The morning after the tablet
In Silicon Valley yesterday, all eyes were on Apple, its boss Steve Jobs, and the unveiling of a new product - which meant that they were not, alas, on the president giving his first State of the Union speech.
Here, it was all about the "State of the Slate"; the slate, as many of you know, is another name for a tablet computer, and the phrase is my lame attempt at a topical quip.
Talking of names, the now-unveiled tablet is called the iPad, a name that has been causing quite a bit of female mirth.
If you are of a sensitive nature, please look away from the next few paragraphs. On Twitter, this Fast Company headline was tweeted like crazy: "Apple's iPad name not the first choice for women. Period."
The New York Times notes that it was not just women who were surprised by the choice of name from a company that plans things down to the very last detail.
The newspaper said that when PR and social media professional Peter Shankman saw the name on television, he was taken aback. "I'm waiting for the second version that comes with wings," he said.
Moving along.
The secrecy surrounding the iPad was phenomenal. Usually, companies dish out up-and-coming products to a select legion of reviewers and industry influencers so that they can try them out and, come press time, talk about them in a considered and knowledgeable fashion.
That didn't happen with the iPad. The first time anyone outside of Apple got to play around with the device was after Steve Jobs' presentation in a room next to the Yerba Buena centre.
We had an hour or so with the machine, and on hand was a host of Apple employees to help us get to grips with this new "third category of computing" that Mr Jobs is trying to promote.
The most enthusiastic person I came across in this room full of analysts, industry watchers, bloggers, journos and geeks was the actor and comedian Stephen Fry.
He was beside himself with joy at getting the opportunity to mess around with the iPad to see what it could do.
"It's transcendentally smooth and fast. It's astounding. God, it's beautiful. The display is stunning. I'm drooling with anticipation."
Mr Fry admitted that he could hardly contain himself and is dying to own one.
His energy was loveable - even if some of us were jealous that Mr Fry was being chaperoned by Apple design guru Jonathan Ive, who was very approachable and chatty but not willing to talk on the record.
Mr Fry wasn't the only celebrity doing the rounds.
Steve Jobs himself came and mingled, wandered around, and chatted to one or two folks. Even though he was accompanied by a couple of burly chaps, no doubt to keep the fans at bay, Mr Jobs seemed to be very relaxed and thoroughly enjoying the reaction of people in the room to his latest product incarnation.
The atmosphere inside that play area was almost giddy. But that's what you expect when you put tech people together with shiny new toys that have been hyped to the hilt and that no-one else will get to see for another 60 days.
Between now and then, there will be lots of time for cool reflection on a product that, in the positive responses, has been called everything from the iPhone-on-steroids to a glimpse of the future.
Update 1232: Here is Stephen Fry's review of the iPad, recorded for Newsnight:
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~05~RS~)
Comments
in the positive responses, has been called everything from the iPhone-on-steroids
Are those really the positive responses? I'd have thought that the fact that it's just a big iPhone was a bad thing:
- Still forcibly locked to one App Store. Possibly just about tolerable on a very limited device like a phone, but hardly on a proper computer. When will we see the same for a full size Mac?
- Still no Flash. Perhaps excusable on a dedicated phone, since who really want to be able to see web video, or stream music, play little Flash games or use the BBC iPlayer when they're out and about using a potentially flaky 3G connection with a usage cap? But the idea that people don't want to do those things when they're settled down at home with a fast WiFi connection - daft.
- Still no multitasking. That was pretty bad on the iPhone too, but on an internet-centric device like this it's intollerable. The only way to stay online on IM networks is to tie the device up doing that and nothing else? Fancy listening to a bit of last.fm while browsing? Tough.
It's a big iPhone - all the deliberate hobbling, none of the ability to fit it in your pocket.
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"Mr Jobs seemed to be very relaxed and thoroughly enjoying the reaction of people in the room to his latest product incarnation."
Yes I would be if I knew I was due to be in receipt of millions of dollars from a product that has received marketing that has been publicly funded through the BBC for a product that already exists in the market in various forms. Very relaxed in fact.
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A great new device, however I think I'll wait for v2 which will hopefully include a camera and maybe they will do away with the reliance on iTunes to sync media. What about something like Dropbox for syncing content?
A very nice device, however I think the bevel around the screen is waaaaaay too big!
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Its a pointless useless limted device. Who exactly is it for? My Fry is perhaps someone who might buy one, someone who like gadgets not real computers. The iPad is the worst of the iPhone and a netbook in one. Too slow, limited and has very poor conectivity. Its an $800 digital picture frame. For half the cost i can have a new generation netbook that does everything better.
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After seeing the whole iPad presentation care of Apple's site I feel..A tad disappointed.
You see it was only the other day I was reading here and there that Apple would come out with a 'game changer' something to send a shudder down the spines of those already to market with Tablet devises. But what we see now is effectively a large Ipod Touch/iPhone.
It looks nice, it has a 10hr battery, it is not as other tablets a computer you hold in hands and use torch with. But it does nothing amazingly different, yet costs a lot.
So you have iTunes, you have your App Store and Apps for the iPad to come, but compatible with existing ones, you have the iBooks store - though reading a book on a bright display may be hard on eyes. You can look at photos in a nice way, you can use a calendar and of course the web. The list goes on but it is very much just like a large, well iPhone.
This is not bad in its self, it is better than the competition but there are some very big short comings. This is a devise that is going to be, as Steve said be 'an intimate experience' sat down over a coffee, on the train etc rather than walking down the street. There is no Flash and did have to smile in the presentation as on the New York Times website what would have been displayed had it been on a computer was not on the iPad. There is no camera. Now this would have surly been the ideal devise to have two on. Because would it not be nice to sit in a comfy chair and have one facing you for a Skype call? And what about when you are out taking notes say and want to take a quick pic - You can't.
I like it, it will cost a lot but overall for how it looks and the build quality and of course being an Apple product, but it just did not seem to be that big a leap. I wanted a bang and feel I have got a pop from Apple.
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" Mr Fry admitted that he could hardly contain himself and is dying to own one."
...but then he is a comedian, not an IT consultant! :D
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OK, it's a fancy e-book reader, but once again, people seem to be missing the point. There are HUGE numbers of people who have computers and laptops that use them for merely consuming media, not creating it. This device is aimed at them, and at a third of the price of an Apple laptop, it's a bargain. For those of us who create anything, be it text, graphics, video, music etc, this device is next to useless, or at least not a patch on a 'proper' computer. It all depends on what you use/need a computer for.
Pooh-pooh all you like, but this device is not going to go away, and in 2-3 years (or less) it will dominate it's niche the same way the iPod and iPhone do.
I also predict that the demand for Flash on this device will be even greater than that on the iPhone, which will force Apple to adopt it eventually. Unless Apple are hoping that by changing people's expectations of the way media is consumed, they can kill off Flash, which I doubt. But anything's possible:)
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I think a lot of people are missing the point. Apple devices are never the most powerful or full-featured on paper. Their strength is in making technology accessable, simple and enjoyable for the masses.
The tablet is not intended for power use. It is designed to take the internet, media and light work into a format that feels comfortable, natural and non-technical. Part of that is making hard decisions about what should be left out.
All devices by all manufacturers are compromises. Apple just choose their compromises in favour of simplicity and elegance rather than flexibility and power. If that's not something you need, go elsewhere.
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I just don't "get it", I must be too old, too poor, or too arthritic, but what can it do for me that can't be done better, cheaper and more accessibly already.
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Is it possible to read about the launch of an Apple product WITHOUT reference to Mr Fry (in the UK, at least)? Were he a paid advocate of the brand I would not be offended in the least, but it would be nice to know for sure that this is not just another "voice-over".
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@ No. 7:
I agree to a point. But will go on a limb here and say that once the 'Apple fans' have bought theirs this may very well be something that will not be around in 2 or 3 years time. I just cannot see the average consumer forking out so much money for something that does what a Netbook can, just a bit faster and 'cooler'.
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My first thought was that it looks like the sort of thing Dom Joly would use if Trigger Happy TV was made in the iPhone era, instead of his enlarged old mobile.
That said, I would love to own one. I could especially see my wife using it to surf from the sofa rather than monopolise our PC or balance our laptop on her knee.
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Over 12 months it's cheaper than a daily paper. I think there is a lot of panic in competing technology industries right now (you know who!).
I'd say watch the video on Apple.com, go play with one, buy on the 14 day Apple money back guarantee scheme but make your OWN mind up.
This appears less revolutionary because you know touch technology now - but it's never been translated into a desktop format.
Try it before you jump to a conclusion that will lock you into the 1990's.
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I'm underwhelmed. The only aspect that's making me think twice is Stephen Fry's advice to "hold your judgement until you've spent 5 minutes with it". Then again, I notice that Master Fry's blogsite proudly proclaims itself to be "Ipad ready" this morning so apologies if I find him to be a slightly-less-than-credible contributor to the debate.
A lot of people seem to be saying the same thing: this is only the start. Future releases will see the Ipad realising its full potential.
Now, call me a cynic, but isn't that just another way of saying that it's not actually as good as it could have been? It's not as if the technology required to make it achieve its potential isn't with us now - all of it is. Why weren't the obviously-missing aspects included? Was the release of the Ipad rushed? Were they so concerned with presenting a favourable price that they couldn't afford to include them?
I suspect the real reason lies elsewhere. Apple realised the longer they delayed launching iBooks, the less influence they could bring to bear on the development of a market that will be massively important for their future success. Apple will have it in mind to do for Books, Magazines, Newspapers etc. what they done for music; to become the leading provider of downloads. THE place where people go to buy them...
Forget the potential - anyone can play that game. Who is likely to buy the first generation purely for the potential for what future versions might bring? What we actually have is an Ipod Touch, expanded in size to be a market-leading e-book reader. The real announcement last night was that Apple was entering the online publishing market. Was there ever any doubt that they would?
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It'll make a great prop for Don Jolly
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I suspect there will be a new device added to Apples range soon - the iFlop?
I do suppose all the science fiction shows & films will love it as we always see the characters walking around with some kind of tablet when they want give some information. As you surmise I'm not in the slightest interested ( have no use for it or the money!) I think Apple have atlast succumbed to their own legend
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So let me get this straight... Has the BBC now become part of Apple Corp? Seems like a lot of marketing going on here over the last few days.
Loads of reports and videos too... Lovely work just weeks after getting into trouble for backing U2's new album launch too much.
Good to know where the TV Licence is going, I never thought I would say that. I honestly feel Mr Jobs needs more help making even more money... Come on BBC get it sorted rebrand time! BBC Apple has a nice ring to it BBC Apple Sport how about Match of the Apple Day or The News at Apple?
Glad to see many feel this will dominate just as the iPhone and iPod have let's just hope it doesn't disappear like the Air and Apple TV...
It may be too shiny to disappear though. As I am sure some others will agree.
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My reaction seems to be the same as most peoples, it's a big iPhone that can't phone. No one seems to be thinking 'it's a small computer with no keyboard'.
So I now have to decide if I want to shell out what will be between £500-£1000 for? Well an e-book reader I suppose and a better movie viewer. Why on earth would I do that? Incidentially the UI for iBooks looks identical to an app I have. I'm going to be interested to see if these book reading apps like Stanza are allowed to port over to the iPad.
Apple defeats themselves sometimes, they have created more hype than they can live up to here.
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Why are people on about Flash?
The iPlayer and YouTube are both perfectly usable without it. Flash is an outdated, bloated plug-in whose better days are behind it.
HTML5 & JavaScript are the future, people really need to get over Flash - its as good as dead, and that will filter through to everyone in the coming year or so.
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Is there a hands free model ?? It looks like it will be a bit tough to use while driving .
Apart from a fashion statement i just dont see what these devices do better than what is already around, then again i never was up to date with trends.
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"Mr Fry admitted that he could hardly contain himself and is dying to own one."
I'm sure he won't have to wait long. With a puff like that there's bound to be a free one arriving in the post any day now.
For myself, though I love apple generally, this looks like too big a sheet of glass to be carrying around, and how do you prop it up when you want to write? Maybe something hinged in the middle, with two screens half the size, would have been more handy.
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I am totally giddy about this thing. I am a self-employed graphic designer and photographer. I use a desktop mac for work, and a clapped out old iBook for surfing after work. I also use it for showing wedding photography to potential and existing customers. I can't afford a new MacBook (I'd love the Air...) so this is PERFECT for me. Having watched the promo video, and hearing the price ($499 - so that'll be £599 in apple money) I thought 'I have GOT to get me one of these'.
Now, I have to admit that I had just drunk two mugs of strong coffee before viewing the promo video, so when I've calmed down I might reconsider. But I think it's beautiful and is set to take a certain user market by storm.
On the other hand, Apple have produced beautiful things that failed in the market before. I used to own a Cube - fantastic bit of design and engineering, but very hard to see what the market for it was. So they hardly sold any. I fear the iPad may go the same way. I'm still going to get one though!
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I'm struggling at the moment to imagine exactly what the purpose of this device may be.
Clearly it has succeeded in lifting Mr. Fry to new levels of ecstasy but I am somewhat concerned that his reaction would be similar if Apple were to launch of the iPen and the iPieceofpaper so I'm not sure how meaningful that is.
I can only believe that it may come in handy for a fleeting moment to illuminate the bottom of the plughole as it plummets down there.
Next up, the iDog anyone?
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Well an e-book reader I suppose
It's not, in any meaningful sense an e-book reader. If you want to read e-books on low resolution, power hungry, emmisive displays you can do that already. By consensus the experience isn't good. The advantage of proper e-book readers is that their screens don't wear on your eyes as much, and the batteries last for weeks. Neither is true of the iPad.
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I have been a "early-adopter" of apple products for years now . However, this for me is a massive dissapointment.
I have been holding off buying a new I-Mac for home hoping that what we would have here is a truly portable tablet computer which I could work on everywhere so I wouldnt need both a laptop and a desktop.
This is just a big i-phone and I might as well buy a new laptop or my I-mac or both
Missed opportunity not running a great mobile "touch" product with the Mac OS rather than the Iphone OS
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Meh.
I _said_ "meh"!
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Has anyone missed the point that although the 3G model is being promoted as "Unlocked" the sim cards they are using in the device are the new "Micro Sims" smaller than what is in your current iPhone or other mobile phone device and not widely available or used in all telecommunications companies (hence the international delays in launching).
Obviously this is to ensure that some don't use their bundled download allowance from their mobile phone sim in the device instead of signing up for, a contract free, but nonetheless $15-$30 monthly bill, only available on these new Micro Sims.
True compatibility is clearly not one of apple's aims!
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While we are at it I don't understand the cost structure. I know it doesn't cost nearly as much as Apple are charging to add 3G or do go from 16Gig to 32 or 64gig memory.
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There are too many things it doesn't do, like multitasking, so you can't listen to music while you read; the battery is STILL non-replaceable by the user so you'll have to pay to have that done. It has no camera; it can't pick up google maps (as far as I can see) and no GPS; the max storage of 64G is a bit paltry.
Worse, you only get 10 hours charge max in a battery. That's not enough to get me from home to Marseille. Admittedly it's better than a laptop but then it's apps are limited. Lastly, it'll cost around £350.....for a gadget that cost about £25 to make. Is there no end to Apple's profit-inspired greed?
Nah, my suitcases are increasingly filled with electronic stuff that I MUST have, so I'm told.... Wonder how I got by 5 years ago. I'll leave it to the gadgetphiliacs like Mr Fry.
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It's all very well for using in brief flashy demos, but how are you going to comfortably watch films on it? Hold it up in front of yourself for an hour and a half? Hunch over it while it's laid flat? Try and prop it up against something at a decent angle?
I cannot understand why anyone who already owns an iphone and a laptop would want to buy this, apart from the Apple fanatics who'll buy anything they put out just because it's from Apple (and even then Apple will exploit them by bringing out a better one with all the gadgets that should have been on the original a year or so later)
Apple would have been much better off bringing out a decent netbook, as you can actually see there is a market for netbooks, just like there is a market for mobile phones and mp3 players. As the efforts of other companies have proved, there isn't really a market for tablets, and Apple are guilty of hubris in thinking that they can create one just because they're Apple.
I think this may well turn out to be, in the lingo of the net, an epic fail.
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Its a new Apple gadget, all the Apple fan boys/girls will have one on pre-order, the rest of the world will just ignore it, its not especially new and I can't see a use for it day to day.
I would much rather have a netbook any day.
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Seems to me it's just another piece of technology to push sales for the ITunes store. After some ground breaking products Apple seems to to hae dropped the ball on this one and could find that this is a product to far for many of the Apple worshippers.
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flynnstudio72 I do not know what paper you buy but it must be made of gold to equate to the same price a the Max-i-Pad.
To everyone else this device is a joke. It is less powerful than an Android/Netbook/Laptop/Blackberry, no Multi-tasking which is just unforgivable, the design is well abhorrent to the eye (more a digital picture frame than a tablet), no flash so forget about a large area of the web, no camera, no stylus, no voice recognition, limited software, USB? cannot be used as a phone (when it is but a HUGE one), limited media player, iTunes (possibly the biggest mistake ever), most of all you cannot upgrade ram, add sd/external drive, no extra battery, really the market place for this was about 15 years ago.
Do yourself a favour and buy a netbook, laptop, A real Tablet and have everything this does not have, cheaper, can be upgraded and will have a more expansive software/hardware base than Apple will ever have.
This will soon be called a iPhail.
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Love my iPhone but just not interested in this at all I'm afraid - very underwhelmed. The size of the bezel is laughable, I know you don't want to be touching the active part of the screen with your thumbs when holding it but still...
Lets hope we get some good stuff in iPhone OS 4
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Yes mote STUFF that no-one needs!
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@13
Are you a fully paid up member of the Apple marketing team? If not, they should certainly offer you a job.
The iPad is another gimmicky device that will end up as another failure. Anyone remember AppleTV? The prospective market is simply too small - if I want to check the football scores on the move, my Nokia phone allows me to. When I'm writing up work for Uni, my laptop fits the bill perfectly.
Of course, that said, it will sell. Apple have managed to build up a 'hardcore' set of fans who will buy the iPad, and use it to browse the internet when not on their iBook, iMac, or iPhone. All they'll need now is an Apple games console (I might copyright iGame and iPlay)
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WOW! A tablet PC - that's new and novel!
Oh.. wait... no its not. They've been around for years and years. The only difference being if you buy one which isn't an Apple its a lot cheaper and you can do a lot more with it.
Errm... So... apart from people like Mr. Fry who have far too much money than sense who is actually going to buy something which is less powered, has less features and functionality and costs more than every other similar item on the market?
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Cameron that is not the memory bud, that is the harddrive space. I have not seen how much Ram it has but with a 1Ghz Cpu my Calculator is faster and I could process infromation faster than this could in my sleep.
iFlop = iPad
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I think Apple have lost it. Sadly though there are enough idiots out there that will buy this because of clever marketing when there are much better and cheaper products out there.
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Many people have missed the point about this ipad - it is a completely new type of computer. It is not like an ipod. Yes, it looks like a larger ipod but it has word processing capabilities (iWork). The fact that you can do word processing on it is the biggest and best thing about this device. It's lighter and therefore more portable than a netbook and is more intuitive. The ipad is really the first touch screen computer.
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I'm Glad I’m not the only one who suddenly thought of Dom Jolly and Trigger Happy TV.
It’s just a Huge an I mean HUGE iphone, LOL.
Will this be the tech version of the emperor’s new clothes? No wonder Mr Jobs is so happy, lots more cash with very little tech investment.
Not sure this is going to be comfortable to use.
What it really needs is a keyboard and a screen protector and maybe the ability to fold in two to make it more transportable, oh wait! that’s a laptop :-)
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hon3stly wrote:
" Mr Fry admitted that he could hardly contain himself and is dying to own one."
...but then he is a comedian, not an IT consultant! :D
And hence he's in Apple's target market, being a member of the liberal arts as they put it. Apple don't make products that IT consultants would go for. Just as Gucci don't make clothes to please people who shop at George at Asda.
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This tablet is more of a suppository.....
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Reading these comments about its technical limitations- NO MULTI TASKING WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! I cant believe it! I am gob-smacked. Which Apple (ex)employee made that decision. A real throw back to DOS days? Even my little pocket pc c2005 can do that - I can therefore listen to music while I look at the BBC website. I wonder how many people will buy one then find out this little fact & get a bit angry - this is something we take for granted these days, we no longer think about it?
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The incredibly negative nature posts here suggest those folk should return to tweaking their windows registry files...
For people who actually want to DO stuff with IT, because it just works as it should, and works beautifully, the iPad is clearly a wondrous device.
All the naysayers came out of dark crevices to decry the iPhone, and how silly they looked…
Remember folks, Apple start this thing off focussing on the basics. Loads more improvements will follow over time.
My take on why it is going to be a runaway success:
1. It takes the obvious and makes it even more obvious: simplicity rules. There will be a thousand lookalikes with loads more features and bloat, but so what if only the geeks get to use them?
2. It is fast. All the reports say how speedy it is…and it's Apple's own chip, so the geeks will be miffed that they can't argue about megahertz or memory. No-one else has anything quite like it.
3. The ecosystem of iTunes, iLife and iWork, all specifically re-designed and tuned to the iPad, put it 6 years ahead of anything else. And that's without stating the obvious one - games!
So people, please reign in the bile for a product you have only got a glimpse of...
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No Flash.
No USB.
No camera.
No 3G (unless you spend even more comical money).
And if you can't get away with typing on the screen then you have to plug in a keyboard.
And hey presto - a 900 quid underpowered netbook.
Perleeeeeze.
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What next for the fanboys - the iBrator?
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Is it just me (probably), but really what is the point? At the price of it you could get a much more versatile and more likely better powered proper laptop..which will do more for you...
It's not like you can whack the iA4 in your pocket or anything. You still need to lug it around. It isn't a new type of computer, it's existing technology expanded. There have been touchscreen pad type computers around for ages. They just never caught on (we had some to test where I work a couple of years back, they were much cooler than this A4 monstrosity and had twistable full keyboards along with the touchscreen.)
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Dear timelesstest,
I've got an iDog! I got it a couple of years ago. Its a speaker system which works very well on my (non-Apple) MP3 player. It cost about £15. If Apple do make one, it'll probably cost about £800 & not work as well in any case.
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To Anne #40, I can do word processing on my phone, but why on Earth would I want to?
Using a touchscreen for 'real' work purposes is pointless and no doubt will cause a lot of RSI type injuries.. I can't imagine ever trying to write code or doing anything really useful on this gadget, it's the usual Apple stuff, style over substance.
And no it really isn't the first touch screen computer.
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Something else for the ilemmings to buy
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If my EPOC O.S. Psion Netbook (yes the FIRST Netbook c.1999 !) will still trounce many a modern 'Netbook' OR tablet device. Instant on, multi-tasking with NO speed drops. It has touchscreen AND decent keyboard. If Psion could today magically keep the form factor EXACTLY the same but bung modern processor, bluetooth, USB etc on it ... :/
Anyway - this iPad is a marketing 'n' content providers dream. Cynically Apple have (oh what surprise) ON PURPOSE left off USB and other hardware + software elements. They know the fan boys + 'image is most important' people will buy it ... then have to upgrade the whole device when a less crippled one is released 9 months or so later! In the meantime the Apple Apps store is laughing all the way to the bank!
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@36, they already had a games console, the Pippin - one of many of Apples overpriced failures!
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@Cameron
The pricing structure is very easy to understand. You can't add memory or peripherals yourself so you have to pay whatever Apple want to charge in order to do so ...
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Anne you are right it has iWorks. Have fun trying to use it making presentations, no external screen support, NO MULTI TASKING so you will not be able to manipulate pictures to import into iWorks.
This is a dead donkey, really amusing to see Apply fans falling over themselves trying to say what it can do, when it is doing nothing better than stealing money from less than IT suave customers.
I read somewhere wait for version 2, the one that comes with wings. iPad someone needs shooting for that, still laughing, especially when I thought that iSlate would have fitted better with the response it has got.
Take care all.
P.S. Apple have not stated how much memory it has for some reason? Also Chris no'19 Flash is not dead by a long way fella, you can try to hide the lackluster approach from Apple by saying things are dead or dying but I can still use most of my software all the way back to the mid 90's this cannot even handle now-a-days tech so it will be lost in the future.
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Its refreshing to know that there are so many people out there that don't swoon at the sight of a new Apple product, I thought we were becoming an endangered species.
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This is a triumph of form over function. It's more a fashion accessory than a computing device.
The upside is that the hype generated will get the rest of the industry to produce real touchscreen tablet devices with better connectivity, real GPS, an ability to handle removable storage, multi-tasking, etc.
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1) A net book with an iPhone GUI.
2) Certainly looks fun to have a play with.
3) Looks very easy to break if you sling it into a bag to carry it around.
4) Ties you to a network, not open to any network.
5) And OMG – look at the price! The early adaptors will be the well heeled.
I’ll wait year or two and see what similar devices the competition brings out - at a much lower price.
The most interesting development isn’t the iPad itself; it’s the rise of simplified GUIs (touch-screens and all), developed originally for use on mobile phones now being used as the interface on someone’s main computer.
Whether this means that computing will become more simplified for the digitally excluded – or whether it adds an extra level of complexity, e.g. different GUIs on different PCs – remains to be seen.
Microsoft and other PC GUI makers should be getting worried.
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Why is the BBC obsessed with Apple products? The amount of space that is devoted to this oversized iPhone is disproportionate to the number of license payers that will ever buy one. Hardly balanced reporting!
