The iPad has landed

[solloron]

Apple's new tablet was announced today. Could they have given it a worse name. And I'm really curious to see why they thought it was necessary what can it do better than a smartphone and a laptop? Link for more info: http://i.gizmodo.com/5458292/apple-ipad-everything-you-need-to-know

 

[AndrewWiggin]

Apple's new tablet was announced today. Could they have given it a worse name. And I'm really curious to see why they thought it was necessary what can it do better than a smartphone and a laptop?

Epic FAIL.

What the hell am I supposed to do with a pancaked iPhone? And still no flash? It looks like you tried to make a coffee table out of an iPhone. Ugh, I'd really like to get a decent tablet.

 

[stobes21]

It sounds like a versatile device, and Apple certainly has a strong track record with these sorts of things. But I'm just not sure I'd actually have much use for it. I'll read more about it when it comes out, but I'm not going to be waiting in line to buy it the first day.

 

[solloron]

Epic FAIL.

What the hell am I supposed to do with a pancaked iPhone? And still no flash? It looks like you tried to make a coffee table out of an iPhone. Ugh, I'd really like to get a decent tablet.

I do not understand this either and what do you need a tablet for? Just curious, I haven't found anything that I can't do on my laptop that I think could be done better on a tablet.

 

[AndrewWiggin]

I do not understand this either and what do you need a tablet for? Just curious, I haven't found anything that I can't do on my laptop that I think could be done better on a tablet.

The goal is to move from the laptop to a tablet that replicates a laptop without a physical keyboard. With just the screen and a software keyboard, it creates a more intuitive experience that will end up making the device accessible to everyone.

I would buy a tablet if it created a comparable experience with a laptop and had the ease of use of an iPhone. The iPad (lamest of all names) is not that device.

 

[Cities]

Wow, $499 isn't too bad.

 

[DogHair]

Wow, $499 isn't too bad.

Not to bad at all. I'm a big iPhone fan and have had one since they came out. I don't see me standing in any kind of silly line but I'll pick one up when the insanity dies down. I think the wifi model will be great for use around the house.

 

[muskokabrian]

I'll tell you, I was planning to get a Kindle or something like that. For 200 bucks more, I get a colour and a much larger screen. I get a computer, I can serf the web.

I have an iphone now and I absolutely love it. It's my favorite piece of technology ever. In fact, I am amazed there isn't a BandB app for it. Half the time I'm looking at BandB is from my iphone, when I'm at the doctor's office or something like that.

This IPAD looks just incredible. Wait till the apps come out for this. I have no idea what is not to like about it. At $500 bucks? ... I'll take two.. literally because my wife is not going to be happy if she doesn't get one too!

 

[MoJoe]

I expected more - more touch gestures, more of a complete offering for publishing, etc.

 

[muskokabrian]

mojo, just remember this is the first issue. It will get smarter, thinner, more intuitive, voice controlled, more storage, memory, colours..

I think it's pretty cool the way technology is evolving. Eventually these things will interface with everything you have. You'll scan the bar code on your thermostat and it will instantly control your home comfort from wherever you happen to be. Scan a bar code on your car and you'll be getting up to second readouts on fuel consumption or battery levels, temperature, rpm... etc...

In fact, I've not got a use for those old M3 and Fusion handles.. they'll make a great IPAD stylus.

 

[TimmyBoston]

I think it's very impressive. The downside for me is it doesn't take flash cards or drives.

 

[aquilla]

....

In fact, I've not got a use for those old M3 and Fusion handles.. they'll make a great IPAD stylus.

i didn't read the whole article (got to the part where it mentioned youtube being an app and assumed that meant no flash support, which reminded me that apple imo is so much more closed than even windows) but would it not be a capacitive screen?

personally id like a good quality tablet with multi touch, good memory, wifi, bluetooth, card reader and the rest of the usual laptop and phone functions that runs a custom distro of ubuntu or simmilar, then id que up.
in other words, ipad = ipass

 

[Confuzius]

i didn't read the whole article (got to the part where it mentioned youtube being an app and assumed that meant no flash support, which reminded me that apple imo is so much more closed than even windows) but would it not be a capacitive screen?

