Apple's "iPad" Out In the Open 1713
Reader oxide7 is one of the many to note that the heaviest speculation is mostly over (still waiting on the price, though) about Apple's anticipated new device (though there are surely plenty of questions about the device's hardware capabilities and the scope of its software and content marketplace): "At an event in San Francisco Apple released its anticipated iPad.'[It's] Way better than a laptop, way better then a phone. You can turn it any way you want. To see the whole page is phenomenal,' said Jobs." The (0.5") skinny: 1.5 lbs, multitouch, up to 64GB of flash, 9.7" screen, and a 1Ghz "Apple A4" chip (more about the A4 in Engadget's developing story). The iPad is closer in concept to an expanded iPhone (OS and all) than a miniaturized laptop, though it doesn't have quite as much connectivity as you might expect, with no 3G connection built in. (You'll have to make do with 802.11n, Bluetooth, and tethering.) Live coverage is ongoing at gdgt live, Engadget, and Gizmodo, as well as various others. Update by timothy, 19:58 GMT: Got the 3G part wrong; 3G is indeed an option. Prices run from $499 (16GB flash, WiFi but no 3G) to $829 (WiFi and 3G, 64GB flash). Should start shipping in 60 days (WiFi only), in 90 days for 3G. Surprsingly, no built-in camera.
No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
Which means no hulu.com, espn360.com or fancast.com. Somehow Mr. Jobs is touting this as a feature.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Informative)
Yep, this picture (http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/01/apple-creation-0128-rm-eng.jpg [blogcdn.com]) pretty much spells it out.
The fact that they didn't even try to hide this during their usually precise demo of the product is surprising.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
Flash is proprietary I'd like to see it fade into oblivion. Maybe the iPhone and iPad will be what it takes to get people considering HTML5 instead of Flash.
YouTube now has an HTML5 beta, and some other streaming sites as well.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
If you can free TV shows and movies streaming over Flash, why buy them on iTunes?
I don't expect Flash on this or the iPhone anytime soon.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Informative)
I think it likely has as much to do with the impact of Flash's unquenchable thirst for CPU cycles on battery life.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Interesting)
Flash is the number-one cause of application crashes on OS X, and it's outside Apple's control. No way Flash is going to be supported by Iphone or Ipad.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Informative)
Youtube serves up an H.264 version of the video to your iPhone. Not all videos are converted yet (google is massively numbercrunching behind the scenes to convert older ones). If the phone meets a video with no H.264 version it just says "cannot display movie at this time" or something like that.
You can use ClickToFlash on Safari in 10.6 to tell the Youtube site to serve the H.264 iPhone version to your browser instead of the flash version too - much nicer.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually it's worse, because there are movies that I know are new videos and are in h.264 format and are NOT being served to the iPhone.
I'm surprised more coverage hasn't been brought to bear on this.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Funny)
No one really bitches about not having it on the phone, except the people who scream 'I'm not buying because it doesn't do flash!!'
So let me get this straight: No one is complaining about this, except for the people who are?
Thanks for the insight man. You have any ideas on how to solve this whole "economy" thing?
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
Will Adobe even be invited on board to write a plugin?
Hopefully not. I don't know of any products with worse security records than Acrobat Reader and Flash. It's time for Flash to just go away. Fortunately, unlike FF, Safari does support h.264 which will surely be supported by hulu et al. eventually.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Funny)
I rather have Apple kill Flash.
If you're going to wish for something unrealistic and beyond their power, at least shoot for world peace.
The iPhone just might (Score:5, Interesting)
I rather have Apple kill Flash.
If you're going to wish for something unrealistic and beyond their power, at least shoot for world peace.
Okay, so there are three possible visions of the future Web:
1. The AdobeWeb, where every page is just an empty shell around an embedded SWF. There is some risk that this may happen.
2. The SilverWeb, where every page is just an empty shell around an embedded Silverlight object. With ActiveX barely treading water, this is Microsoft's forlorn hope.
3. The iPhone Web, where every page is HTML+JavaScript and scales nicely to small screen sizes.
Personally, I like option 3 the best. And only Apple (and possibly Google, eventually) are backing this horse.
Re:The iPhone just might (Score:5, Insightful)
So for your game aggregation sites, you have embedded flash. For educational or lightweight application use you have HTML/DOM/JavaScript with maybe embedded Java or Silverlight, and for the rest of the web you have HTML/CSS. I like this option.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Insightful)
YouTube and Vimeo already support it. Replacing Flash is much more than a "marginal enhancement."
