The weight difference between the new iPad and iPad 2 is barely noticeable unless you hold both devices. The weight of Surface for Windows RT is 676 g or Surface for Windows 8 Pro at 903 g versus the new iPad at 652 g (Wi-Fi) or 662 g (Wi-Fi and Cellular). The 11" MacBook Air weights 1080 g.
There are more than 200,000 apps specifically designed for the new iPad. There are very few apps specifically designed for Surface for Windows RT or Surface for Windows 8 Pro.
There too many design compromises forced by providing Micro SD, USB and video out as well as the keyboard and kickstand. Microsoft is forced to use hardware ports rather than wireless synchronization across devices and platforms due to a lack of a strong cloud storage offering. The end result is neither a tablet nor an ultrabook but a compromise that results in the worst elements of both.
Good one! With iCloud and wireless sync, ports on a tablet are about as useful as tits on a boar. And with a commercial that showed nine different apps in 30 seconds - while there are 250,000 more from which to choose - that "still doesn't do enough for me" is right on target!
LOL...Exactly! I've owned all 3 generations of the iPad. Not once have I ever thought "I wish there was a USB port."
No, it won't, because that's a foolish and unnecessary idea. The iPad has already killed every other tablet. There's no reason for a smaller, pointless size.
It depends if Apple is satisfied with 60% market share or if they want 90% market share. A 7" iPad priced at $249 could do for the iPad market share what the smaller iPods did for apple's MP3 market share when they were announce. Companies were competing with less expensive devices with less capacity. Apple made them all instantly irrelevant with it's expanded iPod line. A 7" iPad (iPad mini?) has the potential to do the same thing. Consider that Apple already sells 10-15 million iPod touches each year and you can see that these is room to sell many millions of a device that is priced and positioned between the iPod touch and the iPad. If they do release a 7" iPad I wouldn't be surprised to see the iPod touch rebranded as a 4" iPad. The iPod touch sells roughly the same units as the Kindle Fire, but doesn't get counted in market share anywhere beyond MP3 players.
I like the ad but really hate the sound of the voice over actor. Hard to put it into words, it is just not a pleasant sounding voice. Sort of reminds me of the Taco Bell voiceover actor who I also don't like. His voice is too stilted, halting, and just doesn't seem suited because he lacks gravitas. Anyone else agree?
Microsoft Surface seems to be everything I want in a portable device, at least from the distance. It's a netbook AND a tablet in one, something Apple refuses to do, so I'm hopeful that they really get it right. They seem focused in the details, which is good. Let us see how far they'll go with that; Apple needs competition in the tablet market, because as it stands, the iPad is useless.
Yes, a tablet that tries so hard to be a netbook that in the Pro configuration, which only really adds the keyboard cover, it is approximately the same weight, and size as a MacBook Air, but with a less capable CPU, memory and storage system. Weight/size to performance is a really big deal in that space and Surface is at the low end of that curve precisely because it does try to do too much.
People are going to go to Best Buy and hold both of them, then wonder why they should get the behemoth Surface if they are looking for a tablet. But I bet a bunch will buy a Surface rather than a netbook if the prices undercut netbooks by much at all. So MS may not bomb, they may just cannibalize their own bread and butter PC market from below. But probably not with the high profit margins necessary to make that cannibalization a net positive.
Those basic facts are clearly true, but his incendiary verbiage exaggerates it needlessly. For example, your comments are very different in degree, from "exorbitantly long charge times or the disconcerting amount of heat".
It's true that it does take longer to charge, longer than desirable, but exorbitant is pushing it. It is true that it does run warmer than previous models, but it's barely warmer in my experience on mine and the store display models that are always on and running something. Most laptops are cookers in comparison, even at idle. It is heavier, but not much so, last I recall, a couple ounces, but I think the trade-off was well worth it to power the screen.
And power the LTE which is a nice speed bump in communications, haven't noticed significant heat and from the temperature measurements I've seen I'm not surprised to find it an insignificant issue.
I see others are comparing it to an Air, that does seem apt.
You'd likely be best to wait for the next version in hopes that they get the hardware better sorted out as the 'new' iPad offers little-to-no addional functionality over the iPad2, and as nice as the higher resolution display is, the compromises made to facilitate the new display hardly seem worth the exorbitantly long charge times or the disconcerting amount of heat it generates.
