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6:49 am
January 28, 2010
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Kevin
| | Big sky country | |
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What are your reactions to the iPad? Is this a legitimate replacement for my netbook? My real question: can I compose blog posts on it as is, or do you need to use the keyboard/docking station? Appreciate any thoughts you might have…
 
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9:32 pm
January 28, 2010
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MarkY
| | Phoenix, AZ | |
| Member | posts 4 |
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This thing is nothing more than an oversize iPod Touch. There are a few huge shortcomings…. no multitasking, no camera (for Skype), etc.
Apple fan boys will jump on it, but I don't see it as anything revolutionary.
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10:42 pm
January 28, 2010
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Berg
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I'm a Mac user, but my first thought was, "…huh." Very underwhelming, especially with its shortcomings like the lack of a camera, etc. I also worry about its fragility and ease of use as a word processor or blogging tool. Virtual keyboards are cool, but ergonomic nightmares for some. I have heard it will accommodate a bluetooth keyboard. It does score a 10 on the "cool" scale, but I want to use it in person before I pass total judgement.
I kinda wonder how you hold the thing while you're working on it in your lap, or on a table. If you're on a plane, working on a tray table will be an adventure as you crane your neck to look straight down on at it. I imagine all sorts of stand accessories will sell like hotcakes.
Oh, and the name, IMO, is pretty bad. Sounds like a Bostonian saying "iPod." ;-)
iPad. For your iPeriod.
For real fun, search for "Mad TV ipad" on youtube.
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12:08 am
January 29, 2010
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tfar
| | Austin, TX | |
| Senior Member | posts 43 |
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The following is a repost from a post I wrote on OBOW. My opinion didn't change.
I love it! For me there are three critical points.
1. It needs to be compatible with a real keyboard. And it is from the beginning.
2. It needs to have video out for presentation. It has a VGA support via dongle for 1028x768 resolution.
3. It needs to be light. It is the lightest thing out there with this performance. 730g for the 3g model with 10h battery life. There is no bloody PSU brick. YEAH! This means that the Ipad complete with PSU, keyboard and video adapters will weigh about 1.1kg all together. The only thing that can kind of beat it but has a noticeably smaller screen and only 3.5 hours of battery life is the Sony Vaio P. This then doesn't have a full keyboard and you will need to carry the PSU more often because it has a short battery life. The Sony is actually more expensive than the Ipad.
Here are links for tech specs
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
http://www.sonystyle.com/webap…..ifications
This makes it ideal for travel purposes. I am sure in October they will come out with a refresh with 128GB solid state memory. 64 is a little low. I don't mind that it doesn't have multi-tasking but it would be nice if it had a word editor. On the other hand Documents-to-go already does that. I don't know whether it has something like a My Documents folder. Strangely enough they don't talk about that. But I am pretty sure that solutions should be available. One will most likely opt for a service like Sugarsync or Dropbox and those come with folders on the device, too, if I am not mistaken.
Now, these are just my personal uses and remarks. On a cultural scale, I think this is the future of publishing, content access and advertising. If I owned a paper mill I'd be very worried right now.
The name is not lousy at all. I heard the jokes and whoever came up with that and finds that remotely funny has the intelligence and maturity of a third grader. The name is logical. Iphone, Ipod, Ipad. It's a semantic family almost. I plus one syllable word that starts with a P. It was clear it would be Ipad not Islate or even Itablet.
I am a bit disappointed, too, that it's not OSX and that there is no multi-tasking. That said, the Iphone OS is not a dead-end. It can develop and be built on. I hardly miss the multi-tasking on the Iphone. What I do miss is the My Documents folder and the possibility to edit stuff. I bet DTG will develop that even more for the Ipad and if freecia's info is right we might see a My Documents folder.