It is a tablet computer, nothing amazing about that, there was a minimal blog entry for Steve Balmer launching the HP tablet at CES in January with just one short entry. That will have units sold because of the OS it is running than this overgrown iPhone but because it is Apple the Beeb devotes pages of reviews, blog entries, photos etc....
Talk about free product placement for Apple especially as the BBC is not meant to advertise, do the BBC journalists all get freebies from Apple, is this why you plug them so much? It certainly is not for the functionality or the features compared to the rest of the market!
Lets have a bit more balance on the technical reviews please, there are better products out there that don't get a mention on the BBC because they are not Apple.
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27. At 11:43am on 28 Jan 2010, tomskey wrote:
True compatibility is clearly not one of apple's aims!
LOL. Don't be naive tomskey. You don't make money by making it compatible. Anyone else sick of the way Apple 'dictates' what consumers can/can't do with their products. Corporate fascism at it's worst.....
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Anybody - What does the i actually stand for in any of their products?
It doesn't seem very revolutionary really. Just another way to do computer stuff and surf the net as if there aren't already a million other devices that let you do these things. I can wait til I get home and use my PC. Or use it at work. I'm either there or driving when I can't use it anyway. Expensive tat. What's its USP? What's the point of this thing?
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@ dave_brum
Sorry, you beat me too it with the 'Don Jolly'
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I type one-handed on my iPhone because I need the other hand to hold it steady.
I type two-handed on my macBook because it sits nicely on my desk or lap and I can see the screen and type at the same time.
I have watched the video on the Apple site and they type two-handed on the pop-up keyboard, but somehow the iPad floats in the air while they do it (good video editting).
Does it come with anti-gravity installed? Or a hidden kickstand?
And for those of you suggesting it is actually quite cheap, you seem to have forgotten to factor in your 3G "phone" contract.
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Yet another device aimed at people with more money than sense.
Looking at the hardware this thing contains, if it ends up costing any more than £400 at launch people are going to be getting seriously ripped off. It actually is just an oversized iphone, made for people with oversized pockets, who dont actually realise the hardware their buying is overpriced and outdated as far as processor, graphics and ram are concerned.
The only thing i can see this being useful for is music production, and thats only if programs like Alberton and Reason are compatible with it, which i doubt they will be.
I quite like the idea of tablet pc's and the multitouch screen, but i can see apple making this way overpriced, much like their macbook products, which when taken apart, contain less powerful components than a £200 standard laptop. Your generally paying 5 times the cost of a standard laptop just for the apple branding.
I like the apple operating system, but i can see them milking this system for everything it's worth, and i can see microsoft hitting back with a cheaper, buisness orientated device by the summer.
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61,
Obviously it stands for Idiot.
Look at the users of their products if you need proof - drooling throwbacks who can't use a real computer or phone.
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SheffTim No'58, I agree Apple are good at making a reasonable copy of Linux Gui's. Linux has destroyed M$ and Apple's Gui's and user friendly frontends for years and all flavours have a free OS. I like the idea of making Tech' more user friendly but that being said I cannot even imagine how you are going to keep this safe on the net?
APPLE DO GET VIRUS'S! So without a keyboard and locked into the Apple update schedule this is going to be hammered by Trogan/Virus's but at least you will be safe from key(board)loggers (Joke).
I would hate to read a book on this thing, a Kindle (or similar) is perfect and has less distraction and more battery life and a much better look about this (never thought I would say an Apple product was ugly but this is by a long way the ugliest product I have seen in a while).
I bet there are a few Fanboys/girls having iPaddies at the moment. Totally bad form bad design bad iIdea. Empty product for empty headed people with over sized wallets.
Take care all.
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I would like to tell you why I like it.
I always want a device that I can sit on my sofa, turn on a device within seconds and browse on internet without worrying about any technical things. For me, it would be like watching TV, reading books or listening to a radio on my sofa.
However I am going to wait for a 17" version ipad.
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If you are a fan of Apple Products generally - Your are probably going to like this. Visually it is as well finished and thought out as most other of the Apple devices. Functionality it looks like Apple have been hard at it with the development. This device after all does run all Iphone/Touch Applications and they have opened the door for specific Ipad application development. I think there is a gap in the market for this device and I believe the Apple Masses will lap it up and Many will be converted to Apple in the ensuing hype.
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It's a big toy I’ll grant you, but a ten inch iPod you can't fit in your pocket? Really? I'm a big iPod fan (everyone in my family has one or two) and I have an iPhone, but this expensive toy just doesn't get my vote.
Is it an eBook reader with a screen you won't be able to see outdoors? A ten hour battery on an eBook reader? My SONY eReader lasts weeks on one charge. Or is it a NetBook with only 64GB of storage, no keyboard and no disc expansion or USB for £512 (assuming the UK price isn't nerfed upwards)?
I think someone at Apple said "big iPod" and they did it before anyone thought to ask "why?"
There is no mention in the PR release or the video presentation of headphones or Bluetooth support, so if you're watching "UP!" on the train, how do you hear it and not get told to "turn it down"? What it isn’t is a phone, so despite the comparisons to the iPhone it doesn’t have the facility, nor does it have a camera (come on even the Nano has video!) and it doesn’t have GPS (a killer feature on any device).
The only people in my household who use the internet for browsing's sake, play games on Facebook, which are all Flash based, so this device would fall at the first hurdle. Flash IS an issue, since a sizeable percentage of the internet uses it and a growing percentage also use Silverlight, which is also not supported, so the "best web browsing experience ever" is a bit of a hollow claim. Notice they browsed “The Times” website in the demo? Probably the only news site that isn’t flash-based. Let’s see it browse BBC news...
It's too damn big to be a music player. You would only use it to watch video in places you don't have a TV (train, gym, etc.) all of which would be impractical given its size.
It would make a pretty mean competitor for the DSi and PSP in the hand-held console market, were it half the price, but it isn't.
So what is it?
Answer: Jack of all devices, master of none.
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At first I thought that Steve Jobbs had shrank, and that he was actually just holding an iphone.
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Everyone seems to be asking whats it for. I certainly know what I'd use it for, although I'll wait for version 2.
It's for those of us who's first though in the morning is to get online and check our e-mails, news etc but can't be bothered waiting for the netbook to boot up and can't use it while eating my toast and pinging the porridge in the microwave.
It's for people like me who sit in the evening watching the TV while catching up on reading blogs and websites but find a laptop/netbook cumbersome.
It's for people like me who take an ipod touch/iphone to bed for casual web use (instead of reading a book before bed) or watch something on iplayer but would like it a bit bigger.
But the genius of it is that it doesn't cannibalise any of Apple's current products. You still need a laptop/desktop to do anything creative on and store all your photos/tunes, you'll still need an ipod for taking your music outside (or your iphone). Look at the videos on the apple website demonstrating it - it's all about the sofa, the breakfast table etc.
Provided it gives a smooth experience (which if it works like the iphone it will) this will be a big seller - and the multitouch element will really grab people and make them never want to go back.
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Good to see that it seems it's only the Twitterati and BBC that believe this to be a great product, check other real IT sites for a more honest and subdued appraisal..like this one (heck even the URL says it all!)
http://www.twominutenews.com/2010/technology/techies-lukewarm-on-ipad-it-was-a-big-disappointment-2856.html
As for the post above decrying nerds and geeks etc.. simplicity is required for those with limited understanding of what they are doing, sure less clicks to get into a program etc.. is nice, but hiding the real power away from the user and spoon feeding them and in short making them do what you want them to do, well that destroys innovation in the long run.
£300 gets a decently specced laptop that will do far more than this bright shiny gizmo will ever be capable of, it'll also do it in a more accessible way, but will allow you to do far more should you ever wish too...empower your users, don't limit them.. then again there are loads of sheep types around who love shiny, but pointless things. Obviously they lack the brain power to create or do something themselves..
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For my two pennies worth (i've been an apple owner and fan since before the 'i* naming convention, which I hope gives me some credence a non bandwagon jumper).
Currently I own an old G4 ibook, an intel mac mini connected to my 32 inch LCD TV and an iPhone. I want to replace the iBook soon as it is old and on its last legs as far as software is concerned. The way I use my computers is thus:
Mac mini - Connected to a 1TB external hard drive, it has all my music, films, TV programmes and photos on board. So I use this through my TV as a digital entertainment hub. It stores things I want to watch on my TV and then plays them through it also allowing me access to iPlayer and 40D through a big screen. The drawback is that sitting on my sofa its hard to see the text on an internet site.
iPhone - whilst out and about I use it to browse the web, but the small screen and slow 3G loading times do make this a bit limited. The apps are good as they give me fast access to the content i want on the go like weather and train times which is an excellent life enhancement.
iBook - Used for surfing the net whilst I sit on the sofa and watch the TV as its close enough to me to see the text. So I can do my amazon/ocado shopping and the misses can watch holyoaks.
So what's the iPad going to give me?
iPad - Access to the internet so I do my browsing whilst the misses watches TV. It will give me access to my mac mini's 1TB of stored videos and music so I can use them in another room in the house if I like.
The way I see it, it will completely replace my laptop, in a lighter package for less money and fit the hole between my mac mini media centre and iphone information device perfectly.
I think this is a case of Apple being ahead of the curve again. They know where the computer market is going and have spotted the gap before anyone else, its a smart move and I look forward to getting one soon.
Although has a caveat I do think the lack of multi-tasking is an issue.
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The iBrator comment made me laugh, and caused my colleague to suggest the iCock..Googling it it turns out they already exist!
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@ 2 - the BBC do review other products. Try watching CLICK you may learn something.
@19 - you don't need FLASH to view You Tube or iPlayer.
@29 - only £25 to make? So, the designers and Apple employees are supposed to work for nothing? Do you work for nothing? If so, you can have a job with my company.
For those who wanted a camera, er .... try a photographic shop.
Apple tends to design products which then get used in ways they didn't even think of until content creators get their hands on it.
Publishers will use it. Schools will love it. Delia Smith will love it. Now you can have her cook books and see a video of her demonstrating at the same time. I'm not sure you can do with Kindle?
School kids will have all their work in one gadget. Apple do discount heavily for schools so the price will not be a factor.
I create digital content: music and film. I can see many opportunities for the device.
I like the iPhone but will appreciate the larger screen the iPad offers.
Bad name though. They should seriously consider renaming it.
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Pop in a web cam and you can shave; the Google I - Shave app!
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I have no desire to own one, but that isn't a reflection on how good or bad it may be.
At home I do browse the internet a lot, fiddle around with stumble and what not, but then I do also play some games and write programs / use applications. I these things either on my desktop or my laptop. If I bought this, I'd simply be spending about 5-10% of my computing life using it. Waste of money as far as i'm concerned.
I have no doubt however, that if you spend your computing life like a lot of people do, SIMPLY browsing the internet and playing the odd game on a laptop in the lounge, then I'm sure this will be brilliant and easy to use, it's just not for me
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Re name it the I -Why? Apple lovers will buy any old tosh; this is Apples' Zune... Mr Fry only wants it so he can meet his next book deadline and dazzle the publishers when its several chapters short- just kidding Mr Fry.
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Do people really want to have to hold this with one hand (and operate it with a single hand) or place it on a flat surface and get a sore neck looking down at it. Can you really operate the touch screen with the flimsy looking desktop stand without having to superglue it to your desk? How long till the hype dies down and people look more closely at the ergonomics of actually using this day to day?
Compare these ergonomics to a laptop (which also has a bigger screen and proper keyboard)...this is surely a big step backwards!
Plus, this is a basic model missing a lot of core features so you will have to buy it again and again as apple drip feeds additional functionality. Great for Apples profits but not for your wallet or the environment!
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I recall these same negative reactions when Apple first announced the iPod back in 2001. "What is a failing, has been, company like Apple doing creating of all things an 'MP3 player'? They should be focusing on strengthening their computers!" And look what happened. How could so many reviewers get is so horrendously wrong. Same thing to some extent with the iPhone. "It's just Apple fanboys who'll get it. Touch screens have been out for ages like the Prada phone. It's just a bunch of hype," and again, look what happened. I dear Watson, see a pattern.
Personally, I can see how the iPad would fit beautifully into my working life. We have a MacBook at home capable of doing wonderful things but we only use about 20% of its potential, as it seems to be used just for e-mail, web browsing and the odd letter writing, all while sat on the sofa watching TV. Which by the way, is awkward to rest on you knees if you want to put them up on the sofa! I think the iPad would be better. It seems to fulfill a need for us. The laptop would be capable of more, but the iPad would fulfill our needs, and perform the tasks better (touch as opposed to point and click with a track pad).
However, Apple has traditionally had a base of people who LOVE apple products and the vast majority of people who will never try them out of principle, each group of people proclaiming they know something the other group doesn't. The iPhone was revolutionary because it brought those two groups together (and the iPod too to some extent) and the Halo effect really took off. The iPhone showed PC users (and by that I really mean business users of the Blackberry age) how Apple really can offer a better more efficient user experience. This was bolstered by a tsunami of developers who all wanted to cash in on the popular device turning the device into something that could perform any number of tasks through applications. This, sadly, is something the Mac has not had (at least as quickly), but it remains to be seen if developers will be as keen with the iPad.
I really hope so. It's a beautiful machine.
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Putting to one side for a moment the errors and rather pointless name-calling in some of the messages published here so far, I suspect that the BBC devotes a lot of energy to Apple and its products because the company is a genuine game-changer. It's an innovator, if not quite always first with the latest ideas, but it has a way of offering those ideas with a new slant and huge appeal. Let's face it, even a fairly senior Microsoft chap confessed a couple of years ago that Windows is a thinly disguised homage to Apple's Macintosh operating system (OS). The world's PC manufacturers emulate Apple's products and have done so particularly since the release of the first iMac.
The reason Apple is popular, if not always loved, by print, broadcast and web media is simple: Apple is good copy. Ignoring Mr Jobs' hype, the iPad is a product that will attract thousands of buyers around the world and millions more when the second incarnation appears.
I don't own an iPod or an iPhone and it's highly unlikely that I'll ever own an iPad, either. However, my family's five computers are all Apple and I wouldn't give house room to an ordinary PC. It's all down to taste and choice.
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I'm the sort of person who likes their technology simple, usable and slick, so don't really care too much if it doesn't have capabilities I'm not going to exploit. I've got an iphone and love it, and I'll probably end up with an ipad at some point.
That said, when I woke up this morning to hear Maggie Sheilds on the radio wetting herself with excitement about Apple's new product launch, I did question whether the same editorial policy would have been applied if say HTC had come out with a product like this? Yes Apple makes nice, useable, stylish and innovative(ish) toys, but 'other brands are available' BBC. Good going on the PR front Apple, I like your work, but I'm surprised that shiny new things with aspirational logos still cause otherwise objective journalists to loose bladder control.
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Update 1232: Here is Stephen Fry's review of the iPad:
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions.
Nice :-)
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@75 For those who wanted a camera, er .... try a photographic shop.
Ahh, the old "if you want a camera, buy one" defence we heard enough about from the iPhone 1 effort is back again.
Yawn.
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If you don't want it, don't buy it! Don't moan about it or what it can't do. I will use it for games, writing documents, surfing, mailing, watching films, listening to music (yes - while doing other tasks) etc all while I commute instead of my laptop. I'm more than happy with that.
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The iPad looks great of course and will do great things but I really can't see why we need it.
Its so big! If you are going to carry that around you may as well carry a laptop with all its extra power and benefits.
And if you have a a smartphone already, especially iPhone, there's even less need for it.
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I think alot of people are missing the point of this product and the reasons behind it. Apple are not stupid and have studied the market and the users wisely.
Think about it, most people have access to a computer, laptop or mobile with internet access, but depending on where they are used, will determine how they are used. You wouldn't want to take a laptop on holiday if all you want it for is movies. At home productivity is low in most cases so a fully functioning laptop isn't needed, just the ability to surf and do media based activities. Equally while portability is good at home you wouldn't use it to replace your iphone or touch as that is what they are for! At work where more tasks are undertaken the roll of the imac is clear and for the travelling worker the mac book.
As was demonstrated in the presentation this is primarily a house media devise, do all that you want at home, cheaper than a laptop. IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO REPLACE ANYTHING, IT IS A NEW MARKET SPACE THAT DOES IT'S JOB BETTER THAN ANY OTHER DEVICE.
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@Horus9339
You said "I do not know what paper you buy but it must be made of gold to equate to the same price a the Max-i-Pad."
Cost of iPad: $499 to $829 is £307 to £510 (although I'd expect it to be more). Cost of reading the Guardian/Observer for a year: $461.90.
That said, the iPad still looks like an expensive, oversized, iPhone. I'll pass thanks.
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Maggie, I'm wondering how you would respond to BBC bloggers such as Maggie Shiels who in her CES postings about about tablet computers implied no one really wanted them?
Why is it you feel this device is worth all the attention when Ms Shiels would surely be even less impressed by a device which will likely cost more and have less functionality than the other tablets demonstrated recently?
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Well tablets have obviously set the world on fire in the close-to-a-decade they have been around. With their already stunning popularity in general, I see nothing but huge success for this functionless, DRM-laden version from Apple!
Honestly, what is the point in this thing? Who the hell is it for apart from people who will just buy anything with an Apple logo on it?
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"I recall these same negative reactions when Apple first announced the iPod back in 2001."
And when they released the Apple TV and new gen Shuffle. Both failed commercially.
Not every pitch leads to a home run.
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First these Apple haters just baffle me. Why all this "Apple fan boy" "worshipper" "Lemmings" language to describe the customers for this? I don't like PCs much, but I don't despise people who do. We are all different, but not all of us are very grown up..
I don't know whether this will be successful, but I do know that the absence of features such Flash, multitasking etc. will have little effect, just as when the iPhone appeared it too lacked, (and in some cases still lacks) features common on other 'phones. What made the iPhone a success was what it did better than any other 'phone, web browsing. What (if anything) the iPad can do, or do better than existing devices will be decisive. I suspect that the key to this will be whether Apple's touch screen interface makes much more sense on this larger screen.
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It's an expensive, low-spec laptop without a keyboard and lid. Or am I missing something?
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well I guess that Apple will soon move into making iTools for Second Life, the virtual world where you have an avater of your self - you know what I mean - the Adult regions there.....
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The iFad is Apple's answer to a question that no-one asked.
Too big to be truly portable, too expensive to be casually used on public transport and (as someone who has tried to type on a touchscreen) to fiddly to be of any real productive use.
If they ignore the bandwagon of ebooks and think about trying to market it as the perfect in-car computer (maybe with a TomTom style sat nav program bundled) it might find a niche to fill.
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So it doesn't do multi-tasking? Must have been designed by men then. It's called an iPad too - yes definitely.
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#80 - Just because people got it wrong with the iPod and iPhone doesn't mean they are here.
Apple picked up on a massive potential market with the music player that nobody before them had really exploited - you could get one, but nobody really knew about it or cared.
Apple also picked up on the phone market. Before the iPhone, phones were simply 'good' without being amazing. The technology has been improving every year for well over a decade and nobody had settled into creating brilliant phones, just good ones. The iPhone worked brilliantly in this instance.
iPad however is trying to nestle into a market that not many people actually know about, and not many care about. Most households that care for computer devices already have a set up they are happy with - typically a computer and a laptop/notebook or 2.
the danger for apple is that they seem to be aiming at a very small proportion of people: Apple users with an existing apple set up who want/need a mobile computing device with simple functionality.
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"40. At 12:03pm on 28 Jan 2010, Anne wrote:
Many people have missed the point about this ipad - it is a completely new type of computer. It is not like an ipod. Yes, it looks like a larger ipod but it has word processing capabilities (iWork). The fact that you can do word processing on it is the biggest and best thing about this device. It's lighter and therefore more portable than a netbook and is more intuitive. The ipad is really the first touch screen computer."
It's not a new type of computer. It is like an ipod. You can do word processing on any lappy/ netbook. It's bigger than a phone and a bit smaller than a netbook, so you'll need a bag for it. It's not the first touch screen computer.
I can't see that I would ever like to use a tablet style pc- they just look uncomfortable to use.
Apple's device, with no multitasking wouldn't be for me, but why would anyone want what is little more than a software and hardware crippled lappy/ netbook that's too big to put in your pocket? It does ereader less well than a kindle, does office tasks less well than a lappy, doesn't have a camera like my phone, and probably won't be comfortable to type on. Added to which it will be DRM'd up to the hilt through Apple's app store. It will also be pricier than any of the alternatives.
Meh, I say. Meh.
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@75 @29
Made in China, like all the other Apple devices, confirmed by the proof weiphone.com spy shots the previous day on engadget. I wouldn't be surprised if it cost less thatn £25 to make/build. The design process didn't take much thought either it is simply a ipod os with modifications.
Also, is Stephen Fry being paid by Apple for doing this advert? He repeated the same points as Jobs, e.g. being able to hold in hand is better than seeing it. I can't help thinking the keynote was a 90 minute advert and this is subsequent brainwashing to the Apple agenda.
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For all those asking what this product is for, just remember that most laptops are sold to people who only really need to browse the web and view multimedia from the comfort of their armchairs. That's what this product is for, and it's a step towards the future of home computing.
It may not become as big as the iPod or iPhone, who knows. If the operating system stops being the differentiator, we'll probably see plenty of cheap alternatives that don't include the additional cost of a Windows 7 licence. Apple will always try and fill the top end of the market, but the iPad is still cheaper than most laptops, so it may be worth the extra.
There are still bugs though. Multitasking needs to be fixed, and so does the lack of a video camera. Overall though, this is a sign of things to come.
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I am pleased to see that the BBC anointed Lord and indeed master of all that is digital, Sir Stephen Fry of the internets, has nigh on wet himself in spectacular marketing delight. I am further reassured with references to Twitter, the social media that finds itself inherently less threatening to heritage media.
This ensures my further perusal of the blog that never was. With equal delight in the news that never is. My what a fluffy digital word we live in.
Now then... Where oh where can I find a credible blog that actually tells me things about the ipad without the inflated ipuffing icelebraty ipadding. Also can someone please do a survey of Dave Ja Vu Dave viewers to see if it comes in a buy now pay later pay as you go subscribe for a proprietary lifestyle form. For that would surely make it infinitely cooler.
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Why all this "Apple fan boy" "worshipper" "Lemmings" language to describe the customers for this?
Mostly because of things like this:
IT IS A NEW MARKET SPACE THAT DOES IT'S JOB BETTER THAN ANY OTHER DEVICE.
As if there haven't been tablets before, or devices that can do what an iPad can, but better. It's not that some people like Apple, it's that they seem to wilfully ignore everything else, then shout about it.
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I slated (no pun intended) the iPhone when it first came out and it wasn't until my wife got the 3G model that I finally ditched my W960i in favour of it and wasn't until OS3 that I finally got to like it. I can see the market for this but a) the name sucks b) it's going to be a nightmare to cart around and c) it's too expesive for what it is.
I can bring myself to understand why they left some things out because they just want to make money out of iTunes but flash is used on 90% of web pages including all these Flash games that my wife loves so much. Without it she just doesn't want it but she does want a touchscreen device.
I think if they had put MacOS (Snow Leopard or whatever it is) on it instead of the iPod touch OS or at least made it an option then I could have justified buying it. But it's just a big iPod Touch with some bells on and a big screen. Looks good and non-technical people with money to burn will most likley part with cash for it but I think I'll have to say no. The new HP Slate with Windows 7 looks a much better propect for me but then again, I did say I'd never buy an iPhone and now I couldn't have anything else.
Let's wait and see but let's also admit that most of us commenting here are geeks who are so blinded by what it DOESN'T do that we can't see what it WILL do. It will be the first (second?) of a new type of computing for the masses and it has HUGE potential.
Then again, this could be Apple's Vista moment where they stop thinking about what THEY want and start listening to their customers. After being excited about the announcement I'm now back to waiting to see what's next.
Sorry Apple, not for me. Not yet.
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I am confused. Everywhere I read about armies of drooling idiots praising all that Apple do. Yet all I see here (and on the other tech sites I have looked at) is a gang of drooling anti-Apple idiots talking how interested they aren't in all things Apple (over and over again!) There really is some complete c**p being spouted. A prime example being that all of the compenents of the iPad are worth £25! I bet the tech companies out there will be beating a path to their door to find out how they manages to make components that cheaply!
As far as the iPad goes, I doubt it will be a massive seller, but it'll shift enough because there is a market out there for a device that is quick and easy to use, has a good sized screen for a handheld, and has a decent ecosystem of apps that will already run on it (it's compatible with existing iPhone apps). The person who thought Apple wouldn't allow competing ebook software to be available is wrong as Stanza and the other existing ebook apps will already run on it.
The problem with previous tablets and with netbooks is that they shoehorn a full desktop OS (Windows usually) into a form factor where it just doesn't work well. I know plenty of people with netbooks but no-one who has been overly happy with the experience. They are just too underpowered to run a full version of Windows well enough to be nice to use. Apple at least get the fact that to make a usable device you need to tailor the OS to it. Despite the fact there are other phones out there that technically are more advanced the iPhone has been a success not because of drooling Apple fanboys (no matter what the drooling MS fanboys would love you to believe) but because they got the useability factor right to a much better degree than anything else out there. Same thing is a major part of why I moved to a MacBook Pro from a Windows PC. Those who love tinkering with every nut and bolt of the Windows registry and trying lots of different hardware configurations won't be happy with Apple products. I used to be one of those people, but over time I preferred to be more productive with my computer time and spend less tinkering around with hardware setups and avoiding malware etc. That's what Apple allow me to do.
