51% Would Rather Have Laptop Instead of an iPad

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hihiman1

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The irony of this is, is that young people need computers that are more idiot-proof. Look at the stats, more young people want Macs. And in my opinion using something that's idiot proof, makes you feel like... well... an idiot.
 

zelannii

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[citation][nom]matt87_50[/nom]I can only see the ipad making sense for people who own or have access to like a family desktop, and don't own a smart phone. and even then, in many cases a netbook would be better, or even then, any other competing tablet would be better...it sickens me that people would just throw money at apple despite all this just because of the advertising.[/citation]

- A home computer is REQUIRED, not optional.
- Netbooks under $649 don't do H.264 video.
- Netbooks don;t do portrait mode.
- netbooks require expensive software
- Netbooks require patching, maintenance, antivirus, wasted time
- Netbooks take a LONG time to boot, iPad is instant on, and very handy to have in the living room.
- netbooks don't easily hang from the back of your car seat as a mobile video platform for the kids.
- netbooks and smartphones have more expensive, lock-in, 2 years data contract requirements and data overage charges.
- other tablets announced (still vaporware) either cost a LOT more, or have much lower power/performance.
- even android, let alone Windows/linux, is simply not designed for tablet based input. It's kludgey at best, unusable at other times.
 

zelannii

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[citation][nom]Glorian[/nom]Yes battery replacement is $99 but you also lose all you information and apps downloaded to the device.There are and will be slate devices that don't have the same limitations the ipad has, which also run on smartphone operating systems, does that mean that more people will buy them as a media device? No, Apple has just manage to get the advertising right. I for one will never buy an ipad, I do anything worth doing on my laptop/pc, listen to music on my zune, and make calls/texts on my cellphone, why would I buy a product that does something I already have things that do it. Its not functional enough to replace a laptop, to big to be a music player, and doesn't make calls like a traditional cellphone.[/citation]

COMPLETE FUD!

You do NOT loose your apps EVER, they can be re downloaded free from the same apple store account to any additional device also registered on that account anytime for free.

The device is backed up every time its synced, and many forms of data are streamed/cloud based and not even on the device.

Even if the battery is dead, you can still run from the power cable, and backup/sync before sending off.

All personalization of the device is COMPLETELY preserves, as an image like file (only stored passwords for e-mail accounts have to be re-input).

Your failure to regularly back up your device is not apple's problem. The mechanism is provided. A Laptop has FAR MORE lieklyhood of loosing your data, and has no simple or free method to do the same as the iPad. This is just a complete bullshit excuse.

This device is never designed to replace your smartphone, OR your PC, it;s a COMPANION device to both. Providing 80+% of your laptop's functionality on an always on light and portable platform. If you have a smartphone, you don't need the 3G chip in the iPad and you save $130, if you don't, it's a nice value add.

The iPad is a VIDEO and PRINT media platform, not a music player. It replaces your car based video system, your ebook reader, and other things a laptop is a poor substitute for (anything that benefits from tough interface, portrait display, and more. Further, netbooks (and most cheap notebooks) CAN NOT DO H.264 VIDEO AT ALL, which is a HUGE strength for the pad. other tablets are not designed for multitouch, and even the smartphone based ones have MORE limitations than the iPad with the one exception of an open software (virus laden) marketplace for software you can already find on the iPad except porn (which is easily found online for free anyway). No, it doesn't do flash, but flash is DYING, and every single flash service I can name has non-flash content available or has already announced an iPad ap forthcoming. OS 4 is bringing the much requested 3rd party multitasking.

You do not understand the market segment. It;s not for everyone, it;s for everyone who ALREADY AHS these things you claim that if you did you would not need an iPad. An iPad is Always on, always connected, instantly available (no boot time), needs no regular maintenance, needs no antivirus, plug-ins, and other things that make it sluggish. It's also hermetically sealed like a phone, and thus perfect for outdoors, camping, and the beach, which will destroy a notebook.
 

zelannii

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[citation][nom]ahslan[/nom]Laptop > iPad ....ANY DAY!!![/citation]
At $500? sorry bud.

