Ipad: What Do People Here Think Of It?

[second exodous]

Well, I use Linux so I didn't have access to iPad's video on the Apple site because I don't have quicktime working right now on my system so I read some articles and some vids on youtube and it's getting ripped a new one it seems.

I have used iPod touches and iPhones a few times, mainly just played around with them, not sat down and tried to figure every little thing out. With those brief experiences and what I read and listened to what other thought of the over grown iPod, the iPad, I had a negative perspective of it. Then I found someone who posted the full Apple video on youtube and I thought it looked pretty cool to use.

I've been looking for an e-book for a while but I don't think this will fit the bill for me, I would rather just get a dedicated e-book. In fact I don't see myself getting one without some amazing apps specifically for it.

So what do people on these threads think of it? Especially those who own a iPod Touch or an iPhone, would you get one just from your experiences with your device?

 

[Consequence_9]

seeing as you're on these boards, and you're a fellow linux user, I feel like you're already likely to have a negative predisposition towards it. You know the wonders of open-source firsthand, and when you buy apple you pretty much forfeit the right to do as you please. I previously had an iphone & while it had some neat perks I was never able to shake this 'constrained' feeling. I was not satisfied with it even after jailbreaking. Everything just felt so... not me.

The iPad, I feel, will not only suffer from that same feeling of constraint, but it eliminates all the advantages that made the iphone marginally acceptable.

I honestly can't for the life of me find a use for the ipad that can't be done better elsewhere, and in most cases for much cheaper. The ipad is a merely a solution looking for a problem.

You want music - there's the ipod or any other mp3 player. You want Books? Get a kindle (it'll be much easier on the eyes as well). Videos? Maybe I could see one using it for this, but on a ten inch screen you might as well get a netbook for less than half the price. Same with Web-browsing (and keep in mind - no flash and no real keyboard [unless of course you want to pay extra for the addon that will only work with the ipad]).

Most apple products are designed to lock you in to consume from a single source, apple, and the ipad is no exception.

Not to mention books will be $15 and it will not be compatible with the epub format, I don't see many being able to justify the $500-700 premium. For that price you can get a much more capable device; albeit likely not the same form factor, but I question the usefulness of a non-transformable tablet anyway.

What it comes down to is that someone who uses linux & is used to having that level of control will most likely be left with a bad taste in their mouth after taking a bite out of apple's proprietary monopoly. [see what i did there?]

just my two cents.

 

[Exophase]

I'm not really impressed with it.

I think Apple's general strategy has been to take a paradigm where competitors have been offering everything-function device and basically strip down a lot of the functionality, then polish up the interface and really focus on what they're selling it as. And this has worked remarkably well for them - cue iPod, iPhone, etc; these devices weren't really offering anything new in terms of raw capabilities. But they replaced devices that seemed too unfocused and tried too much to be everything, and they really gained people's attention more directly this way.

I think that Apple is doing this even more so with the iPad. Here we have a device that, for those who know what they're doing, is bringing nothing new to the table. In fact, we can all buy cheaper things that accomplish the same basic tasks and much more. Or if the form factor is of deciding important we'll be able to buy tablets that are probably cheaper and come with the extra hardware features and more flexible OS, and probably more ergonomic design. Or at worst, a design ripped off entirely from this.

And yet Apple's "less is more" approach is alarmingly effective. They're not selling you a "computer" that can do anything and at the same time nothing, because it wasn't made for it. They're selling you an e-book reader, a web browser, an app store player.. it's not one general purpose device, it's several special purpose devices in one. And that seems to appeals much more to common people. Sadly, for people who try to copy this formula they really do look like they're coming up short.

So unfortunately Apple is going to continue to dominate with inferior products sold at ridiculous prices pushed by slick interfaces and ingenius presentation and marketing. The only thing really going against iPad is that even the average user can see that it's mostly just a big iPod Touch and that it's missing some features that Apple products have already been getting (but at least it's not in friggin black and white, go Kindle)

 

[mali]

And yet Apple's "less is more" approach is alarmingly effective.

That's the salient point, and the reason why non-phone ARM devices will be successfull if done right.

 

[Dunny]

seeing as you're on these boards, and you're a fellow linux user, I feel like you're already likely to have a negative predisposition towards it. You know the wonders of open-source firsthand, and when you buy apple you pretty much forfeit the right to do as you please. I previously had an iphone & while it had some neat perks I was never able to shake this 'constrained' feeling.