But hey, you're welcome to live in 1999 forever and stick with HTML4. It's what Adobe wants.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Interesting)
> and the limited iphone style OS (why not full mac OS).
Because at this point Apple would like nothing better than to find a way to discontinue OS X. The huge revenue stream they unleashed with the App Store has distorted everything at Apple. OS X on the desktop doesn't give Apple a cut of every app sold; so all new products are going to be in the iPhone development model. Hence this new product, which COULD have run a more open operating system and supported a lot of traditional OS X applications (add ARM to the fat binaries and ship) is instead an iPod/iPhone with a bigger display.
Since they will sell a ton of these shiny iTurds expect them to take it as a green light for the next step and move the closed Nintendo/Cellphone OS model to the all in one desktops next. If that works the bottom end of the laptops will go next.
Re:No flash support (Score:5, Funny)
No, we watch FILMS! "Movies" are for the unwashed masses.
Fin
What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't this just a big expensive iPod touch now?
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
underpowered? (Score:5, Funny)
It actually has a robust power source; it is powered almost entirely by the user's sense of self-importance.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's more than just an iPod touch that won't fit in your pocket...it's also an underpowered netbook with no keyboard. It's the worst of both worlds!
No no no! It has a faster processor than the iTouch, better resolution that iPhone, and some nifty new features to make up for the lack of keyboard... Iit is more like a Nexus One that won't fit in your pocket!
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Funny)
It's more than just an iPod touch that won't fit in your pocket...it's also an underpowered netbook with no keyboard. It's the worst of both worlds!
Steve Jobs will be releasing the new iPants in the next couple of months. The iPants have iPockets that will fit an iPad. If you don't own a pair you won't be iCool anymore, so better save up those iPennies.
Apple has always released crippled products and insisted that they were superior. You had to wait till iPhone 3.0 to have MMS and buy a 3rd party app (not available at release) to record video. These are things that have been standard in phones for 5 years. Apple's genius is not the product, it's the marketing which seems to catch out every wannabe geek and fashion victim.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hmmm. The thing about the iPod is that the killer features is the integration of iPod/iTunes/iTunes store. The devices are nice of course, but each part of this triangle has significant limitations.
The key is that they all work together to support use cases that consumers find convenient and valuable. That's why "iPod Killers" never kill. You have to get all three pieces, and that is hard especially the store end of things.
Now Amazon nailed it with the Kindle. The Kindle is not the best eBook reader, but Amazon + WhisperNet + Kindle work together better than anything anybody had ever seen before. You can make a better eBook reader, but what you really have to do is to make sure that whole source to use chain has no serious mistakes in it (like not having enough books to sell, having lousy battery life, or having DRM so restrictive it interferes with the primary use of the devices).
So you can't look at this device and say "meh", because it has never been the best device that wins. It's the affordable looking system that offers a convenient solution for something consumers value that wins.
You're going to have to see the whole thing in action to know whether this is "meh" or not. I suspect it may be, but I'm not shorting Apple stock yet.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Interesting)
I got an iPod Touch right after Christmas (to replace my Nokia N800) and the iTunes integration is the thing that drives me the most crazy about it. I bought the device under the assumption that I would be able to use it to easily download, manage, and listen to podcasts. This was my first real Apple product and after having heard how cool the iPhone was and how easy Apple makes everything, I figured I couldn't go wrong.
To listen to podcasts on the N800, all I had to do was run gPodder. It automatically checked for new episodes, downloaded them, and kept track of which ones were new, which ones were downloaded, which ones I've already listened to, and which ones have been deleted. Very slick. Too bad the N800 kinda sucked for just about anything else.
After I got my iPod Touch, and after I had fiddled with the pinch zooming, inertial interface widgets, and slick web browser, I eventually discover that there's no podcast manager at all. And further investigation revealed that Apple won't allow a third-party one because they claimed it would compete with iTunes. The problem is, iTunes on the iPhone OS really, really sucks for listening to podcasts. You can only download podcasts that happen to be in the iTunes store. There's no way to just enter an RSS feed. There are no automatic updates and no automatic downloads, you're forced to memorize which episodes you've listened to and you have to download each episode one at a time. The only way to listen to podcasts that aren't in the iTunes store is to sync the device with a desktop computer running the full-blown version of iTunes. The iPod Touch is a portable wifi-enabled computer in its own right, I shouldn't have to sync it with fucking anything just to get content onto it. I have no computers that iTunes will run on, and of course, Apple encrypts communications to and from the device so no open-source software can connect to it either.