The hype and the Apple fanboys are an annoyance, but the anti-Apple crowd are far noisier and to be honest fill forums like this with far more daft rubbish than the Apple crowd, as demonstrated very well right here! If you really aren't interested, don't comment. The BBC bloggers will get the idea and stop posting about them, and choose a subject people do post comments about!
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If you read Stephen Fry's blog, and wade through the torrent of gushing platitudes he lauds upon Jobs, Apple, et. al. you get to the heart of the matter.
Even Fry (who probably has an Apple logo tattoo on his backside), when trying to convince the underwhelmed majority that this is a "must have" product, focuses purely on the potential:
"iPad 1.0 is a John the Baptist preparing the way of what is to come."
and:
"In the future, when it has two cameras for fully featured video conferencing, GPS and who knows what else built in (1080 HD TV reception and recording and nano projection, for example)... ...the nay-sayers and sceptics will have forgotten that they ever doubted it's potential."
Fry is a fan-boy of a product that simply doesn't exist. A product that, may exist in some dim and distant future. And based on previous products, this "Future Fantastic" device will undoubtedly be the end destination of a product roadmap that will drip-feed mere incremental improvements, each costing upwards of £500 each. If Apple are anything, they are masters at bleeding their fans dry.
This is not anti-Apple, this is just realism. When Apple's most celebrated fan can offer nothing more than to point at the potential of future versions (which you still have to pay for Stephen!) then it suggests that the iPad may not have enough grip to cling to the cliff-face above the "Precipice of Failed Devices".
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I like the idea of a touch screen tablet computer, but I can't really think where I'd actually use one (instead of smartphone/PDA/Laptop/desktop).
Of course it has been tried at least twice and failed...... and I can't see what will be different about it this time (the only really "game changing" possibility is it with seamless wifi interoperability, but that simply doesn't exist yet). I guess the e-book idea may give it some legs (and kill off the competition), but I'm not sure that will be enough.
It may well finally kill the netbook, but then netbooks seem to already becoming extinct by being squeezed at one end by the smartphone and at the other by the very cheap full laptod.... which the Ipad may well die from too.
Basically; Yes it's "Apple", but branding can't create a niche, just exploit it.
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Wow, it really makes me wonder how many people actually took the time to investigate the iPad before commenting on it. It's not just an oversized iPhone. I watched the video on the front of Apple.com and it's sold the iPad to me. I want one (note, I currently own 0 Apple products and have always hated Apple for creating overpriced PC's/Laptops).
Now, if you want a portable machine you can connect to the internet through hotspots or 3G to check your e-mails, browse the web, read a book, listen to your music or watch a film then you can't get a system better than this for all in one. Why buy a heavy, chunky notebook or laptop just for browsing the web while your out. Yes, my G1 smart phone can browse the web with touch screen but it's hard to view every day sites with lots of pictures on them on it, and forums are a nightmare for posting on. No longer with the iPad. I can use the full screen for viewing content and then if I want to actually post something I can flip it round, bring up the near-laptop sized virtual keyboard and type away without having to worry about the extra size and weight a conventional keyboard adds (not just the keys, all the circuitry that goes with it as well). I don't have to worry about keys getting dirty or sticking, I just have to wipe a piece of glass clean.
I can fit it in my bag or briefcase and not care about the weight (730g's for the WiFi+3G model). I can pull it out and have instant access to what I want instead of having to wait for it to boot up. I don't have to worry about the battery dying on me or carrying around more heavy, chunky, expensive laptop/notebook batteries for it to last longer than 3 hours. 10 hours battery! That's better than any laptop/notebook I've ever heard of.
If you want to do graphics work or heavy presentation work then no, this won't do it for you. But guess what, it doesn't care. You can use your heavy laptops that you have to carry around all day and I'll just be happy that it does what I want it to do. Bye bye laptop, hello iPad. For anything more intensive I have my PC at home.
Stop hating just because it's Apple and open up to the possibilities, and before you even think of posting actually research it, even if it's just watching the video.
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'As if there haven't been tablets before, or devices that can do what an iPad can'
Only thing is, they don't. And most of what they do is not needed or wanted. It seems like people want to use a stylus and get frustrated at the lack of user interface enjoyment. Current tablets are large, think, heavy and not a suitable replacement for a full laptop, somethings the ipad is not trying to do. People don't enjoy waiting.....waiting for loading......openning......crashing.......people will always find fault in change.
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I don't have anything against apple, i think they make some beatiful and clever stuff but until they open things up on it and let me run what I want and can download it from where I want I'm not interested. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen any time soon or indeed ever.
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I wondered when this was going to happen? I wondered when Apple would start releasing pointless technology that looks great but really just doesn't cut it.
So here we go. Here are the major faults here....
1) You can't Multi-task
Multi-tasking is essential for any serious piece of kit that professes to be web-centric. I can't IM and use Safari? I can't listen to Classic FM and read a book? If it's not a serious piece of kit then it's a joke right?
2) It doesn't support Flash
Flash is still a large part of web content. Web based games, web based video, virtual worlds.....etc. How can you profess to be producing the best web experience if you don't support the webs fundamental technologies? To offer a rich web experience you need to support the major technologies which deliver web based content. It would be like saying "We're not supporting Javascript!". Apple are not putting the consumer first in this case.
3) Its great for watching movies?
Where are you going to source movies from? I can't connect a DVD/BluRay Drive? Ok so I have to buy movies from iTunes? Well I can't multitask on the go so I guess I will have to sync them via iTunes through my computer. So I still need my computer then? There is no HDMI connector either? So I can't watch my movies on my HDTV at home?
Why would you buy (as in pay money for) this rather than a Laptop, MacBook or a Netbook? You're a Muppet with more money than sense, thats why!
Oh and before the Mac fan-boys start bashing my comments I would like to point out I own an iPhone 3GS (which is great as a multitasking phone) and I'm a professional web developer.
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For all those asking what this product is for, just remember that most laptops are sold to people who only really need to browse the web and view multimedia from the comfort of their armchairs
I see. So what you're suggesting is something like a notebook, but just enough to access the net? Sort of a 'netnote', or an 'interbook' or something?
We did that already.
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@71
"It's for people like me who take an ipod touch/iphone to bed for casual web use"
Fnarr! Fnarr!
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Yet another piece of plastic rubbish for spoilt affluent 'Generation ME' people whose idea of 'hardship' is having to use the laptop to play pointless games whilst the 40" flat screen TV blares out some rubbishy American import. Real hardship, that. Or who simply cannot live without a mass of electronic gizmos propping up their sense of self worth. Apple seem to be great at identifying non-problems and then inventing some high-priced gadget to 'solve' them. Gosh! There are a few minutes or places when immersing oneself in the electronic world is slightly more difficult! Oh no! A laptop might be a bit heavy for their little laps! They might have to walk to their PCs! Do you know how many minutes of surfing time that might waste? How will they ever surf the net? Quick! Let's invent something to fill the gap before people start talking to each other!! Gee, thanks Apple, you're our hero!
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@#59 dndsm: That's a very good question. Why is the BBC obsessed with Apple products?
Not certain, myself - but I'm confident I can tell you why it *isn't*.
It definitely *isn't* because the BBC's legion of media studies graduates fit the demographic who go for strong coffees (possibly from Starbucks, possibly not) with folks like @#22 Dan Thurgood (a "self-employed graphic designer and photographer", no less).
I'm sure it definitely *isn't* due to that kind of thing. Absolutely positive.
Let's be honest: The iPad will inevitably and predictably be popular with a certain sector of the market - while the rest of us will happily continue to make consumer choices based on price, function, performance, compatability etc. And in those fields, it isn't likely to be a game-changer.
Meanwhile, the Apps store has been propping up the iPhone's appeal for a while now; it'll be interesting to see if the iPad can be similarly sustained beyond the honeymoon period.
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I seem to remember a similar swathe of naysayers condemning Apple to certain ignominy at the launch of the iPhone. I'm not normally a gambling man but I'd put money on (a), the iPad finally tipping the tablet format from specialist tool to mainstream device and (b), it's phenomenal success causing not so much as a raised eyebrow eighteen months from now.
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hon3stly wrote:
" Mr Fry admitted that he could hardly contain himself and is dying to own one."
...but then he is a comedian, not an IT consultant! :D
####
And thankfully for Apples share holders, Apple are far more concerned with selling to Mr Fry than IT consultants.
General Public = HUGE MARKET (and they like Mr Fry)
IT Consultants = Tiny little market (and the general public are not interested in them)
That's business!
(PS: I wont be buying one of these, because as a member of the general public, I would not want to stagger around with that to my ear!! (sorry, bad joke) But really, I have better things to spend my money on)
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umm... a giant iPhone, really! I really don't mind mac computers but avoid iPods due to their huge limitations. A large Google Android tablet or, even better, a fully functional tablet running the netbook version of Ubuntu linux would be much more useful and expandable in function. the least Apple could have done would be to have produces a custom OS with computer functionality as opposed to just scaling up the iPhone.
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My parents are struggling into the computer age. They have all sorts of trouble using a mouse, using email, they are just about getting the hang of Web browsing and writing letters leaves the desktop strewn with documents.
The iPad is a game changer because it will be accessible by those struggling with modern technology. I bet there are more computer illiterate people out there wanting to be part of the computer age than nay-sayers. This is the device that will give them the opportunity to do the things a modern generation takes for granted.
But that's not all. This could revolutionise the classroom. You won't need to carry a laptop, but will be able to do all the tasks laptops in classrooms do. Not only that, you will be able to get on-demand content from iTunesU - all those class notes, videos, presentations.
Even more...
If you are on the road or on holiday, you will be able to watch films and TV, read books and use it to store the photos from your digital camera and sync when you get back home.
One more thing...
Don't forget, this is version 1.0. The iPhone has changed beyond comparison since launch and don't get me started on how - un-earth shattering - the iPod launch was. The iPad will evolve very, very quickly and this time next year will be very different to today.
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Personally I was hoping for a mac slate with a customised interface app for slate-use (so that you fire it up to use slate apps and it gives you a different UI) and a dock for use with a keyboard and trackpad for more traditional netbook usage in OS X.
Instead we get a cross-between an iPhone and a glorified picture-frame. Something that's all style but very little substance. For the prices they're asking for, you'd expect at-least netbook functionality and proper OS X*.
By all-means make it functional with a REALLY slick and usable UI (this is something Apple does really well). By all means have a store should less-technical users want an easy way to get apps... but don't encumber and limit it! Let people install apps from outside the store, allow people to develop for it without jumping through app-store hoops! Allow plugins, multi-tasking, and no ability to really use the thing if you know how without jumping through dubious hacks!
This reliance on DRM, app-store and iTunes is tedious and too overly restrictive (have them there as an option, but don't make their use compulsory).
This kind of nonsense is exactly the reason why my next phone purchase will be a Nokia N900 or possibly a rooted Nexus One, for the same reasons I don't think I'll be interested in an iPad. I might be a more technical user, but I think that non-technical people will also get fed-up by these restrictions as well (the non-multitasking and syncing nonsense).
There is a clear market for a clear market for an OS X cheap as chips netbook (just look at all the hackintosh netbooks out there) but they still aren't delivering what most people ACTUALLY want.
*Regarding the no full OS-X issue, I am well aware that due to their hardware choices and the custom processor, this wouldn't be easily possible or that useful on this platform (a version of OS X compiled for the Apple A4 processor wouldn't be compatible with any normal OS X apps without the whole universal-binary nonsense again), my hope was that they would have gone for something a bit more generic and differentiated the product by using their apple ui usability/style magic on it.
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"I don't have to worry about the battery dying on me or carrying around more heavy, chunky, expensive laptop/notebook batteries for it to last longer than 3 hours. 10 hours battery! That's better than any laptop/notebook I've ever heard of."
@107
Get you facts straight, netbook battery times are approaching 10 hours, cost less then this Apple iThingy and will be able to do more, weigh somewhere round the 1kg mark, and when SSD's come in properly the battery life will go up even further.
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I'm sure the iPad is neat bit of kit - Apple stuff usually is - but I can't personally see a use for it.
I have a PC, a laptop and an iPhone and between them they supply all my comms and viewing needs.
If I 3G'd the web a lot while out and about then maybe I could find more of a use for the iPad, but I don't.
If I had the disposable income I might buy it to appease my gadget fetish but I can't think of a specific need for it just now. Then again, it might be like a lot of other things - once you start using them you wonder how you ever did without them!
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At 1:18pm on 28 Jan 2010, mrjellybee wrote:
It's an expensive, low-spec laptop without a keyboard and lid. Or am I missing something?
Yes you are! ... and USB ports, SD and/or CF slots (would have been a KILLER inclusion for keen photographers to both BACK UP and SHOWCASE their images)... and webcam, camera phone, h/free phone functionality ...
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@ 111
Not really. A notebook is just an attempt to shrink a PC. This device is trying to make our interaction with the web richer and more sociable.
I'm not saying that this is a new concept, or even that it's that different conceptually from a notebook. I'm saying that for most people, it will serve their needs better than a laptop, netnote, interbook, or even a webpod.
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Why is the BBC giving so much free publicity to Apple?
There are lots of other tablet PCs on the market. Why don't other manufacturers get the same treatment?
Did Apple cover Stephen Fry's expenses (amybe even pay him) while they gave him the VIP treatment to endorse their product? Why is the BBC carrying an advert from him?
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@107
"I don't have to worry about the battery dying on me or carrying around more heavy, chunky, expensive laptop/notebook batteries for it to last longer than 3 hours. 10 hours battery! That's better than any laptop/notebook I've ever heard of."
Well that's until the battery dies and you can't replace it without replacing the whole unit. But hey, by that point there will be an iBrick 2.0 for you to buy.
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About as useful as a Segway, as imaginative as a netbook, and as disappointing as Tiger Woods.
Mr Jobs, just what were you thinking?
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@123 "Not really. A notebook is just an attempt to shrink a PC. This device is trying to make our interaction with the web richer and more sociable."
Without Flash? Flash powers a lot of Chat applications, is used extensively in Virtual Worlds, Avatar Creation and Social Networking applications. How much richer or sociable going to be without this?
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What a big let down.
I expected Apple to release something great, running Mac OS X and be more like a tablet PC.
Unfortunately, it's just an iPod Touch but bigger.
No camera, flash, multitasking or SMS.
I'll wait for the inevitable iPad 2nd Generation, and get that if thats any good.
In the mean time, I'd rather get an iPhone
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Like all hi-tech gadgets, the next generation will be better. Like most other similar products, this iPad certainly needs wings!!
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For all those who are sticking up for this device (and Tablet Computers In General)
I still do not understand what this can do better than a laptop.
How are you going to hold it when watching a film on the train? on your lap will be, in my opinion, worse than a laptop (hunched over).
You will only be able to operate the device with one hand.
If I wanted a 'reader' I would be looking for the screen technology dedicated to readers.
A device that is lying around in the sitting room for easy web access is an acceptable use, nut at that price?
I really was expecting Apple to pull something out of the bag with this one, especially as the form factor has suffered in the past.
A webcam, Voice commands (may follow later), GPS would have been on my list of minimal features.
Even a 'cheap' netbook has a webcam.
Inter-changable batteries again let this device down.
I just down understand how the headline to HP's Slate PC was 'Fails to WoW' (i agree) and there isn't a similar headline here.
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I see nothing but an another expensive gadget for those with more money than they need.
Yawn.
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There are several devices shown at CES 2 weeks prior that have already trumped Apple over innovation, price and design - the most notable being the Lenovo IdeaPad U1, a hybrid design that is a super slim normal netbook - until you want it to become a slate, pull out the monitor and ta-da - it's the Lenovo iPad, running a custom OS called Skylight. It doesn't need a keyboard add-on, $130 for 3G or other stupid little dongles because the iPad as it is is woefully underequipped. Unlike the iPhone and iPod, there is no innovation. So why is the media going crazy over this? Naturally, as that happens the sheep will follow.
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I am still hearing this 'I am buying it so I can surf the net, instantly turns on, Multimedia player'
1) Surf the net without Flash, may as well just read PHP without it. No MULTI-TASKING, so no surfing and talking to a friend via Skype. NO MULTI-TASKING!!
2) Right so instant on computing, well My PC turns on from cold boot to desktop (not from Hibernation) in around 30 seconds, just enough time to find the coffee and light a fag.
3) Multi-Media, 'MULTI!!' Media, Have not laughed so hard sober in years. No USB, No Firewire, No USB2, No eSATA, No MULTI TASKING equals NO MULTI MEDIA.
Come on Apple this is a joke they just set it running before April 1st. Honestly if you buy one of these you are fooling yourself and your hard earned cash into something that will end up in the recycle yard before the year is up.
I am not an APPLE hater, I hate badly thought out ideas and bad corporate business practice. Both of which as very much evident in the iPad and Apple in general. I can understand that the fanboy's don't what to own up to it, they are like the weak children in school who need to believe that Apple is their friend and will look after their health and well being. Wake up people this is a less than useless device that you will fall for just because your BIG (pocket picking) buddy has told you to buy.
Honestly buy a product that works, and offers variety, choice and value for money. iPad is but the 'Emperor's New Clothes'.
READ CLOSELY
iPad has no USB, NO MULTI TASKING, No Flash compliance, No GPS, NO Camera/s, limits the MP3/4 codecs, NO MULTI TASKING, No Ram/Harddrive expansion, No Keyboard/mouse port, No IR Port, No non-proprietary software, No external or swappable battery, NO MULTI TASKING!!!, cannot make calls, NON OF MY MONEY!!
iPad has a touch screen, um! right okay that's it. So right if you need a touch screen thing that has very limited capabilities then it's right for you. Go get you iPad Fanboys Steve Jobs 'Needs your Money'.
Oh! By the way has anyone seen what happens to screen that you use a finger/s on? Scratches, sticky finger prints, nice shiny screen outside (I know most Fanboys don't see daylight, but I promise there is such a thing), read your books, surf the pictureless net, enjoy the iPad before you are put in one, a soft iPadded room.
What next the iCoffin? Apple you make me laugh. Real tech please not just designer junk.
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@127
That's true enough. The 3 big problems with the iPad are flash, multitasking and video calling. I can't see them being problems forever though.
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Stephen Fry should be given an icell, preferably one without a key.
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You know, I wondered why they bothered to put a keyboard on the MacBook Air. Now I know why. And why a plug in keyboard rather than BlueTooth? Not bad for the price, though.
For all you non-multitasking knockers... it can multi-task, but only if it's an Apple app.
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I seem to remember that Mr Fry was just as escatic about Kylie Minogues bum when there was that hot pants video & song? Please no more of him & his fetishes. Oh about the iFlop - if it is to be lugged around without a care in the world, how do you protect the screen from damage? Oh - Apple is rubbing its hands in glee at all the new screens we 'll have to buy. Atleast with a notebook it folds up - nice feature & you get a keyboard thrown in.
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I've read the small print! Ebooks are only available in the USA. Hope that changes soon!
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Interesting to see Stephen so enthusiastic about the iPad as a book reader. But has he not seen the footnote on http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/ ?
iBooks available in the U.S. only.
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Stephen Fry has been a Apple fan for a number of years and I value his viewpoint (he has at least seen one!).
I have both PC and Apple products and I can say that when it comes to build quality and design quality including software the Apple product wins hands down.
However, I have both products for the reason that each one fulfills a different need. I dont see how everyone can be so negative on a product which very few have had the opportunity to see.
I suspect this product will in time be a milestone if only showing others the way to go.
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I wonder if one of the first accessories will be a folding lap stand with a keyboard on it.
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And Stephen Fry's (why is he of such importance all of a sudden? He's come from a very different background to all of a sudden being a representative of the internet/computers - eh?) quote:
" I am in love with it and am drooling in anticipation at being able to buy one. I want to fondle it and lick it."
He knows it will be made in China right? I don't think he likes China right now.
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It seems to be 'just a big iTouch' doesn't sound like a bad thing to me.
I have an Archos Media Tablet at the mo' and this strikes me as a better one of those - I 'like' itunes and the syncing with that would be good. One thing that Apple do very badly is design mice, I really hate touchpads/trackballs so a touch screen strikes me as nice.
Sounds good for what I would want it for.
But..... and it's a big but, no multi-tasking sounds unforgivable given what netbooks/notebooks can do.
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Sorry I feel I have to address the Apple innovations etc... Every company steals tech from the competitors and in the past I am sure Apple have done this too. Flash is dying? Alrighty I'll take a company who refuses to allow Flash to run on their phone and tablet devices word for it. Turn it in. The people who believe everything Jobs says must be queuing up for his miracle water too.
The iPad will be a fashion accessory for many, not all, but many. Fact.
Also. Why do people think Apple are a lovely, hugable little company who looks after them? What makes people think Apple are morally better?
I really don't care how successful a device like this ends up. Personally I am annoyed at the amount of space the BBC is using to further line Apples pockets. It's disgusting and the BBC should be ashamed.
I don't mind reviews but weeks of being bombarded, videos, blogs and a blog about the day after the blooming thing is released is a joke. Not a funny one either.
I really hope people complain and like the U2 row the BBC get it for this blatant maketing too.
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JD554 No'88 On a lighter note I would prefer not to be able to read than have the Guardian. You can only read so much about Di. I have to doff my cap to your strength of character and also pity you. Self harm via the any newspaper is bad enough, good luck with the recovery.
Take care bud.
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Roll on January 2011 when the iPad 2G comes out with some of the missing features.
It will sell, to the 'fanboys' and also to the people whom have quite a bit of deposable income wanting the latest fashion.
But seriously it can't do multi-tasking?
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Will the 2nd generation iPad have wings??
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I'd advise anyone with an interest in the iPad to take a look at the following link first;
http://www.fsf.org/news/ibad_launch
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As I type this there are 144 comments before mine. I think that says it all in terms of interest in this product and (probably) its success. I'm mid-30s and almost afraid of new technology but from what I've seen, the iPad is something that I would get along with very nicely indeed, thank you very much :-)
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The BBC coverage of one product and one company is nothing short of pure bias reporting.
On the tech page, there are no fewer than 6 links to ipad stories and a further 2 links on apple itself. Thats 8 links in a day to one company that simply released its version of an existing market. BBC even made it front page news yesterday.
U2 would be jealous of such coverage, let alone Microsoft.
All this hype and for a product that is receiving pretty bad reviews. Where is the link to MacWorld UK, who have actually said they would even give this a product a miss?
Disproportionate links, selective editorial comments from obscure tech media and headlines that spin Apple in as positive a light as possible.
BBC you should hang your heads in shame. You are supposed to deliver balanced and unbiased views.
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This is more than a large iPhone or iPod Touch. I think the killer component is the software - iLife for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Combine that with the photo management and other more obvious components such as iBooks, iPod, email and browsing; the overall package with 10 hour battery life and no moving hard drive (robust) becomes more compelling. I would suggest that this is indeed a potential game changer. Yes, there are Windows tablets emerging, but good as Windows 7 is, (compared to earlier releases), the apps are not optimised for mobile use and do not provide the overall cohesive, intuitive user experience.
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The Apple looks nice and with the ability to run the 100,000's of apps available for the iPhone. On the face of it I can see a use for it - both in say the Medical environment (for displaying patient details while wandering around a ward), and business - since a touch interface makes it easier to splice and slice data to find information.
That said it has one glaring omission - FLASH - and this is what may make a lot of people question the benefit of this. Without Flash it is going to get really tired browsing if half the sites you use insist on Flash.
Apple's habit of tying in everything to apple is going to damage it's business. If as a MS Developer I wanted to develop for the iPad then it needs me to go out and buy an Apple. That is a fair chunk of change when I have a perfectly good development machine (the one I'm making this post on) but to make me develop for the iPad - I'm going to want it to cost me a lot less upfront.
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One quick question:
What is it for? I can't imagine who would use it...
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There is no doubting Steve Jobs' innovation....
The iPad converted into a handy shield for him to hide behind as the shareholders pelted him with rotten fruit.
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I love the way all the Apple fans played down the HP/MS offering. Now it turns out that the HP/MS is actually a better offering, although I still wouldn't buy either as I have no use for one. With such a limited OS, as opposed to the HP/MS slate with full Windows 7, Apple have restricted the uses of this device. Also, look at the hardware, a 1GHz processor is what you get in the newest HTC phones. Incidentally, HTC make smart phones of equal (maybe not superior) quality to the iPhone and yet I have NEVER seen one mentioned on the BBC technology blogs, other than in the odd comment. Netbooks have Intel Atom processors at 1.6GHz and cost half the price. Added to that the inclusion of such basic extras such as USB ports and you realise that the iPad is a stupid device.
As for the comments regarding the BBC's coverage of Apple, I fully agree. Every story seems to be linked back to Apple for no genuine reason. They do not provide technically superior products and they do not provide genuinely new products. All they do is stick a nice logo on any old item and over charge their consumers for the privilege. Please start mentioning other companies and their products.
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Wow BBC - you really do get a lot of scorn and spite heaped upon you for reporting an IT story!
I hope the Apple entry into the market acts as a catalyst to encourage development and - possibly more importantly - acceptance of this type of device.
I think we need an alternative to laptop devices. I often only need a subset of the things a laptop provides and a decent size and screen with net connectivity will usually be enough for me.
A start and some limitations, certainly. Good looking object and Apple do have a track record at creating markets. Good luck to them.
On a different note: Seriously, some of you guys, get a grip!
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This comments section is comedy gold! A whole queue of people slagging off Apple users as fanboys as sheep, and acting as...well...sheep! A ton of comments all trying to outdo each other to express how uninterested they are in Apple and their products.