The 4:3 screen format is very good. This actually is still the more versatile format. Using 16:9 for everything just doesn't make sense. 4:3 is much easier to work with for viewing a webpage, a book page or a document page than 16:9. this shows you that those are intended uses for the Ipad. Had Jobs intended to make it a entertainment/video device first and foremost he would have given it a 16:9 screen. The 4:3 particularly makes sense if you have it in landscape format and the keyboard appears. On a 16:9 you would only have a tiny sliver of screen left on the top. This way you have half of the screen.
I am a bit disappointed that there is no direct USB access and no direct video out but that you need to go through a dongle. Probably to keep the curve on the edge. They had the same problem with the MBA.
And just to set that clear, I use a self-built PC on a daily basis. The thing is very reliable and for many things I actually find it easier to use than my Macbook, especially for photos! So I am not a Mac fanboy at all.
Flash support will come, I have no doubt. It is too big an omission. On the other hand too many sites abuse flash. The stuff is poorly scripted and consumes CPU power like nothing good. It is also usually nothing but eye candy. I want content and information. I want it presented clearly and easily visible. I want it to come up fast. I don't need 3D picture transitions and moving crap on my screen. And I don't want to wait for the darn intro to a website to load. I don't want to have to click a Skip this Intro button, either. People are stupid and superficial. Rant over.
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1:33 am
January 29, 2010
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Berg
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The name is not lousy at all. I heard the jokes and whoever came up with that and finds that remotely funny has the intelligence and maturity of a third grader.
Actually, I think it's called having a sense of humor.
I don't care if it's "logical," I still think it's a bad name.
In any case, your comment was unnecessary. If you don't agree with something, just say so. You don't have to be a pompous jerk about it.
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2:13 am
January 29, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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Berg, there's already a case from Apple that will position the iPad at the proper angle for watching (and typing on the software keyboard, useful only for the shortest of messages, nobody should think it's an alternative to a real keyboard).
I agree with tfar on a number of things. Plus the iPad wll work not only with the keyboard that sports the dock but with any bluetooth keyboard. I have my eye on this one:
http://www.freedominput.com/fr…..o-keyboard
I wish Stowaway still made theirs.
tfar, for document editing there's the iWork application Pages. It'll be available for $10 when the iPad launches. It reads and writes .rtf and .doc. I think it's an excellent writer's tool. In another forum I heard from a journalist who thinks it might be an excellent reporter's tool.
I can see some nifty application in the music world as well but since the USB spec is still up in the air, I don't know if it would be possible. It could be used to control MIDI hardware, for recording and mixing onboard when you're traveling or rehearsing…
The 4:3 screen was a design choice made between that and 16:9. 4:3 gets you a better form factor for holding the iPad and a reasonable balance between horizontal and vertical dimensions for most applications but will letterbox wide screen video. 16:9 would get you wide screen video but I think the form factor would be odd in your hands and would also be strange for developers working on non-video apps.
I've read a number of posts cricizing the device for not being open. In other words it won't play DIVx and so on. It's a fair criticism but it's nothing new, it's exactly the same on the iPhone and Touch. In any case mp3 and mp4 audio and video work just like on the iPhone and Touch. This means people will have to convert probably video but at least there's an outlet.
The device may be excellent for older people for a few reasons. First, since it's iPhone OS it's an appliance. Then there's the interface which is pretty intuitive. The sizing of icons, the ability to increase font size in the eBooks.
I'm hoping Apple will crack open iPhone OS more than it has until now so apps can start taking advantage of more resources. One doubt I have: Skype will most likely work using Wifi (the app store now has a VOIP app that will work with 3g, too, opening the way for Skype and other apps under 3g), audio only. However, since bluetooth is enabled for external devices like the keyboard, I'm wondering whether a bluetooth webcam would work. Then you could make video calls.
I can see myself traveling with this instead of a netbook with the above external keyboard. No need for 3g for me, Wifi is good enough. It would've been nicer to have the SD card reader embedded in the device rather than via a dongle.
