In-depth Review: Apple's iPad 2 running iOS 4.3 - Page 3

Originally Posted by Ireland

This so-called "iPad limitations" segment is like a sales pitch.

Originally Posted by djsherly

The term "Post-PC" is going to be flung around by Apple pundits (DED, and that daring fireball guy) until Steve comes up with the next catchphrase, just like 'curated' came and went, as did 'bag of hurt' before it.

Originally Posted by REC

This article isn't just a love letter to Apple, this is full frontal iPad 2 porn.

Originally Posted by djsherly

Wasn't it more like they couldn't use the improvements?

Originally Posted by cameronj

I dont understand how it's tied to your computer? You plug it in, it activates, and it never has to see your computer again? It sounds like you're just being spiteful.

Originally Posted by REC

This article isn't just a love letter to Apple, this is full frontal iPad 2 porn.

Originally Posted by Ireland

"Spiteful" is a very strange choice of words. So tell me then, what does my Aunt do when she gets her iPad (if she bought one), given that there is no Apple Store in my country, she doesn't have a PC or a Mac, and she lives the other side of the country to me? True story.

Originally Posted by nvidia2008

What? Crticiscm of an Apple product in an AI article? I hope DED is okay.

Originally Posted by sennen

Why does a post-PC device need to be sans-PC? Perhaps Apple's current conception of a post-PC device doesn't match yours.

Originally Posted by Ireland

It comes after the PC, but it needs the PC. Not good.

Originally Posted by sennen

As has been shown with botched roll-outs of synching/updating over the cloud by other manufacturers, we're not ready for a completely independent device. Apple has chosen the reliability of occasional tethering.

Originally Posted by REC


So yeah, while I do think they could've done better, I don't think they 1. anticipated this kind of demand, it was insane and 2. it is not in Apple's DNA to be open about every detail, and we shouldn't expect them to be.

Consider for just a moment if the opposite had occurred, which is entirely probable (alternate universe time): Nobody wants the iPad2. It's not a real PC, doesn't have enough ports, doesn't run flash and its just a big expensive toy. Ok, Apple posts per-store inventory on their website for the launch to help people find iPad2's, except it turns out nobody wants them. Now its nothing but bad PR for the company: Any schmo reporter can look up online all the overstock iPad2's Apple has in the channel, how they totally misjudged things. Look at all the wasted silicon and glass they have sitting on their shelves. APPL would take a huuuuuuge tumble, the future of the company would come into question. If nobody wants the iPad, and the company was betting its future on this device, what kind of growth can they really expect?

If you were an APPL investor in this scenario, I think you'd be mighty pissed. What the hell was Apple thinking? Why would they be so public about their actual inventory numbers? In this respect posting that info publicly comes with risk, and is a big gamble to shareholders. Especially for a new product category only 1 year old, especially for something that has had unpredictable success and growth in just 9 months when most people, companies and analysts still don't fully understand what is going on.

But to summarize, no. I don't think it is the best Apple can do. I also don't think any of your suggestions quite work.

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

I purchased this from the Apple web site the day after it was released with a shipment date of April 14. Apple just cancelled my order and put the money back in my checking account.

Not good!

Originally Posted by Sue Denim

yea. Guess I'll stop posting for a while.

I find it interesting that only one person answered the question, "do you really think this is the best Apple could do [to inform their customers of inventory]?", or "or do you really only see wins in every single tradeoff made in the product".

If you say yes, then you tell me all I need to know. It's a waste of time to try to reason with those that have no room for reason. This comic comes to mind: http://xkcd.com/386/

Originally Posted by djsherly

The term "Post-PC" is going to be flung around by Apple pundits (DED, and that daring fireball guy) until Steve comes up with the next catchphrase, just like 'curated' came and went, as did 'bag of hurt' before it.

Originally Posted by Ireland

"Spiteful" is a very strange choice of words. So tell me then, what does my Aunt do when she gets her iPad (if she bought one), given that there is no Apple Store in my country, she doesn't have a PC or a Mac, and she lives the other side of the country to me? True story.

Originally Posted by sennen

Why is it not good? It seems that you are the only one here who has a significant problem with this. It's not unreasonable in 2011, 30 years into the PC era, for Apple to expect that people will have access to friends, relatives or an Apple store to do this initial sync or further synching if required.

Again, post does not equate to sans. It's obvious that we are in a transitional period now. As has been shown with botched roll-outs of synching/updating over the cloud by other manufacturers, we're not ready for a completely independent device. Apple has chosen the reliability of occasional tethering.

If that doesn't work for you or your Aunt, then the time isn't right for you or your Aunt to get an iPad. We are only 12-odd months into this new paradigm, after all.

Originally Posted by FreeRange

Unless they limit how many each person can buy...