Convenient and valuable? Feh, I say.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
I understand. I happen to hate the iTunes store. I much prefer Amazon's MP3 download service. It meets my needs. I don't much care for the way iTunes wants to steer me to the latest episode of popular TV shows. I have no interest in that, and I always feel like I'm fighting the software to get it to do what I want.
But one thing I've learned after decades in this business is that you can't design products around your own preferences. I've seen that approach fail time and time again. I've even seen the same guys make the same mistake more than once.
It doesn't matter that I hate the iTunes store. Steve Jobs would be an idiot to design products that cater to people like me, because we're lousy, cranky, critical customers and cheapskates besides.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, there you go then. If you work on something that doesn't require massive amounts of horsepower, you could just have your own very portable computer to take wherever you want to go.
Yes, a netbook will be cheaper, more durable, more powerful, etc. But there's a lot of appeal to a flat unit you can use like a clipboard while resting back in your favorite lounge chair or sitting up in bed.
There will be a market for this. I probably won't be part of it, but mostly on price and lack of flexibility.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Haven't we had tablets for years already though? I remember seeing them in the mid 90s. Sure, this is thinner and lighter and maybe the interface is better than Microsoft's tablet OS but is that really going to sell it?
The fact that you can't run more than one app at a time means it can't really be used as a computer: who would settle for having to save their document, quit the word processor, load their browser, load a bookmark, makes some research notes (presumably on paper since you can't run a note taking app), quit the browser, load the wp back up and re-open the document? It's not even a very effective clipboard replacement because you can't just flick between different pages as your workflow requires.
So you can't really do much desktop computing on it. It's too big to fit in your pocket like a smartphone. In fact it's too big to easily type on like you can with a smartphone too, since your thumb can't reach all the keys but you still need to hold it.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Have him email it to you. Or FTP it somewhere. There's plenty of ways to get things on your iphone/touch without syncing.
It is mighty stupid to have to email a multi-megabyte file when you hold the phone in one hand and the USB cable in another. On my planet such a product would be reviewed as "poorly done."
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
There are lots of things that a iPod Touch with a larger screen would be useful for, like web browsing, book reading and movie watching.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't this just a big expensive iPod touch now?
Depends on how you spin it. I look at it as an eBook reader with an awesome web browser, GPS, WiFi, 3G, local storage, a MP3 player and access to the thousands of apps in the app store. Which, personally, is exactly what I've been waiting for to hit the market to handle my eBook and casual browsing needs. I'm sure I'm not alone here.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Interesting)
They did the brilliant thing... supporting bluetooth tethering. That means it doesn't need either Verizon or ATT, as long as you have a phone that can deliver data via a bluetooth tether, just get the two close together and you have a mobile internet device. Now, if you have a data plan you probably already have something quite close to the iPad already on your phone, but that's beside the point. Apple doesn't really care if something else can do what it's new product does, they will simply do it with more shine and win marketshare with mindshare.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Steve Jobs: "a Netbook is the worst of both worlds! [it only lasts for 10 hours and doesn't fit in your pocket] however our iPad is the best of both worlds, it lasts 10 hours and won't fit in your pocket!"
Why would anyone want an iPad if they already have a smartphone, when they can buy a kindle (for less) to read books, arguably the only thing it does better than a smartphone?
But don't worry, soon there will be about 4.5 million brainwashed followers out there handcuffed to their iPad wondering how they lived without the thing they had no practical use for before they bought it.
Doesn't Create a Need (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Doesn't Create a Need (Score:5, Insightful)
This entire presentation seems a little disappointing. Really, it looks, acts, and feels like a giant iPod Touch. Whereas the iPhone and iPod really created a need , I don't see that this substantially innovate to make it a must-have. It doesn't seem to improve on anything so substantially that it is an obvious choice. Maybe I need to see a few more videos, but I don't see this pulling serious market share away from Kindle's targeted market segment.
Yes, quite.
Last time I saw a /. commenter speculating about the future of Apple's latest new thing, it read something like this:
Raise your hand if you have iTunes ...