There was a ton of coverage for Microsoft when Windows 7 was released, and if they made their own computer hardware I'm sure there would be lots for that too (I recall a few stories about the X-Box). There were many less comments though as Apple users are less liable to form baying mobs at the mere mention of a rival's products (not saying it never happens, and when it does it is as sad and pathetic as when the anti-Apple mob are in full cry here).
Now, who has the pitchforks and flaming torches!
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My kid is taking great pleasure showing his new Swiss Army knife to his friend. Its the same thing anytime one of my colleagues get a fancy new phone - aren't they eager to let people notice it, and what pleasure it yields if someone asks to be shown it, etc. The utility of these devices is only a small part of their appeal, simply having one about you, being seen to have one, deny it if you will but but that is probably the greater part of it. The trouble for the iPad is that it is a stay-at-home device, so whilst it undoubtedly fills the niche left vacant by a daily household newspaper, weekly magazines etc on the coffee table, cooped in at home unable to leverage peer envy it will have a tough time competing against cheaper alternatives or copies.
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Maggie,
I was disappointed to hear you tell Radio 4's Today listeners this morning that Aplle had done well to bring the price to $499 rather than the speculated $999. This is misleading to say the least. The most basic of the product line might be $499 but to get one of these closer to the capabilities being rumoured before the announcement will cost a whole lot more it seems.
Like others here I am disappointed by the BBC bias towards Apple. As I write, Apple shares have dropped nearly 4% the day after this product announcement which says to me that not everyone is impressed.
Conversely, today Nokia announced a drop in annual profits but shares are up over 12% in Frankfurt which is their largest gain in years. I note that the BBC hasn't had many good things to say about Nokia lately and am surprised there is no headline feature about this on the BBC website.
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Makes you wonder if some here bother to read what has already been written before they enter their own missive.
Maybe take some time out bofore you ask, "how do I watch a film'.
Go look at the product page.
@133 "Oh! By the way has anyone seen what happens to screen that you use a finger/s on? Scratches, sticky finger prints"
Maybe buy some soap and wash your hands first?
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@ 155 The_Hess
re: "Incidentally, HTC make smart phones of equal (maybe not superior) quality to the iPhone and yet I have NEVER seen one mentioned on the BBC technology blogs"
see here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/8389353.stm
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djp No'147. Great link there, good to see someone fighting the good fight. Freeware and Open source within the GPL is the way forward and away from restrictive access and corporate control.
Take care of you and yours.
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For all those noting the lack of multitasking, camera, webcam, bigger memory or G3 as standard, USB etc etc - and those thinking of buying an iPads.
The way Apple’s developed new products in the past is that the first release is as low spec as they can get away with.
Each new release adds either an upgrade or something new – or new colours. The price sometimes comes down too. (How is it phones and tablets cost much more than laptops nowadays?)
If you’re thinking of buying one then hold off until at least the 2nd or 3rd release; it’ll be bigger, better, shinier - and I’d wait until G3 is standard at least. Unless Apple want me to test drive one for them of course :-)
Any problems such as possible screen cracks etc will also be known about (and fixed) by then too. Otherwise you’re a crash-test-dummy for the product.
If you’re not a fan of Apple apps (one of the main reasons for buying one) then wait and see what the competition (MS, Palm, Google, Samsung, Nokia, Sony etc) come up with in the shape of touch-screen, wifi tablets.
I’d also see what pricing deals the mobile companies come up with. Allowing several companies to offer iPads would generate more competitive pricing; but one company could be given a monopoly in the UK, with tariffs to match.
But wait awhile; Jobs will be back with a better offer later this year- he’s a salesman remember.
(I’m not anti Apple, I’ve bought several Apple products in the past, as well as PCs etc; I’m just realistic having seen all this before, from those cute little iMacs onwards.)
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"If you’re thinking of buying one then hold off until at least the 2nd or 3rd release; it’ll be bigger, better, shinier"
The problem being that if everyone does that, there won't be a 2nd or 3rd release.
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I'm astonished at the inability of my fellow geeks to get over their dependency on features as a measure of a product's worth. Did no-one learn ANYTHING from the cut-paste debacle of the iPhone with that being touted as a killer feature whose absence doomed the device to failure? No-one cared, Apple introduced it when it was good and ready (and happened to come up with the best phone implementation of the feature in the process) and in the meantime they sold millions of units.
Look, if you've already got a laptop and portable device this isn't for you. But then again, NO tablet is for you, you don't have a gap to fit it in. If you need (note need, not want) a feature that's missing this clearly isn't a device for you. But don't make the mistake of assuming that your needs are the only ones that matter. Millions of people, for instance, don't give a damn about multi-tasking because it doesn't fit their way of working so won't miss it here. If that doesn't apply to you then great, you know this isn't the device for you, but don't condem it for everyone because of that.
I'm an IT professional, I work with Windows and OS X every day. And yet I'm seriously considering an iPad for my new home PC. I've got a little media centre that acts as a central storage point for me and my wife's photos, music and video that already has everything in iTunes for syncing and runs our iPod's. Everything I do at home day in day out I can do quite happily on the iPad. I've got no problem with the app store and think the trade offs are well worth the reduced 'freedom of choice'.
I could go through a whole list of reasons why I want one but really just one will do: it looks like fun. I'm bored silly of using a desktop PC, something new and interesting is certainly worth a look at and if that means a device that happens to fit my life much better than a laptop (or netbook) with corresponding trade-offs in functionality then so be it.
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Pardon me Maggie,
But didn't Microsoft unveil a tablet PC on 7 January this year, only a couple of weeks ago.
I was under the impression that the BBC had a duty of impartiality in its reporting. This being the case, would you mind going completely overboard with gushing praise for this item as well?
I must admit that, in common with a few other posters on here, I am getting somewhat tired of the BBC acting as a Public Relations department for Apple. The iPhone was not a smartphone when it first came out and did not compete with the Nokia N95 for features, only for sales, yet the BBC reported the iPhone as if it did. Now both Microsoft and Apple produce similar products, we have no way of knowing which is better, yet all we here from the BBC is how wonderful the Apple product is. Can we please have more reporting and less advertising on the BBC?
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I find it hard to believe just how many people have got into frenzied rants about a product none of them have so much as seen, let alone tried out. Also, most of those who have written posts above just don't seem to understand what the iPad is meant to be. It is NOT a replacement for a laptop. It is NOT a phone. It is meant to sit between those two items. Hence the lack of a keyboard, USB port, web-cam, and vast amounts of processing power.
Personally I think Apple has managed rather well. They've produced something that really does sit right between a laptop/desktop PC and a smart phone. So what, you can't download your 16 megapixel photos and play around with them in Photoshop. It isn't meant for that. Nor can you call your friends. It isn't made to do those things. It's purpose is almost solely to consume, not to create. It seems a great device to simply get online, to watch a film, to read a book, to listen to music, to play a game. You can do this without having to carry around your laptop. You can do it without having to peer at the small screen of your smart phone. The iPad allows you to lie back on your couch and simply relax, with whatever source of entertainment you feel like at your fingertips.
Some of you have complained about having to hold the device the whole time. Well guys, the same problem is faced when you read a book. And to be honest, people manage to cope. Sure, the iPad has keyboard too, but as I've already said, it isn't really designed with the idea of inputting anything. The keyboard is simply used to type in the odd web-address or answer an e-mail. And the device is so light, I can't imagine it being a problem to hold it with one hand and get off a few words with the other.
I think a large number of people are going to find the device very useful. Take my parents for example. They can barely use a computer. When they do, it isn't for making movies or designing games or editing photos. They just want to get online and check a few e-mails from the family. The iPad would be perfect for them. It doesn't require any computer skills to use. If it's like any other Apple product I've used, it'll be simple and straightforward. There's no mouse to play around with. You just touch what you want and you get it. It'll be an easy way for me to send them pictures and videos and updates on my life. The iPad is going to be great for people like that, who don't want the cost and hassle of owning a personal computer which they have never learned to use.
I can't say I'm thrilled with the product. I won't be buying one, thats for sure. I actually DO need the USB ports, the firewire, the processing power, the RAM, and the storage of my PC. I'm not going to start screaming about the iPad not providing any of it. It isn't a full blown computer. But thats not a problem. It isn't trying to be. It's not even meant to be.
In essence it is a carry around entertainment centre. Why all the complaints of it not being more?
I'm disappointed with a few aspects of the device. As others have said, it should support Flash, and be able to run several applications at once. Also a web-cam never goes amiss. And the name.... well, I find it hard to believe the toiletry jokes didn't come up before it was released. iSlate would have been far better.
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@ BOFH_UK
'But then again, NO tablet is for you, you don't have a gap to fit it in.'
Amen Brother
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Really? I don't see the use in this thing. After reading the comments there are a few things I've noticed people are saying that don't really make much sense.
1) "It's a new type of computer!"
No, it's not. It's a tablet. There is nothing new about them. Only this one lacks a keyboard.
2) "I'm going to use it for word processing"
I'd like to see how your are going to type on a touch screen (incredibly difficult to do) large amounts of words, and then even when you have, what are you going to do with it? Send it to yourself by email?
3) "I'm going to use it for (insert media type here)"
Again, with little RAM (well I would imagine so, they don't even seem to have mentioned it's actual memory capabilities), lack of Hard drive space (programs are big you know) and lack of processing power which is needed for things like music processing and for graphical processing without a built in graphics card.
4) "I can just sit down and watch the telly and use this!"
No you can't. People do not have the ability to simultaneously watch two screens at once, and they certainly cannot concentrate on both. You can't exactly rest it on your lap and keep glancing at it, as it's totally flat. This is why a laptop screen pops out. Also stops the thing overheating.
5) "I can eat with this at breakfast"
Why on earth would you want to do that!? So you can get grease all over the screen? Pour milk on it. Even then, you will not be able to control a 10 inch screen with one hand and eat with the other. It would be incredibly impratical
6) "It's simpler to use" and "it will take no time to boot up"
I've got an incredibly complicated desktop computer that boots up quite slowly. It takes less than a minute. When I get out of bed, I can wait for a minute to get my emails. New laptops will boot up incredibly fast (thanks to some funky hardware) and if you can't wait twenty seconds, then I would hate to see you at a bus stop.
That's just a short list of reasons why this thing is good debunked.
I'd much rather pay less money for a netbook (which are actually smaller!).
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Just blogged this ....
I’m saving up for something better.
“It’s the most advanced coffee delivery system experience ever, it surpasses all imagination … ladies and gentlemen … the iMug”
:D “oooooooooooooooooh!” :D
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As with all Apple products this is a very slick launch and a nicely integrated piece of hardware and software with a bit of wow factor.
I'm not remotely interested in buying one at the moment (maybe 18-24 months time on V2 or V3) but hope it will be a catylst for other vendors to up their game and start to bring out competing tablets.
The only thing I see competing in this area is something running Android as this has momentum behind it and is much more open than Apple. Hope someone will release something this year.
Well done to Apple - it's by no means a killer product but it's upped the stakes (just as the iPhone did) and hopefully will help create a '3rd device' industry as SJ put it in his speech.
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Ron Taylor No'160. Yes soap and water are cool, or warm depending on your preference. I take it you must be one of the non secretion types I believe it is a very rare condition. You will have dust, oils and dirty on your fingers no matter what with or how you wash your hands.
I work on Computers all day and so have a very clean environment yet I still have to clean the screens, keyboard and pc's at least once a week. Touch screens will be holographically enhanced by using your fingers. Try looking at most laptop and you will see exactly what I mean.
Thanks for worrying about my personal hygiene, but think about what the Police use to investigate crimes and also how quickly dust builds up and you will see my point. A stylus would have been a better way forward (or at least the option). I still have a great device called a mouse and Keyboard, also a great art pad for more detailed work.
I will say again I am not Apple bashing without good reason, look into your own decision making and then see if this device actually achieves anything better or opens new doors to possible uses. I would also point out I despise M$ and am a Linux user and a Win7 vacationer.
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I wrote that this iPad is the first touch screen computer and was derided by others saying there are already touch screen computers - where ? Yes there are some titchy ones you use with a stylus, but not with your hands. And, oh Apple did bring out a touch screen with stylus computer years ago in 1997 - the eMate !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300
I have en eMate and it's brilliant, does word processing and you can do email, but it's not in colour and you can't import photos on it, mind you it was brought out when digital photography had barely been born. I suppose Apple could have reissued an upgraded eMate but it wasn't a success - probably because they only pitched it at the education market. And, of course there's the Newton, which I also have, but that's too small though was great in it's time. I don't have an iPod because that's far too small and it doesn't do word processing, not real word processing.
I shall buy the new iPad because it fulfills what I use my old iBook for - which has been in use by me since 2001 and still works well - but the iPad will be much lighter and more portable. For serious work I shall continue to use my MacBookPro.
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"In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content. "
so mutch for viewing this web page "as it was ment to be" on a ipad
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http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6556/dom2h.jpg
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I think it's getting ridiculous how many people are attacking the BBC for letting us know about Apple's most recent product!!!! Guys, go to any news website there is. Go to the tech page if they have one. Every single one mentions the iPad. Are you telling me Apple has managed to blackmail every news corporation on this planet into making space for their product????
Why do you think the iPad has caused such a sensation? It's because, like many of Apple's previous devices, there has been rather a lot of hype leading up to each one. If the BBC didn't tell us anything about the iPad once it's launched, then you would be complaining.
And why can't you see any articles mentioning Microsoft's "slate computer"??? That, guys, is because Microsoft's slate was launched quite a few months ago. It was certainly mentioned by the BBC then. I remember watching a video about it.
I'm not a huge Apple fan. I just think it's ridiculous how many of you are acting as though reporting todays biggest bit of tech news (in the tech section of this site) makes the BBC criminals.
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Well it seems that the techies just don't get it, but they didn't see why ordinary users liked GUIs either.
The question is who needs keyboards or mice/trackpads? They are a barrier to full use of the computer. Tablets are the future, they provide a seamless, intimate, relationship with the apps or content and the Ipad has upped the game in this area.
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@JTGGardner
Quick reality check for you:
Go to the Technology page and tell me how many iPad articles there are despite it beign ridiculed by everyone except the usual suspects. Now tell me how many there are about Nokia having an exceptional Q4 and increasing their smartphone market share to 40%.
Any further questions?
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There seems to be a lot of negative comment about Apple's new tablet today as if it is neither fish nor fowl. I suppose a lot of people love their phones and pods and macs and cannot imagine anything different. Maybe it is time they looked over the next horizon!
I'm not an Apple person. I think that the computers look lovely but they are expensive in terms of getting the power to do a job and the phones are expensive full stop. I particularly dislike iTunes and the way it messes about with your CD collection. So, having got that out of the way, what is clever about this new tablet?
First of all, it is a very practical viewing screen. I think reading internet pages on the tiny phone screen is a waste of time but this makes it perfectly feasible and, as well, it should stand up as an effective e-reader (I am perplexed as to why people would expect us to carry a computer and an e-reader in our personal baggage). The touchscreen technology is neat and also exists in Windows 7 if you're using it in any form of crossover. Although we pretend not to, we still have a lot of paper to deal with and read which is mostly A4 in size so the tablet will fit within the paper pile and be good for reading it.
Second, people have been trying to sell me a telephone which does the Internet and e-mail as well for some while but, as a purchaser, I am not impressed. With a headset, this will be a good telephone - on the Skype kind of model rather than the mobile - and I think it will be much easier to move into that kind of synchronized communication where you are talking on the phone with at least one and possibly more people and exchanging or reviewing documents simultaneously. I'm grateful not to have a device you have to hold up by your ear and will happily give up shouting into one as I walk down the street especially if everyone else does! If it works, a large keyboard will be a delight for me as a person who mocks anyone who types with a cocktail stick!
Third, this could be a cracker for presentations. Think of what you could do with PowerPoints when you can rotate them and enlarge or minimise them. I assuming here that is going to have some kind of file store but alternatively one could keep the presentation in the cloud and access it through the Internet. In fact, it simply replaces the PowerPoint with a bit of imagination.
Four, I think it might be good for sharing. Most Apple devices are the electronic equivalent of masturbation in terms of solitary pleasure. In fact, now I think about it, they have missed a trick in not introducing a vibrating one. You could put this tablet on the table and show something to somebody or share a document or a film in a train or plane, or put it in the backseat of the car for the kids.
Five, it fits neatly in the office as well as in the briefcase. You'll still need a computer and a PC but it sits nicely in between them and for those of us who live in our headsets at the computer it will do the telephone side and replace the old handset which a mobile phone doesn't quite achieve.
And finally, it is really light, highly portable and will fit easily in Ryanair hand luggage or any other for that matter.
It needs to be well-connected but I think we will all be using these, or the Dell equivalent, within a couple of years.
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The post at @167 is probably the most balanced I've read here. At this point I wil clarify my position. I own a Mac and us one at work. But then, I also run Windows 7 on my Mac at home and also use Windows and Linux extensively at work. I have developed a preference for OS X for some fairly sound developmental reasons (better tools, terminal, Unix etc) but am not a brainless Apple fan boy or windows hater. In fact, I was deeply unimpressed with the iPhone on release and may only get one this summer if a) my carrier gets it b) iPhone OS 4 and the hardware see some improvements.
Clearly the tablet is not all things to all people and it is clearly designed to be a device to CONSUME media. Those of us who create content will not find all that much to go with here, other than lightweight editing in the iWork suite..
However, I work in education (HE) and can easily see the use of these things in delivering content to students and letting them read/listen to/watch it in useful formats. The eReader, iPod and video make this a good mix.
The display and the UI are the things. We have seen how iPhone has changed the smartphone market. Nokia's repsonses in the smartphone market 5800 anyone? Have been mixed and many providers are playing catch-up. The iPad wins on interface and usability. Anyone can use it. It's not designed to be a fully-fledged computer, but a piece of consumer electronics - just like the iPod. And that worked.
And, from what I hear, it's FAST. Those who are saying that a netbook would do all these things better may be advised to hang fire and see what happens when they use one. Flash is another issue but the reasons for its lack of presence on the iPhone/iPad platform are complex and informed by reasonable concerns from both Adobe and Apple on either side.
In the end, I'll probably request a development/testing iPad at work, but will hold off buying with my own money just yet.
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Seems like Mac have come a bit late to the tablet pc market. Microsoft have had Operating Systems for tablet pc's for nearly 15 years (since windows for pen computing) and also most tablet pc's use normal pc hardware adapted for tablet machines so can run all the normal stuff. What the problem will be for this device is it is just a big phone without phone features which seems to me like a pointless product. At least a windows powered version would behave similar to a pc and would not be so locked down (e.g. windows CE)
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So a free iPad was all it took to for Stephen Fry to reappear having told us we would not be hearing from him while he completed his book.
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Jim No'179 " I think it will be much easier to move into that kind of synchronized communication where you are talking on the phone with at least one and possibly more people and exchanging or reviewing documents simultaneously."
How? This will not multi task. Also this will not have enough memory to handle these task. This is a joke, go and buy one but you will be really disapointed when you go online, or see someone using a real Tablet not a XL Max-i-Pad. This will die faster than the Nokia N-Gage.
Under powered, and seriously lacking in the basic web furniture. No web cam and skype make a weird bed fellow, understood some don't want to show their faces, but I am quite happy with mine and share it with the people I talk to. I agree that Apple have created an idea with the iPhail but XL Phones went out in the 80's.
I don't have and don't want a smart phone. I see them as useless for the average Joe, beyond useless for me as I have a PC which has screens big enough to view whole pages, or multiple pages. I can still get buy with a Verixas VX1 quite well. It makes calls and receives them also.
This is a no go from the start. Enough said by the loss in stocks of Apple one day after launch, I would be seriously worried if I was an investor of Apple. Take care all.
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http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/14/digitalrise-x9-tablet-has-atom-multitouch-780-price-tag/
What's this then? Atom N270 (1.6ghz) processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, built-in 3G, GPS and WiFi, and Windows 7. For less than the Apples top priced under powered Max-i-Pad.
Even looks like the Apple saddly. Much more useful and packs a might punch.
You choose your labels I will choose from specs and the option to choose OS/Hardware/Software. Take care.
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First impression...
It's too big.
Much too big. It has the same 'I don't quite believe it' effect of a 1980s LaserDisc video disc, or an early mobile phone.
It's nearly the size of a laptop. Except that when you're using it as a laptop, the virtual keyboard takes up half the screen, so then what's left of the screen isn't any bigger than a netbook. But it doesn't fold in half like a netbook... so it's then too big to carry easily. It needs to be the size of a large-ish paperback - you can put one in a pocket, if you have a big pocket - and easily in a small handbag. What this is is the size of a magazine, which won't fit in any pocket at all, and are surprisingly awkward things to carry (at least without rolling it)... unless you have a briefcase to put it in. But if you have briefcase, you can carry a laptop in it. The iPhone is certainly too small for proper computer-like uses, but it is at least pocket size. And for all their limitations in many ways, netbooks are quite popular for a reason - they are about the right size (especially folded).
I think Apple have jumped the shark here. I'm going to guess that this not only isn't going to set the world on fire - worse, it will come to haunt them as the first sign that they are losing their touch. I'm an Apple fan, too - I've never owned a computer made by any other company and I love their gadgets, but this is the first one that has *not* made me want it. If they had made it truly fit in the gap between the iPhone and a Macbook - ie about halfway between the two, not three-quarters of the size of a laptop - I could see it taking off. But it really is like a hopelessly oversized iPhone more than anything else, and the world is about making things smaller, not bigger.
Unless, indeed, you are Dom Jolly.
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I find it quite ironic that if you were using the iPad to browse here, you wouldn't be able to watch any of these videos about the device as it doesn't support Flash videos! I feel that they'll not be able to market it as 'the best way' to view the web as it has a component missing that's vital for viewing a lot of web content.
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I just can't believe the amount of coverage this non-news item is getting on the BBC today. At one stage this was item #3 on the front page of the BBC news site (not the technology site... no... the news site). It's been plastered all over all BBC channels on TV and radio.
What incentives has Apple given to the BBC and BBC affiliated reporters to feed the hype circle that Apple and its fanboys started.
Where was the "front page" coverage when Ballmer talked about new slate PCs running Windows 7? Granted, the devices might not have had the same polish as the Apple hardware, but we should bear in mind that these are an evolution of the tablet PC.
The tablet PC has been available for ten years!... with multi tasking, with the ability to watch and record TV, with the ability to sync your iPod, with handwriting recognition... etc etc. And no, "there is not an app for that"... because it's all built into the operating system.
Windows 7 - great product, iPod/iPhone - great products. What is so different or revolutionary about a stretched iPhone (but without the phone bit) that the BBC sees fit to give it such one sided coverage?
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"HELLO! YEAH! I'M ON AN IPAD. YEAH ITS PANTS - BYE!"
(Apologies to Dom Jolly)
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Ron T. (Message 75)
You DO need Flash to view YouTube videos.
If you don't have Flash you will see a link to the Flash web site where the video should be and the message;
'No Flash or Flash/Javascript version out of date'
YouTube had a bug that is now fixed, that said you need to upgrade Flash even if you had the latest version.
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JonT, I think you must have swallowed the hype tablet. I have an iPhone and love it,it was well worth the money for me. However just having something that looks good is not enough for the vast majority, unless you're the kind of person who sits in coffee shops with Apple device proudly pointing logo first to all and sundry. My view is as someone else commented, this would be a lovely gift for my wife so she can browse the internet from the sofa and access email. If I had one I think it would be reluctant to take it outside and risk damaging it. A rugged laptop in bag I don't mind. Myself I have being using Windows 7 since Christmas, and I love it. Flexible, powerful, quick, with a huge software and hardware range available, and no compulsion to only use iTunes for music! Browsing is a joy. Windows has been through several iterations and has had its problems, mainly due to its huge userbase and accessibility to literally thousands of hardware items. I think with 7 it has all this and also matches Apple in looking good and user friendliness.
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Steve Balmer would be proud of this room I'll tell you! If you don't like Apple products, don't buy them. But save the whining on about them. You get proven wrong repeatedly and it just makes you look silly. I don't waste my time going on about pc's. I just don't use them because they're clunky, time consuming and virus prone. If thats your chosen computer preference then fine, use them. I'll be over here actually doing something productive with mine.
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People are definitely missing the point here. It's neither a laptop nor a netbook. Why would you want to put it in your pocket? That's what the iPhone/iPod are for. This a new way of experiencing life online, primarily in the home. The iPad is not meant for heavy-duty computing, which is sensibly left to the MacBook and iMac, etc.
Laptops, as their name suggests, can only be properly viewed in one position: on a flat surface straight in front of you. This means that if I want to use one to browse the web in my lounge, for example, I either have to sit rigidly or perch it precariously on the arm of my chair. The iPad changes all that: there is no wrong way to hold it so I can curl up on the sofa or in bed, or sit with legs crossed and read or browse to my heart's content.
For those complaining about no multi-tasking, it only means getting to your second application via the home screen and you can in fact play music while doing something else: a double-tap on the home button brings up the audio controls (assuming the interface is identical to the iPhone).
Also, anyone who dismisses Stephen Fry as just an Apple fanboy should read some of the "blessays" on his website. He's extremely knowledgeable about all smartphones and gizmos in general: what they do, what they don't and what they should do. He actively encourages manufacturers to come up with an "iPhone killer" (but it has to be said, usually ends up bemoaning their efforts).
Ours has been a PC-free household for the last two years. We now have three Macs and have never regretted it. They boot up and shut down in mere seconds (and then no waiting for background programs to launch), the OS is very dependable, I don't have to buy antivirus protection, there aren't countless system updates waiting to install or any disk defragmenting to be done. The machines are designed with care and attention to detail, always with the user in mind. Yes, they are expensive but you get what you pay for and then some. The hardware and software go hand in glove and that's what Apple does so well. IMO, they're on to another winner.
