would like the google maps app to have an option to cache map data within 5 or 10 miles of your current location for times you are about to leave a wifi hotspot or decent 3G area (probably a google api issue rather than phone issue).
* the ringer is too quiet, even on loudest setting
* would like the ability to quickly toggle a setting that keeps the wifi connection alive when the screen locks if I want it too, eg if I am using it at home to control XBMC.
I am looking at new phones - the iPhone 4 is among them, but so are Android phones. Right now though, I am leaning towards an iPhone 4.
The music is not locked in.
The apps are specific to iOS, so they could go for a 3GS if they were finding the iPhone 4 to be useless, but didn't want to part with their apps. In the same way that if I move from Windows, my windows apps don't work on my Mac (without emulation/parallels etc).
They would likely find that the 3GS does not get a signal at all in the areas where the death grip affects the iPhone 4, so swings and roundabouts.
The early days of releasing the webkit code were messy, but they got much better. I think it was 6 of one and half a dozen of the other regarding head clashes between KHTML and Webkit. They had been working on the code in house, in secret for a year before they released Safari, so they had a ton of code to release under the GPL and they didn't necessarily do it very smoothly. They did do it however, and it is now much more closely in line with their many other open source projects in terms of code availability and legibility etc.
Yes, to all of those.
iTunes songs from the store are normal AAC files, with no DRM or other protections. They *are* tagged with your apple ID in one of the metadata fields, but this does not affect any other player's ability to play them. I use a great deal of my iTunes music on Ubuntu, for example, with no need to do anything to the track - download it from the store, and my Ubuntu box sees it in my music folder (via network) and can play it right away, although you can also move the file via USB stick etc. It is not protected or limited in any way.
Er, it's his name?
What else would people call him?
In an informal internet forum do you expect people to type "Mr Jobs" or "Apple CEO, Steven Jobs", or just "The CEO". Even if you have to declare a subject once so you can witch to pronouns, "Steve" is a succinct and accurate representation that is better than his full name.
It's this sort of desperate baiting on silly issues by Apple haters that makes them so endearing. It's almost cute, as long as someone keeps wiping the froth from their neckbeards.
That might be a decent claim if "random slashdot posters" really "don't give a crap about Apple".
I think it is clear that there are many who really do, and not in a positive way.
Of course Jobs is going to present the best case scenario and figures (without actually lying) - that is how statistics work. Everyone does it. A counter example to Apple doing it is the often repeated story about how "android is outselling iPhone" while conveniently leaving out crucial details like a small sampling window of time, and a 2 for 1 deal on droids and the upcoming release of the iPhone 4 occurring in that slot. So, while true, it really needs a disclaimer.
Palin did it with the polar bear population figures, claiming they had doubled. Great, but they were tiny to start with, and it's not evidence that the environment has recovered enough for you to drill for oil up there with no regard for the ecosystem.
The UK government did it with the smoking ban - passive smoking increases your risk of lung cancer by 20%, but the chance of a non-smoker getting it in the first place is so small, that the literal value odds only increased by a tiny amount.
Anyone with a strong bias about a particular product or organisation is going to distort the truth for their own ends, and slashdot is a long, long way wide of a dispassionate observer of Apple (in both directions from neutral).
They were damned either way with this press conference - there is obviously a problem (perhaps several problems, including the software stuff), and not saying anything would raise calls of them just ignoring it (regardless of what they were doing behind the scenes). Apple has been bitten by that one before by keeping silent until it was ready with a fix for a broken product. If they come out and hold a press conference then they are in the situation they are now, with people pouring over every word looking for something to use against them. It is a total no brainer that Steve would present the stats in as positive a light as possible, and there were some he could not release at all (due to AT&T's policies).
In the meantime they will presumably fix the phone's design flaw.
That doesn't change that fact that reasonable, non-flaming discourse like a reply to "Apple does xxxx" with a reply that says "No, in fact [citation provided], Apple does yyyy" earns you troll moderation or a flamebait mod purely because it is positive of Apple.
Replace "Apple" with Google, MS, Sony, Toyota, climate change, Al Gore, Sarah Palin, Obama, McCain, Bush...
It covers a wide range, but is accentuated by "hot" topics - right now that is Apple, and it has become particularly bad since the first speculation of the iPhone (1st gen) surfaced, and has been getting worse.