Raise your hand if you have a FireWire port ...
Raise your hand if you have both ...
Raise your hand if you have $400 to spend on a cute Apple device ...
There is Apple's market. Pretty slim, eh? I don't see many sales in the future of iPod.
~LoudMusic
I prefer to take the 'wait and see' approach.
Re:Doesn't Create a Need (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Doesn't Create a Need (Score:5, Funny)
And that, my friends, is why the Post Anonymously checkbox exists.
True (Score:5, Insightful)
This is exactly what happened when the iPod was announced: slashdot dismissed it as derivative while Apple quietly reinvented the freakin' walkman. One thing Apple generally gets right is marketing. There may be nothing technologically revolutionary to most slashdotters in the iPad but the fact is it's already shaken up the consumer world even before it was officially acknowledged as an existing product. At the Consumer electronics show in Las Vegas this year the upcoming Apple tablet was a bigger topic of excitement than any device that actually existed at the time -- Apple didn't even go to the convention and yet they managed to have a significant presence there. They have been very successful in the hype department without even spending a dime on advertising. Technological merits aside they will sell a boatload of these.
Re:True (Score:5, Informative)
Re:True (Score:5, Insightful)
Notice that they spent about three times as much convincing you to buy stuff as they did designing it...
Worthless statistic. A device only has to be designed once. If you sell millions of them in a hundred different countries over several years of course your marketing is going to grow large.
Re:Doesn't Create a Need (Score:5, Interesting)
I think this may be a shot across the bough of netbooks rather than smartphones or laptops.
I've got an iPod Touch already. I love the thing. It travels with me everywhere. I can go online, do just about anything I need, etc. I even have Kindle for iPhone installed on it, though the small screen has kept me from reading much on it.
I also have a laptop. It's great for taking on the road so I have a computer in my hotel room, but in reality if I go into a coffee shop or other wifi hotspot, the laptop is just too damned bulky for me.
Recently I had thought about getting a netbook. Not to replace either of those devices, but to complement them. I'd have it for those times when I want a screen bigger than my iPod can handle, but when I want a smaller device than my laptop. Truthfully, having seen this, I'm now thinking about it a bit more seriously than the netbook. The question though, is cost. If it's priced like a netbook, then I see the beginnings of a beautiful relationship. If it's priced like Apple's laptops, then no thanks - I like this product more but not enough to spend several hundred extra dollars on it.
Re:Doesn't Create a Need (Score:5, Insightful)
Given that the Kindle's target market is book readers, I don't think tablets like this will have much effect. It's more of a laptop replacement than a book reader; eInk is way more readable, and requires charging far less often. Yes, multiple single-purpose devices can get bulky, but then, I was already carrying around my books anyway. If I wanted a laptop, I'd look at the iPad as an alternative (just like I'd look at a netbook), but if I want to read books and newspapers, I'll stick with paper or eInk.
I'm not saying it will fail, I'm saying it will take market share from laptops far more than eBook readers.
Taking Jobs at his word (Score:5, Funny)
So Apple is basically saying that we should stop buying MacBooks and iPhones?
Re:Taking Jobs at his word (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Taking Jobs at his word--misquoted (Score:5, Funny)
So it's some kind of fancy vibrator?
iPad? Really? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:iPad? Really? (Score:5, Funny)
What an unfortunate name.
Just wait until Apple partners with Sprint next year and releases the WiMax iPad.
is late (Score:5, Insightful)
What was wrong with the oft-rumored "iSlate" moniker?
"Ip ad" doesn't mean anything in English. "Is late" meant Duke Nukem Forever for several years.
Re:iPad? Really? (Score:5, Funny)
Backlit and eyestrain (Score:5, Interesting)
I may still get a Kindle because of this reason.
Oblig (Score:5, Funny)
No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
Perfect! (Score:5, Funny)
I was looking at the iPhone the other day and I was just thinking that it would be so much better if it didn't fit into any of my pockets.
Multi-tasking (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Multi-tasking (Score:5, Informative)
It doesn't.
Re:Multi-tasking (Score:5, Insightful)
I dunno man, sounds like your trying to convince yourself, not us. To say that there aren't *any* use cases is just silly. How about skype calls while using another app? There's a case right there!