The closed-nature of the i<device> line doesn't bother me - I run Windows, I tend to avoid free OSS versions of the major apps if I can. I don't release source to my apps unless I really have to. I don't buy current hardware that is regarded as "open", I like to buy stuff that's closed and then buy the flashcart or the download the firmware that lets me pirate the shit out of it. I only pre-ordered a Pandora so I can run ROMs on it. So the iPad would be a perfect device for me.

The iPad turns me off because of the hardware. 1024x768 on a screen that size? block city. 1GHz? On a phone-sized device that would be nice, but on a tablet I'd expect more. No upgradeable storage. Etc, etc etc.

D.

 

[Consequence_9]

So the iPad would be a perfect device for me.

The iPad turns me off because of the hardware. 1024x768 on a screen that size? block city. 1GHz? On a phone-sized device that would be nice, but on a tablet I'd expect more. No upgradeable storage. Etc, etc etc.

D.

Thats all good & fine, nothing wrong with that, but perfect for what exactly?

and I agree, hardware-wise it's extremely lacking. The non-upgradeable storage really gets me; that means in order to transfer anything to it you need to hook it up to a computer (thru itunes no less i'm sure).

 

[b._.o._.b]

There was an mp3 player before the ipod. They made a player that was easy to use for Joe average.
That is their big selling point, using already invented technologies and make it easy, attractive and intuitive to use. Hardware is not everything.
Everybody who is disappointed now because of the hardware specs not being very good, should wait for the first reviews.

I am not a big Apple fan, so I am waiting for an Android counterpart. My smartq7 is already quite nice running Android. I would buy a faster, flatter model, including a better screen that is more compatible with current software in a heartbeat.

 

[Dunny]

So the iPad would be a perfect device for me.

The iPad turns me off because of the hardware. 1024x768 on a screen that size? block city. 1GHz? On a phone-sized device that would be nice, but on a tablet I'd expect more. No upgradeable storage. Etc, etc etc.

D.

Thats all good & fine, nothing wrong with that, but perfect for what exactly?

Because if I did write any software for it, I could keep it closed source with no GPL to spread around. And there's no linux community attached to it (as yet - it'll be broken by some 14 year old soon, I suspect). No "you must open your source" nazis. I really like that. I wrote an extremely comprehensive BASIC development environment. Cries of "you need to port this to linux" and many, many emails begging for the source so they could do it for me... in the end I just let the source out with each new distribution. You know what? Nobody ported it. Probably because they can't, but I did my part. And I still get people demanding that I support open operating systems and rewrite what took years to do so they can use it in linux.

Not a chance.

Back on topic...

Of course it's a tablet - I like those. Shame about the hardware, but the idea is great.

and I agree, hardware-wise it's extremely lacking. The non-upgradeable storage really gets me; that means in order to transfer anything to it you need to hook it up to a computer (thru itunes no less i'm sure).

+1.

D.

 

[Sphinxter]

So the iPad would be a perfect device for me.

The iPad turns me off because of the hardware. 1024x768 on a screen that size? block city. 1GHz? On a phone-sized device that would be nice, but on a tablet I'd expect more. No upgradeable storage. Etc, etc etc.

D.

Thats all good & fine, nothing wrong with that, but perfect for what exactly?

Because if I did write any software for it, I could keep it closed source with no GPL to spread around. And there's no linux community attached to it (as yet - it'll be broken by some 14 year old soon, I suspect). No "you must open your source" nazis. I really like that. I wrote an extremely comprehensive BASIC development environment. Cries of "you need to port this to linux" and many, many emails begging for the source so they could do it for me... in the end I just let the source out with each new distribution. You know what? Nobody ported it. Probably because they can't, but I did my part. And I still get people demanding that I support open operating systems and rewrite what took years to do so they can use it in linux.

Not a chance.

Back on topic...

Of course it's a tablet - I like those. Shame about the hardware, but the idea is great.

and I agree, hardware-wise it's extremely lacking. The non-upgradeable storage really gets me; that means in order to transfer anything to it you need to hook it up to a computer (thru itunes no less i'm sure).

+1.

D.

UNIX people couldn't give a shit less for BASIC of any sort, they have C. The people who would want such a thing are not linux people and most likely don't have the skills to port jack spit. Another mystery solved. Don't want to give up your source then sit on it, certainly no reason for name calling.