What is true
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6:16 am
January 29, 2010
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tfar
| | Austin, TX | |
| Senior Member | posts 43 |
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Miguel, excellent points on the 4:3 format. A big thank you for telling me that Pages will be available for the Ipad. That basically seals the deal. I am using it also on my Mac and like it. I still use Word for Mac a bit more because I am more familiar with the interface but Pages will totally do the trick. I just need a word editor. That keyboard looks like just the thing. Very similar to the Stow-away of yore, indeed. That'll be mine. I hope there will be a clipboard so that I can copy and paste items from one application to another. Thanks again.
Quote Berg:
"Actually, I think it's called having a sense of humor.
I don't care if it's "logical," I still think it's a bad name.
In any case, your comment was unnecessary. If you don't agree with something, just say so. You don't have to be a pompous jerk about it. "
Yes, I know it's a rude awakening to be called out like that, no? :D
Disregard the last paragraph of what I say below, please. I wrote that before I read your comment. And I put it on my Twitter, too.
Ipad's influence on publishing, academia and education:
The changes for publishing companies will be tremendous thanks to DRM in this case. Everyone will profit. Especially academia and students. Imagine when a student doesn't have to buy and art history textbook for $90 anymore. He can now get the same content for $45 and not ruin his back. He can also search the book electronically and annotate it and set bookmarks without defacing the book. Even interactive learning tools will be easily possible, like flash card for artists for example. For the publishers it's great because they effectively save the entire printing cost and the distribution cost is MUCH lower. Thus they will make more money selling the book for $45 than before when they sold it for $90. They will also sell more books because the price threshold to buy will be lower. And profs will be more ready to tell their students to buy such a useful tool for $45 than to buy a big block of colored paper for $90. Of course, the weight factor is HUGE. Imagine going to class with nothing but the Ipad to hold all your books and all your notes. And to not make any noise when you are taking notes on it in class. Even exam taking will be possible with the right software. I can send the exam to their Ipads and they can fill the info right in. Then they send it back as a read only document which I annotate and grade. Fantastic!
Finally, imagine the decrease in carbon footprint. No more paper use anymore (an art history text book weighs around 2.5 lb), no more shipping those volumes, no more ink and printing resources needed. The increase in electricity and hardware will be minimal. The layout of the book is done on a computer anyway, then it is send to the printer, then the entire high carbon footprint chain starts. With the ebooks it is not sent to the printer but directly to the end user. The buck stops there. Not good for BM bookstores, though. Previewing books will also be much easier. As well as quoting from books. The time savings in academia will be enormous. At last, we will get more sleep. :)
For non academic users the magazine access will be great. Imagine you have Vogue or National Geographic on the Ipad. The models are running over the catwalk as the cheetah hunts its prey in the Masai Mara. See something in an ad? Click on it and instantly get more info or buy it. That's the kind of advertising manufacturers could only dream of until now in print publishing.
If academic books like text books are also offered in a very low cost version with advertising (say $10 instead of $45 instead of $90), imagine the effect this will have on the accessibility of a college education, and thus on the state of the nation.
Frankly, people who don't get that and complain that there is not more gadgetry to it and make inane hygiene jokes about the name, should have probably stayed out of college or at least didn't really profit from it.
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8:50 am
January 29, 2010
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ftucker
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People really need to view the either keynote presentation or the shorter video that are now available on Apple's website to get a better idea of how Apple sees this device positioned in the market. (The video is included in the 90 minute keynote.)
I'm seeing a lot of blogs and messages containing the same type of complaints that were voiced about the iPhone and we all know how that turned out.
For a reasoned discussion of the "missing features" of the iPad see: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/ten-things-missing-from-the-ipad/
As someone who started out writing MVS JCL and COBOL code on a mainframe, currently uses Windows and UNIX for work and a MacBook Pro for personal use, I see this as a really nice portable device for web, maps, email, e-books, etc. For travel I think it would be incredible!
I agree with Berg about using it in person before making a final judgement and also with Till about the potential impact on publishing.