Having used an iPhone and and Android phone I can tell you that multitasking is a nice feature to have. And the iPhone notifications are a joke compared to what you get with android (especially for IM and VOIP clients).
The only reason iPhone/iPad doesn't have multitasking is because of battery life issues and RAM limitations. To say "oh you don't need those things" is just being an apologist.
Phenomenal (Score:5, Funny)
To see the whole page is phenomenal
I'm not sure "phenomenal" is the right term to describe "seeing a whole page". You would think that we've never been able to see a whole page before and that Steve Jobs is personally responsible for some entirely new experience.
I guess that's what they mean by the reality distortion field.
You can turn it any way you want.
Good god, you mean I can pick the thing up and actually turn it? I'm so excited I'm about to soil myself! Will Apple innovations never cease?
Watching the presentation live... (Score:5, Funny)
Watching the announcement live I was struck with just how absorbent the crowd was regarding iPad presentation. It's like this product has wings. I wonder how well the iPad will handle those heavy work flow days.
Fantastic! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fantastic! (Score:5, Funny)
Slow down speedy, we have to take a shit on it first. Then we move on.
This fits squarely in the category of "meh" (Score:5, Interesting)
Error in the article (Score:5, Informative)
"There will be models with 3G support" according to Steve Jobs, so saying that it doesn't support 3G is just a bit, um, wrong.
Re:Error in the article (Score:5, Informative)
AT&T (per usual)
$15/mo for 250 MB or$30/mo for unlimited
Free use of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots
Uses GSM Micro SIMs and will work with any GSM provider that has these cards, all models are "unlocked" and not bound to a carrier
*yawn* (Score:5, Funny)
No WiMAX. Same storage as an iPod. Lame.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/ (Score:5, Informative)
Not seeing it on the front page, but it's all up here.
No contract need for 3G! (Score:5, Insightful)
They killed their own baby. (Score:5, Interesting)
This thing kills the MacBook Air.
On the other hand, I guess we now know Apple's premium for running an unlocked operating system. (iPad: $500, MacBook Air: $1500; you do the math)
No stylus eh? (Score:5, Funny)
I see nothing about stylus support, guess I won't be buying one then.
It would have been a perfect device with stylus support, now it's just not for me (although I do see a lot of possibilities for others).
/Mikael
The iPad is a Platform (Score:5, Insightful)
Most people here don't see past their own noses... Myself, I like the iPad except for the fact that Apple decides what I can install... but that's the whole point.
The iPad is a platform, not a device.
Most people just want stuff to work, and don't want to care how. Most of the time, so do I. I don't want my stove in the kitchen to require a friggin manual to do basic cooking even if I could patch it to boil eggs 15% faster I never would be bothered. It's the same for regular people with all tech, computers included. People don't want to know the details, they just want to tap on a movie/book/app/whatever, confirm their transaction, and have it all just work.
The iPad can run iPhone apps, and the SDK is available now. App developers will be falling over each other to be first with new apps taking advantage of the larger screen.
I'm very tempted, but still skeptical I'll buy this myself. The closed platform is an issue for me. But most people couldn't care less about what they can't do on a device like this, if they just can do all they want. Freedom is great, but how many of us have truly bothered to go under the hood in our games consoles for instance? I can do all I truly need with our Wii even if I can't run SCUMMVM. Hell, I don't even have time to play all the games I've bought.
The iPad will be a great example of good enough technology. "The internet", in your lap, on this amazing looking little device. With movies, books, music and apps to boot. Joe and Jane Average are gonna think it's great.
Something the world DIDN'T need... (Score:5, Insightful)
...was a bigger iPod Touch.
I stick by my earlier statement that the name makes it sound like digital Kotex. However, it mus be noted that Steve Jobs may have his first Edsel on his hands.
Seriously, the ASUS Eee PC T91MT gives you more of a computer for a bit less than the cost of this iPad (I chuckle every time I read or type that). REAL applications, REAL OS (not a "gadget" os), REAL everything! It's a tablet and a netbook at once. Approx $450 gets you 32GB SSD, 1GB RAM, and Win 7 all in a small package with a proven processor underneath it all.
$50 more get's you less drive space, an unknown amount of RAM, and a gadget OS running on what appears to be a 2010 version of the Cyrix MediaGX processor.
Steve needs to take some time off and rethink this one.
