Quick thoughts...are you going to buy an iPad?
The iPad is exactly what my wife wanted. She has an netbook but all she does is surf the web and do emails and update her Facebook. She trades pictures with her out of state relatives and that sort of stuff. I showed her the iPad video presentation and she is actually excited about this product. We were thinks of buy her a Kindle DX but the iPad with a price point of $500 would fit her needs PERFECTLY!
So is anyone else buying a iPad?
So is anyone else buying a iPad?
Comments
Was truly hoping for MBP updates...bummer.
And I was looking forward to this announcement. And I didn't even mind if it was part of a closed ecosystem, or no camera. But the design of both the hardware and software is just so beneath Apple's level of competence that I just can't force myself to desire it.
And no, I do not desire to own it.
At least they got the pricing right. Perhaps that is part of the problem.
The iPad is exactly what my wife wanted. She has an netbook but all she does is surf the web and do emails and update her Facebook. She trades pictures with her out of state relatives and that sort of stuff. I showed her the iPad video presentation and she is actually excited about this product. We were thinks of buy her a Kindle DX but the iPad with a price point of $500 would fit her needs PERFECTLY!
So is anyone else buying a iPad?
You nailed it, this product is for non-geeks. One of my brothers would love and use one, he's computer illiterate. My niece has already said she might start saving.
I think Apple expect developers to make this product great.
Actually they do.
I think it will increase sales of Itouch, as its more portable & pocketable
A touchscreen, which cant play cd's or use memory cards, isnt much use as a multi-purpose alternative to a notebook.
I would jump at a 10"mini mac laptop , with proper keyboard (netbook size) like the sony vaio TZ /Z range.
I bought a 13" macbook this year, my 1st apple product & I love the speed , way faster than windows, & great for editing videos/pics direct from my camera or sd card. Unfortunately its too heavy for me to carry around, so I use a sony vaio TZ which is slower but superlight (about 1.2kg), and I can copy cds of pics etc & give to friends, & I take it on holiday & for presentations, because all the ports are there & SD /usb/ external monitor connections. Unfortunately with the ipad, you'd need another pc to transfer files & special software. Its too much hassle. If you could edit pictures with it , like a graphic tablet, then that might have some use, but even then it has a limited size (overpriced) hardrive for doing that, which cant be increased. You'd have to load & delete video to plaY as the drive is small, & for business people thats too tedious. I'd also be worried about carrying a glass screen with screen not closed, even if its in wallet. I'm sure itd be more likely to break if dropped, than a notebook/netbook. Also how behind is it, not to me able to run mutiple apps? Even a basic netbook can do that
My nokia phone contract has expired & I'm considering the iphone or itouch as an additional internet gadjet or phone, just to get the iapps. I'm more inclined towards an itouch as its much cheaper, & internet on the O2 is to my surprise, much slower than the 3 (three) network. (I've tried O2 & 3 sims in my phone & my friends 3Gs iphones).
On the ipad, No camera is also a hassle & it would be really awkward to handle a screen thats flat on a surface & typing. If you hold it up , youd need 2 hands to keep it there, or youd have to lean it on a wall, window etc to view & type. It would be a pain bringing it out on a tube & watching it flat on your lap.
I'm not sure what the thinking was on the ipad, its illogical as flat laptops dont sell in mass ,well , & is mostly used as far as I can see by service engineers/ couriers etc , not everyday consumers. People dont want 10 inch phone screens, so why would they want this?
The small portable laptop market is strong. I can see lots of sales for this initially as a gimmick, for apple fans, but practically it has limited & awkward use. It'll probably do better than the palm pre but I don't think it will be as big as the iphone.
An itouch with camera on the other hand would do well.
I'm thinking of getting an itouch , & using my 3 wifi/internet & sticking with my vaio notebook
Consumers/Apple would want a fast mini-mac more. That would shake up the pc market. That would also dent the netbook, ultraslim laptop market, especially when people realise how much faster macs are
I see the iPad as a viable tool for markets like restaurants (take the order...send order to kitchen), healthcare folks, etc. Maybe someone will design a bar code scanner for the dock connector (maybe someone has)...in that case, the iPad would make sense as a means of keeping inventory, etc.
But for a computer user, it falls woefully short. The iPad seems like the answer to a question that wasn't being asked.
I was at lunch today and the waiter took our order...in his head. When asked if he needed to write it down, he said no. Then he proceeded to get the order all wrong.