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Here are a few issues with the iPad.
iCan'tUpgradeTheMemory
The lack of a memory card slot is a standard feature of Apple products. It's completely ridiculous. A memory card slot is a necessity on this kind of device. Apple just can't have you upgrading your memory without throwing your entire device away and buying a new one.
iCan'tChangeTheBattery
Like other Apple products, the battery is built-in.
iCan'tViewFlashContent
Again, as with other Apple products, there is no flash support. With so much flash content on the web, games, animations etc, the lack of flash makes me question Job's assertion that "it is the best browsing experience you've ever had"
iCan'tBelieveIBoughtAClosedSystem
The lack of Flash mentioned earlier brings up a bigger issue. You might ask why Adobe hasn't created a special optimized version of Flash for the iPad. The answer is that Apple won't let them. If you buy an iPad you are buying a closed system. Only Apple-approved products are allowed onto the iPad.
Other manufacturers are happy for you to be able to use any applications you want. You can of course even write your own. Mostly this openness has never been considered as a feature. It was just taken for granted. Apple (as always) is trying to take us back to the dark days of proprietary systems and lock-in rather than move with the times and support open systems.
Other manufactures have already showcased "Slate" devices that will let you do things your way without having to go through Apple for everything. Please don't support closed systems. It's a step backwards for all of us.
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I love how many people pretend they don't care about Apple products but then can't wait to tell everyone how much they don't care
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Re: 189. At 6:48pm on 28 Jan 2010, MarkAJA
No you don't need Flash to view YouTube or iPlayer, they work perfectly well on the iPhone, iPod Touch and they will on the iPad
YouTube and some other site like iPlayer automatically serve the video in a format the device understands.
YouTube is also moving to HTML5 so people won't need a plug-in at all, HTML5 works in FireFox, Chrome and Safari, this is currently under trial, but not having to use plug-ins is a great idea
I really don't see why people are clinging to the outdated Flash concept, HTML5 & JavaScript are the way forward for rich media, and the iPhone and iPad support that just fine
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"Steve Balmer would be proud of this room I'll tell you! If you don't like Apple products, don't buy them. But save the whining on about them. You get proven wrong repeatedly and it just makes you look silly. I don't waste my time going on about pc's. I just don't use them because they're clunky, time consuming and virus prone. If thats your chosen computer preference then fine, use them. I'll be over here actually doing something productive with mine."
Go on tell us the total lie told to you via Apple. That you don't get virus's is a joke of all time. Please go stuff your head in the sand. You are talking through your backside. Productive with what? Programs that are old and out dated? programs only written for Apple? On Apples with Intel chips? Grow up you are using an over prised PC.
Aple Viruses http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresource/Macintosh_Viruses_and_Mac_Virus_Resources.htm and here is how secure your Apple is http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/MacBook_Air_Hacked_in_PWN_2_OWN_Contest/ now go jabber nonsense to idiots not people who know.
By the by this is not an Apple witch hunt it is pointing out the obvious flaws in a new Gadget that professes to be the new way, the future. Yet it cannot even stand on it's feet in the here and now.
Apple loons.
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Lots of people seem to be posting without having read the Apple website on this.
How will avoid scratching the screen as I carry it around? How will I watch videos comfortably? The iPad case, sold separately, will stand it up in a near vertical positon so you can watch video. It also protects the screen while travelling.
How will I be able to type comfortably? Said case will also tip the iPad up a bit horizontally so you can type on your lap. However the fact Apple also have a docking station with a keyboard attached, sold separately, tells you all you really need to know about how easy it will be to do word processing on the iPad by itself.
I want to be able to store/display my photos while I'm on holiday. Just buy the photography connection kit, sold separately, which includes both a USB socket and a Card reader. (I'm assuming these connect to the iPad not the Dock) Doesn't actually say whether these will write to a card or work with general USB peripherals or whether Apple has nerfed them so they only work for downloading photos.
There are LOTS of details on the technical specification page but *No* the amount of RAM isn't one of them. Not usually a good sign.
So this version isn't quite as mediocre as some of the 'it will be wonderful in a couple of years' posters imply. But what did you say the price for an iPad was again? - All this 'sold separately' stuff is routinely built into a £300 netbook.
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P.S. kaysworld, the reason you don't see many viruses on an Apple is that they have a tiny 10% share of the market, exactly the same as Linux. If you truly want a virus free PC don't buy one. There is no such thing as a secure PC/Netbook/Apple.
Grow up, read and learn before posting inane statements. AS ABOVE READ Hacked in under 2 mins in two years consecutively, both Vista and Win 7 got through relatively unscathed.
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"Every time I look for [a flaw in Leopard] I find one. I can't say the same for Linux or Windows. I found the iPhone bug a year ago and that was a Safari bug as well. I've also found other bugs in QuickTime." Charlie Miller
2008
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39375171,00.htm
2009
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/19/pwn2own_day1/
2010
http://news.techworld.com/security/11825/apple-is-loser-in-three-way-hacking-contest/
Stay Safe my Apple user.
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I am not clinging on to 'outdated' Flash, but the fact is this very website which I visit every day, uses it extensively.
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@192 Laptops, as their name suggests, can only be properly viewed in one position [snip] The iPad changes all that: there is no wrong way to hold it so I can curl up on the sofa or in bed, or sit with legs crossed and read or browse to my heart's content.
I can go no hands on my lappy, and angle the screen to my optimum view.
How can I do that with the iPad without sticking something behind it, holding it, or buying the iStand.
You enjoy your crick in your neck from leaning over your iPad.
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So now the tech page has reached 10 apple related stories in day. Wow. We needed Peter Andre's view to compliment Mr fry. Two tech experts.
Notice how another ipad "story" still makes the top of the page, even though something far more newsworthy, like the google book court case gets lower billing.
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@201 You enjoy your crick in your neck from leaning over your iPad.
Watch the keynote video on Apple's website. Note how comfortably Steve Jobs sits in his armchair, the iPad nestling against his crossed leg. You don't lean over it: the seating position brings it towards you. It's not intended to be used primarily on a flat surface (although Apple do provide accessories to enable that) and certainly not for heavy workloads.
As he said, there hasn't really been a device that properly bridges the gap between mobile and laptop. Perhaps some can't conceive that there ever was a gap in the first place and so point out that their laptop does so much more.
Of course it does; mine does too: that's their purpose. The iPad's not a laptop. Never was meant to be, never will be. :-)
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So what happens when you get pins and needles, and have to swap legs over.
Another "feature" of the iPad. Yogic positions to watch. [rollseyes]
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Who cares!
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Why do much bile? What is wrong with people? Where does it all come from? Not from Apple, that's for sure. They make great, reliable, easy-to-use products with world-class industrial design at a price that reflects their quality.
How many of you ranters have actually used the iPad, or even an Apple product?
I've used plenty, and earn my living with them. The iPad has so much potential. I'm really excited about the creative possibilities of it.
I get it now - it's the realisation that you've wasted years of your life on the wrong platform, coupled with the frustration at not being able to admit it. You've married a PC, but secretly long for a Mac. Life is cruel.
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Another Apple captive who has developed Stockholm syndrome, life is cruel indeed.
By the way, I married a Mac, got divorced married Linux and now only occasionally visit a Mac call-girl when I have to which is less and less.
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This is great. It really isn't sinking in to some Apple fans that this one just isn't cutting it. I don't have a problem with the design or form as it's classic Apple. Cool and stylish! However there are some cracking comments here from posters who can't accept that this product does not deliver the goods.
191 & 192 are amazing examples of Apple fans in denial and lashing out at PC's. Why?
@195 Chris - Hilarious. You think HTML5 can deliver video? Hahahah. What codec is that using? How is it streamed? Seriously, go away and have a think about that.
@206 Are you Stephen Fry posting under a different name? "Not from Apple, thats for sure"? Yeah quite. Those PC vs Mac adverts were all well balanced and fair.
If your a Apple fan then good for you. There truly is happiness in slavery for some people. Personally I base my judgments on my needs. I make informed decisions on my purchases and yeah sometimes I splash out a bit and go over the top. My iPhone 3GS is ace. I love it. However I would rather use a PC and Windows 7 day to day as I'm a professional web developer who gets things done.
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The iPad has so much potential. I'm really excited about the creative possibilities of it.
It can't do anything you couldn't do before. At best, it might be able to do some of them in a neater, lighter form, but that's far from a given. Any 'creative possibilities' were possible yesterday morning. Why weren't you excited about them then? Is it because Steve hadn't told you to be?
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SuperG I agree with you. Thanks for putting a nice and concise comment. These Apple guys are something special. I slag off M$ I cannot stand bad design, programming or overpriced hardware/software. Apple really have created some people that have a problem looking beyond the Apple symbol.
So they make pretty products, they do not make the most reliable, secure or user friendly products. Try to reset an iPod without a wall adapter. Honestly Apple fanboys WAKE UP!! You are being stolen from. How much do you spend on a product that has less capability, less software, less hardware, less speed, most of all you have to hang around with loons that think Steve Job's is the saviour of the electronic world.
I like the look but without strong functions it is but a good looking box of bits. Really sad to hear Fanboys fighting the so obvious, this is a dead donkey. These guys will buy it and the next useless gadget with locked in software with under powered, over priced hardware and lacking in too many ways to mention.
Keep your Apple, keep it. Enjoy it that's what computers and gadgets are for. They are fun but this is like most Apple products too pricey, too hyped and lacking everything needed to make it worth buying (except the iPhone a great leap forward, such a shame this is no where near that quality).
Again some Apple fool will fight and scream without thinking, but that is what Steve Jobs wants. Pay him your money and hope that it lasts long enough to cover the costs. Enjoy the uncompliant product that says it can do what it cannot. Great idea lacking in thought.
Good night apple fan.
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Are the same people who said the iPhone was not going to be successful, now the very same who are saying the iPad will fail, or does nothing they expected it to do.
I like Apple products after 15 years of PC's - why? Because they let me down fewer times than any PC I ever owned.
I'm not sure where the word Fanboi or Fanboy came from, but I prefer to call it "Brand loyal" - old fashioned I know, but it did used to exists you know.
I just wish PC user would stop knocking Apple users and Apple user knocking PC users - is it not a personal choice?
The iPad will evolve and get better, just like the original iPhone did. Apple will control it's hardware and software to "maintain quality" or whatever. I'll always buy Volkswagen cars for the same reason I buy Apple..... Not ground breaking, not always exciting, but "very reliable, tough as old boots" :-)
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Hm. I'm not sure I see the point myself. If I want a cunning little pocket sized device, I'll use a smartphone. If I want something bigger, I'll use a laptop. And if it's designed mainly with the ebooks market in mind, I remain to be convinced on that score. I've posted my thoughts on that over on dot.rory.
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The thing which gets me about mac owners is aside from their smugness, they always have a go at windows being this and that. in secure, random crashes, etc, etc. The fact that they say - it just works! annoys the hell out of me. These people are clearly the same people who buy mini coopers - not because they are good cars but because of image.
If they knew anything about computers they would surely realise that it is very easy to not go wrong on PC's. There are plenty of free solutions to the problems they describe. Anti virus is a fact of life on a PC - yes. But if macs were to become mainstream I'm sure they would suffer the same fate.
The other thing I would like to add is that not all PC's run windows. There are those who use Linux - which I would thoroughly recommend. It's free - something smug Mac owners fail to grab as a concept, It's secure and there are very few security problems - that sounds like a Mac?. It looks good, it runs on many less powerful computers so can preserve the life of your current PC, it has a huge community which is largely open source - and thus largely free, and it gets updated more often then other operating systems.
It all comes down to the fact that in essence these stupid computers are nothing more then fashion accessories for the image conscious to use in their coffee shops. what a bunch of n0bs.
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S.ome points people should know before buying this trojan horse
First ibooks is not available in the uk.
Second ibooks if it became available uses a custom drm'ed format and won't work with any ebooks you may of already bought.
Third flash and java are not supported which means a large percentage of internet sites and games will NOT work on the iPad.
Fourth you will be locked into the various apple stores which means everything is checked by them first, and they don't just ban apps in bad taste but apps which might reduce their own revenue.
Fifth apple will almost certainly try and push their (mobileme) subscription service to enable all functionality.
This has not been designed for apples old core group of computer customers (designers and developers) it is purely a consumer device only.
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I used to be a Windows user (from 3.1 to XP), and thought much of the same stuff that people are wittering on about here (despite how they don't care about Apple!). Then I actually used a Mac for a while and realised what was being said was a complete pile of c**p.
My number one pet hate about Windows is the registry. I have not once had to re-install the entire system, whereas the stupid registry system in Windows requires you to regularly reinstall the system from scratch in order to keep it running smoothly (unless you don't ever install new programs). Otherwise over time the registry grows so large it just slows the system down until it becomes unusable. My Mac runs just as well now as when I first got it nearly three years ago.
I'm no Apple fanboy. I hate the 'fanboy' image that some Apple users rightly have, and fully admit Apple have many faults. But the products I have from them (MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPod) are the best products of their type for what I want to use them for. Only an idiot would state they are the best for everyone, and certainly only an idiot would state the iPad is great for everyone's requirements. But then there are plenty of idiots here that are slagging it off simply because it doesn't fit their own requirements (including many who don't seem to have even bothered checking out the specs on the Apple site first!)
Despite my own preference for using a Mac I know it doesn't work for everyone. For non-experienced buyers on a budget there is only one choice and that's Windows. Suits an awful lot of people fine, and that's great. Unlike most of the children posting on here I'm not going to call them names just because they choose another brand. Apple don't do budget, although every honest like-for-like (down to component level) comparison I have seen shows they are nowhere near being as overpriced as many claim. Compare the iPad to something like the Kindle DX and honestly consider which is the better buy given their capabilities, yet when the BBC did a story on the Kindle there strangely wasn't an army of people abusing Amazon and Kindle users for wanting to buy them.
Apple-bashing seems to be the new sport on the internet (certainly is on this site) and it makes you all look like the bunch of sheep you claim Apple users are. Grow up. Use the products that work best for you, and stop being so insecure that you can't stop yourself slagging off anyone who chooses another brand.
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bomba8:
If you are honest you would know there is just as much smugness (much more in fact on this site!) coming from the Windows/Linux crowd. Your own post being a good example.
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It's ironic that Stephen Fry's video won't be viewable by anyone using the Ipad as it's a flash video.
For those who say flash is dead, not needed etc try switching it off from your browser and going to websites like the BBC, Nike, Mini, adidas, Volkswagen etc etc etc.
All these sites won't be viewable on the IPAD. How is this the best device for browsing the web?
No BBC video stories on the device, this content blocking is worse than China with Google!
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@197 "The iPad case, sold separately, will stand it up in a near vertical positon so you can watch video. It also protects the screen while travelling."
And what's the price for the iPad case?
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Chris (re 195).
The only way to view YouTube and iPlayer currently on all the iPod family of products is to use separate apps to do so. But really, why would I want a separate app for each site delivering video? Wouldn't it be really cool to have one app that does it all? Like a Web Browser with support for Flash? Ok it might not generate much revenue for Apple as downloading lots of individual apps (though some would be free others would inevitably charge for them) but wouldn't that be better for the users?
You are incorrect in saying that YouTube and the BBC iPlayer site deliver content that is in a format that the device understands, in actual fact I believe that the YouTube app re-renders the videos into H264. So they could support the flash format universally - but of course choose not to. Ok so the beta HTML5 support that YouTube is developing does support video in H264 codec that the iPod family supports (but then so do most platforms) but most video links will go to the Flash implementation.
HTML5 is a lot wider than just video and audio, and no browser supports all the HTML5 features so you are very wrong when you say that it works in FireFox, Chrome, and Safari. Certain elements of HTML5 are provided for in those browsers, but Internet Explorer also provides support for specific HTML5 elements. HTML5 is very much a work in progress at the moment so I would not expect many sites to start using it when it is quite possible that it will change. Once it is ratified as a standard then I would expect more support - but that's probably not until 2012.
I can't see people waiting patiently to view video sites without a 'plug-in', and if the video codec being used by the site isn't supported by the device then it won't show the video even if it is delivered through HTML5. Of course you could have individual apps that provided access to the individual sites - but isn't an app just a plug-in for the iPod?
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JN (re 215).
You say that people shouldn't bash Apple or 'slag it off' because it doesn't fit how they use it - but then you yourself 'slag off' Windows because of the perceived registry problem.
If you're going to complain about people pointing out shortcomings in a product then it's a good idea not to do so yourself.
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As per usual.....vaired comments, but i think people are missing the point of what the actual target of the iPad is. We all know its to compete with Netbooks. Look back at netbooks and see what they actually do.....obvious by the name..netbook. They allow connectivity to the internet to browse, email and......yer thats about it really. Having used varying netbooks in the past, both windows and linux, they have very low specs and poor abilities as SJ pointed out. The iPad does it all. Ok the lack of Flash is a real problem and does need sorting, but a netbook to browse the internet on a tiny screen, other tablets offer bigger screens but the quality is poor. One comment spoke about being tied into the Apps Store, iTunes etc, but why is that a problem? This is device that will sell. Fantastic for the novice, silver surfers who just want to look at pictures, browse the net etc. The app store and itunes work so simply. The optional keyboard will be a huge bonus too. I think to many people are looking at it and wanting to use it as a normal laptop...why? The laptop is obviously never going to be replaced in the work place or home office...and a tablet would never work using windows with silly point devices etc.
I work in ICT in the education sector and I can see this being a fantastic tool in that environment, at the moment the big thing is netbooks/mini-laptops, but there screens are tiny and not the easiest things to type on....
Well Done apple..........lets just hope we dont get ripped off in the uk...
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@221 Chris
"The iPad does it all. Ok the lack of Flash is a real problem and does need sorting"
Aren't you contradicting yourself?
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@ Chris
'netbooks/mini-laptops, but there screens are tiny and not the easiest things to type on....'
You would honestly rather type on a touch screen?
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JN How wrong one person can be when trying to sound unbiased. First of the Max-i-Pad is sold as a WEB BROWSER, Multi Media device and a Multi touch Tablet?
1) Quote from Apple.com 'The best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. Hands down' How is this possible when great swathes of the internet (Da Web) is Flash orientated.
2) The Kindle is an eBook! with electronic paper that on one charge will allow you to read for weeks, you can read the Kindle in bright sunlight, it is not a multi media device it is an eBOOK!!
3) The Max-i-Pad is sold as a Tablet with no real operating system, no Multi tasking, no USB/Firewire/Webcam/Expantion Slots etc, etc.
4)Price wise you are a total idiot if you cannot read or maybe you are unwilling to read the difference in Specs and price with something it is truly up against in the market place a DigitalRise X9 tablet.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/14/digitalrise-x9-tablet-has-atom-multitouch-780-price-tag/
or the Max-i-Pad
http://www.apple.com/ipad/pricing/
Right to the nitty gritty Specs.
Max-i-Pad 1ghz CPU, Ram?, 64gb (max harddrive size), Wi-fi, 3g, Accelerometer, the rest here http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ too be honest not much of anything.
DigitalRise X9 1.6ghz CPU,2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, built-in 3G, GPS and WiFi, and Windows 7 (I'm sure I could put Linux on this Also 2 or 3 OS's), 3 X USB, Card Reader (sd/ms/mmc/ms pro), external monitor support, RJ 45, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Nes Emulator, office, and the choice of free of paid for software.
Right I get it now I should have seen it earlier I wants a Max-i-Pad to prove I have too much money and not enough brains. Read the specs and then tell me which one is better, and more fit for the internet. If you go on one about the battery you could always have a second (who cares about another 100/200 grams only an Apple Fanboy you cannot pick up a cup without using both hands.
Now go and read about other products and bring yourself into the future of the computer market with stronger faster more reliable PC's. I have never reinstalled my OS since XP. Vista and Win7 have run perfectly (I come from Linux so the UAC was no hassle for me (if it was I would have turned it off). I have more programs on my PC than you have access to on your Apple, but that is of little consequence as we are TALKING ABOUT THE Max-i-Pad!!
Read and weep, keep your loyalty I can put money on it Steve Jobs could not give a hoot about you, otherwise this and all of Apple products would support Flash at the very least (I know it is a bad program but it is the only one at the moment that is web wide).
Take care.
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P.S. My post was put into paragraphs but for some reason BBC site has removed all indents. Sorry People.
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1. It is ugly. Big thick bezel looks more like a digital photoframe
2. Not enough storage - wait to V2 with an SSD
3. As storage is dirt cheap why have your music in apple format - I keep all mine in lossless formats and I not going to transcode just for apple
4. Video: might be ok but not going to transcode just for apple. This thing should sync with windows media centre and will not (until someone brings out an app for that)
5. Lack of connectivity - no USB is horrendous.
6. DRM - I just do not do DRM for ebooks, music or video -I wait to see what Apple are going to do for this.
7. No multitasking - total failure.
8. EBooks - could be useful depends on how quick the page turner and display is. I am a quick reader and ebook readers are just too slow for me (waiting for a dual screen version). Now if I can download by newspaper every morning and there are sensible apps allowing me to do sudoku, killer sudoku and the crosswords then this becomes very interesting
These are just the obvious points. Definitely not for me
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If Steve Jobs launched the iPlop, Stephen Fry would call it a game-changer.
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Laurence:
You obviously missed/ignored the bit where I pointed out Windows works perfectly fine for many, and that Apple have faults. The registry issue is hardly just a 'perceived' problem judging from the countless complaints I have read over the years from Windows users.
Horus:
How wrong can one person be? Thanks for demonstrating! Plus why on earth would Steve Jobs give a crap about me? Why would he? Do you think Steve Balmer gives a crap about you? My loyalty is to the best tool for what I need to do. Right now that's a Mac. In your desperation to believe every Mac user is some kind of unthinking zealot you just come up with the same c**p as has been regurgitated a thousand times before.
People have different requirements, and these determine their choice of technology. As I pointed out before. I then stated one reason why I don't personally like Windows. Never stated that should be a reason everyone should hate it. Get over your anti-Apple snobbery.
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I'd be curious to know how many of those who have positive views on this device will be willing to buy one? In particular, how many will be willing to shell out over £500 for a version 1.0, when it is a foregone conclusion that a version 2.0 will be out next year with USB ports, a camera, etc?
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You speak of loyalty, I have already told you I am a Linux fanboy. I hate M$ as much as the next guy. I was pointing out your lack of reading and Tech knowledge. I could not give a poo about any of them I build my own PC's, to mine and my customers needs and expectations.
Have fun with your out of date hardware, and find solace in the shiny plastic, unsecure, badly thought out and most of all lies fed to you by Jobs and his cronies.
You have proven you are a Apple fanboy by not reading the specs and where Max-i-Pad is aimed. Still 64gb of storage for a multi media device that does not support major media types is very funny. Doesn't the Zen have more storage than that? it is a media player.
Go hide behind the tree you obviously feel out of. Use your head for thinking instead of LOYALTY tirades. Next please.
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To call it 'ugly' is certainly subjective! I'd say it's sleek and sexy. Very Apple and what I love about their products. If only it supported flash I'd be happy to use it for my favourite websites. If it can't keep a fanboy like myself happy, I worry about it's future.
For a 2nd gen version with proper usb and flash to appear (the one I'd want!) they will still have have to sell loads of this version. Here's hoping.
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@ 190 tonbar,
I think you make the point perfectly. You have an iPhone and love it. What was your reaction when the iPhone first came out?
As with the lemming like expressions of disgust at everything Apple from the likes of Horus, you probably also never saw the potential when the iPhone launched. Microsoft has made everyone suspicious of the future, because they cock-up every new thing they do. Apple, as is being proved over and over again is different, and you too should start believing in them. Instead of looking at the here and now, very few seem to have the ability or will to look further and 'get' just what Apple is doing. They aren't playing the game for today, they are playing it for 3 and 5 years and 10 years ahead…
No 'this' and no 'that feature' is immaterial today. Apple launch, adjust rapidly, reduce pricing and add what's really necessary. That means that you carry the first adopter risk if you buy the first version, but be sure that doctors will, teachers will, and myriads of other serious people already have this in their sights for some incredible uses - that sheep can't possibly imagine.
And not for fashion, but for reliability, security and opportunity. The world is moving away from, and beyond, Windows and Flash, thanks largely to Apple and Google. So instead staying with a cart and horse get into combustion engines before it is too late…
And if you want a more serious appraisal of how this device IS a landmark, I strongly recommend you read this essay by William Rankin http://www.openculture.com/2010/01/the_ipad_and_informations_third_age.html
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I AM NOT AN APPLE HATER!! I Dislike bad design with form over function. Apple lock down your system and stop you from using anything but App's from their store.
Over priced, under powered, software and hardware lacking, but they look nice? Great. Also DRM, acc, iTunes, Safari and the OS are all full of holes and are not going to cut the mustard for me. I need a computer with multiple OS's to do the things I want to do. If you can accomplish what you need with a locked down Apple wide system of iPods, iPhones and like being ripped off then good for you.
You can point at me all you like but I am the voice of reason over the voice of form over practicality.
If you think Microshaft are evil then read this and tell me Apple has your best interests at heart. Honestly folks if Apple went back to the ethos they had way back when they were creating home built creations in a garage hacking AT&T via a home built modem. Then I would have a bit of respect but they are now far more vile than even M$ could even become.
READ THIS AND THEN REPLY, QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/27/defective_by_design/
Take care.
