iPad

[shadowgoten]

I'd rather get a tablet pc anyday over this garbage. For the price alone you can buy a decent laptop that will stomp this piece of shit into the ground, and you'd have a ton more hard drive space.

[wesker]

[hRook]

I'd spend $500 to not have to carry around a backpack full of textbooks ever again.

[wesker]

Kindle?

[DimensionWarped]

I'd spend $500 to not have to carry around a backpack full of textbooks ever again.

Aren't you finishing up your undergrad pretty soon anyway?

[hRook]

Yeah but it doesn't kill my argument. I'm just saying it's great for students.

It's just cool to hate Apple now, isn't it?

[tentril]

Yeah but it doesn't kill my argument. I'm just saying it's great for students.

It's just cool to hate Apple now, isn't it?

Hasn't it always been? iPods excluded.

[FanGameRevolver]

Dude...$500 bucks? seriously? My laptop was priced about the same and it has more space, I can play games with a controller on it, its just about as portable, and can use tons more applications. Not only would you not buy this if you had an iphone...I don't think you would but this if you had a laptop either.

*Takes apart laptop by riping it in half. Takes the half with the screen* There an Ipad.

[shadowgoten]

Yeah but it doesn't kill my argument. I'm just saying it's great for students.

It's just cool to hate Apple now, isn't it?

Negative, I have an iphone, I love it. As for this, it's an oversized iphone, with a bit beefier specs. Iphone is very limited in what it can and can't do, and this pad will be the same way.

[hRook]

Man, I'll be honest. A lot of what the iPhone is limited by on an interface design standpoint has to do with its limited onscreen space. Eliminating that hurdle would really extend the capabilities of the device. The iPad has the potential to be that extension. I'm optimistic, but I'll wait until I actually use one to pass judgment on it.

[shadowgoten]

Man, I'll be honest. A lot of what the iPhone is limited by on an interface design standpoint has to do with its limited onscreen space. Eliminating that hurdle would really extend the capabilities of the device. The iPad has the potential to be that extension. I'm optimistic, but I'll wait until I actually use one to pass judgment on it.

I guess it's cause i'm almost 100% positive that this will just be the iphone/itouch UI tacked on, which can and will be extremely limited. Someone will come along and jailbreak it, potentially adding some nifty capabilities to it.

[wesker]

It's just cool to hate Apple now, isn't it?

It's just cool to say that when someone doesn't like an Apple product, isn't it?

EDIT: Also: http://gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad

[Alonguy]

Bleh, Apple... I like their portable devices, but, as my mom once said, their computers are "Idiot friendly and user incompatible."

I agree. I prefer Linux or XP, but I'm stuck with Fedora and Vista XP.

[hRook]

It's just cool to say that when someone doesn't like an Apple product, isn't it?

It's just cool to quip that when somebody defends Apple, isn't it?

I guess it's cause i'm almost 100% positive that this will just be the iphone/itouch UI tacked on

If that's the reason you've shaped your stance around, ok. But, it's merely an assumption. Personally, I doubt they'd go through the trouble/R&D/millions of dollars that it took to develop this product and just "tack on" its UI. If there's any company that's a total UI fiend, it's Apple. But, that also is merely assumption.

I'm not trying to blindly defend the iPad. I am just trying to emphasize two points: the iPad will offer intriguing options in both application design and in practical use of technology for the everyman, and you guys shouldn't be so quick to dismiss a product that was announced yesterday and won't be released until March.

None of us knows how well this will be executed, a measure of any given piece of technology is not its capability to run Genesis ROMs, and if you'd rather buy a $500 laptop, buy a $500 laptop.

[Aaron C-T]

Personally, I doubt they'd go through the trouble/R&D/millions of dollars that it took to develop this product and just "tack on" its UI. If there's any company that's a total UI fiend, it's Apple. But, that also is merely assumption.

I think a lot of the tacked-on feeling comes from stuff like, say, the lock and home screens which could easily do with some widgets or something- because it's otherwise completely empty.

[ila]

Man, amazing how wrong my expectations were shattered with this topic.

[shadowgoten]

If that's the reason you've shaped your stance around, ok. But, it's merely an assumption. Personally, I doubt they'd go through the trouble/R&D/millions of dollars that it took to develop this product and just "tack on" its UI. If there's any company that's a total UI fiend, it's Apple. But, that also is merely assumption.

There's no denying that apple is great with their UI's (their OS is great, though I don't use it myself), they are indeed very user friendly, sometimes they're friendly enough to be restrictive, which is fine for an iphone. The articles out on the net are already showing that it is indeed running the same UI software as iPhone and iTouch, except they added a few extra features, like adding a background to your UI. I remember reading that people have found calls for iPad features in the new iphone dev kit : \. The browser on the iphone/touch can't even pull up flash, which has been a huge source of concern, they've already confirmed that as of now the ipad will not be able to pull up flash either, which further pushes the whole "it's using the same UI as the 2 other devices" stigma.

This thing has great potential, but honestly they need to ditch the itouch/iphone copycat thing and go for something closer to the mac OS, just keep it lite. Also the price point is absolutely ludicrous for something with 16~64 gigs of hard drive space, double that for the same price, stop using proprietary everything and get with the program. Unfortunately apple knows it does not have to do this, because there is and always will be people that will shit their pants at the sight of this device, and buy on the spot.

EDIT: P.S. it can't multi task at this point ;_;, go read the gizmodo article wesker posted.