The iPad nano is available too (Score:5, Funny)
Check it out. [apple.com]
Typical techies and gadget freaks (Score:5, Insightful)
After reading the comments here and on Engadget, it just confirms that your average techie doesn't know a great new product when he sees it. So many people seem to be complaining that it doesn't have some certain deal-breaking hardware feature, yet they haven't even noticed the most important innovation: The software. The greatest part of this device simply flies over the head of so many people here because they have no understanding about what makes a computer great to use.
Re:Typical techies and gadget freaks (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually you don't get it, the software is what makes this device nothing more than a giant iPhone. Which is absurd.
Re:Typical techies and gadget freaks (Score:5, Insightful)
Why would anyone get an iPhone if they've got a Moto Razr and an iBook?
Why would anyone get an iBook if they've got a Dell on their desk?
Why would anyone get a Dell on their desk if they've got a terminal at work?
Why would anyone need a terminal at work, if they've got a punchcard machine three halls down?
That person may not need one "right now," but in a year or two they might either decide that they convergence device (of which I'm generally skeptical) either does the job just as well as a batman utility belt of other devices, or they may go for it as a lifestyle item, to replace their old gadgets. Or who knows, they might NOT have an iPhone and a Kindle... and let's face it, a lot of us don't.
Apple A4 (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow, I'm a bit disappointed :) Yes, with the iPad a bit, but more so with the idea that this is Slashdot and barely anyone has thrown a spotlight on the Apple A4. This is an ARM, high performance, low power CPU with integrated graphics, and more importantly the first piece of processing silicon coming out of Cupertino. Regardless of how much i like the Intel Atom, i think this will be a viable competitor on the ARM front. Too bad it is under lock and key with the iPhone OS :p
Why would I buy an iPad (Score:5, Interesting)
There is a theme to some of the comments which I wish to rebut. Essentially the theme is that Apple products really are not that good and they sell well only because Apple does such good marketing. The implied assumption here is that if you buy Apple's products, such as the iPod, you are just a sucker fooled by Apple's marketing campaign. Since I have bought Apple products because I thought they were the best products available for my needs, I see these statements as declaring that I am also a sucker and lacking in any real tech smarts. Essentially I feel like I am being called an idiot.
I remember when this debate was between Linux and PCs, and the Linux crowd was trying to argue that nobody should need to run Microsoft software to do their jobs or get things done. This was at time when you could not get Linux to legally read a DVD or use algorithms to do reasonable font rendering. Of course, these limitations were because of licensing issues, some of the most useful software productivity features were protected by commercial licenses or patents. The Linux advocates would argue that I should not be running such software in the first place because it was not "open" software. But that is a different argument. I have far more sympathy for the argument that running Linux is a superior moral choice. But arguing that Linux was a better OS for getting my job done was nonsense.
I am going to come at my argument in a backwards way. Instead of touting features of the iPad, I am going to describe artfully chosen limitations. The biggest limitation is that a developer cannot develop an application that can run as a persistent multi-threaded process. Any application that is not being used at any current moment is torn down and a new one instantiated. This is even more limited than the old Windows 3.x OS with its event driven model for task switching (for those you who don't remember -- Windows 3.x had only one running thread and all applications shared memory). Another limitation is that applications cannot use a shared file system or use shared libraries. You cannot build an application out of other applications or write applications whose purpose is to interact with other applications in useful ways. A user cannot even freely write code for their own application, build it, and run it.
For anybody who likes to tinker with their computers (I consider myself somewhat in that breed, I do programming for a living), this seems almost mind boggling stupid. But there is a method to this madness.
So what do you get back for these choices.
1. A very stable device that does not need to worry about applications doing semi-permanent bad things to your computer requiring a reboot. It is not stable just because applications have a hard time doing bad things, but the basic logic of behavior is so simple that you can "audit" and control it in a way that you cannot control a standard modern OS. This eliminates tangled logic scenarios that come up when you have interactions between device drivers, OS interrupts, glitches in hardware, and complicated applications. Also, it is far easier to write protections against hostile software, especially if you control the distribution of all software for your device.
I think many in the Slashdot crowd underestimate the importance of stability in a portable device. I reboot computers all the time because of glitches of various sorts. It is true that the OS is rarely to blame, it might be the device driver for my mouse, or a disk glitch, a misbehaving network router, or a bad application but generally such issues are fatal. And because of the complexity of the OS, the OS really has no chance at diagnosing the true cause of the problem.