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

I purchased this from the Apple web site the day after it was released with a shipment date of April 14. Apple just cancelled my order and put the money back in my checking account.

Not good!

Originally Posted by cameronj

You just said you could activate it on your PC but you choose not to. That's spiteful.

Originally Posted by Ireland

If you want Flash the iPad is not for you. That is a feature. Flash is a POC technology that was a stop-gap until the web grew up.

Originally Posted by Neruda

Well, the rampant scalping that is going on is not helping and Apple should try to do something about it so that people that want to purchase an iPad for personal use can do so.

I tried to purchase an iPad at an Apple store and there were a large group of Asians (they were there together) buying iPads. This has been going on in NYC and has been well documented.
See here and here. Not to single out Asians as the only group doing this, but that is what I and others have seen.

The store I saw this in was in NJ.

Originally Posted by Neruda

Well, the rampant scalping that is going on is not helping and Apple should try to do something about it so that people that want to purchase an iPad for personal use can do so.

I tried to purchase an iPad at an Apple store and there were a large group of Asians (they were there together) buying iPads. This has been going on in NYC and has been well documented.
See here and here. Not to single out Asians as the only group doing this, but that is what I and others have seen.

The store I saw this in was in NJ.

Originally Posted by Aeolian

I don't like the race comment, but this is happening in RI also. We only have one store in Providence and the scalpers are 100+ deep before the store opens. Every one of them buys two at a time, and they don't care what color or storage capacity.

Originally Posted by cameronj

No way! They shouldn't let Asians buy iPads! At least not more than one Asian at a time!

I wonder what they think about all the roundeyes trying to buy up all the iPads and scalp them on Craigslist?

Originally Posted by Sue Denim


But my point was things like: Apple could have a lousy inventory notifier at least as lame as they had back in the iPhone3G days (where you could see what stores had inventory). And if they wanted, a much better system. They could let people know in line how many they have in stock, so lots of people could go home. They have people in-store at 7, but they won't open the doors or sell them until 9. And there are rumors that they are holding some back each day for the next day. Etc., etc.

Originally Posted by drobforever

Scalpers exist because there's demand in China, period. There's a whole bunch of ultra-rich people in China that wants to play with the iPad2 right now, they don't want to wait, that's why they're willing to buy from the scalpers at inflated price. I don't see the point to complain about this huge demand of iPad2 from these Chinese people, they're also humans and they should also be allowed to buy iPad2, not to mention that it's actually Chinese workers who made most of them.

Originally Posted by Neruda

Right. So let's ignore reality in order to conform to your politically correctness. And round-eyes? Very hypocritical of of you to use such an epithet for someone ostensibly complaining about potentially discriminatory practices.

1. It is not only Asians that are scalping, but there the scalping is going on, it is primarily being done by Asians. See this video. I pretty much saw the same thing at a store in NJ.

2. Apple does not have to enact any policy singling out any particular group, but can institute policies that apply to everyone equally (in store activation or limiting 1 per customer).

Originally Posted by Neruda

I don't disagree with any of the above, but if you are going to have a conversation discussing the reasons why the iPad 2 is in such short supply, then scalping has to be discussed as one of the many reasons for this.

Originally Posted by cameronj

Way to miss the joke. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You clearly don't understand reality, why should I expect you to understand a complex joke where I imply the races are warring against each other, each suspicious of WHY the other race wants to buy iPads, calling names.

You're an idiot.

Originally Posted by Sue Denim

S

a) they could just tell the lines that are waiting how many machines they have for sale that day and what variants. (they do this right before they open the door -- after people have waited all night).

b) they could offer security so that they could let the waiters in the mall, instead of outside.

c) they could open the store when they get the delivery and not wait until the exact preset time

d) they could reinstate the lame inventory system they had for the iPhone 3G that showed which stores had inventory
e) they could improve it so it told number of units (they have that in their inventory systems)
f) the vouchers would work fine: you just take their ID information when you give them so they can't sell them

g) since you know what's coming to the store the next day (if the rumors that they pre-stock them is wrong), you could just presell them one day earlier. Just book the sale that day, and let them pick it up the next day. Thus people don't have to wait in line all night.

Originally Posted by GQB

Try thinking a few moments into the future.
We're just at the beginning.

Originally Posted by Neruda

I'm not saying Asians/Chinese are the only ones scalping, but see this video.

Perhaps Apple should limit 1 per customer and require in store activation or come up with better solutions to this if they can.

Originally Posted by Neruda

Right. So let's ignore reality in order to conform to your politically correctness. And round-eyes? Very hypocritical of of you to use such an epithet for someone ostensibly complaining about potentially discriminatory practices.

1. It is not only Asians that are scalping, but there the scalping is going on, it is primarily being done by Asians. See this video. I pretty much saw the same thing at a store in NJ.