I see the iPad as a viable tool for markets like restaurants (take the order...send order to kitchen), healthcare folks, etc. Maybe someone will design a bar code scanner for the dock connector (maybe someone has)...in that case, the iPad would make sense as a means of keeping inventory, etc.
But for a computer user, it falls woefully short. The iPad seems like the answer to a question that wasn't being asked.
Totally agree with you. Itouch type wifi/internet devices, would be great for service industries (not 10 inch), but I never remember thinking, If only I could take my stand off my LCD monitor so I could carry it on my lap on the tube & view downwards???? Otherwise, what would you lean it against. Its not a great angle to view & type on.
I can imagine, the amount of dropping off laps, incidents occuring on crowded trains, or when youre trying to drink a coffee & have this on your lap precariously, with nothing to balance it out properly.
& theres no stand to use it for presentations. Have you ever seen anyone, lower a laptop screen towards flat level in normal use, its not a desirable viewing angle. 90 degrees is much better.
I was at lunch today and the waiter took our order...in his head. When asked if he needed to write it down, he said no. Then he proceeded to get the order all wrong.
I see the iPad as a viable tool for markets like restaurants (take the order...send order to kitchen), healthcare folks, etc. Maybe someone will design a bar code scanner for the dock connector (maybe someone has)...in that case, the iPad would make sense as a means of keeping inventory, etc.
But for a computer user, it falls woefully short. The iPad seems like the answer to a question that wasn't being asked.
Do you know what the question is? as all those things you gave as an example have had solutions available for years.
I think Apple expect developers to make this product great. Apple's own software is so underwhelming.
Not saying that I'm getting one, but the Apple apps like iWork and iCal are the only reason I'm somewhat interested in the iPad. Those look really slick to me.
I think I'll probably wait for rev b as that should bring a camera to it and hopefully some more ports. The other limitations, such as lack of multi-tasking, can and likely will be addressed with software updates.
It does exactly what I want... It's not a replacement for my computer... but a portable "companion device" that will cover my needs when I travel (3 days every week)... it'll cover my web-browsing and email better than the iPhone does... also better for watching movies on the flight... plus the iWork stuff for LIMITED productivity stuff... though for me it will be mostly an entertainment device.
It'll be interesting to see what external developers come up with... god knows the iPhone does tons of stuff we never envisioned prior to it's release.
Anyway, I guess I'm Apple's target market ... a device between my iPhone and iMac, but not a replacement for either one.
That said, If Apple splashed out on about $3 worth of additional hardware, they would have me jumping at the bit for one.
Here's the deal: I think Apple missed a massive opportunity. They should have whacked IR & RF transmitters in the iPad, so you could use it as a universal remote.
Look at devices like the Logitech Harmony remotes. What are these things but $400 portable touch screens with an IR and RF transmitters? The expensive part is the screen, the processor, and the software development costs. The transmitters cost next to nothing.
With the iPad and iPhone OS, Apple has the portable touchscreen device, the great software, and the great SDK. All they had to do was include two cheap transmitters.
Heck they even have a pre-existing app for controlling external media devices: iRemote. They could have added Universal remote functionality on top of it. The new version of iRemote could be equipped with configurable generic device profiles. and you could download pre-configured vendor supplied profiles with in-App purchases. (which totally bypasses the annoying thing about universal remotes: setting them up.)
This could have been "the killer app" of the iPad. Who would buy a $400 touchscreen remote when a $500 iPad could do the same job and so much more. They could have completely killed the universal remote market.
I have an iPhone and I love it. I've just discovered it's possible to tether it to a computer for use as a modem and I was thinking the iPad should be able to take advantage of this feature.
My iPhone is always with me but due to size, an iPad cannot. Why must I have to be paying for an extra/separate data service when I already have one on my phone? So my first thought was the iPad should be able to tether to my iPhone.
Secondly, I think the ability to attach a removable USB Wireless modem would be an attractive feature.
Looking forward to it
The iPad is exactly what my wife wanted. She has an netbook but all she does is surf the web and do emails and update her Facebook. She trades pictures with her out of state relatives and that sort of stuff. I showed her the iPad video presentation and she is actually excited about this product. We were thinks of buy her a Kindle DX but the iPad with a price point of $500 would fit her needs PERFECTLY!
So is anyone else buying a iPad?