Wow. What a troll post. Do you even own the damn thing? I've owned an iPad 3 since day one, and what you mention has not once negatively impacted by use of the device. Does it get slightly warmer at times, and does it take slightly longer to charge? Sure, but I probably wouldn't even have noticed had the blogospehere not pointed this out a billion times. And to advise someone to 'skip' it because of these really academic factors? Yeah, screams 'troll'. If someone wants an iPad, they should buy one NOW, not suffer and wait another 10 months for a non-existing product. It's an incredible device, and worse comes to worse it can be sold for most of its retail price if the next one is that much better,
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwmac
I like the ad but really hate the sound of the voice over actor. Hard to put it into words, it is just not a pleasant sounding voice. Sort of reminds me of the Taco Bell voiceover actor who I also don't like. His voice is too stilted, halting, and just doesn't seem suited because he lacks gravitas. Anyone else agree?
I agree. Glad someone else caught this. Better choice of music and voice-over would have made this ad more impactful.
Come on now, you're just itching for the troll label, and you're deserving it here. This comment tells me you haven't actually used the newest iPad, even though you've had several months of opportunities to try it. It's a very nice machine and it barely even gets warm. If you've actually seen or touched one in person, you'd know that.
I think he might be a troll but that doesn't mean he is completely wrong. We bought three iPads recently. Two were the new iPad 2's for the kids and a new iPad 3 for me. My first iPad 3 got really warm and had a very blotchy screen. Returned it and got another one. The screen backlighting is still a bit uneven compared the iPad 2.
Text looks better but apps take more room and it can get pretty warm and the recharge time is pretty long and battery life is shorter than the epic battery life that the iPad 2's have.
Is it a better device than an iPad 2? Honestly, I think it is better but only slightly. Do I love it? Yes. Is it better than microsofts goofy shotgun approach? Yes I think it will be better experience. Is it magical? No, not with the trade offs made.
And power the LTE which is a nice speed bump in communications, haven't noticed significant heat and from the temperature measurements I've seen I'm not surprised to find it an insignificant issue.
I see others are comparing it to an Air, that does seem apt.
I activated the lte data plan when I had to work in Atlanta. Holy cow is that sucker fast. It was giving speeds better than I got on a Comcast cable connection that I thought was fast. Even with a weak lte signal I still got 25 mb down and 10 up.
The only reason why I've upgraded from the iPad 2 is because of tethering (data-only plans are unlimited where I live, contrary to voice+data plans; the iPad's battery lasts much longer than the iPhone's; and even if the battery runs out due to Internet usage I don't lose the ability to make calls), and the only reason why I buy iPads at all is because they entertain other people so I don't have to. The Retina display is nothing special; sure it makes reading a much better experience, but most third-party apps aren't designed for that, so they still display 1024x768 upscaled, and I'm not comfortable reading off an iPad due to its weight (not to mention that iBooks is a piece of crap for PDFs and can get extremely slow on very large documents, such as the C++11 standard). Finally, both the iPhone and the iPad lack a semi-reflective screen background required for direct sunlight readability; for navigation, not text.
Regarding heat, yes, the third-generation iPad can heat up like an iPhone while performing CPU or GPU intensive tasks, especially if it's in a case or cover. It won't burn your skin, but it can get unpleasant to use in environments where ambient temperature is already uncomfortably high.
Microsoft Surface seems to be everything I want in a portable device, at least from the distance. It's a netbook AND a tablet in one, something Apple refuses to do, so I'm hopeful that they really get it right. They seem focused in the details, which is good. Let us see how far they'll go with that; Apple needs competition in the tablet market, because as it stands, the iPad is useless.
It depends if Apple is satisfied with 60% market share or if they want 90% market share. A 7" iPad priced at $249 could do for the iPad market share what the smaller iPods did for apple's MP3 market share when they were announce. Companies were competing with less expensive devices with less capacity. Apple made them all instantly irrelevant with it's expanded iPod line. A 7" iPad (iPad mini?) has the potential to do the same thing. Consider that Apple already sells 10-15 million iPod touches each year and you can see that these is room to sell many millions of a device that is priced and positioned between the iPod touch and the iPad. If they do release a 7" iPad I wouldn't be surprised to see the iPod touch rebranded as a 4" iPad. The iPod touch sells roughly the same units as the Kindle Fire, but doesn't get counted in market share anywhere beyond MP3 players.
I really don't think Apple will get to that price. At $300, OK, maybe. Apple has rarely been in the price matching business with their hardware.