 

[craigix]

All that it means to me is one more step for ARM in bigger devices.

 

[Polossatik]

All that it means to me is one more step for ARM in bigger devices.

+1 and the fact that I hope it "succeeds" to be a fairly big part of the Apple portfolio, not because I like the Ipad as such (to restrictive to my taste) but love it or hate it, Apple is a great pacesetter in the gui/"experience" area (even if you don't agree with the actual desing choices made, you have to admit it has tendency to work quite nice in those limits.)
I simply hope there will be worthy contenders coming out soon who serve my kind of taste.
Just like with the Iphone/android situation.

Competition is good.

 

[Dunny]

UNIX people couldn't give a shit less for BASIC of any sort, they have C.

Um. No. They don't "have C" in this instance. This BASIC doesn't run on x86 hardware (or any other modern CPU).

The people who would want such a thing are not linux people and most likely don't have the skills to port jack spit. Another mystery solved. Don't want to give up your source then sit on it, certainly no reason for name calling.

Heh. You really have no idea. The majority of them are linux people. A lot of them even develop for it.

But yeah, you obviously know people.

D.

 

[second exodous]

Wow, it hasn't even been 24 hours or 15 posts and this thread is way off topic. Dunny and Sphinxter, how could you guys even think you're contributing? First post you guys made was to troll and not even against the iPad, the topic of this thread.

The platform is not open, point made, lets move on. Lets not turn this thread into why or why things shouldn't be open, it has nothing to do with this device, at all.

If this thread isn't going to be about ipad lets give up on this thread and lock it. Why do so many topics on these forums end up being a debate on FOSS?

This thread is on the usefulness of the iPad. Not open, that point has been made, lets move on.

~back on topic~

After looking into it more and thinking about it I don't see myself getting this device at all, not because it's closed but because everything it does there are other devices that do it better. I'm kinda sick about this new 'swiss army knife' syndrome that every device has. If I want an e-reader I'll get an e-reader, if I want a mp3 player I'll at least get a device that fits in my pocket, ect. On the e-reader I want just that, something to read on, not a devices does a zillion other things that will distract me from that. To me it looks like if I had a Pandora and a notebook then I wouldn't need this, and the iPad doesn't replace either of them well enough to dump those two and carry just this device around. E-books is another story.

 

[mali]

Actually I like the idea of having an ereader with a TFT, because I usually read before I go to bed and being able to check the boards and email in a second is a huge plus, too. For me the iPad is simply too large. Much too large. With the large screen comes additional weight and I don't like weight on a device I hold in my hands. I'd rather have a cheaper looking and less sturdy plastic case just to have a lighter device.

 

[Sphinxter]

UNIX people couldn't give a shit less for BASIC of any sort, they have C.

Um. No. They don't "have C" in this instance. This BASIC doesn't run on x86 hardware (or any other modern CPU).

The people who would want such a thing are not linux people and most likely don't have the skills to port jack spit. Another mystery solved. Don't want to give up your source then sit on it, certainly no reason for name calling.

Heh. You really have no idea. The majority of them are linux people. A lot of them even develop for it.

But yeah, you obviously know people.

D.

Please permit me to bore you with an old story and hopefully I can help you out a bit so you'll stop embarrassing yourself by retelling that story, this must be the third time I've heard it. Thirty years ago I ran a very popular game bulletin board system for twelve years. During that time as sysop I kicked off a lot of cheats, pulled a few games, lost a few messages and got more death threats than an army of John Gotti informants. Guess what, nobody turned out to be a real mafia hit man in real life, my family was never murdered in their sleep, my dog wasn't poisoned, my house was never burnt down and no one ever made an attempt on my life. Know why? Because they weren't real, some idiot twit's mother wouldn't let him stay up past his bedtime and they just made me a convenient target for their rage for imagined insult or injury they had blown completely out of proportion. I even got an email apology fifteen years later from one that went, "I don't know why, I had a lot of other problems and frustration in my life and just took it out on you.". There are no GNU nazis, Richard Stallman doesn't condone those actions and there are no open source death squads out to kill you.
This bit;

I just let the source out with each new distribution. You know what? Nobody ported it

And your logic for that is no linux users have skills and yet you turn around and tell me in the next message a lot are all developing for it? Puh-leeeze. Stop and think, there must be another reason for that and a perfectly logical one too.