Frank
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11:16 am
January 29, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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tfar, one thing about the bt keyboard. I'd wait past the iPad launch until there's confirmation that 3rd party bt keyboards work. This is Apple we're dealing with and sometimes they work in mysterious ways. What is confirmed is that Apple's existing (non-dock) keyboard works with the iPad. Additionally, some device to prop up the pad will have to be used. Apple's case can work though the angle will be quite low; that might not be a bad thing. I'm sure there will be 3rd party alternatives, too.
I'm still considering whether to wait for the next iteration or go for it in March. I won't want the 3g version so that's not an issue. Your suggestion about waiting for a 128g version is worth musing over. Within a year I don't think, however, Apple will upgrade the processor. I would be that remains the same.
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3:17 pm
January 29, 2010
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tfar
| | Austin, TX | |
| Senior Member | posts 43 |
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Frank, right on about the video on Apple's website. There are two of them and one is really good. Of course, I can only pass final judgment (if that) once I've used one for some time. But from the technical specifications and possibilities some conclusions can be drawn already.
Miguel, I looked at the normal Apple BT keyboard. Not easy to find specs on that. It seems the thing weighs two pounds. This would render the weight advantage useless. So a 3rd party keyboard would be a must. And the one you posted was only 256g with batteries. I think I will want the 3G version but am still pondering that. I bought my Macbook Alu in OCtober 2009. I got the one with the highest possible specs, 4GB, 2.53 GHz 250GB HD. I think those are still the highest possible specs and processor on the small Macbook Pro. But the battery and screen as well as connectivity were upgraded only 7 months after that. I was kind of pissed. And the price was lowered, too. So this time I will wait for hal a year. However, I might buy a very basic one for my mother. She has a hard time getting into the entire internet and email thing. This might make it easier for her. I really like the fact that one can make the writing bigger as desired and there are no buttons. Much less intimidating for her.
Till
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10:32 pm
January 29, 2010
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Berg
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I read a piece at engadget about the iPad that I thought might be helpful: http://www.engadget.com/2010/0…..de-so-far/
Pretty thorough, I thought, going over some of the finer features and also a few of the less-so ones. Some of the comments by the readers are pretty hilarious. Seems the iPad brings out the worst in people. The article also mentions the possible awkwardness of holding and operating the iPad that I was wondering about (I have the same problem with my iPod touch sometimes, too, because it's so slick and thin). The author also talks about typing on the virtual keyboard, which I think Kevin had asked about.
Oh, and speaking of the iPod touch, I can't type replies on this forum using that device, or my HTC phone, though I can log in and make comments on the main page articles. Sorry I don't know enough about web forms to diagnose a possible issue. So, Kevin, if you decide to get an iPad, check that you can use this forum first! ;-)
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6:09 am
January 30, 2010
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Kevin
| | Big sky country | |
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Berg: For some reason the site displays nicely on iPhones and the Touch, but the Forum doesn't… I need to look into this with the guys who created the Forum plugin. Weird…
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7:19 am
January 30, 2010
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Kevin
| | Big sky country | |
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10 things netbooks still do better than an iPad…
from Crave; see bottom for link.
- Video chat. Most Netbooks, even low-end ones, now have Webcams enabling basic video chat over Skype or any other program. The iPad, however, does not. We wish the iPad had a camera and iChat, especially since it would make the tablet a unique communications device to rival the iPhone. Perhaps cost was a factor, even though most Netbooks manage the feat in a package under $500.
- Run Flash. While Steve Jobs called the iPad "the best Web experience you've ever had," there is a big missing piece right now, and that's the whole Web. Browser-based apps and Flash-driven content are huge elements of cloud computing and of many Web sites, and right now it's not even clear whether the iPad can even run Hulu or Netflix. Atom Netbooks can be slow and stuttery when playing Web video, but at least they can.
- Programming. Most people aren't programmers, or anything close to it, but most Netbooks do run on a full Windows 7 OS that can be used for programming or modification. For the friendly hackers out there, that's a deal-breaker on the iPad.