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I'm an iMac and G4 Powerbook user, but I have to ask, if this wasn't an Apple product, would Anyone care? Completely underwhelming, the iPad does nothing as well as the various alternatives. It's a 21st century Sinclair C5.
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Thanks, JonT, for the link to that 'Apple Distinguished Educator' at Mickey Mouse U. I'm convinced - that you've lost any sense of perspective. 'Believe' in Apple if you want, but I'll try to stay non-revelated about the Blessed Jobs.
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P.S. No I don't have an iPod, I like to choose what format the media takes and not loose sound quality because it is not supported, iPhone no thanks I have a Laptop if on the move, and a PC both of which have Linux and Windows installed so I have no problem with doing anything I need and have a full screen to use.
A mobile phone to me is just that a mobile phone (verixas VX1 http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/News/304796/bcw_to_launch_mini_mobile_range.html). iPhone too expensive and an advert to muggers. I also don't like talking to people and not seeing faces, or paying for it via a contract of hundreds of pounds a year.
The rest has already been said, still I thought this was about the Max-i-Pad? Which is being dropped from your comments. It is still crap and found seriously lacking.
Take care.
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@ JonT
Do you really see the Ipad as apples ebook?
Current ebooks have been designed with one purpose in mind, and even with their eye friendly, daylight visible screens and long battery life, still have the book reading public split as to if they can really challenge a 'real book'.
I sincerely doubt that the ipad or and tablet computer will change their mind.
'They aren't playing the game for today, they are playing it for 3 and 5 years and 10 years ahead…'
Sorry, this comment is borderline ridiculous. Apple have to sell things today. They are very much in the game for today, they have share holders you know.
Believe in a tech firm? Everyone makes mistakes, even Apple.
It is widely agreed that the ipad should have a webcam and at least a USB port. THIS IS A DELIBERATE OMISSION FROM APPLE. They know too well that a tablet should have this, but as usual never release the full product first so they can sell it again with it. Here lies my personal problem with Apple (please note 'personal'). They rely on people buying the same device over and over, not because they are releasing the best technology available, but because they can drip feed versions to keep selling.
I believe this business model to have a negative effect on Technological Advancement.
Now if you want a device that uses yesterdays technology but will be reliable, smooth, and finished, then yes, buy Apple.
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My favourite comment so far JonT 232 'They aren't playing the game for today, they are playing it for 3 and 5 years and 10 years ahead…No 'this' and no 'that feature' is immaterial today'.
WOW!! Steve Jobs is also a seer of the future. Moore's law might make you reconsider that statement. Also in the next 10 years we will most probably be looking at organic electronics, holographic storage, and time travel LOL.
Your cracking me up. I love your loyalty but pity your tech knowledge.
I wish I had a beer next to me as I cannot wait for the next fantastic statement of 'IN THE FUTURE THERE WILL BE ROBOTS' kind of thought. You are a very funny wo/man.
Take care of you and yours.
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Just came across this:
FSF and Stephen Fry celebrate the GNU Project 25th anniversary
http://www.fsf.org/news/freedom-fry/
Is this the same man? :/
Did he change/get bought/turncoat since sept 2008?
great commedian, writer, actor making himself ridiculous now. Disapointing...
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@Kite 218
'And what's the price for the iPad case?'
Whatever Apple want to charge for it. Knowing them its bound to be cheap! The UK website doesn't have prices for any of the accesories.
@Chris 221
'I work in ICT in the education sector and I can see this being a fantastic tool in that environment, at the moment the big thing is netbooks/mini-laptops, but there screens are tiny and not the easiest things to type on....
You do realise that the Ipad screen is 9.7 inches the same size as a netbook's? Until you lose half of it for the on-screen keyboard, that is.
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Can I ask how a device that is purported to be a netbook killer:
1. Can cost twice as much as en entry-level netbook like the ASUS 1000HE?
2. Cannot multitask like a netbook but only run one application at a time?
3. Cannot play Flash video which excludes it from using YouTube from the word go?
4. Has 1/10 of the storage capacity of a £200 netbook like the 1000HE?
5. Does not let you install the software you prefer to use, instead only allowing you to download what Apple approve of in their store?
6. Has no webcam, unlike a £200 Asus 1000HE?
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JonT thanks for the link to the 'Open Culture' site that is very interesting, I will bookmark that. Thanks I really mean it, a very nice site. Take care of you and yours.
For anyone else interested here it is.
http://www.openculture.com/2010/01/the_ipad_and_informations_thir%3Cbr%20/%3Ed_age.html
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Very disappointed with the new ipad. It is not revolutionary and seems to me to be a very niche product. It is incapable of doing many things a cheap netbook can do and is also very expensive. Apple are capable of making brilliant products, such as the iphone which truely revolutionised the mobile phone market and their Macbooks (I am a proud owner of one). However, this new iPad will definately go the way of AppleTV and will sell poorly. As others have said, it lacks many BASIC features. The lack of these features might be excusable on a mobile phone, but not a product which is trying to target the netbook market.
On a separate note, I'm getting annoyed at Stephen Fry and his obsession over anything Apple, even if it has obvious flaws. I was also disappointed that the BBC/Maggie didn't give a more objective report. For instance, the blog mentions the positive reactions to the iPad, but not any negatives... I thought the BBC was meant to be impartial! Still, now the hype is over, I wonder if this means Maggie will do at least the next 5 or 10 posts on something other than Apple or Twitter...
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Has anyone bashed the Amazon Kindle yet?
$489 for the 9.7" version, that’s black & white and just an ebook reader. Makes the $499 iPad look an absolute bargain!
If your main pc is a laptop then I can see the iPad not being that relevant to you. I have a desktop pc as my main machine and a laptop for surfing, email etc. The iPad could replace my laptop, as it could do all I require from it and would be lighter, more portable, have better battery life and would be cheaper than my laptop was.
Horses for courses really.
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Hehe this has been fun hasnt it? To all the iFans here - I suspect many of us have been having a bit of fun at Apples expense - Why? We have found irksome the way they have manipulated events to make the delivery of their new product as if it was Moses coming down the mountain delivering the holy thoughts to the people on ... an iPad. A world shattering event! NOT. Who is Moses? - name begins with an S? guess, lol.
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Horus9339:
I don't get what this loyalty crap is you keep going on about. You seem to find it hard to comprehend words. As I have said before I use the best solution for my needs. That is currently a Mac. That may change in the future.
Where have I claimed the iPad is so great? In your deluded attempts to paint all Apple users as blinded by love for Steve Jobs (I have little time for him and his hangers-on) you keep making up things I haven't said!
Personally I think (bearing in mind none of us have actually seen one in the flesh or used one) that this is a decent device for what will probably be a fairly small market. Everyone else will carry on with their smartphones and/or laptops (as I will).
The ethos behind Linux is great but it still isn't ready for being a widespread solution. I used to have more patience for tinkering around with a system to get it working as I want, but not so much these days.
As for your comment about me not knowing anything about tech? Get over yourself you pathetic little specimen. You are acting like some spoilt little child because someone doesn't agree with everything you say.
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Loiner57:
I mentioned the Kindle earlier as an overpriced gadget that does much less than the iPad. Apparently though that's OK. Mainly I suspect because it doesn't have an Apple logo on it.
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JoeBloggs_snr:
I agree, this has been a pretty hilarious bunch of comments. Facts and logic be damned!
I agree with the irksome way Apple build up hype and introduce their products though. Difficult though it is for some to comprehend this but despite using a couple of their products, I can still find them bloody annoying!
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Just to add, that the iBooks app is only available in the US. Comparisons to the Kindle are pointless at the moment.
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This is all just a repetition of the iPhone launch… let's look back at this in a years time shall we.
Apple indeed make things to sell today, but unlike the race to the bottom on price and quality of other PC manufacturers Apple tries to look ahead of today. Precisely why Windows looks like it does is because of what Apple brought to market 5 years before it. And it goes on, Windows 7 has even adopted the OSX Dock for heavens sakes! So yes, Apple's labs are years ahead of todays game.
Reviewers agreed as far as they could that the iPad does what it does incredibly well, ie great screen, blazingly fast, multi-touch and quality build etc. etc..
But it lacks:
Camera: which is almost certain to be added at some point, who knows it may be at launch and maybe through the screen, ie central for video chat (check the Apple patent logs).
Multitasking: it already does it just fine but I'd put money on that following for other Apps in due course too. There has already been talk about it on the iPhone with OS4.
Flash: Nope, never, it will take a while, but html5 and javascript and h264 will remove the need for such a ridiculous proprietary plugin as Flash. Who honestly wants a large portion of the web controlled by one company?
And the Form factor? It is what it is, smaller, lighter and easier to use than a laptop, much more fun to spend time with than a smartphone, and, versus a Netbook? Let's see who copies who shall we.
But, most importantly, the iPhone SDK is already a gift to developers, look at what they did with it - 3bn downloads in less than 18 months, and it will be the same and much more with the iPad SDK. There are already some amazing ideas coming out.
If you look at history, you should at least respect that Apple is not stupid, as you like to make out.
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I have never called you names I have hinted that you need to smell the coffee. If I am pathetic cool, you have missed the point and to show you the mirror of contempt and childish behaviour you start a personal attack. That's cool too. I have stated the facts over the fiction of future use.
I have not been anywhere rude to you but as you have little hope of protecting your bad choice of products you now start personal attacks. You have lost my dear wo/man when you descend to personal attacks.
I will say it again form over function! If that does not work for you then I do not mind, you can use your old hardware, even older software, and a corporation that is stealing money from it's customers instead of allowing them to use an operating system. Apple make you beg and plead of them to write apps for you and ban anyone else from doing so. If you do add apps that are not part of the Apple store/compliance you are breaking your contract and you have lost your warrenty.
No you don't know me and I do get mighty vicious to people who start personal attackers instead of sticking to the point at hand which is the Max-i-Pad, and it is now obvious that you are a fanboy who needs version two of this thing that comes with wings.
If you want you can continue with the comments of the cr*p that is Apple but I would advise not turning this into a flame war as I am slow to anger but long on fuel. Also like I say you don't know me and I could be a 6'2" 15 stone fitness freak that does mind stepping upto the mark. Leave the nasty comments in the school yard, get back to the Apple message buddy. Okay!
Take care.
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JN And JonT you two are beyond help. You both talk about Apple being the first with the ideas. Most if not all were out before, years before, in linux.
JonT Quote 'Apple indeed make things to sell today, but unlike the race to the bottom on price and quality of other PC manufacturers Apple tries to look ahead of today. Precisely why Windows looks like it does is because of what Apple brought to market 5 years before it. And it goes on, Windows 7 has even adopted the OSX Dock for heavens sakes! So yes, Apple's labs are years ahead of todays game' This must mean that you understand that everything that is OSX was in Linux nearly ten years before, please look it up, I will be right again, also make your mind up is it made for 3-5-10 years or now?.
JN Quote 'Personally I think (bearing in mind none of us have actually seen one in the flesh or used one) that this is a decent device for what will probably be a fairly small market', Small and getting smaller by the hour.
JonT Quote 'Camera: which is almost certain to be added at some point, who knows it may be at launch and maybe through the screen, ie central for video chat (check the Apple patent logs)' What? You are totally wired, it was released, this is what these post are about.
To finish you need to figure this into your arguments, there are more ways to build a PC than go to a Company and purchase the whole system. If you know nothing about computers you go to a shop and buy one. If you know about computers you go to a multitude of shops and buy the PARTS to make a computer. You are of the first order I am of the second.
I build, maintain and fix everything in the home pc environment, networks, systems, media hubs, home streaming, remote access, new builds and repairs. I also fix Apples, quite a few to be straight with you (not as many as PC's but still I do fix them). The home market is dominated by one player the M$ player and for good reason, they are the ones that really started the home PC market. Not Apple, Not Linus, Not Unix, Not XDos but Windows.
Keep going you are making yourselves look very ill informed and a total addict to that which is Apple. You can fight all you like but the more you flame and holler the more you prove me and others right. So think before you post and make sure you have the info right as you will be picked up on.
Again I would advise not flaming. You have both posted comments that contradict your later posts. I am also unsure whether you are but one person? You seem to post very similar comments.
P.S. Yes Flash will die soon but it will not be because of a 10% market share of the home computing market it will be because Windows users and software developers move forward. This like most of the web will be designed by people using WINDOWS machines, using Linux/Unix servers. O have not seen an Industrial Apple server yet.
Take care all.
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Guys I have posted this before on another BBC Apple blog but here's the same again.
In life you get what you pay for.
If you want an idiot-proof computer that does specific things and works as soon as you press "on" then go for an Apple Mac. It will cost you a lot of money compared to the alternatives but you will be happy with your purchase. You will be restricted in terms of technology and software but there is happiness in slavery. You will be fed, clothed and watered but you will be expected to be loyal (in a technical sense).
If you want to explore the boundaries of computing, keep up to date with existing technologies and be free then buy a PC. You can customize it and pimp it out to your hearts desire. Windows, Linux, Chrome, who cares. Compared to Apple it can be incredibly cheap. It's your choice and your call. However with freedom comes the responsibility to fend for yourself. If something goes wrong (and it will - I assure you) then you need to understand your machine, the setup and whats happening or depend on a (trusted) third party to fix it for you. Thats the cost of freedom people.
My point however is this. There is something for everyone but nothing is perfect.
This product is highly lacking however and that annoys me. This is exactly the same business model as MS and Vista where they produce something not up to the job quickly (with features missing) and expect the unaware public to accept this. Vista really really burnt Microsoft but personally I believe they have tried to improve on this with Windows 7. The free Release Candidate was a big big step for them. Sure it's still nowhere near perfect but its a step in the right direction. In this case Apple are producing a feature-missing product now and expecting people to buy it and replace it come 2nd/3rd Gen. That's Vista in tablet form people. Why is this acceptable to some people?
Oh for the record....I am a Professional Web Developer (MS .Net) who is pleased with Windows7 and also has an iPhone 3GS. Im not biased im just trying to be savvy.
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@Horus9339
I totally agree that the Home PC market would be nothing without MS. That's not a fan boy statement but just an observation from using PC's from MSDos and Windows 3.1 up to the present day. Im not even that old just very lucky to grow up in a PC-centric environment as a kid.
From a professional point of view however I must advise that Flash is going nowhere soon. Silverlight isn't replacing it and Flash/Actionscrpt just gets bigger and better for Flash developers. Personally I don't develop in Flash but nearly all rich content is Flash based.
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SuperG, Thanks for being a voice of calm in a storm. You put some very clear and concise explanation of the reason some buy Apple and some build their own.
The Market is full of competing products and some will fall by the wayside. I would have loved to see a real leap forward from apple, much like the iPhone.
Like I have said many times I am not an Apple hater I am pointing at their total control, good for the sheep, bad for the individual. I always thought Apple would stand up for the individual but it looks like they are going down the path of totalitarian.
Shame when you know where they came from.
Thanks SuperG, wise words from a calm stand point. Have a productive and Happy year.
Take care of you and yours.
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"If you want an idiot-proof computer that does specific things and works as soon as you press "on" then go for an Apple Mac."
Anyone who makes such a crass statement as this deserves to be pilloried. Unix is industrial computing where Windows is mickey mouse. Have you never even heard of the Unix terminal? No you're so stuck in your spaghetti code of Windows you never took your head out of it unlike the rest of us.
And to reinforce your stupidity, I run Windows on my Mac alongside OSX when I need to.
I give up with the impossible garbage that is spouted about people quite so ignorant.
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Horus,
Your insulting replies are exactly what I expect to see - no cogent argument, just insults.
I have done 12 years of Windows, there is little for you to teach me about it.
And I'm as of now outta this Windows-Taliban asylum.
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I've been using touch screen on my mobile phone for some time and I would love to have a tablet PC with the new generation touch screens. I've got so used to my phone that I get itchy fingers when I use "normal" screens, I feel like I want to swipe my fingers across the screen but I can't :(
A few of my friends have owned tablet PCs in the past, and they weren't too impressed with them. On the other hand, can you imagine a proper laptop or a netbook with iPhone like screen?? Sign me up, I'd buy it.
To sum up, the iPad screen is great, but does it actually do anything exciting? Why not have it as a "normal" laptop or netbook?
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
HOW MANY TIMES JN & JONT???? I USE LINUX, Mandriva 2010 64bit, I use windows because you have to to run a business. I USE LINUX BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST!!
APPLE FANTOOL READ MORE SPIT BILE LESS!!!
READ!!!
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JonT, yes I do love my iPhone, it's probably the best gadget I ever bought, and I've bought a few! I think this blog argument is getting silly, in perspective it is good that choice is available, be it Apple, Windows, Linux. There are real technological genius's behind each, and it is possible to appreciate that. Personally I am a great admirer of Microsoft and Windows - I don't think those who berate them fully appreciate the difficulty is producing something for the ultimate mass market (ie. billions of users!), whilst catering for thousands of devices, thousands of software items and thousands of people trying to crack your security system! I love my Windows 7 PC and also my iPhone 3g. In a world where many cannot experience either I am grateful for both.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Tobar, again a very good statement of fact. A shame I had to drop to the level I was pushed but I cannot stand personal attacks for just stating my point of view and hopefully helping someone make a thoughtful decision.
Thanks for a great statement and a cool thoughtful view.
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JonT, I have read through you history you are a one man band from the Apple fanboy view point. You must have very little to do with your Apple as all you do is slag off Linux, Windows and anyone who tells you that you are a fool.
Good on you. It must be the only thing you can do on your Apple. No Software or games to play make Apple fanboy a boring read.
LOL!
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A Quote from your past to haunt you 'Finally going the Apple route of AAC and H264 rather than the bog-awful Microsoft route of all their crummy useless DRM ridden proprietory junk.' DRM and Apple like that does not happen. LOL
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Horus9339
Like all boring Linux phreaks your taking the argument past it's logical point, and being an arrogant fool.
Linux is a VV powerful tool in in it's own space but as it stands it will not gain share in the consumer space as customer support to the big box shifters would prove to difficult and costly in the long team. That's where MS strangles the market due to it's dominance.
Apple is not interested in pure tech, it's not at all interested in geeks that want build their own PC's. Apple is interested in making money by marketing products that people not only want to use but become intrinsic in what they do on a day to day basis.
It was called the Halo factor as iPod sales began to lift Mac sales but the tech wise guys expressed this as a short term trend.
They got that one wrong..
As an IT consultant of many, many years I have seen these arguments fester and I find your point of view narrow minded to the say the least, but one thing I can confirm with daily hands on experience is that the Mac platform is booming to the point where we are retraining 50% of our Linux/Windows consultants to cope with the demand.
With that sort of growth and successful placements I regard those with brand/OS blinkers as dead wood floating nowhere.....
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iPad..... Multi tasking? No.
Safari browser... Flash? No.
Multimedia.......Camera? No.
Not exactly the best browsing experience, and performs less tasks than my netbook - which incidentally is more power and more loaded with hardware (Including 3.5G dongle built in) at half the price.
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JonT, It will be a minimum of 2 years before HTML5 is even partially ratified, and possibly up to 12 years before it is totally ratified. Do you really think money conscious businesses are going to change their web sites from flash to HTML5 video rendering if there is even a slight possibility that the precise way it works could change overnight a number of times?
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Wow. There are actually people out there who will *freely* part with their money for this thing. A fool and his money are soon parted.
No matter how hard you try and polish it, a turd will always be a turd... ;)
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Seems Hitler doesn't much like the iPad either.... ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4
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StargateHitchHiker congratulations, funniest post so far:-))
neile, as I see it, also being an IT consultant of many, many years, "retraining 50% of our Linux/Windows consultants to cope with the demand" kind of depends on how many consultants you have, 50% of 2 is 1 I think. Any competent linux consultant would need very little extra training to work on any mac OS, once you get past the BS its only unix.
Horus, thanks for your entertaining comments, I was lucky enough to read your posts before they were deleted, very entertaining.
JonT, I guess there is little anybody could teach you. You and JN need to get out more. Maybe you could arrange a date.
To all of you ilemmings out there, do you really think nobody's thought of this before?
check out
http://www.pmptoday.com/2010/01/14/digitalrise-x9-multitouch-tablet-isnt-cheap/
and
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/lenovo-ideapad-u1-hybrid-hands-on-and-impressions/
Both truly multimedia and you can ditch the winblows if you want, you might even be able to get os* running if you look around and are not too afraid.
Rise up lemmings,
Time for me to head for the beach
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hmm, lordal, the Lenovo IdeaPad looks nice - its the the sort of design one would expect of Apple? - being able to detach the screen to turn it into a tablet. I bet thought it will cost a lot. But thats the way to go I think - 2 types of pc in one
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neile, I am not narrow minded I was only pointing out that from the first post that linked me to Windows FANBOY, I am anything but. I like Linux I use it everyday, I like windows as it gets the job done and has the software support that makes work and play more interesting.
I have said all along I don't hate Apple as such I dislike the business struckture and as such would not buy one. I have played with the OSX and found it works well but it is not for me.
Again a great post from a calm sea, the one thing that makes me happy about any OS is that it allows different people to do their work/tasks in an environment that is productive and suits their needs. I have to say I lost it with two guys as they had gone back on what they said one minute and then still missed the point of what is being sold as a more efficient way of doing things on the net without some of the most important parts that the people who would buy this product need.
Thanks for your comment it was well put and I am sorry if I made you think I was a bigot, I promise I am not.
Take care.
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I just cant wait for the IPAD 1 very cheap 2 great graphics 3 light 4 great screen (my first LCD for my old pc cost me £350 and was rubbish) 5 Cheap apps, and lots of them. 6 looks cool 7 good build quality 8 very natural to use, with your hands. I could go on, but just to say, since I moved over to apple mac, my life on a computer is lot more relaxed , no virus software slowing it down, no flags popping up, no defragment, quick start ups, no crashes, quiet, looks great in the living room, great software on the apple. and I now spend less, because I don’t have to keep buying new hardware to keep up with the operating system. You can keep Microsoft windows, hopefully will never use in again.
Can’t wait for the Ipad. this time next year everybody will want one, bet you see news reporters using them soon on TV, and schools getting them. what a dream to do my tax accounts using my fingers in front of the TV. Computing will never be the same again, this is for everyone to use. and at £400. don’t forget the sinclare QL was £400 over 20 years ago, and that was total rubbish to use.
The ones moaning about the IPAD are the people that have spent years working on a Buggy windows machine, that as cost them £1000 and is out of date in one year, the iPad will be usable for years of fun. Its only the dinosaurs that will be left behind.
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Don't think I'll bring anything more to the party than has already been said. This product has major flaws as well as potential. Apple is going for its usual strategy of drip feeding features that should have been included from the start. By the fourth iteration I'm quite sure it will be a very powerful device. I'm also fairly confident that this will shift quite well. The netbook sector proved to be much bigger than most analysts predicted and I expect this will be also. A touchscreen netbook type device certainly makes sense to me. I'll not be buying one though as I fully expect either Google to release a decent spec'ed and lightning-fast Chrome tablet and maybe Canonical will do something as well. Those would be the ones I would consider. I mention those over a Windows 7 tablet made by someone like Samsung because I do believe that at 10" the OS needs to be tailored towards the device. Not crippled (as the iPad is), but tailored to make it more efficient. On the offcial Apple iPad video, the chief hardware designer whose name escapes me, mentions that only Apple has the power to do this? Yes, Apple is more flexible than Linux apparently. Ha.
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ASA - ASA Adjudication on Apple (UK) Ltd
"The ASA noted that Java and Flash proprietary software was not enabled on the iPhone and understood that users would therefore be unable to access certain features on some websites or websites that relied solely on Flash or Java. We noted Apples argument that the ad was about site availability rather than technical detail, but considered that the claims "You'll never know which part of the internet you'll need" and "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone" implied users would be able to access all websites and see them in their entirety. We considered that, because the ad had not explained the limitations, viewers were likely to expect to be able to see all the content on a website normally accessible through a PC rather than just having the ability to reach the website. We concluded that the ad gave a misleading impression of the internet capabilities of the iPhone.
The ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising), 5.2.1 (Evidence) and 5.2.2 (Implications).
The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form."
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Apple products have crisp displays, are responsive, and are simple to use and maintain. They are ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing. The iPad seems to be no exception.
When I test drove a BMW last month, it was clearly a luxury ride, but when I compared it to my Skoda, I noted BMW charge lots more than list price for many features that I'd grown to expect, like rear-parking sensors, etc, and pretty quickly I concluded that I couldn't justify spending the money for the kind of spec I'd want. So instead I decided to stay with my trusty Skoda, even though the overall experience of the BMW is superior. But then I'm not much into cars; if I were, or if I spent hours on the road each day, then maybe I'd be inclined to value the luxury and engineering excellence of a BMW, like a lot of other people do.
I do spend a lot more time with digital content and devices, though; It's a big part of my life. I spend maybe 4 hours a day surfing, watching video, reading books and articles, researching stuff, etc. So given how much time is involved, I'm more than happy to spend more for a device if that product gives me a great experience, makes my life easier and more fun, and helps me get stuff done quicker. Thank God that Apple are there to meet my needs, because I can tell you that the market is saturated with mediocre products that don't.
Many commenters here seem to have strong views about the iPad, but maybe it's just that they have different priorities in life and simply don't value impeccable ease of use, quality, and speed (everyone who has actually used an iPad says it's very fast), in a digital device. After all most of Apple's products largely fit a niche, as evidenced by the fact that they have barely more than 5% market share in computers worldwide, so it's only to be expected that most people aren't interested in Apple's products.