 

[b._.o._.b]

This thread is on the usefulness of the iPad. Not open, that point has been made, lets move on.

What is the usefulness of the GP2X, of the Pandora or the eeePC... They are all just small variation on something that already exists.

The iPad will be great for reading, gaming and surfing the web. And size matters..
I rather play android games on my SmartQ7 than on my G1 for only 1 reason, size. I enjoy reading on my smartq7 more than on my G1 because of the size. I enjoy surfing the web more on my smartq7 because of the size.
Don't forget there are lots of people who hate small screens because they have difficulty reading on it.

There are always more reasons 'not to buy' than 'to buy'.

 

[mali]

Yep, a Q7 with more punch would be perfect. 7" is the sweet spot for a handheld tablet, imo. Well, saying handheld is a bit redundant, as a tablet _is_ a handheld. A SmartQ 7 weights 480g vs 680/730g of the iPad.

 

[Consequence_9]

This thread is on the usefulness of the iPad. Not open, that point has been made, lets move on.

What is the usefulness of the GP2X, of the Pandora or the eeePC... They are all just small variation on something that already exists.

The iPad will be great for reading, gaming and surfing the web. And size matters..
I rather play android games on my SmartQ7 than on my G1 for only 1 reason, size. I enjoy reading on my smartq7 more than on my G1 because of the size. I enjoy surfing the web more on my smartq7 because of the size.
Don't forget there are lots of people who hate small screens because they have difficulty reading on it.

There are always more reasons 'not to buy' than 'to buy'.

I beg to differ, The gp2x is a handheld game console, and it does its job quite well, the pandora is both a game console & essentially a laptop that fits in your pocket, and the eeepc is a laptop that is just large enough to be functional without sacrificing key laptop components. The ipad on the other hand does not have any speciality. It has no one thing that it's supposed to be good at. Reading? You're telling me you're gonna read a novel on a 1024x768 10" screen? Good luck. The eye strain would be horrendous if you're reading for any considerable amount of time. Gaming? How many good games are there really for that platform? A handful, maybe two handfuls. And web? Maybe, that is if you enjoy having a gimped browser (no flash) & not interacting with the internet (virtual keyboard). My point is that it does a bunch of things, but everything it does is only mediocre. Which brings us to the kicker - That might be acceptable at, say, $200, but for three times that the damn thing better wipe my ass! All I'm saying is why would ANYONE drop that kind of money for a device that has no real purpose? [<- rhetorical]

 

[second exodous]

Actually I like the idea of having an ereader with a TFT, because I usually read before I go to bed and being able to check the boards and email in a second is a huge plus, too.

I noticed that a lot of positive news articles on the iPad said that the color e-ink devices were dead with the release of the iPad. I was surprised that anyone would think this, at CES there were a few color e-reader display technologies that were impressive. Just because Apple makes a e-reader with a TFT doesn't mean that e-reader display technology will just die.

I think if anything the iPad will push those technologies, a lot of people will buy the iPad for the iBook store thinking they are going to read books upon books with their iPad just to find out that the eye strain will just about kill them.

I think, maybe, and this is a big maybe, Apple knows that right now they couldn't release a revolutionary e-reader without a working color display right now but they wanted to get their foot in the door right now before they are left behind. They release the iBooks store right now with the iPad but when a really good color e-reader display is perfected that is what Apple will sell as the ultimate e-reader.

 

[jbrodack]

I'm hoping this will be apple's first big flop in a while. Even many apple fans are exactly impressed by this. Most people were wanting apple to release a real tablet computer not just a big iphone. Even if they did release the real computer people expected I wouldn't be impressed but this just seems lame especially at the bare minimum price of $500 that goes way up as you start adding space or 3g. No sd card slot or usb really limits things too and forces you to spend a lot apple specific accessories. Apple has lately been known for making huge mass market products yet this seems like pretty much a niche device that will only appeal to specific apple fans. I do wonder how this will be received over time however.

Its kinda funny how much they are relying on their app store since after the iphone's release. Even funnier when considering they initially didn't want 3rd party apps but changed their mind once all the jailbreak apps and such started appearing.

I really just don't like apple products not just cause of the lack of open source but how you are stuck with their accessories, one service provider, a minimum of options, etc. I understand the average non computer savvy person liking apple but I get confused when IT people and such are apple fans. I don't begrudge anyone for having their own preference but to me apple hasn't really been relevant in real computing for at least 15 years.