Apple reveals long-awaited multi-touch 'iPad'

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  • Reply 501 of 785
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AsianBob View Post


    Plenty of websites out there with fun Flash-based games to kill a little or a lot of time. You wouldn't need to buy a game from the App Store. Just point the browser to one of these many free sites and play away.



    And flash-based Hulu with free movies
  • Reply 502 of 785
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    LMFAO



    Well you gotta give props to the loyal ones for getting excited over this. I think this thing could have been twice as thick & have half the features, and many loyal fans of Apple would still get excited.



    A few people raise good points though, like with aspect ratio, smart card readers, that sort of thing.



    This is like a cross between a computer, a real tablet, and an ipod touch. It seems perfect for someone who just wants to browse the web for a few minutes, look at or share some photos in more vivid detail than the ipod touch would, and even play a few casual games.



    I guess I was expecting a computer in the traditional sense. Also, the rumors really built this thing up so it was a bit of a let-down. The if the facial recognition rumor had been true, this thing would be looked at differently I think, but what's the point if there's no reason to have profiles?
  • Reply 503 of 785
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gin_tonic View Post


    And flash-based Hulu with free movies



    I think hulu is the main reason I'm disappointed over lack of flash support, but if rumors about hulu are true, and they will start to charge for their service, then meh.



    I personally don't have a list of favorite sites that require flash.
  • Reply 504 of 785
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Composing long emails, cutting and pasting - use the optional keyboard... duh!





    That would certainly help a little however there are a lot of touch only features in that demo of iWork, so no, it will not be like using a mouse to select text or drop a cursor into a sentence which for me is a major part of composing a long document or memo. So the 'duh!' part of your post was just meaningless.
  • Reply 505 of 785
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SOLSTICE1221 View Post


    iPad? Who were the geniuses that came up with that name? Did they not know that millions of women refer to their tampons as pads? Does the iPad have wings? Can you swim in it? WTF!?



    So you a pad of paper causes you to giggle every time it is mentioned? Or when someone says come over to my pad you go into shock? Or a cat pads across the table ... how about taking the shuttle out to the launch pad, NASA causes you embarrassment? A keypad? A Game Pad? How about a helipad? You see feminine hygiene in all these? You need to get help I think
  • Reply 506 of 785
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Apple games are all C/ObjC/C++/ObjC++ with OpenGL. What part of "Flash" do these games need?



    Maybe not need, but the new Flash (I guess version 11) will allow Flash to export to iPhone app. So then all of the Flash haters will quieting go out and purchase the dreaded Adobe product because Obj C was too difficult to learn - but Flash has made it easy to write IpHone apps with the next version due out soon.
  • Reply 507 of 785
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    I think you've missed my point entirely. I have a computer. I don't need a laptop because that's a fully functional computer that you can carry around. What I want is a mobile that I can sync with my main computer and use to create and peruse documents of various types. Basically a second computer much like a netbook.



    The iPhone allows for that, except for the "creation" part, and excepting the small size. What I was expecting here (and I don't think by any means I am alone in this), was a device like the iPHone, but bigger, and with content creation abilities. The iPad attempt to be that, but it fails technologically IMO. Needless to say later versions will do what I want, I think they could have done it with this version however instead of focussing on the media consumption angle. Selling devices specifically to passively consume media obviously is "the thing" lately, and obviously will make them a ton of money. I was merely hoping for a bit more, or in fact, *anything* that used technology to solve some of these problems.



    What we have is a big iPod, with *no* new technology, that solves none of the problems associated with tablet computing and on top of that, eschews the use of some previously discovered solutions, like a stylus.



    Why leave out a stylus, if what you have without it is not as good? I was assuming they would leave out the stylus, but have some cool method that replaced it. Instead they just left it out.



    Why leave out thumb typing (which works so well on the iPhone), when they have nothing to replace it with?



    The main physical design problems with tablets always have been input related. The biggest one of all has always been, .... how do you type on it without putting it down? The idea being that if you have to put it down on a surface to type on it, you might as well be carrying a laptop.



    The most often proffered solution to this problem has been pen input, and either holding the big tablet in the crook or your arm, or making the tablet smaller. Apple has made it smaller and lighter, but they've taken away the stylus and replaced it with basically nothing at all.



    Apple's solution is that you simply don't type on it without putting it down or you type on it like all tablets in the past by poking at a virtual keyboard with one finger at a time. This is seriously lame, and worthy of criticism.



    Rather than considering what the iPad doesn't do, I think it has to be assessed based on what it does do. For anyone considering purchasing this or any product, it comes down to whether or not a particular product performs functions that warrant buying it.



    While you downplay what this machine can do, I believe that quite a few people will find it useful. Don't forget that you have a lot of people who have been using the iPhone and Touch to perform many of the functions that the iPad will. I think with a starting price of about $500, many of those people will find it appealing to have the opportunity to perform those functions on a device with a much larger screen. Apple will lose the opportunity to sell this unit to individuals who wanted the unit to do more but the potential customer base for this device is such that it's going to be successful just the same.