That is not something I will tolerate in a lightweight portable device used for limited but useful activities. I have heard rumors that Android phones, once you start trying to run some of the same application that make the iPhone popular, have far more problems with various issues, such as unwanted battery run down for processes that
We should be CELEBRATING this thing (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, y'all, collectively, are not the target audience for this thing. That said, we should be celebrating, rather than bitching. Here's why.
Raise your hands, please: those who've installed LogMeIn on their mothers' computers.
LogMeIn is a crutch, and you know it. You know damn well why you installed it, too. It's so you can support her when shit breaks every couple months, or when she can't figure something out.
The nice thing about the iPhone OS is that it's tight. My mom had never used a cell phone in her life, and figured out how to make a call with my iPhone in seconds. The OS is like an appliance, reliability-wise. The target audience is users, not the nerd herd, and the interface reflects that. It's basically a $500 ticket to never having to support Mother again (or really any user that "just needs the basics").
If you really think it's just a big iPhone, look at the iPad interface video [apple.com] (from about 1:00 - 3:00). It was the first time I actually was like, holy shit, it looks like one of those futuristic computers out of a Hollywood movie; except it actually makes logical sense, yet retains teh bling. Unlike every other OS, multitouch is "baked in" to the iPhone OS, and you can really see the level of refinement in that video. All that shit that Microsoft wishes it could do with multitouch, this thing actually does.
No, it doesn't have multitasking or an OLED display or a webcam or a fucking JTAG header; those people can vote with their ducats and get an HP Slate. Have fun troubleshooting your wireless network in Windows 7 or GNOME using your fingertips. Ugh.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Is that an OLED screen? (Score:5, Informative)
Here are the full specs: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ [apple.com]
Re:Giant iPhone (Score:5, Funny)
It might be a normal iPhone but Steve has shrunk
Wifi tethering with Android or Nokia, of course! (Score:5, Interesting)
You can use this as a mobile device by tethering it over Wifi to an Android or Noikia device.
Re:No WCMDA/HSPA or even CDMA/EVDO is a huge miss (Score:5, Insightful)
Universities and colleges all have strong wifi coverage
wait for Rev. B!
Apple will sell millions.
Re:price? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Informative)
But it doesn't.
I use a 1.2ghz Pentium M tablet PC running XP tablet edition (Less than $350 with a new battery). Why? because I can annotate PDF files, take notes with one note (PLEASE we need a OSS version of that app) and then at the end of the meeting I can simply email all of it via my corperate email. Those two apps are the killer apps most people that use a tablet professionally need. I can annotate the customers blueprints and send them and engineering a copy, Plus my notes in one note are easy to organize. All on something that costs less than this thing will even in it's el-cheapo form.
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly my thoughts, they've done the Tablet PC without including the pen, the reason that Tablet PCs are so useful.
Our Uni publishes all the notes online as PDFs, i load up aforementioned app and annotate right on the notes. But i can also insert extra pages, copy-paste and insert diagrams. My logic coursework and having the ability to copy/paste/edit previous lines, as well as doodle without wrecking it is so much more useful than a pad of paper. The brilliance of a Tablet PC is the pen, not the fact you can poke it.
My 3.5 year old Tablet PC has a 1.7Ghz Pentium M with 1GB RAM and is now running Windows 7. It blows the functionality of this thing out the water.
multiple SIM cards (Score:5, Informative)
I know this comes as a surprise to US users, but in many countries, you get multiple SIM cards on the same contract for no or little extra money. Put one in your phone, one in your reader, one in your laptop, etc. Nice, eh?
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Insightful)
Because the article was written when neither the price nor the 3G feature were announced yet. Apparently slashdot wanted to be quick to report the iPad, so they did not care to wait for further details.
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Insightful)
What gets me is the price step up for the memory ...
To get +16 GB the price increase is $100
To get +32 GB the price increase is another $200
So basically, we are talking $100 per 16GB of flash memory, when I could buy a 16GB USB dongle for any other device for $10 ???
And the $130 extra for 3G ? A lot of mobiles don't cost that, and have a hell of a lot more than 3G built in.
As usual, another iRipoff, and the fanbois will lap it up ... fucking mugs.
I have karma to burn, so do your worst, it won't change reality, only the visibility of this comment ...
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Funny)
You win.