- Upload photos from a camera. No USB ports on the iPad mean no connecting cameras or other peripherals, which can be a drag if the iPad is meant as a portable computing replacement for bloggers. Netbooks have at least 2 USB ports standard. The iPad does have a dongle to allow photo and video uploads, but when we're on the go we prefer a direct connection.
- Store more than 64GB of data. We expected a little more memory on the iPad. Even the most basic Netbook has a 160GB hard drive. Cloud storage can assist with data, but it's still no replacement for onboard capacity.
- Play Facebook games. Without the aforementioned Flash, browser games aren't really possible on the iPad. Those looking to play Farmville will have to wait for the App or just flock to a Netbook.
- Swapping batteries. Sure, the iPad is slim, attractive and very showy. But its battery is fixed, while a Netbook can not only swap its battery, but upgrade from a three- to a six-cell or more.
- Install CD media (or any media other than from an App Store) With the addition of a simple USB DVD/CD-ROM drive, disc-based software can be installed on a Netbook even without an optical drive built in. Netbooks can also install files off USB drives, or via any other input method. The iPad wasn't designed with this flexibility in mind, but it's still nice to be able to do.
- Type on your lap. Yes, the iPad has a virtual keyboard, and even a cool keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a quasi-desktop device. But the dock can't be used for lap typing, and the Apple demos didn't make iPad typing seem as comfortable as pounding away on an old-fashioned hinged Netbook. For long-term writing on the go, a physical Netbook keyboard with an attached angled screen still wins.
- Upgrade. Netbooks can upgrade their RAM–albeit slightly–and with a little effort, that hard drive can be swapped, too. The iPad is a fixed entity, so there's no going back once you've picked 16, 32, or 64GB.
Read the full article by clicking here.
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7:10 pm
January 30, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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Some thoughts on the above.
No video chat. True. Audio will be doable. Might a bluetooth video camera be a solution? Maybe. But still, it's true. How much of a killer is the lack of this feature? I think it's simply something Apple will add on in future versions but that's to be seen.
Flash (the Facebook point is the same). True. How much of a killer is the lack of this feature? The iPhone and Touch "suffer" from the same lack and millions are "suffering" from it.
Programming. True. How much of a killer is the lack of this feature? Zip. I mean, how many of us here are interested in this? Not to say it's a non-issue. A few online colleagues are fearful of just how far Apple will keep the iPhone OS closed. From a day to day perspective, though, it just doesn't matter. (Also, since the author complains about typing on the screen, I doubt programming using the screen keyboard would be a pleasure. Of course, you could use the external keyboard. But, still, programming? That's missing the point of this device.)
Upload photos from a camera. False, though you have to use an Apple cable. That means extra $. One cable is a USB connection to cameras, the other is an SD reader.
Storage. True. I'll point out, though, that netbooks with SS drives are in the same vicinity as the iPad.
Facebook games, see above.
Swapping batteries. True. All Mac laptops are like that now. Like the iPhone and Touch, millions of users just don't care.
No CD/DVD. True. If the apps all come from iTMS then it's a non-issue.
Type on your lap. True. Must be a pain in the ass. How important is this?
Upgrade. True. Just like the iPhone and Touch.
I think all these points are, well, beside the point. The device is just not right for someone with these concerns. For a travelling device, I have none of these concerns myself. I am not a plain old consumer, I make a living on a trading floor developing applications with VB and SQL Server mostly. For the purpose I'm going to give it the iPad suffers nothing with regard to the article's points.
That doesn't mean it'll be a failure or success in the market. That's yet to be seen.
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7:09 am
January 31, 2010
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Kevin
| | Big sky country | |
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I suspect I'll wait until Gen 2 or 3 – I'd love to replace my netbook with an iPad, but I need the USB ports, multitasking, and a semi-decent keyboard. I'll definitely check it out, though, when this initial version is available.