I think he might be a troll but that doesn't mean he is completely wrong. We bought three iPads recently. Two were the new iPad 2's for the kids and a new iPad 3 for me. My first iPad 3 got really warm and had a very blotchy screen. Returned it and got another one. The screen backlighting is still a bit uneven compared the iPad 2.
Text looks better but apps take more room and it can get pretty warm and the recharge time is pretty long and battery life is shorter than the epic battery life that the iPad 2's have.
Is it a better device than an iPad 2? Honestly, I think it is better but only slightly. Do I love it? Yes. Is it better than microsofts goofy shotgun approach? Yes I think it will be better experience. Is it magical? No, not with the trade offs made.
I'm not saying it's magical, but I haven't seen much by the way of significant down sides, except the charging time is long, and that is so easily mitigated by making sure it charges over night. The apps are bigger, but I'm not seeing where the big deal is there either. I have nearly 150 apps and they use 2.2GB total space.
In your case, I think it would have been worth a second exchange to get a better screen.
Comments
There are more than 200,000 apps specifically designed for the new iPad. There are very few apps specifically designed for Surface for Windows RT or Surface for Windows 8 Pro.
There too many design compromises forced by providing Micro SD, USB and video out as well as the keyboard and kickstand. Microsoft is forced to use hardware ports rather than wireless synchronization across devices and platforms due to a lack of a strong cloud storage offering. The end result is neither a tablet nor an ultrabook but a compromise that results in the worst elements of both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kibitzer
Good one! With iCloud and wireless sync, ports on a tablet are about as useful as tits on a boar. And with a commercial that showed nine different apps in 30 seconds - while there are 250,000 more from which to choose - that "still doesn't do enough for me" is right on target!
LOL...Exactly! I've owned all 3 generations of the iPad. Not once have I ever thought "I wish there was a USB port."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
No, it won't, because that's a foolish and unnecessary idea. The iPad has already killed every other tablet. There's no reason for a smaller, pointless size.
It depends if Apple is satisfied with 60% market share or if they want 90% market share. A 7" iPad priced at $249 could do for the iPad market share what the smaller iPods did for apple's MP3 market share when they were announce. Companies were competing with less expensive devices with less capacity. Apple made them all instantly irrelevant with it's expanded iPod line. A 7" iPad (iPad mini?) has the potential to do the same thing. Consider that Apple already sells 10-15 million iPod touches each year and you can see that these is room to sell many millions of a device that is priced and positioned between the iPod touch and the iPad. If they do release a 7" iPad I wouldn't be surprised to see the iPod touch rebranded as a 4" iPad. The iPod touch sells roughly the same units as the Kindle Fire, but doesn't get counted in market share anywhere beyond MP3 players.
I like the ad but really hate the sound of the voice over actor. Hard to put it into words, it is just not a pleasant sounding voice. Sort of reminds me of the Taco Bell voiceover actor who I also don't like. His voice is too stilted, halting, and just doesn't seem suited because he lacks gravitas. Anyone else agree?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vaelian
Microsoft Surface seems to be everything I want in a portable device, at least from the distance. It's a netbook AND a tablet in one, something Apple refuses to do, so I'm hopeful that they really get it right. They seem focused in the details, which is good. Let us see how far they'll go with that; Apple needs competition in the tablet market, because as it stands, the iPad is useless.
Yes, a tablet that tries so hard to be a netbook that in the Pro configuration, which only really adds the keyboard cover, it is approximately the same weight, and size as a MacBook Air, but with a less capable CPU, memory and storage system. Weight/size to performance is a really big deal in that space and Surface is at the low end of that curve precisely because it does try to do too much.
People are going to go to Best Buy and hold both of them, then wonder why they should get the behemoth Surface if they are looking for a tablet. But I bet a bunch will buy a Surface rather than a netbook if the prices undercut netbooks by much at all. So MS may not bomb, they may just cannibalize their own bread and butter PC market from below. But probably not with the high profit margins necessary to make that cannibalization a net positive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
Those basic facts are clearly true, but his incendiary verbiage exaggerates it needlessly. For example, your comments are very different in degree, from "exorbitantly long charge times or the disconcerting amount of heat".
It's true that it does take longer to charge, longer than desirable, but exorbitant is pushing it. It is true that it does run warmer than previous models, but it's barely warmer in my experience on mine and the store display models that are always on and running something. Most laptops are cookers in comparison, even at idle. It is heavier, but not much so, last I recall, a couple ounces, but I think the trade-off was well worth it to power the screen.