You're better, and we suck.
We're closing up shop.
Sincerely,
The United States of America
P.S. You can now stop all shipments to us of your pricey cars and kitchen appliances.
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot's color commentary on important Apple announcements over the years:
iPod - "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame."
iPod mini - "Nobody is going to buy a 4GB external drive for $250."
iPad - "It's just a useless iPod touch with a bigger screen. What were they thinking?"
iBrick? (Score:5, Insightful)
My thoughts exactly. The advantage of the Ipod is that it's small - making portable devices bigger? That's what people call a "brick". Yet it lacks the advantages of similar sized devices, most notably netbooks (proper keyboard, open and full computer OS).
This may sell okay to some Apple fans, but the hype over this is absurdly ridiculous and disproprtionate. I only hope it will return to normal coverage (as happened with the Air - funny how we never heard about that again, after netbooks appeared on the scene). Or I fear it may turn out like the Iphone - free advertising in the media, including daily Ipad stories (or more), even if it turns out to be one of the lesser seller tablets, compared to tablets that never get any coverage at all.
Re:Extra things you'll need (Score:5, Insightful)
Kind of amusing that you're bashing a $500 device when your $320 netbook has been in for repair FOUR TIMES. People always rail on the interchangable battery thing, but I've never carried spare batteries for ANYTHING I've owned. If you're on the move, do you really want to lug around a couple extra pounds? They list 10 hours of battery life including video playback, which, judging by my experiences with a 1st gen iPod touch, is believable.
This thing is more a web-surfing super eBook reader than a true netbook, but in my opinion, it looks awesome. No, it's not a hacker's dream come true mega-portable computer, it's a "normal" person's digital media device. It's for eBooks, music, photos, the web and email and it's designed to do those tasks in a sleek, sexy, simple manner.
This happens with every Apple product announcement. People speculate and expect it to have every feature under the sun, cost next to nothing and be 100% open source, cure cancer, make coffee and have its only environmental by-product be rainbows. Sorry, people, this is the real world. This product looks awesome for what it's designed to be. It's not going to replace your netbook for hacking perl on your favorite geek project and it's not supposed to.
Re:price? (Score:5, Informative)
Nope.
Wi-fi versions are $499, $599, $699 for 16/32/64GB versions, respectively.
3G versions are $629, $729, $829, respectively.
Re:Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
Its a convergence device. As such, its designed to be a better netbook than the Kindle DX, a better eReader than an EeePC, and a better portable media player than either.
Its not a better netbook than a dedicated netbook, or a better eReader than a dedicated reader (though, of course, Apple will try to sell it as being better in both these roles than the existing competition.) And maybe not a better portable media player for most uses than an iPod Touch. But Apple's bet is that the perceived price/utility it will provide is better than any of dedicated readers/netbooks because it does a good enough job in all three roles to be a one-stop multirole device.
Re:The A4 processor.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Sounds like a close relative of the ARM Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9: the line of ARM CPUs specifically intended to run end-user applications rather than embedded control software.
On a related topic, people who pray for the end of x86 should be careful what they wish for, because their desire brings completely closed platforms and proprietary app stores. There is one reason why you can install software on your Windows machine without a "developer key" or Microsoft's explicit approval, and that reason is backwards compatibility.
Re:gay (Score:5, Insightful)
And it is over hyped. First by every blogger out there, then by Apple.
There is NOTHING new here, and much that has been left out.
Apple has run out of ideas, and have taken to eating their young. This thing will kill off the iPod Touch sales in a heart beat, especially the low end wifi version.
It might server for Grandma who can't quite figure out that laptop thingie you gave her last year with all those buttons and stuff. The only time she uses that is when you call her up and ask her if she got your email last week.
Its a huge disappointment if you ask me, but this time next year they can add a front facing cam, a mic and maybe Grandma can talk to the grand kids over it.
Wait till next year.
Re:gay (Score:5, Informative)
Pluses:
Re:gay (Score:5, Insightful)
Cue 2010. Remember how everyone said it was much easier to develop applications for the iPhone OS rather than Android because all iPhones had the same 320x480 screen resolution? Now Apple launches iPad, with more screen resolution, and they have two backwards compatibility modes. One where apps run as a tiny rectangle in the middle of the device, another where everything is upscaled, maintaining the same application resolution.
Uniform hardware specs are so much better. Right?