Over the years, I've spent countless days and weeks battling with Windows, Linux and Simbian devices, and my experience is that they require a lot maintenance and overhead working out problems. Simple stuff like backing up never seems to be easy. They seem to need to be re-built from scratch from time to time. You really have to work hard at it; and for me I'm looking for enjoyment and ease of use in a mobile device, not just another bunch of hard work in my life. And all that head-ache for what is typically a pretty unspectacular user experience.
But then, before I inherited my wife's old iPhone when she upgraded, I really didn't expect to get that much use out of it; I thought it would be just a bit of a novelty. However, it's usability has proved to be fantastic. I use it constantly and really enjoy it; it enhances my life and helps me get simple things done quickly and easily. It's one of those products where you just don't know what you're missing until you've been using it for a while. Maybe the iPad will be similar for a lot of doubters.
I, like many people in the digital age, have multiple devices. I've got a smartphone for everyday mobile needs, I have a desktop and a laptop for more heavy duty work whether at home or at work. What I've been missing is something in the middle that allows me to work with digital and online content in a way that makes it a great, life-enhancing experience. I like the look of the iPad, I think it will take that great experience I've had with the iPhone to another level. In terms of what I'm personally looking for in a mobile device the iPad ticks more of the boxes than any other product that is currently in the market.
I think that this version of the product is just the tip of the iceberg of what's possible with this format of device. I'll certainly want to try one out in store before I buy; but whether it be this generation of the product or a later one, I can see an iPad in my future.
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Its interesting reading all of the negative comments regarding the iPad. One thing most of us oldies have missed, is that, I don't think the iPad was designed with us in mind. Sure it has its flaws, but i do think it has been targeted solely at the younger generation and maybe for education establishment use. After all there had been a number of universities and colleges in the US that have provided ipod touches for everyone of its pupils. As with all new apple products, the I.T. fraternity just don't get the point...... it wasn't designed with you in mind. Firstly because of its ease of use, and because of Apple's infrequent crashes, ( Unlike your Windows wonders), the I.T. fraternity, just don't understand Apple or its much copied operating system (you know what i'm talking about ). So, my suggestion to all, is wait for the physical release of the iPad... give it a go, and well then..... we will see. Regarding Stephen Fry's appearance on everything Mac. It all started when he made a comment on Room 101. So what if he loves Macs and Apple, big deal. He is not a paid sponsor or representative. He is just a contented user... much like myself. Personally, I was considering buying a netbook for foreign trips, ( because of size and nothing else ). But when I DO purchase an iPad, I will have a internet device, a portable DVD player, a digital photoframe, and all in a 0.5 inch thick device. Bring it on, I cant wait.
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I think Dromo is right in article 278.
The I pad will work great, not like Windows, windows is just out of date and over bloated operating system,
the last operating system from mac Snow Leopard was releases 5 GB smaller, than the last operating system.
Every time Microsoft make another operating system its gets bigger and slower, so your PC takes ages to start up, and work.
why bother with linux looking for all the drivers takes ages, Apple products just work out of the box, giving you time to actually enjoy the digital age.
Instead of wanting to throw your PC in the trash, after loosing your information, like every windows machines I have used.
when OLED displays take off The future off, Ipad will be even better, at the moment it can give you 10 yours of use.
I am just going out to the trash to throw out my old Sony Vaio, it drove me mad trying to start it up, took about 10 mins before it was usable, to even serf the net. RIP WINDOWS for ever!!!!
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"The ones moaning about the IPAD are the people that have spent years working on a Buggy windows machine, that as cost them £1000 and is out of date in one year, the iPad will be usable for years of fun. Its only the dinosaurs that will be left behind."
A buggy windows machine that cost £1000?
Out of date in a year?
I think you might be confusing things, when a PC gets outdated you can open it up and upgrade the bits inside to keep it up-to-date, whereas the iPad you wouldn't be able to :P
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Yes that is my point Kite 281
It will cost you an arm and leg to change your Mother board, CPU, Memory, hard drive, to get it up to date
then you will have to get the drivers, reinstall windows. reinstall your data. and after that you will still have an old casing and old monitor. and draw full of wires.
Macs have a thing called Time Machine its just a dream to use.
Save your money with the windows upgrade and put it towards a new Mac,
Its about time Microsoft Made a new operating system based on unix , Ipod touch, iphone, and Ipad all use the unix base to run, its very stable,
If Microsoft made there own Computers with new operating system iIam sure it would be OK, after all they make Xbox and that is not bad at all, so they could make PC hardware,
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The ipad is absolutely ridiculous. It is an ergonomic disaster. Typing directly on a tablet screen, be it on top of a table or on ones lap means, one would be curling over it and thus get severe neck problems. Even if you opt for clicking everything when one hand holds the device and the other does the clicking, you wouldn't last for more than 30 mins before you would want to switch hands, and on average basic net browsing is more than 30 mins. So posting comments like these wont be easy.
People who would buy this would soon realise that novelty of making a digital device respond to the flicks of your fingers soon wears off, especially when you cant even perform basic digital needs, like copy a text from a page and google it. Ofcourse it should have a camera, a usb slot, a tilt stand, flash support, a stylus, Multitasking!!, video out, GAMING!!!, multiusers on split screens or even a scanner. But then i guess im just THINKING DIFFERENT not like a marketing ceo who thinks consumers are only people who dont know anything about computers and only buy products for the show of it. It is far from a breakthrough in the computing / mobile world. It just shows that apple is more focused on timely release, product positioning, and other 'flim flam' of a product rather than the product itself.
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About the last comment 283 Kalha88
I think you are wrong, It takes a Windows laptop 30 min to start up before you can even serf the net, by the time it has, updated with latest patches then it defragment your hard drive, after this you have to scan for virus, most of the time it cannot find the internet so you have to restart to get it to log on to the web.
With the new ipad as with the old ipod, you will be on the internet in 20seconds, do what you have to do, then put the pad down, It will have power for a month on standby, then be ready to use as soon as you pick the ipad up. The apple browser has google built in Just right click on a word and it will give you the results.
Why do I want multitasking the main reason for multitasking, is on a windows machine!!! So it can scan all the time looking for Virus, slowing your machine down, personally I only do one thing at a time.
Gaming on the Pad will be fantastic, dont understand the 30mins thing you said, dont people read books for longer than 30 mins ?
Dont need a camera "who want to constantly video themselves" If i want to take pictures i will use a good quality camera,
Its going to be great not having usb cables hanging out of the side of the Pad. All the software will work wireless or by docking to a Mac or a Bakelight PC.
I think even Victot Meldrew Would like an IPad for his Birthday.
Has apple said, the pad changes for you, you don't have to change yourself to use It. It even rotates the picture for you, when you pick it up. It will be great not to have a laptop after all they do call them a crotch warmer.
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Why are people so obsessed with putting their mucky finger prints all over their computer screens? Seems daft to me.
If I want to surf the web on the move I will use my phone. If I want to work on documents then I will use my laptop. If I want to listen to music I will use my MP3 player.
I have no need for an overpriced iPad. But then anyone who buys one probably does need to be on tablets.
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The newly launched iPad is just the first generation and will have very few features on it, but enough to satisfy the early adopters. The second generation (like all the other Apple products) will have more features to attract new buyers and persuade the early adopters to upgrade.
This also allows Apple to maintain the price level though each release and give Apple a huge amount of free press coverage while journalists speculate on what will be included in the next release.
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I'm getting the iPad in March, I see the place for it and think I'll find it useful. It will be the perfect device for reading ebooks on the go and browsing indoors while watching TV.
While I'm waiting, though, I'll be watching Obama's State of iPad address (search for it on YouTube) :P
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#284 - Steve Jobs
> I think you are wrong, It takes a Windows laptop 30 min to start up
> before you can even serf the net
It takes my Sky router longer to connect to the internet than it does for my laptop to start up.
> by the time it has, updated with latest patches then it defragment
> your hard drive, after this you have to scan for virus, most of the
> time it cannot find the internet so you have to restart to get it
> to log on to the web.
You don't actually use Windows, do you?
> The apple browser has google built in Just right click on a
> word and it will give you the results.
It's a shame it doesn't come with IE8 built in so you can have even more power and flexibility with the Accelerators. And of course you have no choice over what browser you want to use which is, of course, only ever a problem when Microsoft does it. If other people do it it's fine.
> Why do I want multitasking the main reason for multitasking, is on a windows machine!!!
> So it can scan all the time looking for Virus, slowing your machine down
You don't know what multi-tasking is, do you?
> personally I only do one thing at a time.
Ever? You've never once been writing a document or email and needed to bring up your browser to research something? You've never been working on something and wanted to quickly bring up a calculator? You only ever have one single application open at a time? If that's true then I suppose the iPad is for you but you're in a vast minority.
> Dont need a camera "who want to constantly video themselves" If i want to take
> pictures i will use a good quality camera
Is that what you said about the iPhone? Did you go on the internet to slag it off for having a camera? Or if this is just sour grapes, they have an app for that.
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Hi andy 288
Yes you have a point about internet, research and multitasking, You have made me realise that I Will sometimes have to use My IMAC for that sort of thing, I use my Ipod as my calculator when on my PC.
you can use Internet IE8 on a mac, Microsoft give one away to mac users, you can also use Office on a mac.
but Safari is safer !! if you look at the news, Google are dropping support for IE6!! won't be long before they do the same for IE8.
I dont use an iphone, it does to many things for me, I like a phone to be a phone, but a lot of people love them to bits.
I use an Ipod at the moment, so I can input date while on a standard mobile phone.
and yes I still have to use windows sometimes, I just hate using it, it always tells me that something is wrong, could be a flag popping up telling me internet now connected!!!! why does it keep telling me to much and all those Silly sounds you get, "Ping, Splat", or a silly frog noise.
I use Microsoft Money to do my account on. Its the last bit of PC software i use, and now Microsoft have dropped all support for it. they have had a lot of my money in the past, and I have no intention of spending any more on there PC software.
I am starting to use Numbers spreadsheet to do my accounts.
By they way I, My Mac Will is Running Windows Vista by using a thing called "Bootcamp" this is built into every Mac sold.
I just hold as key down on startup and then it will run Windows VIsa, to do my accounts on. after I have finished, I restart into MAC snow leopard,
If Apple bring out a Tablet running The full Snow leopard operating system, it will be able to run windows on a tablet , then would you buy one. ?? I think you would.
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#289
> Google are dropping support for IE6!! won't be long before they
> do the same for IE8.
If by "won't be long" you mean "in about 10 years". Firms with public sites are starting to drop support for IE6 as it is becoming too cumbersome to ensure sites work properly in it. Especially ones looking to utilise more up-to-date technologies. It's nothing do do with IE itself, it isn't an anti-Microsoft move, and they will continue to support all modern browsers as long as they remain in-line with each other and don't require substantial work to get things going in one specific browser.
And while IE is available on the MAC, this isn't the MAC we're talking about but the iPad.
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@Paul Briggs
Are you a real person or some kind of crazy machine that Steve Jobs has created called iMuppet?
"Yes you have a point about internet, research and multitasking,"
They are 3 big points.
"if you look at the news, Google are dropping support for IE6!! won't be long before they do the same for IE8."
IE6 is a very old Browser and has been replaced by IE7 before IE8. Eventually everything gets replaced as old software cannot be expected to support every emerging technology. No doubt you thing Safari does though.
"and yes I still have to use windows sometimes, I just hate using it, it always tells me that something is wrong."
Well you clearly don't know how to use it or you have an issue you don't know how to resolve. How do you manage to use a Mac? Can I suggest a FisherPrice Activity Centre. That might be at your level.
"By they way I, My Mac Will is Running Windows Vista by using a thing called "Bootcamp" this is built into every Mac sold."
You've spent your time here complaining about Windows and PC's but have taken time to install it on your Mac? Why? You say the Mac has Office and IE so why bother?
As a final point - Does your Mac come with a Spelling and Grammar checker? I would use it.
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@ Stephen Latimer
'But when I DO purchase an iPad, I will have a internet device, a portable DVD player, a digital photoframe, and all in a 0.5 inch thick device.'
Good luck with using your Ipad as a portable DVD Player.
Have you even read the specs?
Maybe you should look before you decide to buy, or is that something only the 'Windows Wonders' I.T. fraternity is smart enough to do?
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Super G ref 291
OK you all are now starting to make me giggle, looks like I have upset a few people, because the truth hurts about Windows machines, just full of crashes.
but please don't get personal about by bad smelling, sorry spelling. If you think my spelling is bad try reading some of the stuff on facebook, or texting, its unreadable.
Anyway I heard Microsoft were going to call the operating system, FisherPrice Bugs Activity Centre,
If apple called the IPAD "IActivity Centre" It would still be a great piece of kit.
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@ Paul Briggs
You really are missing the point. If you look at my previous comments here you will see that I believe there is a place for both Mac's and PC's in this world. I have not defended Windows at all in my previous reply to you but you find this all very amusing.
You're comments are unfounded and for the most part nonsensical. Your poor spelling just enhances the lack of quality in your comments and makes you seem completely out of your depth. The fact that you "giggle" makes you seem childlike.
Lines like " If you think my spelling is bad try reading some of the stuff on facebook, or texting, its unreadable." just confirm my suspicions that you are a muppet.
Best of luck on Planet Earth. I hope you enjoy your stay. ;)
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I am not sure what a muppet is ?
I can just remember my grand father talking about it, is it something like an Ipuppet.
yes I am a bit childlike best not to grow old to soon,
Is that Moon-base calling.
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Anyway does SUPERG stand for SUPPER GRANDDAD
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I think a lot of people miss the point. The device is a convergence device with a fantastic (proven) GUI that just works. I have owned several iMacs, MacBook Pro's, iPods and an iPhone and in that time they have always worked without failure and provide a great user experience. This compares terribly to my personal experiences with Windows based PC or other alternative phones (Nokia, Sony etc) which either crash often, are very slow or require specialist IT knowledge to use. My £2000 PC was a complete joke.
You do not require tech skills to get the most from Apple's products. As an example my 18 month daughter can pick up my iPhone, browse photos, play games, play music or video and is all self taught i.e the GUI is very intuitive. Now while we do not let her use it very often, it strikes me as a great example of how easy the device is to use. I expect iPad to be the same and provide a similar ease of use for web browsing, video, photo frame, digital music all of which appeal to me!
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@ Ryan,
I dont think the point has been missed at all by the majority here. Apple commonly release a version of device that is lacking certain features that they know they will release later. With the Ipad, I think they may have just 'missed' out too many features on the first version for them to compete with other slates.
Time will tell, and you always have to factor in Apples mighty marketing machine, but on paper, a nice stable GUI cannot always win out over function.
It may be easy to use, but try telling that to someone who just wants to access a file they have on a USB pen drive.
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I don't think you will ever convince a Windows person that Apple is better or an Apple devotee that Windows is better so there is no point in trying.
For me, I prefer Samsung as a mobile phone; an iPod as my MP3 player and a good old windows laptop for my computer.
Do I need a Tablet PC? The answer is NO whether it be Apple or Windows. Just don't see the need for one.
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Just had to be number 300 - Dont we think this thread has gone on for long enough Mr BBC. Its getting really bitchy & nothing new is being said. Time to close this thread?
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#297
Crikey. £2000 for a PC. The last time I paid that much for a computer was back in the 90s.
No wonder you have problems.
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Ref Joe bloggs i think your name is great.
BBC dont close this blogg, people are very passionate about there gadgets, and its great reading, all the Victor Melbrew's moaning, by the way they are the one with the PC Windows machines.
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Ref Elmo 10
there is no need for a usb pen slot on the IPAD, you can store all your data in a Pen APP on the IPAD.
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Re:301 - I think it was the 90's the last time I bought a PC. It was supposed to be the top rig going at the time. :)
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http://www.cnet.com/
have a look at some of the video on this link above, and please let everyone know what you think.
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@ Paul Briggs,
'there is no need for a usb pen slot on the IPAD, you can store all your data in a Pen APP on the IPAD.'
Nope, I asked how you can get access to a file on a drive. Not about online storage.
Take this scenario. You are out with your Ipad and your 'quality' camera taking pictures and need to email one. You have to politely ask someone with a £200 netbook if you can borrow his usb port and send the picture for him.
The Ipad is not capable of being a house holds only computer. A netbook is.
Its great to be able to do things 'well' but wouldn't you agree its more important to be able to do it at all?
This is just the lack of USB port here, do you need an explanation for the ipads other short comings?
Lastly, there have been so many errors in your posts im almost certain that you have no idea what you are talking about. Your main defence for the Ipad seems to be 'Its better than windows'. You can't compare a device to an operating system (especially when you know nothing about either)
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Ok I am now beat, i will lay down and accepts defeat,,,, all your arguments have convinced me to buy a windows based slab, made of Bakelight. If I start saving now how long will I have to wait before Microsoft build the hardware for a slab. Don't think I will ever see it.
Anyway Elm1o A device will not work without an operating system, so you can compare the two.
There is one thing I know about operating systems, that is, keep away from any D.O.S. based, buggy, out of date stuff, called Windows 7, it would be total rubbish on a slab-top.
Have a look at some of the apple videos there is lot to see
http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
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I would stop digging if I was you, you can't get yourself out of a self made knowledge hole by digging deeper.
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I worked on the one with wings! It was called the EO 440 and it was created in 1993! You could write on it, send and receive faxes and emails and even use it to make cellphone calls. It even made it onto Tomorrow's World.
That said... I think the iPad is more absorbing :-)
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It might be useful at this point to just scope out a little bit here and get some perspective on things.
I don't believe that it's too contentious to assert that Apple have been (and continue to be) an extraordinarily innovative and influential technology company. For a firm that has such a tiny share of the consumer electronics and mobile computing market (in terms of units sold), it has had a disproportionate effect on other, far larger manufacturing and software companies. From the quality of its products' industrial design and form factor innovations to its consistently excellent GUI experience, Apple has been punching well above its weight for many years now.
Apple is one of the few companies who regularly help to define the direction of computing and consumer electronics, rather than being content to merely follow the ideas of others. It isn't afraid to take risks. This is of particular significance here, because it's precisely this kind of pioneering spirit which has been instrumental in driving technology forward. Without the Apples of this world, consumer tech would undoubtedly be a far less exciting and dynamic affair.
In recent years, Apple has enjoyed considerable success with several of its products, despite mixed initial receptions to some of them. While the utility of those products was already well understood however, the iPad enjoys no such similar advantage. With their latest offering, Apple are (whether cannily or otherwise) attempting to invent a new *category* of device - and one which, it seems, has yet to be fully understood by many. Whether this device succeeds or not in its current incarnation, Apple's bravery should at the very least be recognized and roundly applauded. For, whatever becomes of the iPad, Apple's attempts at innovation unquestionably drive the rest of the industry to excel.
My personal disappointment with regard to this new device is not that version 1.0 may fail to triumph from the outset, or that the pre-release models appear to lack many features that more established and familiar devices already possess. Rather, I am saddened by the myopic, knee-jerk reactions of the so-called technology pundits and bloggers who seem capable of viewing this new category of device only in terms of what they think they already know. I mean, just stop and consider for a moment: it's going to be the application software that developers create for the iPad that will ultimately reveal this kind of device's true potential. And with the exception of Apple itself and a few early pilot demos, we have yet to see ANYTHING running on it which truly leverages the device's multi-touch capability.
Despite Apple's truly astonishing track record over the past few years, very few people seem to understand that this device's successors (whether from Apple or another farsighted innovator) will almost certainly redefine the industry within the next five years. Almost no one seems to have anything to say about the matter.
Well I'll give you just a few possibilities off the top of my head, and leave it to others to decide whether these have any merit. I am quite certain that more capable and intelligent people than myself - and that would be a LOT of people - could do better. But here we go ...
Imagine, if you will, manipulating a three-dimensional molecular model in realtime, and then experimenting with structural changes and (say) chemical properties using just your fingers - collaborating with several of your similarly-equipped colleagues in remote locations as you do so;
Imagine walking around a building construction site, and calling up blueprints on the fly - keyed to your current location; imagine scrubbing back and forth across a timeline of projected construction work, and comparing the model to your immediate surroundings at any point in time ... simply by using the gestures of one hand;
Imagine working with fire and rescue services to navigate a smoke-filled building using GPS and compass orientation to find your precise location and direction on the map you're holding ... and then zooming into small details as needed ...
imagine allowing a child to navigate a real library by using an interactive map which provides previews of the material within each library section whenever she draws near to that area - a library treasure hunt with multimedia rewards ...
Does the current iPad offer these things? And if someone decides to write the software for it?
Above all else, I encourage you simply imagine. Then look again at this new class of device. And this time, look just a little bit more carefully.
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Ref Clive Green 310
I could not have put it better my self, but I am just a little muppet,
Some great ideas in the new AVATAR film { Pads }, in 10 to 15 years we will have them, if you look at some of the stuff in early star-trek film it looks dated, what we have know looks a lot better.
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Paul Briggs
You have converted me for sure. After reading your posts and realising just how sick I was of the constant crashes and BSODs in Windows 7 and waiting thirty minutes for my PC to turn on every time I want to use it, I watched those ads in that link and skipped down to my nearest Apple Store at the Trafford Centre and bought one. I'll never go back to Windows. Thank you Paul Briggs!
Now, returning to reality... Does anybody think that potentially Apple's strongest competitor for this 'third category' device market might be Google and Chrome OS? Or is a netbook running Windows XP/Windows 7 already a 'third category' device which will continue to dominate? My personal opinion is that netbooks already do fill that space, and certainly will if they have a touchscreen as well. However, I still do see the point in chucking away the keyboard for extra portability AND running a tailored OS to make it instant-on. Perhaps this is really a 'fourth category' device. Even though I have a netbook running Windows XP, Ubuntu and quite possibly a full version of OS X ;), I still feel I have need for a device like this but one which is more capable i.e. multi-tasking plus USB and SD slots.
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I do not know why people are so crazy about Mr. Jobs and his team of 'wizards'! This device reminds me of the tablets carried around in the 'Asterix' comics by the Romans!! I think it silly to carry an object this big around though you could use it to read books or see movies (not with out the guy sitting/standing behind you getting an eyeful!). This device is useless if it does not multi-task and is incompatible with the WWW if it does not support Flash.
Apple seems to be getting rotten these days!
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Ref Skashion
That is great.
I am very happy you have made the move over to Mac, It will take you a few days to get used to the new operating system, but it will be worth it, bet you were amazed by the start up time. no more defrag etc. and that mouse its just magic....
The after sales is great you get 3 months free phone calls the apple experts, because they make the hardware and software they are of great help, I am sure you will get years of fun from it, doing your photos on a mac is great fun.
Yes googles Operating system will be a threat but mainly to Microsoft,
I cannot Imagine anyone making anything better than the Apple Mac products.
The chrome operating system will be good, but just for everything internet based.
90% of people go on the internet first, face book, email, Argos etc, news. and they want to do it fast, not wait for an over-bloated operating system like Windows 7 to start up then after it as started up crash on you, sounds familiar to a lot of people.
If my car did not start up in the morning, and fast I would get rid of it, time is precious, and a machine should work the people, not people work for the machine, some computers just make people angry, annoyed, and sad to use.
We are human-beings not machines and we should not be chained to a piece of plastic, metal and Glass that does this to you.
Good luck Chrome OS, "Microsoft!! you have had your chance and missed it," Microsoft can move on to something new, but if they don't start now, they will loose out in the next ten years.
Would anyone go back to a Sinclair ?
good luck skashion and don't forget to look at the great { Icreate } magazine.
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Clive Green
Apple are a very innovative company and are regularly at the forefront of new technology.
Unfortunately the i-pad isn't new innovation, it is a poor implementation of already available technology.
Take your examples:
Imagine walking around a building site and wanting to look at the latest blueprints. The office have a copy of them on a pen drive. Opps, you can't get a copy as there isn't a usb slot on your i-pad.
Imagine fire and rescue walking through a smoke filled building using an i-pad to navigate. Unfortunatly as the i-pad takes two hands to operate you can't carry any rescue equipment while you are navigating and your hands are not free for simple things like helping keep your balance in unstable buildings.
Imagine a child navigating a real library using real equipment called eyes and legs.
All your ideas rely on not just apps being made for them, but Apple allowing them onto the App Store. Quality control is a good idea, but for tailored professional applications the people who are best suited to decide on the quality is the end user, not Apple.
Paul Briggs
"We are human-beings not machines and we should not be chained to a piece of plastic, metal and Glass that does this to you."
If you don't want to be chained, don't use devices that lock you in to only what the manufacturer decides you are allowed to use. Nobody locks you in more than Apple with their OS for the i-phone and i-pad.
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@ Paul Briggs,
Any chance you would like to address peoples actual concerns about the Ipad, or will you just keep harping on about windows?
Windows wont be the only OS on a tablet you know, but then I guess you haven't bothered to use windows 7 before criticizing it, you wont bother to look at any other OS.
Oh, and windows hasn't been based on DOS since 98. Is that the last time you used windows?
'and that mouse its just magic....' Brilliant!
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@Paul Briggs.
Please stop. You are embaressing Apple supporters everywhere as you make us look like ill-informed drones. There is nothing wrong with Windows 7 and your hate just fan the flames of Apple and Windows fanboys everywhere.
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ref elmo
yes I have been going on a lot about windows instead of the Pad, but I can't help myself.....
Elmo10 You are wrong about DOS underneath the Bonnet of windows is lots of old Code from DOS.
William Palmer,
I can understand what you are saying about apple locking you in, but that is not what they do,
Anyone can develop an application for apple,
you just submit it to them so they can put in on there apps store,
if it sells the maker of the app gets 70% of the income, apple keep 30% for all the credit card charges and admin,
the money is put into your account every month.