Laptops require MUCH more expensive software, combined with lots of routine maniteance, and far more security concerns.
Laptoptops are not always on, always connected, always receiving alerts.
Laptops require effort to backup/protect.
Laptops don't do portrait mode.
windows doesn't do touch (well), and virtual no apps available are designed for tablet input.
$500 notebook/netbooks don;t do H.264 video, let alone 720P output to HDTVs (and the chipset in the iPad can actually do 1080p, we're just waiting on the anoucement of a displayport/HDMI dock connector, already rumored coming).
Netbooks require expensive, long term data contracts on 3G.
Netbooks are not notebooks, and 90% of people will tell you if you're buying a netbook, you still also need a real computer too...
 

zelannii

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[citation][nom]miloo[/nom]sorry apple, is really a ugly design ~ screen too small mateno webcam ? oh that's freaking lame with a 499 pricing~499 i will go for Asus netbook LOL[/citation]

No asus $500 netbook can ho H.264 video.
No netbook can do portrait mode
Netbooks look funny hanging from your car seat so the kids can watch video, not to mention hard disks don't like that mode...
Netbooks require real software licensing, costing 10X on average iPad app pricing.
Netbooks can't do 3D gaming virtually at all.
Netbooks are not instant on when you need to look up something quick, and are not getting your chat and other notifications when they hibernate like the iPad will.
netbooks are not hermetically sealed, and make for very poor use on a beach or in most outdoor situations.

A Webcam? Seriously, think about where on the device it would be physically located, and now think about how you have to hold it for the cam to not point up your nose... The iPad doesn't include 1 because it;s impractical to be physically included. It fully supports the bluetooth webcam protocal, and clearly has embedded camera support, including video chat functions. A bluetooth webcam, for the less than 20% of people polled who even want to do video chat at all, is a $60 add on. Fuck the web cam idea, it;s a dead horse. You can do it if you want, and it costs less if you (like most of us) don't care. You would not have realistically used an embedded one if it had it.

Compare an iPad to a real $800+ notebook, or better yet a $1300-1500 machine with a real GPU, and I'll pick the notebook to, for a full time machine, biut the iPad is NOT your full time machine, its the simple, easy to use, hassle free, cheap COMPANION DEVICE to your full time machine, easy to hook up in the living room, easy to use on the couch when the wife is watching something boring, plays games, reads ebooks, and all without expensive software and without continual maintenance tasks and security concerns. I will NEVER own a Netbook. I considered an ebook reader, but e-ink sucks compared to IPS displays (and yes, i did an extended, long term comparison before coming to that conclusion, I got more eye strain using a backlight with e-ink than with an LED display by FAR).
 

djtronika

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ugh. this site contains no one that enjoys having a conversation anymore. just a bunch of teenagers who hate apple who secretly want to be in the "Most aware demographics: young people, $100k income earners, and current Apple product owners." category. im getting my 64gb iPad this saturday and couldn't be more excited. i use my iPhone more than any device in my house. laptop? why, my iPhone is already on me. Desktop? why, i can't use it in my bed to check my email real quick or log into work. iPad, hell yeah, it's the best of both worlds and is going to be one heck of a cool rdp tool. none of you are seeing that apple has the greatest app store EVER in the 2 years it's been out. that is where the feature set it. not the external hardware that all of you old &*##&$ keep talking about. times are changing mainframe idiots.
 

ceteras

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[citation][nom]zelannii[/nom]At $500? sorry bud. Laptops require MUCH more expensive software, combined with lots of routine maniteance, and far more security concerns.[/citation]

Funny thing you mention security. Apple does not equal security. For now you've got a sort of "safety in numbers" (you know what I mean), but the vulnerabilities are there as well as for other platforms.
 

ceteras

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"61 percent of 55–and-older consumers" are aware of the iPad ?
Sure they answered "yes", but it doesn't really mean they actually know what's it about.
I bet they couldn't even tell the difference between a monitor and a computer or an iPod / iPad.
 

kilthas_th

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The real problem with discussing this on a site like Tom's is that Apple is very clearly not targeting the readership here. They are taking aim at those who want a media device but don't want to deal with codecs or file types. They're targeting all the people who ever sat down at a computer to do something, like downloading pictures from a camera or sending an email, and looked like a deer in headlights while doing it.