Double edit: I just checked out the kindle for shits and giggles, it's definitely not worth it for me honestly. If you wanted to get the more expensive kindle THEN I can see where you'd rather go for the iPad instead, they're similarly priced, and you'll get way more bang for your buck with the iPad.

[DimensionWarped]

But you can use it to read Wikipedia anywhere in the world. Tell me thats not awesome.

[hRook]

The browser on the iphone/touch can't even pull up flash, which has been a huge source of concern, they've already confirmed that as of now the ipad will not be able to pull up flash either, which further pushes the whole "it's using the same UI as the 2 other devices" stigma.

Who cares if it doesn't use flash? The only relevant use flash has on the web nowadays is streaming media, which the iPhone/iPod Touch handles without it. Using Flash is terrible, terrible web design, for reasons I won't go into for the concern of relevancy.

This thing has great potential, but honestly they need to ditch the itouch/iphone copycat thing and go for something closer to the mac OS, just keep it lite.

Why would they do that? The iPhone OS was built from the ground up for a touch-based interface. OSX was built for a mouse/keyboard interface. The reason touchscreen PCs suck has nothing to do with the hardware used in the devices, it has to do with the fact that Windows wasn't designed for that interface. It makes sense that Apple would want to expand its touch-based OS to its touch-based devices.

Also, keep in mind that touch-based devices can change and upgrade almost all of their features via software updates because so much more of the functionality is based in the software.

EDIT: P.S. it can't multi task at this point ;_;, go read the gizmodo article wesker posted.

I'm sure if that becomes a real user-end problem, it will be addressed in an update. However, I think the judgment "it can't multitask" is a bit loaded. Perhaps you can't have two windows open right next to each other (or three, four, five... however much you want to partition your RAM/CPU usage). But, you could still, say, take a photo in Camera then open that photo for editing in Photoshop. You're still using multiple applications to accomplish your goal, they're just not open at the same time.

[Aaron C-T]

You're still using multiple applications to accomplish your goal, they're just not open at the same time.

I don't buy it, man. Based on well, this, and everyone's general understanding of how multitasking works.

[wesker]

It's just cool to quip that when somebody defends Apple, isn't it?

It's just cool to get into endless loops, isn't it?

[tentril]

It's just cool to get into endless loops, isn't it?

It most certainly is.

[shadowgoten]

Who cares if it doesn't use flash? The only relevant use flash has on the web nowadays is streaming media, which the iPhone/iPod Touch handles without it.

Negative, that's the one downfall to web browsing with it right now, it can do most websites, but when you throw flash into the mix it just can't handle it.

Why would they do that? The iPhone OS was built from the ground up for a touch-based interface. OSX was built for a mouse/keyboard interface. The reason touchscreen PCs suck has nothing to do with the hardware used in the devices, it has to do with the fact that Windows wasn't designed for that interface. It makes sense that Apple would want to expand its touch-based OS to its touch-based devices.

I'm an Iphone owner here, I'm lamenting how this software being put on a giant pad with the same exact enhanced software is not going to be good, it's still going to be high restrictive in what you can and can't do.

Also, keep in mind that touch-based devices can change and upgrade almost all of their features via software updates because so much more of the functionality is based in the software.

While this may be true, I'm almost certain (and I'll be more than happy if they can prove me wrong) that apple will do nothing to rectify this, no matter how much bitching there is about it.

I'm sure if that becomes a real user-end problem, it will be addressed in an update. However, I think the judgment "it can't multitask" is a bit loaded. Perhaps you can't have two windows open right next to each other (or three, four, five... however much you want to partition your RAM/CPU usage). But, you could still, say, take a photo in Camera then open that photo for editing in Photoshop. You're still using multiple applications to accomplish your goal, they're just not open at the same time.

It doesn't have a camera ;D. Though that problem is something others are giving the device shit about, I really don't care that much. The photoshop application as of now is a pretty dumbed down version, we'll see if they can actually do something with the iPad and make it somewhat better

I guess my big issue with this whole thing is the amount of money apple is charging for the limitations they are surely not going to fix here. It's obviously just a kindle rival, and since the bigger kindle model is like $480, they can completely justify the ridiculo price tag they'e already slapped on for this thing. And the sizes they are going to put out is 100% completely ridiculous, 16 gigs, this is fine for a telephone, but for a fucking "tablet PC" fighter? This is starting to get pretty annoying when they can get away with something like that. Which brings me back to my point before, there will always be people that will buy this, no matter what, and apple knows this, they can and will sell it as is with their software and then update it along the way if there's enough bitching about some of the limitations. I'll be glad if they can prove me wrong and actually beef up the OS on this thing, cause I'll be honest an oversized iPhone OS copy wouldn't cut it for me.

And I know other iPhone users on here can vouch for these things, ask Wesker.

[DimensionWarped]

I don't know about that. One of the reasons the Kindle DX is so expensive is that it's using e-Paper which is a bleeding edge emerging technology. This just uses a typical touchscreen LCD.

[Pheonix Gamma]

I got an iPod Touch for Christmas. I was impressed by what I could do with it. Then I went to Gametrailers. And a shitload of other sites that use flash a lot. Then I realized why so many sites have apps of their sites on the app store. (cause they use flash).

I don't mind my iPod having lackluster web browsing, but this is supposed to be a tablet computer. A d quite frankly, they haven't explained WHY we should buy this (other than "it's bigger").