    Keep in mind, too, that Apple operates on the notion that if you can't do something right, don't do it all. It's not as if any other company has successfully tamed the tablet's shortcomings. Tablets have been notoriously unpopular, pricey devices. The iPad, on the other hand, at least at first glance, would appear to be a reasonably priced device with a good shot at being popular.
  • Reply 508 of 785
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Flounder View Post


    Sadly, he utterly refuses. It gets him attention. Best to just put him on ignore.



    How do you put someone on ignore?
  • Reply 509 of 785
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    Good that there is no Flash.



    If they included flash you'd be celebrating it.



    Don't say "good that there is no flash" as if it's a good thing that any device isn't more robust. If it's not capable of doing flash because of hardware limitations, fine, but why would anyone WANT a gadget to lack features?
  • Reply 510 of 785
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Flounder View Post


    Sadly, he utterly refuses. It gets him attention. Best to just put him on ignore.



    It won't kill you to shift your eye balls a few inches to the right lol.
  • Reply 511 of 785
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Maybe not need, but the new Flash (I guess version 11) will allow Flash to export to iPhone app. So then all of the Flash haters will quieting go out and purchase the dreaded Adobe product because Obj C was too difficult to learn - but Flash has made it easy to write IpHone apps with the next version due out soon.



    That's awesome. I had no idea that was being implemented.
  • Reply 512 of 785
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    If they included flash you'd be celebrating it.



    Don't say "good that there is no flash" as if it's a good thing that any device isn't more robust. If it's not capable of doing flash because of hardware limitations, fine, but why would anyone WANT a gadget to lack features?



    I am allowed to my opinion as you are to yours. It was only one small point in a list you missed out, do you disagree with the rest of the comments too or just that one? I don't see the ability to run Flash as a required feature on this device. I use Click to Flash on all of my Macs and am very happy to block it (BTW when you do you see large clear boxes over buttons on many web sites that are traps to load ads and god knows what). When I want to run it I can, simple as that. The iPad I see no need.
  • Reply 513 of 785
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    I can cancel my Kindle order now... sorry Amazon.
  • Reply 514 of 785
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Is it wrong to consider this device a "Kindle killer"?
  • Reply 515 of 785
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    I don't think the price is particularly good either. Since this device is intended principally for the consumption of visual media, nothing less than the 64gb version is likely going to be adequate.



    That's $699 to start with.



    Case - got to have the case - what's that - another $30?



    $729



    Got to have the SD card adapter and the USB one - that's $20 each.



    $769



    Keyboard and stand - got some reports to catch up on - got to have the keyboard - That's $60.



    $829



    $1 - the cost of the bullet to shoot myself with when I realise I could have had a Macbook for only $170 more.
  • Reply 516 of 785
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    ?You?ll Rule the World?

    Alan Kay, regarding his reaction to the iPhone in January 2007:



    When the Mac first came out, Newsweek asked me what I [thought] of it. I said: Well, it?s the first personal computer worth criticizing. So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you?ll rule the world.





    Daring Fireball 10-01-27 11:52 AM John Gruber http://daringfireball.net/
  • Reply 517 of 785
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Postulant View Post


    Is it wrong to consider this device a "Kindle killer"?



    Yes - try reading an LCD screen in direct sunlight vs e-ink.
  • Reply 518 of 785
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Super casual computing.



    I think this sums it up best. My wife and I both spend a little time each day reading the news headlines or watching a few YouTube videos. For that, we usually end up with both our laptops sitting on our kitchen table, which is overkill.



    But now I'm picturing TV ads with people in sweaters and khaki pants and easy listening music. Casual computing, brought to you by Apple.



    But judging by the comments here, the product should have been called iBezel!
  • Reply 519 of 785
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rhetoric.assassin View Post


    so how many laptops/tablets do you type on standing up? You have a third appendage capable of holding up a such a device while you freely type with your other two hands?



    There is plenty you can do with it while holding it with one hand...so i guess you are disappointed that it does not magnetically levitate in the perfect position in front of you at all times...



    Don't be an idiot. Laptops have to be lied down to be useful. The idea of a tablet is that you can use it like a clipboard (standing up), and because it lacks a keyboard, it (lamely) usually needs to be lied down to type on it. This is one of the central physical limitations of the tablet, one of the main reasons people don't use a tablet, and one that Apple was rumoured to have solved.



    I am disappointed that they haven't solved it is all.



    Two handed-thumb typing is an obvious solution that works well on the iPhone, but that has been explicitly buggered with this design. So not only does this tablet not solve any significant problems of previous tablets, it takes away one possible solution on top of that.
  • Reply 520 of 785
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cnocbui View Post


    Yes - try reading an LCD screen in direct sunlight vs e-ink.



    When I get my hands on one, I certainly will. Besides, less than 1% of my reading is done in direct sunlight.

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