Take an iPad and a netbook and even a bootcamp Mac, and give them "the mother test". Ask your mother to use each one to watch a movie or view some pictures or even read a news article on the NY Times site. I can all but guarantee that the vast majority of them will prefer the iPad for this purpose. Of those, only a few will even think about, much less mention, that they miss a keyboard or mouse or wonder how it will handle their favorite program.

It's the "computer" for everyone else. It's the "computer" whose limitations are honestly going to be a selling point, rather than a point against, because everyone else just wants the few things they do to work, not access to a thousand things that confuse them. I'm in IT, build my own PCs, and work on Macs and PCs, and have a work-supplied iPhone. I follow the industry and work on their mistakes. I honestly cannot remember the last time a device came along that just screamed (to me) untapped market like the iPad does. Personally, this looks like a great living room device (not to mention kitchen device for any of you who love to cook), and though I'm waiting to see how Chrome OS and the HP Slate turn out, the iPad is definitely staying on my radar as a family device.
 

deck

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Godfail, have you considered an archos tablet? Better feature set than the iPad, already on the market, and cheeper. Furthermore, it is not limited to specific OS. You could install leopard on it if Apple wasn't lame.

The problem alot of posters here have is that people buy and support Apple products without educating themselves on the alternatives. They simply buy into the marketing. Case in point, your assertion that we are all waiting for an iPhone killer, when in fact there are many next gen phones on the market today that are comperable to the iPhone.


 

nahdogg

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49% of perspecitve IPAD consumers would rather have an IPAD. 51% would rather have a laptop. It's all about who was surveyed and how the question was asked. You can get a survey to say anything you want. Ever heard of a push poll?
 

rob_neff

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Can it fly the AR drone? Compared to the iPod, I would think a screen the size the iPad has would make flying/ playing with the AR drone just this site of terminaly bitch'n. :)
 

rob_neff

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[citation][nom]ceteras[/nom]"61 percent of 55–and-older consumers" are aware of the iPad ?Sure they answered "yes", but it doesn't really mean they actually know what's it about.I bet they couldn't even tell the difference between a monitor and a computer or an iPod / iPad.[/citation]

Perhaps those 55 and older were confusing iPad with Depends?
 

tayb

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Well, uh, I'd honestly rather have an iPad than a netbook. I owned a Dell Mini 9 for a couple of months and found it so pathetically useless that I sold it on craigslist and went without a laptop. Sure I can't do everything I'd want to do on an iPad but I can't imagine finding the experience any more annoying or awful than my experience with the netbook was.

Not that I'll be buying either of these two things anytime soon but if I was in the market I'd give the iPad a try before I tried another netbook.
 

tayb

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[citation][nom]kami3k[/nom]You call the Dell Mini useless but would try a even more useless device?/faceplam[/citation]


It might be more usable, I don't know. I've never used it and neither have you so neither of us can comment on it. I do know from personal experience that the netbook I owned was completely worthless as a computing device. No task I wanted to do wasn't a total pain in the ass.

So, yes, I'd give the iPad a try before I gave another netbook a try.
 
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Already have a laptop - I want an ipad so I can sit on my recliner comfortably and hit the web, play some games, read some books, etc.. I don't always want to be confined to mouse or a laptop's small touch pad. And I certainly don't want to be sitting at a desk. Can't wait to see how once again, Apple strikes a chord with the mainstream public and sales go through the roof. See you next year..
 

aletoil

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51% of me doesn't want an Ipad. 49% of me wants one to sell at 20% markup via ebay. I cant believe people would want these.
 
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