01-29-2010, 12:37 AM

its like a giant iPhone!! pretty cool, i want one. i just dont understand the ones that you can get with 3G..do you have to pay for a plan, just w.o phone/text service, u do like $10 a month or sumthin n get 3G. idk its weird i dont get how it will work?

01-29-2010, 12:53 AM

I think my pal Andy Inhatko has written a really good summary that mirrors my feelings almost perfectly -- and unlike the rest of us, HE'S ACTUALLY USED ONE.

Hands-on with the Apple iPad – it does make sense :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Andy Ihnatko

And a particular excerpt I feel compelled to call out:

Let me address one thing straight away: anyone who declares the iPad a “fail” because the browser lacks support of Flash needs to elaborate their position beyond one word of a single syllable. Frankly, I think some people elevate flash-based Web content to the level of a fetish. Which isn’t far off the mark, given the kind of content that its fans stream from various video sites.

It’s true that there’s a lot of Flash content out there. But Flash – see Adobe's reaction to the lack of Flash support on iPad here – is in no way part of the true language of the Internet. It’s Scottish-accented English. Sometimes it makes the language more colorful and entertaining, and sometimes it just renders it into unintelligible mush.

Months ago, I installed a browser plugin for Safari called “ClickToFlash.” It blocks all Flash content. You’ll see a placeholder image in the webpage and if you want to view the content, give it a click and it’ll load in. I have not noticed any drop in my ability to enjoy the Web. What I have noticed is that my browser is faster and more responsive, and that I can leave a couple of dozen tabs and windows up for weeks without having to force-restart my Mac.

He does talk about all aspects of the device not just this one point, so I encourage people to have a read of the whole piece.

01-29-2010, 12:54 AM

PS. I forgot to link to my own essay on the iPad: FLMUG

01-29-2010, 01:12 AM

Unfinished and not worth 499.

I might consider it when they do a product refresh. As it is right now, it's not worth the money.

01-29-2010, 01:29 AM

In my opinion, the iPad is a step forward. It will revolutionize the way we do computing. Apple has always been on the cutting edge of computing technology. It did so with the laptops, it did so with the iphone, and it will do so with the iPad. Being the first model, the iPad lacks some functionality, but it is a tremendous leap forward for those who need mobile internet computing without the need to zoom in all the time. The extra real estate makes a huge difference. In later models, USB ports and webcams will be installed.

My prediction: in years to come, there will be only one device for all our computing needs and it will be portable and when we get home it will be dockable to a monitor and keyboard. It will be extremely powerful, so the processor will have no problem doing what it needs to do. But there's one dilemma: the Ipad lacks the mobile phone capacity. In essence, we need to carry around both a cell phone and the tablet. I BELIEVE ONE DAY, THEY WILL COME UP WITH A TABLET THAT HAS A MINI PHONE ATTACHED TO IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DETACH IT AND GO ON A SHORT OUTING WITH JUST THE PHONE. OR ATTACH IT AND TAKE THE WHOLE TABLET WITH YOU. WHEN YOU'RE HOME, YOU CAN DOCK IT TO A MONITOR AND KEYBOARD. IT'LL BE A TWO-IN-ONE DEVICE (TABLET MAC + IPHONE). WE WILL NO LONGER NEED ANYTHING ELSE.

01-29-2010, 01:32 AM

i was hoping to get some multi-tasking. i guess that was too much to ask for. i think the memory sizes are to small for the price. i do not like the keyboard layout of my iphone so i am hoping that there is a fix to that. i was just thinking today that there was an apple device of this magnitude a while back.... oh yeah the Apple TV. how is that working for Apple? not as good as the rest of their products. AAPL is below 200 for the first time in a month and i think there will be a continuing downward trend. i am not saying it is going to plummet, just keep trekking down. i think that when they release the touchscreen iMac it will sky rocket again. but, what do i know? end rambling here.

01-29-2010, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by cairopete

In my opinion, the iPad is a step forward. It will revolutionize the way we do computing. Apple has always been on the cutting edge of computing technology. It did so with the laptops, it did so with the iphone, and it will do so with the iPad. Being the first model, the iPad lacks some functionality, but it is a tremendous leap forward for those who need mobile internet computing without the need to zoom in all the time. The extra real estate makes a huge difference. In later models, USB ports and webcams will be installed.

How much of a step forward is it really? To me it's basically an iPod Touch with a larger screen.

01-29-2010, 04:09 AM

I agree. I was hoping for something more than an iPhone with a bigger screen. I love Apple, and the software. But I'm started to get frustrated with all the limitations put on the iPod touch and the iPhone. I want to be free, and have more options. I switched to Apple because I like to think outside the box and have more options. Unfortunately with iPhone, and iPod touch, we are stuck in a small little box while options for Google users seem to be a little more open. I'm not thinking of switching. But I'd really like to feel that Apple is listening to us and what we want as a consumer. I'd like to think they're interested more in us, than in trying to find ways to save the newspaper industries, and the music industry...

I will play with it at the Apple store when it comes out, but I need multi tasking and more usability with application before I can justify a switch.

A little background on me, I'm a businessman who tries to run his business on Apple products as much as possible.