And power the LTE which is a nice speed bump in communications, haven't noticed significant heat and from the temperature measurements I've seen I'm not surprised to find it an insignificant issue.
I see others are comparing it to an Air, that does seem apt.
I wonder why Microsoft didn't name theirs the ZUNE?
It was available after all.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
You'd likely be best to wait for the next version in hopes that they get the hardware better sorted out as the 'new' iPad offers little-to-no addional functionality over the iPad2, and as nice as the higher resolution display is, the compromises made to facilitate the new display hardly seem worth the exorbitantly long charge times or the disconcerting amount of heat it generates.
Wow. What a troll post. Do you even own the damn thing? I've owned an iPad 3 since day one, and what you mention has not once negatively impacted by use of the device. Does it get slightly warmer at times, and does it take slightly longer to charge? Sure, but I probably wouldn't even have noticed had the blogospehere not pointed this out a billion times. And to advise someone to 'skip' it because of these really academic factors? Yeah, screams 'troll'. If someone wants an iPad, they should buy one NOW, not suffer and wait another 10 months for a non-existing product. It's an incredible device, and worse comes to worse it can be sold for most of its retail price if the next one is that much better,
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwmac
I like the ad but really hate the sound of the voice over actor. Hard to put it into words, it is just not a pleasant sounding voice. Sort of reminds me of the Taco Bell voiceover actor who I also don't like. His voice is too stilted, halting, and just doesn't seem suited because he lacks gravitas. Anyone else agree?
I agree. Glad someone else caught this. Better choice of music and voice-over would have made this ad more impactful.
I think he might be a troll but that doesn't mean he is completely wrong. We bought three iPads recently. Two were the new iPad 2's for the kids and a new iPad 3 for me. My first iPad 3 got really warm and had a very blotchy screen. Returned it and got another one. The screen backlighting is still a bit uneven compared the iPad 2.
Text looks better but apps take more room and it can get pretty warm and the recharge time is pretty long and battery life is shorter than the epic battery life that the iPad 2's have.
Is it a better device than an iPad 2? Honestly, I think it is better but only slightly. Do I love it? Yes. Is it better than microsofts goofy shotgun approach? Yes I think it will be better experience. Is it magical? No, not with the trade offs made.
I activated the lte data plan when I had to work in Atlanta. Holy cow is that sucker fast. It was giving speeds better than I got on a Comcast cable connection that I thought was fast. Even with a weak lte signal I still got 25 mb down and 10 up.
I am getting tired of these hokey Apple commercials.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vaelian
The only reason why I've upgraded from the iPad 2 is because of tethering (data-only plans are unlimited where I live, contrary to voice+data plans; the iPad's battery lasts much longer than the iPhone's; and even if the battery runs out due to Internet usage I don't lose the ability to make calls), and the only reason why I buy iPads at all is because they entertain other people so I don't have to. The Retina display is nothing special; sure it makes reading a much better experience, but most third-party apps aren't designed for that, so they still display 1024x768 upscaled, and I'm not comfortable reading off an iPad due to its weight (not to mention that iBooks is a piece of crap for PDFs and can get extremely slow on very large documents, such as the C++11 standard). Finally, both the iPhone and the iPad lack a semi-reflective screen background required for direct sunlight readability; for navigation, not text.
Regarding heat, yes, the third-generation iPad can heat up like an iPhone while performing CPU or GPU intensive tasks, especially if it's in a case or cover. It won't burn your skin, but it can get unpleasant to use in environments where ambient temperature is already uncomfortably high.
Microsoft Surface seems to be everything I want in a portable device, at least from the distance. It's a netbook AND a tablet in one, something Apple refuses to do, so I'm hopeful that they really get it right. They seem focused in the details, which is good. Let us see how far they'll go with that; Apple needs competition in the tablet market, because as it stands, the iPad is useless.
Stop Pay Toll!
I really don't think Apple will get to that price. At $300, OK, maybe. Apple has rarely been in the price matching business with their hardware.
I'm not saying it's magical, but I haven't seen much by the way of significant down sides, except the charging time is long, and that is so easily mitigated by making sure it charges over night. The apps are bigger, but I'm not seeing where the big deal is there either. I have nearly 150 apps and they use 2.2GB total space.
In your case, I think it would have been worth a second exchange to get a better screen.