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6:27 am
May 31, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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I got mine finally (they were just put on sale last Friday in Europe). Initial reactions:
- Battery is excellent
- Excellent display
- Wifi dropouts, especially when browsing heavily (lot's of different web pages). I have to look into this further. I know there were problems when it first came out with some Wifi connections but Apple finally recognized the issue and I thought had resolved it.
- No tab key on on-screen keyboards. Jumping from field to field on a web form you use your fingertip.
- Weight, heavier then expected
- iPad-native games are a blast with the screen and great graphics performance
- eBook reading is great though the proprietariness of each store's eBook format (iBooks, Kindle, Kobo) remains a big obstacle for me. I have a bunch of O'Reilly titiles which have no DRM. I will only buy a DRM'd eBook in the most desperate of situations at this point in time.
- The Apple case is pretty good in terms of light weight, iPad protection, and usefulness (it'll prop at a low angle landscape, steep angle in portrait). I haven't seen other cases but based on its own merits this one is good.
- I have the camera connection kit and the vga cable. Yet to try them out.
- I have a Bluetooth external keyboard from Freedom Pro. It reminds me of my old Stowaway, a bit larger since it uses 2 AAA batteries. The connection is perfect and many of the keys work fine (character/word/line selection, volume up/down, international characters, etc). The combo of the iPad and this BT keyboard is great.
I'm flying to NY for a nephew's wedding in a few weeks and I'm only going to take the iPad and Touch. My MacBook Pro will take a vacation. I'll report back.
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10:59 am
June 2, 2010
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Renny722
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I haven't used the iPad extensively yet. However, I use my Kindle for reading during my commute. How does the iPad compare for reading purposes? I've heard positive and negative things about reading on it.
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9:13 am
June 4, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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I haven't used a Kindle at all (or any other book reader). A bit more on that below. But, to the question about reading on it: I read a lot of newpaper and blog articles using Instapaper. Some of the articles are long. The iPad has been great for reading these. The resolution is excellent, so crisp. The screen, however, is reflective. This morning I was waiting at the bus stop and the reflections from the sky, etc. were a PITA. Inside the bus or inside anywhere else it's OK. I do have Kindle and iBooks installed and have a few eBooks in the iPad. At some point I'll give it a whirl and report back. If I were to lay money on it I would say think the Kindle remains superior for lengthy reading but, like I said, I can't really compare.
As to why no ebook reader, I am annoyed at how fractionated and little user-friendly the eBook market is. You buy a Kindle book and you have to use the Kindle or the Kindle app on a few platforms to read it. You buy an eBook via iTunes and you have to use iBooks to read it; forget any platform other than iPhone OS devices. You buy an eBook from other vendors, you may not be able to read it at all on the iPad. This is untenable, so I don't expect to spend much money on eBooks for a while. I am actively supporting O'Reilly and Pragmatic Programmers since I buy technical books and they don't DRM their material. Otherwise, I'm buying paper.
I hope the market shakes up and these issues get amicably resolved in favor of the consumer.
One other issue I have with the iPad is wifi. What a PITA to get it to work correctly. Apple has acknowledged the problem and I'm hoping they'll come out with a fix soon.
On the positive side, this device is probably the most ever-present, useful computing device I've ever had. It's comfortable available around the house or work and its size makes it easy to use for reading and typing (though lengthy typing requires an external keyboard). It's a true computing APPLIANCE.
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4:47 am
June 9, 2010
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miguelmarcos
| | Madrid, Spain | |
| Senior Member | posts 29 |
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Boy, them wifi dropouts are driving me up the wall. Doesn´t appear to be all iPads, but the problem is acknowledged and the Apple forum is fairly busy with iPad owners complaining. I'm hoping for a software update soon. Yuck!
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8:22 am
June 9, 2010
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Kevin
| | Big sky country | |
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Miguel,
Sorry you're having issues! I had not heard about this until now; I wonder how widespread it is.
kc
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