A lot of people have made a good income from the apps store.
They vet applications so there is no porn or racist stuff. There is over 140,000 apps for the IPAD, and they are very cheap.
Anyone can make software for the IPAD it is an open Operating system just like linux,
windows have done some bad stuff in the past and the european courts have fined them a lot of money.
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Dear elmo
The mouse is called a magic Mouse there is no ball, all of the top of the mouse is touch sensitive.
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@ GB,
'Please stop. You are embaressing Apple supporters everywhere as you make us look like ill-informed drones.'
Its ok, I know plenty of Mac fans that know exactly what they are talking about.
All sides have their zealots.
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sorry Elmo10
forgot to give you the link this is it http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/
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Ok will I will stop,
but if i do I don't know what I am going to do with the spare time this will give me.
I know I will build a clone PC,,, See you in six weeks when I have found all the drivers,,,,
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I have to say I'm really impressed with how many business experts we have on these forums. To be so confident of a models failure before its even been released. Could i hire any of you to troubleshoot my company :)
Seriously though i love all my apple products but i can see the limitations to this first release of the ipad.
I call it the george foreman business model, release a product that's good then continually improve it until a few years later you have a really good product, although you could have released it like that from the beginning.
I think the lack of a camera (skype) and flash is a problem and why i will wait for the inevitable 2nd gen which has a camera.
Having said that i can see the uses for it. Most people use their home computer to surf the web, facebook, buy stuff, email and not a lot else, maybe listen to music (which by the way if its the same as the iphone you will be able to do while surfing the web). The iPad will do all of those things, and will be a much nicer experience.
So with that in mind i can see it doing well, it won't match the iPhone for sales but i'm sure apple are fairly confident it will be a success and on balance i suspect they know more about this kind of thing than i (or you) do.
I don't know but i would be very interested to see all the comments/reviews of the ipod when it was first released, tied to one program (itunes), battery that you can't remove, weird control method. Sound familiar.
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I really have to say I love this Mac. It's very intuitive and quick and I've been told I don't have to worry about security at all. I spent sooooooooo much time on my PC performing virus scans, in-between crashes and BSODs of course, so I'm going be so much more productive now!!!!!!!1!!!!!!1 But I haven't figured out how to run GTA IV, Compiz Fusion or watch Blu-Ray movies (I'm using an external drive) on this thing. Can anyone help me?
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Just to say I said you would see soon See TV presenters using an IPAD its already been done you tube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKFBMSLFe4E&feature=player_embedded
HI skashion No need to help you BLUERAY is dead before it starts, Everybody will be watching Hi def VIdeo from the internet soon, BT Will role out 20mb soon.
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Got to love the responses of the Apple fanboyz haven't you? It's not a problem because Steve Jobs has told us it is not a problem...
It is a problem for several reasons. 1. It is not the future. We live now, not five or ten years from now when the infrastructure might exist for downloaded HD content. For the moment most people have fairly pedestrian internet speeds and bandwidth restrictions. 2. A lot of people don't like downloading movie content - hence why Apple TV doesn't sell well. 3. If you were to download it, the standard of HD currently available from iTunes is very poor. 4. What about Blu-Ray discs people already own? They will have to buy it twice. Optical media is dead yet, and won't be until the end of this generation at the very earliest. At this moment in time, Blu-Ray sales are worth considerably more than digital downloads and are also growing faster. I think Apple will adopt it eventually. They haven't ruled it out, they've just said they're waiting for it to really take off. Pity for Mac users though because there are plenty out there who want it and Mac users are generally media types with high disposable incomes - the type who have likely already adopted Blu-Ray. Why not at least give you the choice? Oh, that's right, Steve Jobs doesn't believe in choice.
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Just to say you don't get a floppy drive on a PC anymore,
Apple were the first computer company to stop putting floppy drives on computers, Everybody said they were daft to do so, at the time,
Apple have started making computers without CD drives, I can't remember last time I used my CD drive, Yes blue-ray gives you a great picture, but they cost an arm and leg to buy.
we use BT-total-broadband to watch movies, they are not HD but the picture is good, most film rental shops have now closed, things are changing fast and it is the internet that will mould the future of entertainment, even sky know that.
Pubs are shutting down all over the place, because people stop at home, on the internet meeting people that way, people are using there WII for fun instead of going to the pub, society is changing fast and the DVD film will become a thing of the past, just as CD is doing now.
Everything will be wireless, and internet.
Microdrive.
5" floppy.
3.4" floppy.
Betamax.
VHS.
LP
cassete tapes
78 records
5 track,,,,,ETC. all are dead or dying. and I am sure Blue-ray will go the same way, But when?
To make the Ipad, wireless with no messy ports makes a lot of sense. Even today.
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You just seem to be using the future as an argument that a company shouldn't adopt the current standard, don't you realise how stupid that is? Why did people buy televisions in the 1950s and 60s? Why didn't they think to wait until 3D TV became available? Why did people buy VHS? Didn't they realise digital HD movie downloads were coming along any second?
Dropping floppy disks was daft at the time! Having a CD drive does not mean you can't have a floppy drive. My PC which has a Blu-Ray RW/HD-DVD Rom drive still has a floppy drive. I rarely use it, apart from BIOs updates, but it's quite easy to have both. I also have USB and eSATA ports on the front panel. Great array of choice there. I can use CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, USB pen drives, USB external hard drives, eSATA external hard drives and floppys! I can use whatever the hell I want.
^ *Disclaimer: Before any Mac users point out you can do the same on a Mac, I'm fully aware of that. My point in this case is that being backwards-compatible with old standards is not always mutually exclusive of adopting new ones.* ^
Nobody cares even slightly what you do because it is not representative of the general public or even the average Mac user. The evidence suggests that people still overwhelmingly buy their movie content offline and watch it offline. That will change, I have no doubt about it. Should iTunes offer HD? Yes, of course it should, but Apple should also offer Blu-Ray drives as an option at least. Give the user a choice. You should especially give the user a choice when that's what the majority of people still do! We're living NOW! We're buying NOW! Not next year, not five or ten years time, NOW!
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OK point taken... but i will be using Ipad in five years so I am getting ready,
have put all my books in the loft and all my CD's too.
will be my DVD collection next year.
my house is looking a lot more tidy.
While in the loft found some 78's and also some Carbide lamps for my penny-farthing.
where's my wash-board
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Found this for all you people that keep moaning on about Ipad not having flash
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/feb/02/flash-plugin-browser-apple-adobe is the reason.
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Me - artist.
Reason I would want a light portable tablet? To use as a sketchbook.
Basic requirements? A stylus, and a pressure-sensitive screen.
Does iPad have these? Nope.
Maybe someone could introduce Apple to Wacom and see if they could work something out - like a device which actually works.
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It looks as though tablet wars have broken out.
The build up to the next most-hyped launch has begun; it looks as though Google have plans to produce their own tablet running OS Chrome.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/02/01/google-tablet-photos/
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looks like this blog is slowing down just giving you all a nudge.
YOU ARE ALL WRONG .... the IPAD does have USB and SD card slot, TV out. just look at the specs at bottom of page,
on this link.
perhaps they will Cost about £15 each, "stick that in your pipe"
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
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ref Martin Herbert
331
yes it would be great if the tablet could be pressure sensitive, but i am sure that would cost a lot to do and only a few people will use it,
there will be a lot of great pictures drawn on the tablet just using your fingers. just look at the app called Brushes,
If you look at the apple keynote you will see some of the things artist, and photographers the link is below.
the link is
http://www.apple.com/
if you look about in the middle of the video you will find some of the great drawings.
just payed for a Wacom 4 for my son that alone cost £350
Picasso would of fell in love with the IPad has a lot of artist will do.
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@ Paul Briggs,
First off, cant seem to find those specs.
More importantly, you show the usual fanboy reactions. You have spent many posts here stating why you do not need a usb connection. 'It will be great to not have one' I think you said. Are you now then 'disappointed' that the device has got 'ugly' cables hanging out of it? Are you not now going to use the usb connection?
Of course you are, making all your previous arguments look ridiculous and yourself a fool.
If the Ipad does indeed have a usb port, then that will be great. Many different sources have commented and said that it will not, and if it does indeed have one, i was wrong to believe them.
It was the same with the iphone and copy/paste. The fanboys claimed they didn't need it and then when it was finally introduced, 'Apple are great giving us copy and paste for free'.
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I will very rarely have the need to use USB on an IPAD
I get annoyed by cable, but if i do find a need to put photos on the IPad, while out and about, I will buy the USB kit,
It will be great for professional photographers.
I just hate the spaghetti of cables you always get with a PC, my MAC has only one cable that is power, it only takes a short time to move it to another room to use.
when the IPAD comes out I am looking forward to only plugging in the power cable.
life is complicated anyway, without badly made hardware making it harder,
I was totally fed-up of trying to get a PC to work, even when I did everything,
de-frag,
virus scan,
update,
restart,
reset broadband,
backup, it still spat out a problem.
I have given Computer company's a lot of my time in the past and given them a lot of my money, and they still did not work properly, I am annoyed by this.
I supposed you can call me a FANBOY, but If a gadget makes life easy, why not love it,
I no longer have crashes,
no longer have to De-frag,
no longer have to virus scan,
updates are smooth,
and for backup the Mac Time-Machine is unbelievable,
That is why I am looking forward to the IPAD, It another step in the right direction, to make computing easy for everyone, all the other Company's will follow APPLE,
that is because they lead the way for everyone.
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Paul, you are not a fanboy. you are an Apple sheep, who needs to be led by the hand through computing because you are to scared to have a thought or action of your own.
I have been using Microsoft operating systems on-line since the late '90s, so far I have had a grand total of zero viruses, the vast majority of those who get viruses on their computers do so because they are stupid.
Defraging occurs automatically at 3 in the morning, so it makes no difference to me.
The last few times my computer has crashed it was because of Apple software, ie Quicktime.
I have never had a problem with updates.
Backing up is increadibly easy if you have half a brain.
I am force to use Apples at university, and I do have to say the experience so far has made me glad I have never bought one. The mouse is awful, the UI is slow and over complex, and the internet conectivity is a joke.
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Ref william
OK sounds like I hit a nerve, I am amassed you have never had a crash from Microsoft operating system, you must be the only man on the planet, please let us all know how you have managed it?
I started out using computers when the Sinclare ZX81 was released then Sinclare QL, to Atari ST, to PC in 1995 and used a windows operating system on lots PC's
I have built PC's from all the component parts,
Then at the end of 2007 in used leopard operating system on a mac, and I have never looked back.
so has a user I have had experience with computers for over 20 years
The laptop was invented my Apple,
Apple were the first computer company to use a graphics, windows interface with a mouse, years before anyone else.
USB was invented by apple,
Apple with the IPAD have changed computing for ever, I Believe every other computer company will Copy IPAD
and I Can guarantee that if you do not like the IPAD, you will buy one in the future perhaps a Google Chrome one.
Today, because of good design and ease of use I enjoy my Computer time, not like in the past when computers were a total pig to use.
I have an old calculator in the draw it works every time I switch it on, and I find my Apple to be exactly the same,
The Ipad will be a great gadget for just picking up and doing the job very fast, easy and at the price cheap.
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Paul, I started out on computers around the same time.
I said I had never had a vius, not that my computer had never crashed. It has crashed, the most common recent crashes have been caused by Apple software.
The first commercially available portable computer was made by IBM, and originally imagined by Allan Key at Xerox.
The first mouse and the graphical wondows user interface were also invented by Xerox, not Apple.
USB was catagorically not invented by Apple, it was created in acollaberation between Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, Sony, Digital Equipment Corporation, IBM and Northern Telecom. You are thinking of Firewire, similar in some ways but completely different in others. Apple are pretty much giving up on Firewire, and changing over to USB.
The Ipad has nothing new in it, everything in it has been done before, just without the Apple brand name.
I can quarantee I won't buy a touch pad, they offer me nothing that I cannot already do with one of the three PCs or two laptops I already own.
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Saw one of these in the E&T magazine and thought it was worth a look. Yes it is quite expensive but remember even a standard 2.5" SSD will set you back a few bob, never mind a custom designed one to fit in this. Plus is has the best of both worlds, full OS for 'work' and simplified OS for basic use.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/lenovo-ideapad-u1-hybrid-hands-on-and-impressions/
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Ref 339 William
OK please show me the cost of the first mouse and windows based computer available to the public for sale. ?
Apple did have a large input to usb, perhaps not invented it, but they were the first to put in on computers.
It must be very hard not getting a virus, all that scanning, see on the news Microsoft are patching up DOS Code after 17years, its about time they got away from all that old code and made a new operating system.
They could manufacture there own Hardware, they at the moment make XBOX and that is fine,
If they made a new operating system, just for the home user and a tablet PC it would be fine,
but only if they stopped using old code from windows.
If Microsoft did that a lot of people would buy there Tablet.
If you watch the Apple video of the launch of the iPAD, Steve Jobs said that apple made the first laptop, and today no one has said he was wrong.
I know there is nothing new in the IPAD but it is all about good design, and making it work for every body, not just for a few,
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Paul, Apple used the ideas that were invented at Xerox to make their first GUI. Read up on the Xerox Alto.
Apple have been involved with USB standards, but very much a late comer, USB has been around since 90-91 (even earlier if you include the universal serial bus on the Atari 400/800 lines back in 1979), Apple din't get involved until 1999. They were certainly not the first to put USB on computers.
Steve Jobs was talking nonsence about laptops.
The first Apple portable computer was the Macintosh Portable. That was more of a lump of lead than a true portable computer so other people made really portable computers that could run Apple operating systems (Outbound Laptop). The Macintosh Portable came out in 1989, other portables using non-Apple operating systems had been on the market for 8 years before that.
The UI on the iphone/itouch/ipad isn't a real oprating system, it is an operating system that has been neutered so that Apple control what you do, how you do it and who is allowed to give you the stuff to do it.
Microsoft's patch is for a funtion of their OS that I never used. I don't use old software that needs DOS so I don't use that function.
How do you feel about using an OS that has been hacked in less than 2 minutes in two succesive years at PWN2OWN, when people tried and failed to hack Microsoft systems?
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Paul, you said;
"I know there is nothing new in the IPAD but it is all about good design, and making it work for every body, not just for a few."
The ipad is a great example of style over function. It certainly doesn't 'work for everyone', as it doesn't do anything for me, nor anybody I know.
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OK point taken,
Within a few weeks of the IPad coming out, if you don't buy one that is? someone you know will.
what will you do then? tell them that they have purchased a limp of lead,
There is no getting away from it the IPAD is a game changer, they will sell millions,
anyway PWN2OWN is a bunch of clever people playing with computers, the general public is not interested. That is my point, most people just want to get the job done,
most people glaze-over or they go into.. ( screen saver mode )... when we start talking about computers.
Most people are not interested in the workings of there Car, house heating system, TV, toaster, etc, they just want it to work, it is about ease of use.
The old operating systems don't give us ease of use,
I hope the new chrome operating system is as fast as they say, think it is base on UNIX, like the Mac and Linux,
Dont think are going to use any Microsoft code, that is because it cannot run on a tablet without using up the battery in 15 mins,
Battery life is most important for ease of use, It drives everybody mad when the battery's flat.
So are we a bunch of anoraks, old dinosaur's ? that know a bit about the workings of computers.
If you see young people using there Iphones they don't spend hours, Defraging, virus scanning, and talking about the operating system, they just want it to work.
I dont like Windows because I gave it a lot of my time, {hours and Days} trying to sort it out, Reinstalling ETC. and it still constantly played up.
The IPAD is new generation of computers, that make email, web surfing, letter writing a pleasure for the general public,
Thank god, gone are the days of sitting in front of your Pc while it decides to start up, after about 10 mins
Most Windows users leave there PC on all the time because it takes so long to start up.
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"Thank god, gone are the days of sitting in front of your Pc while it decides to start up, after about 10 mins"
Not even my 11 year old designed for windows 98 but runs XP laptop takes that long to load!
"The IPAD is new generation of computers, that make email, web surfing, letter writing a pleasure for the general public"
Give the general public a choice between having a proper keyboard or having to type on a touch-screen and I wonder which one they will pick.
"Battery life is most important for ease of use, It drives everybody mad when the battery's flat."
Or when the battery is dead due to overuse. But at least with the iPad your friendly apple store will replace it for a 'small' fee.
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Don't forget the IPAD is a great portable games machine too, cheap games about £4 and large screen, long life battery. and no disc's to carry about. kids will love it. and some adults.
sony are worried for there PSP.
All other companies will be playing catchup, now they have seen the IPAD.
Yes I have sold my soul to Apple, in return for eternal life...... Or could that be an easy life.
My father always said "find a lazy man and he will find the easy way out of a problem"
perhaps I am lazy.
I do not work for apple, I just love good design.
I bet all you that hate apple, will be intrigued when you see one, because you are all feeling threatened by wind of change.
Its a cold day today in the uk, and at Microsoft...... there see blows captain.
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Paul Briggs
Sorry to butt into your discussion but it seems like those SD and USB connectors are simply to offer connectivity rather than to be used as storage. That seems be the very clear indication from the carefully worded nature of how they are advertised i.e. as a 'iPad Camera CONNECTION Kit' and 'IMPORT photos and videos directly FROM'. It's about connecting and importing from the sounds of things. I don't think you're going to be able to add an SD card and then just use it as expanded memory to store and play videos, music and view photos from. To me, and many others, it's as good as useless. This is the standard Apple practice of preventing you from expanding yourself. There can be no excuses for this behaviour. Even if you agree with Apple's closed behaviour to stop the user doing want they want with their own hardware so as to control the user experience, there are no assumed benefits of this. It's about the money. Apple want you to buy the 64 GB version from them rather than sticking a 32 GB/64 GB (soon) SDHC card in yourself. Being able to add your own SD card for storage is by far the best solution. It's cheaper and easier - especially if you already have an SD card which can then be easily transferred between devices with the same content rather than having several exact duplicates of the same content on different devices. For this reason, it's also the greener solution and we all know how green Apple is! ;) Secondly, it allows the user to choose exactly what they want. What if you don't want 16 GB or 32 GB but want 24 GB? Tough, you can't have it! What if you want 48 GB? Again, tough. So, having a SD slot for STORAGE is a) easier for the customer - isn't Apple about being easier? b) cheaper for the customer c) greener (Apple loves to flaunt its green credentials when it suits them) d) allows more choice without any loss of control over the software which runs on the hardware. It's a veritable WIN-WIN. Except Apple's margins. So, rather than that, it's LOSE-LOSE for Apple's customers and WIN-WIN for Apple's margins. Trebles all round for Apple's shareholders? Yes, I do think so.
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Ref Skashion
Yes apple have said they want to make a profit, on everything they make, and not make a loss. they have said it a few times.
nothing wrong with that in my eyes, and they can have my money,
Just in the same way I think the BBC licence fee is good value, it worth it just for the great web site.
Works fast, Clean interface, easy to use.!!! sound familiar.
64 GB is plenty of portable storage. no need for anymore.
64GB is more than most laptops of 6 years ago and don't forget that is solid state, not hard drive.
and I am sure the SD kit will store data for you.
and USB will be for plugging other things in,
Yes Apple spend ages, making its products green has possible for us wasteful humans.
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Yeah 64 GB of storage is enough for anybody, that's why storage in laptops (and netbooks) hasn't increased to vastly more than than in the last 6 years).
Strangely enough Apple don't think that 64 GB is enough, as they already offer far more than than on their iPods.
Maybe it's just iphone/itouch/ipad users that they don't trust enough to give enough storage too.
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Stop bring UI into it. Not allowing the use of an SD card adaptor for storage is nothing to do with UI because whether you have a 16 GB iPad or a 64 GB iPad, you have the same UI and it works at the same speed! This is about Apple not allowing users to use an SD card for storage not because it is more difficult or less green but because they want more money. Apple charge $200 for 48 GB extra. Which is more expensive, less green and offers less choice for the consumer than an SD card without any benefits to negate the disadvantages. But you don't see a problem with that? If you don't then you are a fanboy without a shadow of doubt and therefore it's impossible to engage in a rational discussion with you.
64 GB is enough, so say you, and so say Steve Jobs... Why does an iPod Classic have more then? ;) Is the implication that this device is less capable than an iPod Classic? It isn't SSD actually. It's flash. Get your specs right at least please. Oh, you're sure Apple will allow expanded storage are you? Well, I propose a wager then. Name your terms.
Apple like all other companies looking to make a profit only cares about being green if the costs can be transferred to the customer. When it comes to reducing redundant data, Apple has only one form of morality; more money, more money, more money.
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^ Stop *bringing* UI into it.
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"yes Apple spend ages, making its products green has possible for us wasteful humans."
So they are green for when the fanboys dump their perfectly good 1 year old models for the next generation models, 'cos god help them if they are spotted with the previous generation iPhone/iPod :P
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The internal Storage solid state is faster than the external SD card slot,
the SD card slot, will only be used for Photo's video and data.
Promise not to mention the fantastic, user friendly, natural, User interface anymore.
Good luck to there profit's so they can design beautiful things for us all,
By the way to upgrade to a full windows 7 cost's about £152.73 at Pc world
To upgrade from apples last operating system to a full snow leopard, costs £25
There is only one version of snow leopard, making life easy again,
but there is a confusing amount of windows version's
I think Microsoft like to make a lot of profit too.
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Paul Briggs
Well, we'll wait until we can actually bench one of the these things and then we'll see how fast that flash memory is. I very much doubt it will be SSD speeds because otherwise Apple can be completely forgiven for having such expensive memory.
You can't even stop for a second to realise how foolish you sound. I agree that Apple makes extremely good user interfaces. That's not the point though because you get the same UI on an iPad regardless of whether it allows SD cards to be used as storage. UI is, therefore, completely irrelevant.
Have I once, in this discussion, questioned Apple's software upgrade pricing? Erm, no. So I'm really not sure why you've mentioned this. I think having such cheap upgrades is fantastic and I've actually recommended my OS X Tiger using friends to upgrade to Snow Leopard.
I actually agree with Microsoft having separate versions of their operating system because it would be unfair for the home user to subsidise the features of professionals and admins. Apple doesn't need to make that differentiation because its market share is comparatively so much smaller.
Oh, now it all makes sense. Ha. You think you're going to get me to defend Microsoft as a company? Oh dear, you're under the delusion that I'm some kind of Microsoft fanboy aren't you? I'm not a fanboy of any OS and especially not Apple or Microsoft. I do support Linux but I still use Windows and I have OS X Leopard installed on a triple-booting netbook too. That's right, I've rejected the terms in OS X's EULA! :O I like to use all three because I recognise, lacking the zealotry that you so clearly possess, that each has their benefits and strongpoints and each has their weaknesses and disadvantages.
Am I asking too much of you for you to give a relevant and rational response to this post without trying to deflect the issue elsewhere? If Apple won't allow SD cards to be used as storage, what benefits does this bring to the customer? Just one benefit please.
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Sorry but no one else has the time to build a triple booting system, must make it impossible to let anyone else use your computer.
One operating system is enough for me, and it must be a fast one that does not give me any problems.
have you seen apples Videos
a link
http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
this will get your blood boiling ..
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PMSL. Honestly, I'm howling. I asked you not to deflect the issue and to just state one benefit of not allowing an SD card to be used as storage and you completely failed. Kudos.
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I think we all leave Paul Briggs to his world where everything Apple makes is the best.
Perhaps when he realises that Apple only care for him as long as he buys their products, he will stop simply posting irrelevant Apple ads as his response to perfectly decent comments.
Apple's OS is good, so is Windows 7 and so is Linux, depending on your requirements. Even Vista got better over time with SP 1 & 2. As long as you had a computer that was designed for Vista as opposed to the now ageing XP.
If I were involved in movie/picture editing I would use an Apple ~ Final Cut Pro is awesome!
I play games on my computer so Windows is really the best option, and I'm not unhappy because of it. It works, no issues to date, including when I added a graphics card, which took less than 30 minutes including taking the case apart, moving a hard drive, moving a fan, installing all drivers and rebooting. This was the first time I had EVER done anything like this so I was learning the whole time.
Linux is also great, as it is secure, fast and best of all, FREE. If you run a server, Linux is great, and the netbook remix is fantastic for small computers and those old ones that have reached the end of their life.
I'm a person, and I don't care about marketing stuff.
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@ Skashion
Careful buddy, you feed that troll much more he'll be too fat to type!
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Elm1o
I don't think he's a troll, just a fanboy. It's especially hard to tell with Apple fanboys though as they frequently jump between the narrow divide which separates troll from fanboy.
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Ref
The_hess
Yes you are right, final cut is awesome, its the software they use on TOP GEAR to do all the fancy sky colours,
and many TV adds, also many feature Films Eg, Alien Versus predator.
I do use windows but only to do my books at the end of the tax year, I have used Microsoft Money, for the past 12 years but now Microsoft have stopped all support. so now I am waiting for quicken for mac. out soon.
It is the last pice of software I use on the PC. just exporting all my account over to Numbers spreadsheet.
love linux but found getting drivers a real pain.
can't get my short legs onto this seat, can only just reach the keyboard, nearly time for bed, cave getting dark. see you soon TROLL-FAN.
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I must confess to using an XBOX. so Microsoft are still getting my money. We love Modern Warfare 2, on XBOX live. So to finish this argument, will it be team death-match at 10pm.
Xbox Great machine
1. No De-frag
2.. No Virus
3 .. Quick startup.
4.. Easy to use.
5.. good clean interface.
like I said Microsoft must start a new OS. and Manufacture a good PC, they can do it.
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