personally id like a good quality tablet with multi touch, good memory, wifi, bluetooth, card reader and the rest of the usual laptop and phone functions that runs a custom distro of ubuntu or simmilar, then id que up.
in other words, ipad = ipass

I'd wager that's why they even went with a proprietary processor (Apple A4 chip), even if(when) it is rooted it will be a while before it sees 3rd party software beyond standard jailbreak apps. I would love to see this running something that I could use as a remote administrator ssh/vnc portal for my other computers and say Myth/XBMC/Boxee remote. As it stands just another shiny device inside a walled garden.

 

[kwk285]

In the past job I had with my current company I used a flip screen laptop to capture signatures. Something like this might be good in certain jobs.

 

[ericesque]

I'm confused why people consider $500 a value for this device. It's a PDA with a large screen. I could swing $380 if I were impressed by the features. But this device isn't even really compatible with real work. It's stuck between casual media device and low end PDA functionality.

Several PC manufacturers have Window 7 based tablets on the way. Even if they come in at the high end of the iPad's price range ($700-800) the Windows based device is a no brainer.

The announcement is even less exciting than iPod nanos getting crappy video cameras.

 

[KarthVader]

iPad: Great idea, horrible execution.

BUT.....this is the first generation. I would wait to buy one when the second or third generation come out.

All the things I would want (camera, flash support, more powerful processor, etc) will probably make an appearance in the next 2-3 years. Apple always does this; they will improve the product to make more money off of it. Think about every product they have released (iPhone and MacBook for example) and the iPad will follow suit.

How come they couldn't use MacTablet or iSlate? iPad sounds like a feminine hygiene product.

 

[huntmol]

I don't get it either...

I don't own one, but an iPhone is a really cool device.
You can listen to music, surf the web, play apps...
And it all fits in your pocket! So you can take it anywhere.

Where the hell am I going to use the iPad?!
In my office? Nope, got a 23" screen on my desktop, so I sure don't want to stare at a small screen there.
In my living room? Nope, got a nice little netbook for $120 on eBay.

I am also wondering how I will type on this thing. They have that dock thing, but again, I have a desktop, so there's no waying I would get a dock for it. If it's on your lap, you have to crane your neck all the way down to see the screen! A laptop is called a laptop for a reason. You can comfortable type on it while looking at the elevated screen.

 

[mr_economy]

If it had a camera and multitasking abilities, I'd be all about buying. Multitasking can come later through an OS update, and if it does I'd still lean heavily towards it.

Then again, we should remember the 1st rule of Apple products: Do not buy 1st generation Apple hardware.

I should add that this thing has tons of potential for the college student crowd. E-Textbooks have always been impractical for the simple reason that note-taking and underlining or highlighting were usually impossible, or cumbersome at best. The touch screen and multi-touch gestures of the iPad allow e-textbooks to perfectly emulate their paper predecessors. But this brings me back to my first complaint about the lack of multitasking. I would love to be able to highlight a keyword in a textbook and choose to do an Internet search for academic articles with this and similar keywords, all while keeping my place in the textbook. Without multitasking, the best I could hope for would be a built-in browser in these textbook apps, but it would be crippled at best.

Tons of potential, but come on Steve relax about the battery impact of multiple apps! I don't need 10 hours of battery life most of the time - 4 hours with multitasking is much nicer. Also, Flash support would be nice, but I think Steve is on a mission to kill off Flash and Microsoft Silverlight in favor of the HTML 5 video standard.

 

[DogHair]

My wife and I are both in IT. As such we've come to be fairly reliant on the internet for all sorts of things. I'm sure we're like the majority of people here. During a normal day we access the internet quite a bit for little things here and there. This is what I want from the iPad, quick & convenient access to the internet. Right now we use iPhones for about 90% of the time and a iMac or laptop the rest of the time. I've always thought a tablet based on the iPhone would be a great thing it just took a while for the technology be developed.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Oh, geez, calling it the "iPad" just opens them up to so many horrible jokes!