01-29-2010, 04:16 AM

You say that you want a mobile computer, but only need to do simple tasks when out and about. Why not just get an iPod touch, or an iPhone. Why carry around a large screen that won't fit in your pocket, or on your belt? Maybe I'm missing something here, but what can the iPad do, that the iPod touch, and the iPhone cannot? If nothing, then the iPod touch, or iPhone is much cheaper and much more mobile.

01-29-2010, 05:33 AM

IMO, this is Apple's answer to the Kindle DX or any other device similar to it.

Thank about it, the Kindle DX is $430 and is basically an e-book reader. Amazon is releasing an App store for it, but we all know that will not compete with Apple's App store.

With the iPad, Apple is releasing it at a competitive price point and giving you more bang for the buck compared to the Kindle DX. Not only will the iBook app be released, allowing you to read hundreds of e-books upon purchase, but you get the same functionality of the iPhone/iPod Touch on a much bigger screen.

Not too mention the apps that will be made solely for the iPads big display screen.

I definitely see a lot of potential for this device, and while I agree that it's lacking some basic features (camera) it'll target a specific crowd and should be successful. I'm interested to see where future generations of this device go.

01-29-2010, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by AaronGatesCarlt

You say that you want a mobile computer, but only need to do simple tasks when out and about. Why not just get an iPod touch, or an iPhone. Why carry around a large screen that won't fit in your pocket, or on your belt? Maybe I'm missing something here, but what can the iPad do, that the iPod touch, and the iPhone cannot? If nothing, then the iPod touch, or iPhone is much cheaper and much more mobile.

It has a bigger screen. That is its main advantage and disadvantage. Yes, it can't fit in your pocke, but using the internet is likely much simpler and comfortable on a bigger screen. You can watch movies better and with a bigger keyboard writing e-mail and office-like activities with Iwork will be possible. I'd love to have a bigger Ipod.

01-29-2010, 06:52 AM

Note: Merged essentially duplicate threads

01-29-2010, 07:01 AM

If I want to do simple tasks like browsing the web, checking my e-mail the iPhone is more than enough for that purpose.

If the iPad was shipped with true Mac OS X I might see some usefulness with it but at the moment it is just an annoying device to me. Completly useless, but ... I havent tried one. I might change my mind when I do.

01-29-2010, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by hush

I seriously want to get one. But waiting until April!!!! sigh!!!!

Hush , I am in the same boat have a new 2.26 Macbook i am going to sell, and still have money left

01-29-2010, 10:01 AM

I joined this forum just to talk about the iPad, but I'm not a troll, just here to explain what I think about it (and I'll stick around after to discuss it more ).

This thing is absolutely perfect for what "I" (keyword *I*) need.

I'm in the Air Force, been living in Japan for the last 6 years, but will be returning to the US soon to complete the last of my Pre-Med requirements, and then start medical school. The iPad fits what I want and need perfectly.

-Battery life, 10 hours is perfect, puts me through a few classes without recharging.

-Full color e-books with a great interface. All of my current school books are available in e-book format, and I would have saved $170 just this semester (and I buy as many books as I can used). I also don't have to wait for textbooks to be mailed to me and then deal with haggling to get the most out of re-selling them when I'm done.

-10 hours close to HD video for those long flights between Seattle and Japan (wife is Japanese, I'm American from Seattle, we do a lot of flying)

-cheap 3g network access so I don't have to be near a Wi-Fi spot to get internet/e-mail

-Simple touch screen interface

-Plenty of "fun" apps for when I'm taking breaks between classes

I the iPad is being marketed towards college students and more simplistic users. My mom hates laptops and computers, but she wants one of these bad, enough so that she's buying herself the standard and buying me the 3g 16GB model as a gift.

Now the complaints I am seeing from everyone are valid, and I understand them, but I think too many people are letting that blind them from seeing the good aspects of it.

-Lack of multi-tasking, it sucks, but doesn't bother me much. I hope they add it, so I can quickly switch between taking notes and reading my school book

-Screen hard on the eyes? Meh, I spend HOURS upon hours typing and reading on my laptop now, and I've still got better than 20/20 vision without glasses/contacts.

-Lack of Flash, as someone said above, not that big of a deal. It would be nice, but it's not required for my use. Although with the extra processing power, maybe Apple can add Flash support to the iPad?

-Small amounts of flash memory for the money? Meh, 16GB is plenty for everything I need.

-It won't do most of what a netbook or tablet PC will do. Ok, I don't want or need a netbook or tablet PC, and I don't want that POS Archos 9 either. I have a laptop for the rare occasion I need to do something more than the iPad can do while traveling. The touch interface on most netbooks is absolutely terrible anyways, even Windows 7 which is supposed to be great for touch is still pretty bad IMO (I've got an HP Touchsmart all in one PC).


I just basically wanted to give an opinion from the very market that I think Apple is marketing towards. I don't always buy the newest gadgets, I can't really afford it. But this iPad will pay for itself in a couple semesters worth of college e-book payments. I hope to see with this, that e-book publishers will add interactive multimedia content into the books (think demo videos of subject matter or little animations, etc).

So, talk bad about it all you want, it does make sense for some people out there. Oh, and I don't have an iPhone, I'm not a big phone user, so a basic free Blackberry will work fine for me when I get back to the US.