2. Apple does not have to enact any policy singling out any particular group, but can institute policies that apply to everyone equally (in store activation or limiting 1 per customer).

Originally Posted by DanaCameron

The second problem is the real one, though I'm still on the fence about WiFi only or WiFi+3G. Right now, my anticipated data usage wouldn't be excessive (good WiFi availability most places I'll be using it), but I would want the freedom to consume data from anywhere. I've been leaning toward tethering a WiFi only iPad 2 with my iPhone 4, but article brought up the issue of greater battery drain, which I hadn't considered. How big a hit will tethering be on the iPhone 4 battery?

Originally Posted by cameronj

Yep, scalping is why the iPad2 is in such short supply. And there's nothing wrong with that. Every scalper buys the iPad and sells that single iPad to a single user out there who is willing to pay more for his iPad than you are for yours. And he has every right to find a willing seller to sell it to him.

The most amazing part of that video was the idiot reporter sounding so surprised about the fact that, despite all the security guards and police and cameras, the scalpers were still doing their business openly.

THATS BECAUSE IT IS NOT ILLEGAL

Originally Posted by cvaldes1831

Correct.

Ireland (and others) don't get it.

They apparently do not remember Microsoft's complete debacle with the T-Mobile Sidekick. A lot of users had paperweights because over-the-air syncing failed and there was no hard-wired backup option (or rather, it wasn't available unless you paid for third-party options).

Ongoing snafus with cloud computing services have basically soured the notion of a consumer-grade wireless solution for the next several years. These companies can't even keep a cellphone working. How the heck are they going to support more complicated devices.

99.99% of Apple's customers have computers anyhow (or can get themselves to an Apple Retail Store). Apple is making strides in cutting the hard-wire umbilical cord by introducing Home Sharing, AirPrint, AirPlay, and other technologies, they are correct in being conservative with their syncing policies. That said, I am now doing much of my data syncing over the air (mail, contacts, calendar, notes); hardwire syncing with my computer is mostly for transferring large apps. However, I do have the assurance that the backup resides locally (and regularly backed up) and not in the hands of of some dubious Fortune 500 company who doesn't understand basic system administration and backup processes.

Originally Posted by Sue Denim

Sorry Archos, thought my points were obvious.

Also note, I'm an Apple product fan (more or less). i have an iPad 1, 2 iPhones, 4 Mac laptops, 2 Mac Mini's, and my original Mac 128. That doens't mean I'm going to become a blind fanboi and pretend everything they do is great or putting my interests ahead of their media games.



Flash 10.1 has existed for mobile for a while, 10.2 is out too. Are you saying that Apple wanted it on there, but Adobe is holding it up? Or are you willing to concede that your point was a poor one (just a distraction)?



SD card don't have to have a spot for dirt (see MacBookPro), and it certainly isn't worse than the dock port Apple has. So your point is weak. I don't need SD, but others like it. I would like USB or video without a dongle though.




My point about keyboards is with the iPad 1, Apple gave us a lame one (the wobble-top). I would have liked some options, and in a few months, 3rd parties will provide it. But many companies try to guarantee that there are options like this on release. (The current ones with integrated cases don't exactly fit the new form factor well).




4) Foxconn is just one of the manufacturers (that Apple picked). Apple is the distributor. They could have far better distribution mechanisms if they wanted. I already gave a few ideas for better distribution:

a) they could just tell the lines that are waiting how many machines they have for sale that day and what variants. (they do this right before they open the door -- after people have waited all night).
b) they could offer security so that they could let the waiters in the mall, instead of outside.
c) they could open the store when they get the delivery and not wait until the exact preset time
d) they could reinstate the lame inventory system they had for the iPhone 3G that showed which stores had inventory
e) they could improve it so it told number of units (they have that in their inventory systems)
f) the vouchers would work fine: you just take their ID information when you give them so they can't sell them
g) since you know what's coming to the store the next day (if the rumors that they pre-stock them is wrong), you could just presell them one day earlier. Just book the sale that day, and let them pick it up the next day. Thus people don't have to wait in line all night.

I could go on, and on.



The facts are, we know Apple could put their customers first. We know they aren't making it convenient. That kinda leaves one to wonder if they just aren't that smart, or if they are doing this on purpose. I suspect the latter -- they like the press. But you're free to disagree. But you don't look very wise (or make Apple look very smart) when you pretend that there's no possibility that you could be wrong.

Have you noticed that I remained polite. But those that don't want to hear anything but Apple is perfect, are somewhat rude. So far, I have to be stupid or a moron because I think there's a better system to distributing iPads than making people camp out all night and wait until 9:00, when Apple knows well in advance exactly what inventory they have (or are going to have) at that store? Really?